The Art of Persuasion

Imagine a world without being able to convince people of anything. No one would do
anything in that world. Persuasion is one of the most important skills and concepts in literature
and in the real world. The ability to influence someone with their own opinion is the definition of
persuasion. Without persuasion no one would be able to get their ideas to other people. With a
strong understanding of persuasion and the elements of persuasion, people are able to convince
people of anything. However there is a difference between the fair type of persuasion and the
manipulative type of persuasion that people often confuse.
There are 3 types of persuasion: Ethos, Logos and Pathos. Understanding these three
elements of persuasion helps with strengthening how convincing or persuasive someone is. Ethos
is referring to credibility and ethics. What credibility means is how believable the someone is
are(Tracy). By showing the audience that what someone is speaking about is credible, it is more
likely that the audience will accept the argument and agree(Tracy). Logos is the logic and the
reasoning behind the argument. The way a person talks and everything is all apart of logos, how
they plan it and how well everything fits together(Tracy). This helps the speaker sound more
confidence and lets the audience know that the speaker knows what theyre talking about. The
last element is Pathos. Pathos is the appeal to emotion. Its connecting the speaker, the subject
and the audience together. Being able to move the audience or motivate them, the speaker can
often change the audiences thinking and influence them to take a particular action(Tracy). By
utilizing the three types of persuasion, persuading people to the speaker's side will be like water
flowing into the ocean.
Persuasion and manipulation are certainly cousins and to deny that is to deny
reality(Burg.), however there is a fine line between these two. The differences between

persuasion and manipulation is the intent behind the desire of the speaker to persuade someone,
the truthfulness and transparency of the process, and the net benefit or impact on the audience or
person(Fields). Manipulation is persuading an audience with the intent to fool, control or
contrive a person to the speakers side by doing something that leaves the audience harmed or
without benefit(Fields). Persuasion is where the speaker tries to sway the audience to their side
with the intent of helping or benefiting the audience. In the end, fair persuasion is when the
speaker utilizes the elements of persuasion and has a good understanding of persuasion while
manipulation is an underlying intent that is used to benefit themselves rather than the audience.
In conclusion, persuasion allows the audience to form opinions that help them decide a
place in controversial dilemmas. This is how everything in society is decided, through
convincing and influencing the audience, but sometimes people are dishonest and have an
underlying intent. Whether its through manipulation or persuasion, the audience is the one to
decide on whether to believe or to not believe. If the audience isnt convinced then theres no
persuasion.

Works Cited
Burg, Bob. "Persuasion vs. Manipulation." Bob Burg Persuasion vs Manipulation Comments.
Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
Fields, Johnathan. "The Line Between Persuasion and Manipulation." Jonathan Fields The Line
Between Persuasion and Manipulation Comments. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.
Tracy, Brlian. "The Three Elements of Persuasion." The Three Elements of Persuasion. Web. 10
Jan. 2016.