Persuasion Model - Explanation

In the last byte, we look at the model of persuasion. In today's byte we discuss the model in detail.

The model described in the earlier byte is called - the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. The model is called so, since the model could be differentiated based on the degree of elaboration, or scrutiny and its impact on persuasion. As indicated in the model, there could broadly be two routes to persuasion

1. The Central Route
2. The Peripheral Route

In the first approach towards persuasion, the attempt to persuade is focused on the target's cognitive appeal. In such a scenario, the content of the message is of extremely important. The arguments have to be provided logically and should be convincing. If this is executed right, the attitude change would follow.

In the peripheral route, the appeal is not based on the message content. In this scenario, the target may be persuaded based on the characteristics of the persuader - It could be due to the expertise the individual possess, or the trustworthiness, or attractiveness. They could also be persuaded by the use of statistics, or the number of arguments or the method of presentation - these are not the message itself but the non-substantial aspects of the message.

Central route is found to be more effective when the message context is personalized and strikes a chord to be able to motivate the individual to change the attitude. Thus the involvement of the target in the process is an important factor.

Given this, the manager would have to structure the content of the messages carefully, develop their own attributes that will help them be more persuasive and choose a method of presentation that will attractive to the listeners.