Answer: Persuasion is a technique of social influence. It believes in the voluntary adoption of the visions and ideas by the receivers. Aristotle highlighted three means of persuasion i.e., Ethos (character), Pathos (emotions), and Logos (logic). The first kind depends on the personal character of the speaker; the second on putting the audience into a certain frame of mind; and the third on the proof, or apparent proof, provided by the words of the speech itself. Character is believed to be the most effective means of persuasion as can be observed through the following examples:

• In Mahabharata, the character of Dharamraja Yudhisthira lied to his Guru Dronacharya about the death of his son, Ashwathama. It was the persuasive power of his character, that made everyone including his Guru believe his statement. Thus, it was due to the persuasive power of character that even a lie became the truth.
• Another prominent example from day-to-day life can be the advertisement industry, which utilizes the character of influential and credible celebrities like film stars, sports persons, etc. to persuade people to sell their products.
• Further, the character of an individual plays a vital role in bringing social changes in society through persuasion. For instance, the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar led to the abolition of the Sati system and the passing of the Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act respectively.
• On a larger scale, even a nation can be considered to have a character. A nation’s image/character is very important in global politics. It reflects the persuasive power of a nation over other nations on numerous social, economic, and political matters. For instance, India has an image of a nation that believes in peace and cooperation among all countries. It helped India get a waiver from the USA while signing the civil nuclear deal even without rectifying the Non- Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The other ways of persuasion generally influence people for a temporary period of time and have no ripple effects. Conversely, persuasion based on character is considered to be long-lasting and permanent in nature and thus the most effective way of persuasion as it leads to the internalization of the qualities by the people.