Persuasive Messages The Process of Influence [Paperback]

Designed to help students become more successful persuaders, Persuasive Messages offers practical advice on refining purpose, understanding audience, and designing a persuasive message. This textbook combines theory and practice, adopting a cognitive approach to understanding the persuasion process.

• A guide to successful persuasion, using student-friendly examples to provide a much-needed balance between theory and application
• Offers a new approach using the Cognitive Response Model, which places a special emphasis on audiences, and how they react to, or process, persuasive messages
• Covers a broad range of issues including: the relationship between attitudes and behaviour; the nature of ethics in persuasion; dealing with hostile and multiple audiences; and theories of persuasion, including consistency, social judgment, and reasoned action
• Teaches readers to be critical consumers of persuasive messages by discussing persuasion in advertising and in politics
• Lecturer resources available at www.blackwellpublishing.com/benoit

List of Figures.

List of Boxes.

List of Tables.

Preface.

Part I: Attitudes and Persuasion:.

1. The Importance of Persuasion.

2. The Cognitive Approach to Persuasion.

3. The Source of Persuasive Messages: Credibility.

4. Ethical Concerns.

Part II: Preparing Persuasive Communication:.

5. Purpose and Audience.

6. Organization: Structuring the Message.

7. Substance: Support for Your Ideas.

8. Symbols and Style.

9. Hostile, Apathetic, Motivatl×