A Look Back at Persuasion

As the semester winds down and comes to a close, I like to reflect on all the work that I have done for my classes. I have used my ePortfolio for three classes this semester. In this post, I will be reflecting on the use of this portfolio for my COMM 333 Persuasion class. I have used this same ePortfolio over the past three semesters for various classes and it has evolved every year. This semester is the best that my portfolio has ever looked. In COMM 333, I learned about image oriented advertising. This type of advertising pairs a persuasive message with an image that relays that message. How does this relate to my portfolio? For every blog post or course project, I included a photo that communicates to the reader what the post is about. By doing so, I not only improved the overall aesthetic of my portfolio but my professional presence as well. The overall design and organization is what I like most about my ePortfolio. Organization was very important because I used this portfolio for a total of three courses this year. I created individual categories for current and past courses so that my blog posts are organized and easily searchable. I simplified the design and color palette as well. Green was my color of choice because it represents growth and positivity. Colors can affect how a message is translated so I wanted to choose something that was simple and did not interfere with my work. In past courses, the Course Projects tabs was not utilized and left empty. This semester, I was able to fill it with several projects from my courses. My favorite assignment that I completed this semester was the critical analysis of the film Zootopia. For this assignment, I analyzed the persuasive messages that were present throughout the film. There were many persuasive messages which included the use of celebrities to establish credibility and direct and indirect advertising. Studying the cognitive dissonance that the characters went through was also very interesting. Cognitive dissonance is when attitudes and emotions are not stable, therefore there is no harmony (Lietzenmayer, 2017). If you would like to learn more about persuasive messages and read the full blog post on Zootopia click here.

The most challenging aspect of the ePortfolio is being able to establish your professional presence in a creative way. An ePortfolio is a space where you can showcase your skills, creativity, ideas, and abilities. This portfolio is not like Facebook or Instagram where you can pick and choose who has access to your posts. This is an online resume that a future employer can view. In the beginning, take the time to choose a layout that fits your style, something that you will be proud of to show your work on. Make it interesting, but also make it professional. Be sure to double check for spelling and grammatical errors, even in past blog posts. You may have missed something before! Only post photos and videos that show the best side of you.

The most interesting part of Persuasion that I studied was the role that language plays. The Social Judgement Theory states that knowledge of language allows us to motivate or encourage attitudes by knowing what messages are likely to be heard (Module 8.1.1, Language & Nonverbal Persuasion). The meaning of words is subjective to how the listener understands them. Even though people give meaning to words, words can have power. For example. ‘Special’ v ‘Gifted’. How do you interpret those words? Which of the two do you consider to be a ‘better’ description? Similarly, language can be powerless. “Using powerless language can undermine your authority– and even if you are confident, might give others the impression that you are not” (Lietzenmayer, 2017). This is important to remember when writing discussion boards or blog posts for your courses. Try to avoid tag questions such as “Don’t you think” when making a statement, this will lessen the force of your statement. Also, most hedges or qualifying words such as “kind of”, “sort of”, and “guess” aren’t as persuasive as a more professional word such as “probably”.

This class has opened my eyes to the various types of persuasion and appeals that I previously was unaware of. There are multiple layers to persuasion; the language, the image, the message, and the audience all affect how persuasive something actually is. Up until recently, I never considered how an architectural structure could be persuasive. I now look at buildings in an entirely new light. Overall, I have learned to analyze the commercials, print advertisements, movies, and message that I am subjected to with an open mind.

References: Lietzenmayer, A. (2017). Attitudes. Retrieved from http://ple1.odu.edu/courses/201520/comm333/modules/3/1/1

Lietzenmayer. (n.d.). COMM 333 Persuasion - Fall 2017 -. Retrieved November 26, 2017, from http://ple.odu.edu/courses/201710/comm333/modules/8/1/1