Persuasive Communication: How Audiences Decide, 2nd Edition

This updated and expanded edition of Persuasive Communication offers a comprehensive introduction to persuasion and real-world decision making. Drawing on empirical research from social psychology, neuroscience, business communication research, cognitive science, and behavioral economics, Young reveals the thought processes of many different audiences―from investors to CEOs―to help students better understand why audiences make the decisions they make and how to influence them.

The book covers a broad range of communication techniques, richly illustrated with compelling examples, including resumes, speeches, and slide presentations, to help students recognize persuasive methods that do, and do not, work. A detailed analysis of the emotions and biases that go into decision making arms students with perceptive insights into human behavior and helps them apply this understanding with various decision-making aids. Students will learn how to impact potential employers, clients, and other audiences essential to their success.

This book will prove fascinating to many, and especially useful for students of persuasion, rhetoric, and business communication.

Table of Contents

PART I Understanding Rational Decision Making
Chapter 1 Audience Decision-Making Expertise
Chapter 2 Types of Audience Decisions
Chapter 3 Cognitive Processes in Audience Decision Making
Chapter 4 Aids to Audience Decision Making

PART II Understanding Intuitive Decision Making
Chapter 5 Heuristics and Biases in Audience Decision Making
Chapter 6 Person Perception in Audience Decision Making

PART III Understanding Emotional Decision Making
Chapter 7 Emotions in Audience Decision Making