Abstract
The present paper aims to develop the theoretical concept of inclusive persuasion. A fruitful moment for reflection on inclusivity in persuasion is the acknowledgement that a difference of opinion—and the accompanying psychological moment of resistance on the recipient’s side—is an inherent component of persuasive activity. In the present paper, further anti-inclusive factors in persuasion are identified (situation, social hierarchy, ego and personality orientation of the interactants, etc.) that can be, to a certain extent, neutralised through the adoption of an inclusive persuasive style. The present paper draws upon psychological accounts of persuasion (Grác 1985; Rosenberg 2019) to posit the notion that legitimate persuasion is an interaction in which both the persuader and the persuadee manifest and actively assert their agency, in accordance with the principle of participant involvement. The objective of the present paper is twofold: firstly, to provide a linguistic account of inclusive persuasion and, secondly, to demonstrate selected linguistic and communicative acts that contribute to the inclusive stylization of persuasive interaction. Furthermore, we interpret inclusive persuasion, in accordance with F. Miko’s (1982) framework, as a form of value-based communication, and address the following questions: What are the factors that contribute to the value conveyed through persuasive communication? What values guide the communicative behaviour of participants in inclusive persuasive interactions? How do participants exert value-based influence on one another through persuasive communication?