Public opinion and persuasion (Part 2) Principles of Public Relations  Matt Ragas

So what is persuasion? “Persuasion is an activity or process in which a communicator attempts to induce a change in the belief, attitude, or behavior of another person or group of persons through the transmission of a message in a context in which the persuadee has some degree of free choice.” Important: Persuasion does not mean throwing ethics, dialogue/debate, and free choice out of the window! Coercion, distortion, and propaganda is not persuasion

Source credibility: a factor in effective persuasive communication Message is more believable to the intended persuadee if the source has credibility Three dimensions of credibility: Expertise – do they “know their stuff” (knowledgeable)? Sincerity – are they believable? Charisma – do they really grab and keep your attention?

Celebrities and source credibility Upside: celebrities can call instant attention – and hopefully interest and more - to a brand, cause, or issue Downside: too many celebrity endorsers, overexposure of a celebrity, celebrity personal life See list of the top celebrities on the Forbes 100

Third-party endorsement: a factor in effective persuasive communication Favorable statements by experts are known as third-party endorsement Examples include a favorable news media report (ex. newspaper endorses a political candidate) or an association or industry group (AARP, NAACP, ADA) endorsing a particular product, cause, or solution to an issue These endorsement convey legitimacy and PR professionals actively seek them

Tips on improving the effectiveness of persuasive communication Two-sided messages most effective with audiences potentially opposed to a message Get your most important points at the beginning and/or end of a message (not stuck in the middle) Logic appeals (facts and figures) are most effective for highly educated audiences Celebrities and attractive models work best with low involvement (low engagement) audiences Radio/TV generally more persuasive than print, but print works better for complex messages High fear appeals only work when you provide an immediate solution to the problem (fear source)

So what is propaganda? Propaganda should only be used to describe activity that involves falsehood, lies, deceit, disinformation, and duplicity In World War I and II the term “propaganda” took on a negative connotation, which continues today Effective and ethical persuasion is NOT about deception and deceiving the public!

Joseph Goebbels Hitler’s minister of propaganda (firstrunfeaturesnyc)