The Importance of Expertise in Persuasion

Today I was sitting in one of my psychology classes, and a group was presenting a topic about the issue of No-Kill dog shelters and whether or not they are better than shelters that promote euthanization. But that's besides the point I am trying to make in this blog entry. In my past few entries, I have spoken about the importance, that Crowley mentions as well in my argumentative writing textbook, of citing "experts" on your topic of focus to make your argument more persuasive. To refresh your memory, Crowley stated that we "try to cite an authority whenever we make a point that might be misunderstood or contested by an audience" (Crowley, 274). It helps make our own ethos, and therefore, our own argument stronger.

Rewinding back to when I was sitting in psychology class today listening to a group present, I will now mention that in their presentation I noticed a lot of "experts" on dog shelters being quoted to support their position that no-kill shelters are good. However, I also noticed that they did not present these people as "experts," giving only their name and title (on occasion). I feel that had the expert been properly introduced in the presentation, it would have made him/her seem even more knowledgeable on the subject and therefore, more persuasive.

With that being said, I think it is equally as important to provide a brief introduction about why someone should be considered an expert in their field (their accomplishments, etc.) before stating their quotation, than just stating their quotation right off the bat. Therefore, you are actually persuading two things: your own argument, and the fact that someone is an expert. If you can persuade your audience that someone is an expert, and they agree with your argument, this will make your argument more persuasive...Credit the expert...