With communication persuasion has always played a major role. To be understood and to be believed about your own point of view is key in any form of communication. It doesn’t matter if you are having a conversation with one friend, family members, an employee, or are sending out an email to persuade people to vote for a particular candidate running for office. The social influence of communication and persuasion play a major role together in obtaining what you want. It can be subconscious or consciously practiced, but the ultimate goal is to be understood and believed. Many theories over the years have been developed to understand how persuasion is achieved.

In modern communication persuasion can play an extremely large role. Cultivation analysis is a theory that says that media, especially forms like television, have a huge impact in shaping how people act. So much of our knowledge now comes from the media instead of through direct experience, and that sets us up to receive instant persuasion when we watch a particular show or visit certain websites. The end result is that a view of the world that we have may be colored by the media and not realistic.

In other types of communication, persuasion does not always work the way we want. Some theories claim that the opposite type of persuasion will occur. This is the cognitive dissonance theory, where people will take great steps to avoid being persuaded by views that they oppose. The power and influence that these viewpoints hold is so strong that people will go out of their way to avoid hearing anything that contradicts what they believe, and will adjust their beliefs to match their actions.

In social communication, persuasion is a constant presence. The social exchange theory promotes this persuasion as a positive thing as long as both parties get what they want. Similar to sales techniques with an economic transaction, the ideal situation is one where everyone is happy with the end result. This can be seen as promoting self interest, but if both parties are happy with what they receive out of the relationship, then all is well.

As can be seen by these different theories, in communication persuasion plays an important role. Whether this role is to convert others, push them further away, or create a balance between the needs of two parties, persuasion tactics are a big part of communication. Being aware of how persuasion works in our interactions with others and with different forms of media well help ensure that we get what we want.

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