What is cognitive dissonance? How might a speaker use it in a persuasive speech?

What will be an ideal response


Cognitive dissonance is a feeling of discomfort a person experiences when he or she perceives there is new information that conflicts with their previously organized thought patterns. This feeling of imbalance may prompt a change in their thoughts, likes or dislikes, or behavior. A speaker may make use of this by pointing out such inconsistencies such as, for example, one's wish for good health is inconsistent with one's lifestyle. The persuader then offers a palatable way to reduce that inconsistency, in the form of a solution step, so that the listener can restore his or her comfort level or sense of balance, e.g., cutting down on fatty foods and beginning to exercise.

Communication & Mass Media

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When time is thought of as a ______, as it is in the United States, one needs to be constantly aware of it so time clocks are everywhere.

Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).

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Once group members have been taken advantage of, the road back to a working relationship is steep; therefore, suspicious members should report their feelings to the group for discussion

A. True B. False

Communication & Mass Media

Enlightened self interest means corporations can ignore the public

Indicate whether this statement is true or false.

Communication & Mass Media

Communication research indicates that in most situations

A) we spend less of our time communicating nonverbally than verbally. B) verbal messages are more contextual in nature than nonverbal messages. C) our verbal messages carry more meaning than our nonverbal messages. D) our nonverbal messages carry more meaning than our verbal messages. E) verbal behaviors are more ambiguous than nonverbal behaviors.

Communication & Mass Media