I Know That Song...

Are you preaching to the choir if your persuasive message already aligns with the audience’s beliefs? If we are to accept Woodward and Denton’s definition of persuasion as “a conscious attempt by one individual or group to change the attitudes, beliefs, or the behavior of another individual or group of individuals through the transmission of some message” then it would seem that Jasmine’s example of Bill O’Reilly and his intended audience is not a form of persuasion, but simply a sharing of opinions.
For Bill O’Reilly, there is no pressing need to persuade his audience, as they are either avid fans, or staunch critics simply keeping the enemy close. O’Reilly’s air time is filled with drama, exaggerated emotions and sensationalized reporting. I do not believe that O’Reilly is committed to convincing others to see eye to eye with him, but more to rile audiences. Although, one could argue his use of evidence and general premises are persuasive means. Perhaps then, there is a scale of persuasion.
It would seem silly to consistently “persuade” individuals and groups of people that already agree with you. However, a politician cannot discontinue dialogue with certain publics, simply because they already agree with him/her. A politician will merely redirect their message priorities; they will utilize different persuasion strategies to communicate with the undecided voters. In the case of politics, it is necessary to continually reiterate your foundational message to thwart confusion or doubt regarding the stability or integrity of the message.
Another aspect of “preaching to the choir” we must consider is how much we enjoy it, and how difficult it is to start singing another tune. More often than not we surround ourselves with people who possess similar values and worldviews to our own. Naturally through our involvements, thoughts and actions we are compelled toward certain types of individuals we share commonalities with. This magnetism helps form our sense of community and belonging in the world. During the election, my social circle sounded like a tape recorder. We were constantly repeating our reasons for why Obama was a great candidate. We were all saying the same things and loved being validated in our beliefs. However, there were a select few who did not share our excitement over the potential president. If ever those select few began to speak in opposition to Obama they were immediately shot down. Not only were they outnumbered, but they were attempting to persuade those who could not or would not be deterred.
Just as seemingly pointless it is to “persuade” those who already agree with you, there is no value in challenging yourself to persuade an audience that is not open to being influenced or hearing a different set of opinions than their own. A balance must be found. Woodward and Denton allude to this balance in Jasmine’s quote, “an audience is more likely to accept the speaker’s evidence and conclusions if the persuader seems to see the world in the same terms as the audience.” The audience and the speaker do not have to agree on all accounts, but a common ground must exist, even if that common ground is a simple willingness to listen to the other.