Week 4: Powers of persuasion - it's OK to change your mind.

Are you a stubborn person? Or, are you easily influenced? 

 

Can you easily influence others to change their minds?

Sometimes you don't want to change your mind even if you have discussed the situation with others and you have heard the arguments against your view. Every person is allowed to have their own opinion.

We change our minds all the time. We are influenced by people we trust, like friends and family. And they often persuade us to do things we weren't going to do OR to form a view that is quite the opposite of what we first thought.

So, how does this process work to change our minds?

 

This picture is called 'influence'.

When you change your mind, it's good to know how and why. What were the strongest arguments that persuaded you into changing your mind?

Over the semester, we will learn the language of opinion and the language of persuasion by reading and watching persuasive texts and working out what the key features are. We will write texts that discuss both sides of an issue and we will try to persuade the reader to accept our argument.

And from Simple Wikipedia: 

Persuasion is a form of influence. It is the way to get people to agree with an idea, attitude, or action by rational and emotional means. It is a problem-solving strategy and relies on "appeals" rather than force.

Dissuasion is the process of convincing someone not to believe or act on something.

Persuasion is often confused with manipulation, which is the way to get people to agree with something that is not in their best interest. Persuasion is meant to benefit one or more parties in the end.

More useful information

From About.com Homework and study tips:
Persuasive Writing - For and Against 
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