A Sense of Humor!
When trying
to change someone’s mind to get them to think what you want to think, there are
many ways you can go about doing it. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve
studied and learned many theories that people used to do so. One theory that
people use on a 50/50 basis is “Humor!” Is this paper I will show how humor can
play a role in persuasion in both a positive and negative ways. I will also
show how humor has had an effect on other theories of persuasion.
Humor is
defined as a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has
the power to evoke laughter. (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4DKUS_enUS284US284&defl=en&q=define:humor).
In trying to change someone’s mind, rather you are giving a presentation of
just having casual conversation. I’ve learned some traits that you want to
posses are assertiveness and confidence. One is yet to think about the trait of
Humor. I personally along with many others, see humor as a good ice breaker. In
several presentations, a joke or a very humorous hypothetical situation is how
I like to start things off. This method not only draws in my audience’s
attention and makes them comfortable. It also opens them up and makes them more
acceptable to what I have to say.
According to Dorothy Markiewicz, a
professor at Northern Illinois University.
Those concerned with politics, advertising, or rhetoric often suggest
that humor enhances the effectiveness of a persuasive message. (Markiewicz 1972
a, b)(http://www.jstor.org/pss/2786391).
Example: An advertisement that was
used in the past and I can honestly say that worked was a commercial. A couple
years ago, the beer brand use three talking and singing frogs to sell their
product to the public. They caught flies with their tongue and one after
another they repeated BUD-Wei-Ser. I found it along with other to be funny and
it actually made me wanted to purchase the beer.
The Psychological Consistency
Theories which consist of: Heider’s Balance Theory, Newcomb’s Symmetry Theory,
Osgood and Tannebum’s Congruity Theory. These theories share the common assumption that
individuals have an innate desire to hold consistent beliefs, attitudes, and
behaviors. (Seiter, J. S., Gass, R. H. (2004). Perspectives on Persuasion, Social Influence, and
Compliance Gaining. Boston: Pearson Education.) I bring these
theories into play because ever since Budweiser began using humor to sell their
beer and saw the increase in sales. Mostly all of the commercials afterwards
have been based upon having some kind o humor in them.
Though
I find humor to be a positive trait when trying to persuade. The use of humor
can also have a negative effect when it comes to persuading. One example sports
fans may remember is an incident dealing with the basketball king himself
Lebron James.
Example:
Before the upcoming NBA season, Lebron had a huge decision to make about where he
would play this season. The front runners were between Cleveland, New York,
Miami, and New Jersey. Cleveland the team in which he currently played for and
a city which he was born and raised. A team which accommodated him so much they
built a new practice facility in front of his mansion so he wouldn’t have to
travel far. New York, the Mecca of professional basketball and the city which
could offer him the most endorsement money. Miami, a team with already two
superstars (D. Wade and C. Bosh (recently signed), and a place where he would
have to take a tremendous pay cut. New Jersey, a team owned by good friend and
rap pioneer Jay-Z. Lebron held a national press conference where he laughed and
joked about the different teams. He ultimately decided to go Miami. The
decision caused much uproar and now had James labeled as the new villain of
basketball. Some felt he dealt with it the wrong way. What was a joking matter
for him; other felt it was a sign of betrayal. His Jerseys was burned and most
of his build boards were taken down. In response, to all his recent criticism
Lebron made a commercial poking fun at the people with such negative things to
say. In a future interview, he said it was suppose to lighten up the situation
not make things worse!
In
this paper, I have shown how humor can play both a positive and negative role
in persuasion. I also shown you how humor also played a role in some of many
different theories we have already learned about in this class. Humor is meant
to enlighten the heart but it also is a time and place when you are supposed to
use it. Just make sure you’re using it right or you could end up on the wrong
side on mountain.
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