16. The Big Lie. According
to Adolf Hitler, one of the 20th century’s most dangerous propagandists, people
are more suspicious of a small lie than a big one. The
Big Lie is more than exaggeration or hype; it’s telling a complete falsehood
with such confidence and charisma that people believe it. Recognizing The
Big Lie requires "thinking outside the box" of conventional wisdom
and asking the questions other people don’t ask.
17. Charisma. Sometimes,
persuaders can be effective simply by appearing firm, bold, strong, and confident.
This is particularly true in political and advocacy messages. People often
follow charismatic leaders even when they disagree with their positions on
issues that affect them.
18. Euphemism. While
the Glittering generalities and Name-calling
techniques arouse audiences with vivid, emotionally suggestive words, Euphemism
tries to pacify audiences in order to make an unpleasant reality more palatable.
Bland or abstract terms are used instead of clearer, more graphic words. Thus,
we hear about corporate "downsizing" instead of "layoffs,"
or "enhanced interrogation techniques" instead of "torture.”
19. Extrapolation. Persuaders
sometimes draw huge conclusions on the basis of a few small facts. Extrapolation
works by ignoring complexity. It’s most persuasive when it predicts
something we hope can or will be true.
Real Estate ads, that always says persuasive and
price never goes down
20. Flattery. Persuaders
love to flatter us. Politicians and advertisers sometimes speak directly to us:
"You know a good deal when you see one." "You expect
quality." "You work hard for a living." "You deserve
it." Sometimes ads flatter us by showing people doing stupid things, so
that we’ll feel smarter or superior. Flattery works
because we like to be praised and we tend to believe people we like. (We’re
sure that someone as brilliant as you will easily understand this technique!)
21. Glittering generalities. This is
the use of so-called "virtue words" such as civilization, democracy,
freedom, patriotism, motherhood, fatherhood, science, health, beauty, and love.
Persuaders use these words in the hope that we will approve and accept their
statements without examining the evidence. They hope that few people will ask
whether it’s appropriate to invoke these concepts, while even fewer will ask
what these concepts really mean.
Patriotism
22. Name-calling. This
technique links a person or idea to a negative symbol (liar, creep, gossip, etc.).
It’s the opposite of Glittering generalities.
Persuaders use Name-calling to make
us reject the person or the idea on the basis of the negative symbol, instead
of looking at the available evidence. A subtler version of this technique is to
use adjectives with negative connotations (extreme, passive, lazy, pushy, etc.)
Ask yourself: Leaving out the name-calling, what are the merits of the idea
itself?
23. New. We love new things and
new ideas, because we tend to believe they’re better than old things and old
ideas. That’s because the dominant culture in the United States (and many other
countries) places great faith in technology and progress. But sometimes, new
products and new ideas lead to new and more difficult problems.
24. Nostalgia. This is
the opposite of the New technique. Many advertisers
invoke a time when life was simpler and quality was supposedly better
("like Mom used to make"). Politicians promise to bring back the
"good old days" and restore "tradition." But whose
traditions are being restored? Who did they benefit, and who did they harm?
This technique works because people tend to forget the bad parts of the past,
and remember the good.
25. Rhetorical questions. These
are questions designed to get us to agree with the speaker. They are set up so
that the “correct” answer is obvious. ("Do you want to get out of
debt?" "Do you want quick relief from headache pain?" and
"Should we leave our nation vulnerable to terrorist attacks?" are all
rhetorical questions.) Rhetorical questions are used
to build trust and alignment before the sales pitch.
26. Scientific evidence. This is
a particular application of the Expert technique.
It uses the paraphernalia of science (charts, graphs, statistics, lab coats,
etc.) to "prove" something. It often works because many people trust
science and scientists. It’s important to look closely at the "evidence,"
however, because it can be misleading.
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27. Simple solution. Life is
complicated. People are complex. Problems often have many causes, and they’re
not easy to solve. These realities create anxiety for many of us. Persuaders
offer relief by ignoring complexity and proposing a Simple
solution. Politicians claim one policy change (lower taxes, a new law, a
government program) will solve big social problems. Advertisers take this strategy
even further, suggesting that a deodorant, a car, or a brand of beer will make
you beautiful, popular and successful.
28. Slippery slope. This
technique combines Extrapolation and Fear.
Instead of predicting a positive future, it warns against a negative outcome.
It argues against an idea by claiming it’s just the first step down a “slippery
slope” toward something the target audience opposes. ("If we let them ban smoking
in restaurants because it’s unhealthy, eventually they’ll ban fast food,
too." This argument ignores the merits of banning smoking in restaurants.)
The Slippery slope technique is commonly used in
political debate, because it’s easy to claim that a small step will lead to a
result most people won’t like, even though small steps can lead in many
directions.
29. Symbols. Symbols
are words or images that bring to mind some larger concept, usually one with
strong emotional content, such as home, family, nation, religion, gender, or
lifestyle. Persuaders use the power and intensity of symbols
to make their case. But symbols can have different meanings for
different people. Hummer SUVs are status symbols for some people, while to
others they are symbols of environmental irresponsibility.
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