Summary

Chapter 17: Methods of Persuasion elaborates further on persuasive speaking. The art of persuasion is complicated. Why are some persuasive speakers successful and other persuasive speakers are failures? Listeners react positively to a persuasive speaker for four reasons. The first reason is that they feel the speaker is credible. A second reason is that they are convinced by the evidence presented. A third reason is that they agree with the speaker’s reasoning. A final reason is that they are touched by the speaker’s message.

The text informs the student about building different types of credibility and enhancing existing credibility. A speaker's credibility, which resides largely in the minds of the audience members, is composed of competence and character. The credibility the audience harbors before the speech can change after the speech. A speaker is not boasting when sharing that he...