15.1 Define persuasion and describe five ways listeners may be motivated.

Persuasion is the process of attempting to change or reinforce attitudes, beliefs, values, or behaviors. Several theories suggest how listeners may be motivated to respond to a persuasive message. Cognitive dissonance, a sense of mental disorganization or imbalance that arises when new information conflicts with previously organized thought patterns, may prompt a person to change attitudes, beliefs, values, or behavior. Maslow’s classic hierarchy of needs attempts to explain why people may be motivated to respond to persuasive appeals to various levels of need. Both fear appeals and positive motivational appeals can prompt listeners to respond to a persuasive message. The elaboration likelihood model

(ELM) explains how listeners may be motivated by such peripheral factors as the speaker’s appearance.

Developing Your Audience-Centered Persuasive Speech