What is the term for the process of changing or reinforcing a listener's attitudes, beliefs, values, or behavior?

The term for the process of changing or reinforcing a listener's attitudes, beliefs, values, or behavior is persuasion. This concept revolves around the idea that communication can shape how individuals think and act, often through arguments, appeals, or emotional engagement.

Persuasion involves various techniques and strategies designed to effectively reach an audience and alter its perceptions. It is used in numerous fields, including advertising, political campaigns, and interpersonal communications, where the goal is to sway someone's opinion or prompt them to take action based on the information presented. The focus of persuasion is not just to provide information but to actively influence the receiver’s mindset.

While influence is a broader concept that can encompass persuasion, it does not specifically denote the deliberate effort to change a person's beliefs or behaviors. Motivation relates more to fostering a desire to act rather than directly altering thoughts or attitudes, and conviction refers to a firmly held belief rather than the process of changing such beliefs. Thus, persuasion uniquely aligns with the concept of directly addressing and manipulating attitudes and beliefs in a communicative context.