The
INTENSIFY / DOWNPLAY Schema
TECHNIQUES
People intensify some elements by
means of
repetition, association, and composition.
Repetition
Intensifying by repetition is an easy, simple, and effective way to persuade. People are comfortable with the known, the familiar. As children we love to hear the same stories repeated: later, we have "favorite" songs, TV programs, and so on. All cultures have chants, prayers, rituals, and dances based on repetition: to imprint on the memory of receivers to identify, recognize, and respond.
Association
People intensify by linking (1) the idea or product with (2) something already loved /desired by -- or hated /feared by (3) the intended audience. Thus, the need for research by advertisers on audience analysis: surveys, polls, "market research," "consumer behavior," psychological and sociological studies. Association can be done by direct assertions, or indirect ways: metaphoric language, allusions, backgrounds, and contexts. Some "good things" often linked with products are those common human needs / wants / desires for "basics," "certitude," "intimacy," "space," and "growth."
Composition
Intensifying by pattern and arrangement uses design, variations in sequence, and in proportion -- to add to the force of words, images, and movements. How we put together, or compose, is important: for example, in verbal communication: the choice of words, their level of abstraction, their patterns within sentences, the strategy of longer messages (The most common structure of ads, for example, is the basic 1-2-3-4-5 pattern, called here --"the pitch") Logic, both inductive and deductive, puts ideas together systematically. Nonverbal compositions involve visuals (color, shape, size): aural (music); mathematics (quantities, relationships), time and space patterns.
People downplay some elements by
means
of omission, diversion, and confusion.
Omission
Downplaying by omission is common
since the basic selection/ omission process omits, necessarily,
more than can be presented. All communication is limited,
slanted, or biased to include and exclude items. But, omission
can also be used as a deliberate way of concealing. Quotes out
of context and half-truths and are very hard to detect. Political
examples of omission include cover-ups, censorship, book- burning,
and managed news. Receivers, too, can omit: can "filter
out," be closed- minded, prejudiced, be "in denial."
Diversion
People downplay by distracting focus or
diverting attention away from key issues or important
things; usually by intensifying the side-issues, the
unrelated, the trivial. Common variations of diversionary tactics
include: "hairsplitting," "nit-picking,"
"attacking a straw man," "red herring";
and emotional attacks (ad hominem, ad populum), plus
tactics which drain the energy of others: "busy work,"
"legal harassment." Humor and entertainment ("bread
and circuses") are used as pleasant ways to divert attention
from major issues.
Confusion
People
also downplay issues by making things so complex, so chaotic,
that other people "give up," get weary, or overloaded.
This is dangerous when people are unable to understand or make
reasonable decisions. Chaos can be the accidental result
of a disorganized mind, or the deliberate film-flam of
a con man or the political demagogue who then offers a "simple
solution" to the confused. Confusion can result from
faulty logic, equivocation, circumlocution, contradictions,
multiple diversions, inconsistencies, jargon, or anything which
blurs clarity or understanding.
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You Can Ask About Advertising |
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Questions You Can Ask About Political Rhetoric
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Analysis | ©
2008 by Hugh Rank | More at http://faculty.govst.edu/pa/index.html
People downplay some elements by
means
of omission, diversion, and confusion.
| Omission
Downplaying by omission is common since the basic selection/ omission process omits, necessarily, more than can be presented. All communication is limited, slanted, or biased to include and exclude items. But, omission can also be used as a deliberate way of concealing. Quotes out of context and half-truths and are very hard to detect. Political examples of omission include cover-ups, censorship, book- burning, and managed news. Receivers, too, can omit: can "filter out," be closed- minded, prejudiced, be "in denial." |
| Diversion
People downplay by distracting focus or diverting attention away from key issues or important things; usually by intensifying the side-issues, the unrelated, the trivial. Common variations of diversionary tactics include: "hairsplitting," "nit-picking," "attacking a straw man," "red herring"; and emotional attacks (ad hominem, ad populum), plus tactics which drain the energy of others: "busy work," "legal harassment." Humor and entertainment ("bread and circuses") are used as pleasant ways to divert attention from major issues.
|
| Confusion
People also downplay issues by making things so complex, so chaotic, that other people "give up," get weary, or overloaded. This is dangerous when people are unable to understand or make reasonable decisions. Chaos can be the accidental result of a disorganized mind, or the deliberate film-flam of a con man or the political demagogue who then offers a "simple solution" to the confused. Confusion can result from faulty logic, equivocation, circumlocution, contradictions, multiple diversions, inconsistencies, jargon, or anything which blurs clarity or understanding.
|
Top
| Intensify/Downplay Schema | Qualifications
| Home
200 Questions
You Can Ask About Advertising |
200
Questions You Can Ask About Political Rhetoric
Classroom teaching aid, pro bono public, from Persuasion Analysis | © 2008 by Hugh Rank | More at http://faculty.govst.edu/pa/index.html