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Nick Unger
Susanne Murphy
Human Communication 1100
4 November 2016
The Power of Persuasion
Communication is an art, an art with multiple uses and functions. Among the many
functions communication serves, persuasion and persuading is one of them. A speech or speaking
to persuade is defined by Communication Mosaics as aiming to ...influence attitudes, change
practices, or alter beliefs. (Wood, 266.) To persuade is to make someone think in a new way,
most likely one that favors the speakers agenda. However, persuasion does not just happen; it
takes the use of certain skills and tools to persuade a listener.
Since there are a vast amount of skills used to persuade, we will cover a select few here
today. Lets begin with testimonials. A testimonial is defined as being Use of endorsements by a
famous person such as a sports star or movie star to sell the product or idea,
(WarnerJordanEducation, 13:48.) That is, to say, that a famous person has used a product
themselves and recommends that the viewer or audience buys it. This persuasive technique is
more often than not reserved for advertising purposes, as marketers use celebrities to sell their
products, although politicians may also use it to sell their campaign.
A second tool that can be used in persuading others is the plain folks technique. This is a
technique defined as Using simple, down-to-earth people, like you and me, to sell a product or
idea, (WarnerJordanEducation, 4:10.) In essence, this tool uses either regular citizens, or people
claiming they are just simple citizens to sell products or beliefs. This is a favorite of politicians
and more important, richer folk in general. By trying to prove to the audience that they have a

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similar background and experiences, they paint themselves as trustworthy, and in turn, can find it
easier to persuade others.
The third tool of persuasion well discuss is card stacking. Card stacking is defined as
Distorting or omitting facts or telling half-truths to sell a product or idea,
(WarnerJordanEducation, 2:43.) That is, to say, taking information and changing or leaving out
some pieces. A technique used by many different groups, card stacking is an easy way to use a
statistic without truly using a statistic. By using these half-truth statistics, speakers can present
numbers that seem true in order to back up a claim, and, in turn, persuade.
The final tool in persuasion is the bandwagon technique. This technique is defined as
Using the idea that everybodys in favor of it or that one should join the crowd to sell a
product or idea, (WarnerJordanEducation, 1:46.) Communication Mosaics provides an example
of this technique; You should be for the new campus meal plan because most students are.
(Wood, 280.) Humans are creatures who follow the crowd; The Wall Street Journal stated that
humans are naturally sensitive and perceptive of groups of people and what they do in said
groups (Gopnik, 1.) Because of this, its easy to see how the bandwagon technique can be used in
a persuasive manner.
So we have now defined four major tools of persuasion that are used nearly every day.
But already, many of these tools seem intended to cause misdirection or forcibly change
someones opinion. So when do these tools become unethical? When is it going too far to use
them?
Lets go down the list one by one. Testimonials are perhaps the most harmless of the
techniques defined above, but even they can become unethical. What if a celebrity has never
actually used a product? And then, in turn, the product being advertised turns out to be harmful

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to humans? As an example, lets say that maybe Michael Jordan endorses a new type of
deodorant. However, he has actually never used it- and why would he? It causes rashes under
ones arms. Testimonials become unethical when they endorse products that have never even
been used by the celebrity, or when the endorses products are harmful to humans.
Plain folks is a technique that also seems harmless at first glance. Using the common man
to persuade other common folks; its simply nature. Humans like other humans that look like
them. But what if they were not actually like them? The average Joe advertising a product may
actually be nothing more than a paid actor. And the politician who stated he came from humble
origins and carries them with him today may actually have been born in the lap of luxury, and
never truly lived the humble life he proclaims he has. Plain folks becomes unethical when it
becomes about lies, simple un-truths of ones identity to sell products.
Card stacking is perhaps unethical right off the bat. It is quite literally nothing more than
lying and misdirection; the use of statistics and a morphed and falsified way. However, at least
the statistics used are more often than not real, if not twisted. Card stacking becomes its most
unethical when the statistics used are simply false. This has happened in the past; in 2007,
toothpaste manufacturer Colgate had to remove an ad with a false statistic because the
Advertising Standards Agency found that, as reported by The Telegraph, Colgates longstanding claim that more than 80 per cent of dentists recommend its toothpaste is misleading...
(Derbyshire, 1.) The unethical use of card stacking is in full display here- a misleading statistic
that is simply false, designed to get the audience to buy a product that may or may not be
actually used by dentists- this actually an unethical use of testimonials, as well! But the
unethicality of the advertisement is highlighted in the false claim and statistic.

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The bandwagon technique, like all the techniques above, can be used just as unethically
as the others. The unethical uses in this one are a bit more apparent. Its easy to claim that
everyone is doing it, but what if everyone is not actually doing it? This is like card stacking in
that it can be a misuse of statistics. If a cellular company proclaims that most Americans use their
service, and asks why arent you, theyre asking you to bandwagon. But what if theyre actually
used the least? This use of the bandwagon is unethical and essentially falsely inflates the value of
their company.
With the bad of these techniques aside, lets see how they can be used in an imagined
scenario to ask someone to perform a favor. Lets set the scene. The person we will be asking to
perform the favor is a friend who, although kind and polite, is somewhat naive and gullible. The
favor we will ask this friend is to drive us to an event that we have been eagerly awaiting,
although our car is in the shop and we cannot drive ourselves. Well highlight the techniques we
use as the scenario plays out.
We ask our friend if he would be willing to drive us to the event. He says that hed love
to, but the time it ends is a little later than hed like to stay out. First things first; we have to get
him to take us, no matter what. So lets use the bandwagon technique. Everyone is going, you
state confidently. If we dont go, well be left out! Do you really want that?, you ask. In truth,
although the event is large, no one within your immediate circle is going. However, your friend
seems to agree it would be awkward to be left out of the event. Hes warming up to the idea.
Now, lets try and strike again and assure the car ride to the event. A bit emotionally, you
also genuinely proclaim that you havent spent as much time with your friend as youd have
liked. Using the card stacking technique, you, however, now disingenuously claim that a new
study you read proves that friends who drive together have a 90% chance of becoming closer to

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one another. Your friend, moved by this statement and your wanting to spend time with him,
gives into your persuasive techniques and agrees to drive you to the event.
Persuasion is powerful in its own right. As seen in the example above, it can be used to
completely change peoples opinion on a matter, and help you out. The tools we have described
and the countless others help to make persuasion an art stemming from communication, one that
shows communication skills at their best and worst, although it is still quite a skill to be
admired wouldnt you agree? Everyone else says so

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Works Cited
Wood, Julia T. "Public Communication." Communication Mosaics
an Introduction to the Field of Communication. 7th ed. Australia: Thomson
Wadsworth, 2014. 262-80. Print.
WarnerJordanEducation. Advertising and Propaganda
Techniques. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 6 March 2016. Web. 5
November 2016.
Gopnik, Alison. "Humans Naturally Follow Crowd Behavior." The
Wall Street Journal. Wsj.com, 12 Sept. 2014. Web. 05 Nov. 2016.
Derbyshire, David. "Colgate Gets the Brush off for 'misleading'
Ads." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 17 Jan. 2007. Web. 05 Nov. 2016.