Crafting Persuasive Communication Appeals

The other day I bought a new couch for my apartment. After doing a lot of research, reading reviews online, and talking to my friends and family to get their opinions, I finally decided on my new couch. A lot of thought went into buying my couch and I actively read information and sought out information from friends to make an educated decision.

But this isn’t how I make all of my decisions. Sometimes I rely on other factors and cues to persuade me one way or another. This is the elaboration likelihood model at work.

Simply put, the elaboration likelihood model is a model of persuasion that states people either process messages actively or through peripheral cues (i.e. style of message, credibility of source, the individual’s own mood, etc.) and either route can lead to a change in the individual’s attitude. It’s important to note that this happens on a continuum and the degree to which someone is thinking about and processing a message can vary. This is where “elaboration” comes from in this model – how much time are people taking to elaborate on a particular message?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlqUPJ_LCrs

We are constantly using persuasion when we communicate, making this theory and effective persuasion a must in the communications profession. Let’s say I’m a media practitioner and I want to convince people that my company is the best out there for solar energy research. Knowing that I want to persuade people with my messages, it would be important to reach both groups of people outlined in the elaboration likelihood model – those who process messages actively and those who rely on other cues.

I’d want to do a few things here: first off, make sure that I am sharing accurate facts and giving credit where credit is due. That will build up my company’s credibility as a source for solar energy information and build trust with my audience. Next, I want to craft my messages for the audience I’m trying to reach so the style of my message resonates with that audience. For example, if my audience is mainly researchers and academia in clean energy, I’d want my messages to take a more professional and factual tone. These few steps take into account people who are relying more on peripheral cues when processing information.

For those who are going to actively read through the content about my company, I need to make sure the content is top-level, sophisticated, and shares information that is new to my audience in order to persuade them that my company is the best for solar energy research. Finally, I’d want a call to action in my communication materials so those who actively read them know what I want them to do next, like follow my company on social media or check out a research paper that we recently published.

All in all, when developing persuasive materials, it is crucial to take into account the different levels of attention and thought your audience members are going to put into processing your messages. That could make all the difference in eliciting an attitude change even in just one person.

Published by Maris Laughton

September 20, 2021