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PERSUADE

Be Convincing and Avoid Fallacy

🎯 Objectives

This learning module should take you about 10-15 minutes to complete.
In this learning module, you will:
  • Consider viewing research as a learning opportunity.
  • See the importance of seeking truth as you conduct research.

Overview

If BYU Marriott students are going to transform the world through Christlike communication, they must communicate honestly, never seeking to deceive their audiences. In his 1988 talk entitled Christlike CommunicationLinks to an external site., Elder Lionel Kendrick taught this about integrity in communication:

"Integrity is the core of our character. Without integrity, we have a weak foundation upon which to build other Christlike characteristics."  One of the main purposes of business communication is to persuade an audience to do something: hire us, buy a product, give us a raise, adopt our proposal, change to our point of view, etc. When we ethically use rhetorical persuasive strategies, we are not manipulating or deceiving our audiences. Instead, we are acting with integrity, which helps us to become Christlike leaders and communicators.

The notion that our great ideas or products sell themselves is wishful thinking. Great ideas don't get executed without someone persuasively expressing them. In business, the ability to persuade is invaluable. When they attempt to persuade their audiences, ethically persuasive communicators focus on audience benefits and avoid logical fallacy. This lesson will give you a chance to practice persuading without manipulating.

READ the following chapter from the textbook

WATCH the following videos on Logical Fallacies

Logical Fallacy Videos

  • Bandwagon Effect: Cognitive Biases Series

  • Social Proof: Following the Crowd - Behavioral Economics Series

  • Fallacy of Relative Privation: All Problems are Relative - Logic Series

  • Argument From Ignorance: Can't Prove a Thing - Logic Series

  • Appeal to Tradition: We've Always Used Catchy Slogans - Logic Series

  • Slippery Slope: Jumping From A to Z -- Logic Series

  • Appeal to Novelty: A Cutting Edge Fallacy - Logic Series

  • False Dilemma: Either Love it or Fear it - Logic Series