What Persuades Us?
Start by asking students to think about a time they changed their mind about something. (You can give examples of fairly small things they might have changed their minds about: whether or not they like a particular food, their favourite snack, how they feel about cats or dogs.)
Now ask: What was it that changed their minds?
- How many changed their minds because of a personal experience (such as trying a food with an ingredient they didn’t like prepared in a new way)?
- How many changed their minds because they were persuaded by new information or an argument someone made?
- How many were persuaded by something that made them feel a certain way (such as deciding to see a movie because you saw an exciting trailer, or wanting to try a sport because you saw a video that made it look fun)?
(If you like, you can give them an example of something you have changed your mind about, and why.)