Power of Persuasion

In the beginning of Professor McCloskey’s lecture, she goes over the most basic form of information.  She uses the metaphor of the tubes at a bank, a conduit that is used to take information from one place and sends it to another.  In regards to communication, this information is not sent over a tube, but rather through verbal or non-verbal messages, but the general idea remains the same.  Now that being said, no one would study communications if it were that simple, it isn’t just about the information being passed on, but rather the intentions of the messenger.  She states that the most important part of communication is the information, but rather the act of persuasion.  It’s the type of persuasion, not to change someone’s mind, but rather, to have them see it as you see it.  The intent is to make everyone happy.  The receiver has gotten new information, and the messenger has passed on the information that they had in a way that seems reasonable to the receiver.  However, this persuasion is not forcing anyone to do anything, instead, it is used in a way to present the information is such a way that the receiver makes the choice to accept it. 

                She gives a great example of this information by persuasion idea.  She, as a teacher, is doing it every time she steps in front of a room of students.  She is presenting you with information, and persuading you that this information is important and should be known.  She is in no way forcing you to memorize the things she’s teaching, but rather, leaving it up to you to decide it it’s worthwhile.  If you do take notes, and learn the material, then she has successfully persuaded you that the information presented was important.  The word she likes to use to describe successfully persuading someone is “sweet talk”. 

                About half way through the lecture, she brings up a very interesting point.  She says that what communication majors learn is something that will never “get cheaper”.  What she means is that everything around us is getting cheaper and cheaper, cell phones, lap tops, technology in general, but the ability to “sweet talk” someone, or persuade them to think as you do, or do what you want them to, is something that won’t lose value over time.  I whole heartedly agree with that.  I believe that one of the most important qualities a person can have is the ability to get a message across as clear as possible.  A person who can do that will rarely have any problems in the business world because there won’t that constant misunderstanding that comes with someone who does not possess that ability. The power of persuasion is something that, no matter how much technology improves, will always be needed when communicating with others.