Transcript Chapter 9

9.1
Chapter 9
Writing Persuasive Messages
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.2
Chapter 9 Objectives
 Discuss the planning tasks that need extra
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attention when preparing persuasive
messages.
Distinguish between emotional and logical
needs and how to balance them.
Describe the AIDA plan.
Explain how to overcome resistance to your
message and list four common mistakes.
Compare sales and fundraising messages.
List eight guidelines that will help you
strengthen your fundraising messages.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.3
Writing Persuasive Messages
 Persuasion is the attempt to change an
audience’s attitudes, beliefs, or actions.
 Following the three-step writing process helps
you make your persuasive messages more
effective.
 Persuasive messages differ from routine positive
messages in numerous ways:
 They target audiences who are inclined to
resist.
 They are generally longer.
 They are usually more detailed.
 They often depend heavily on strategic
planning.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.4
Step 1: Planning
 When planning persuasive messages
(Step 1), you must
 Make sure your message is clear,
necessary, and appropriate for written
media
 Delve more deeply when analyzing your
audience
 Pay extra attention to your credibility
 Make sure your ethics are above
reproach
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.5
Step 1: Planning
 Persuasive messages (especially external
ones) can be difficult because
 People in your audience are busy and
reluctant to take on anything new
 Competing requests are plentiful
 Everyone’s needs differ, so everyone
responds differently to any given
message
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.6
Step 1: Planning
 When analyzing your audience, ask yourself
these important questions:
 Who are the members of my audience?
 What are their needs?
 What do I want them to do?
 How might they resist?
 Are there alternative positions I need to
examine?
 What does the decision-maker consider the
most important issue?
 How might the organization’s culture influence
my strategy?
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.7
Step 1: Planning
 Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is based
on the belief that needs have priority and that
the most basic needs must be satisfied first:
1. Survival (physiological) needs: Air, food,
water, sleep, shelter
2. Safety and security needs: Personal
confidence, stability, protection from enemies
3. Social needs: Affection, friendship, group ties
4. Esteem and status needs: Self-worth,
uniqueness, respect, community
5. Self-actualization needs: Creativity, selfrealization, wisdom, vocation
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.8
Step 1: Planning
 Once you’ve analyzed the need that is motivating
your audience, you can craft an appeal that will
interest audience members in taking the action
you propose.
 To assess needs, you can refer to specific
information, such as
 Demographics: Your audience’s age, gender,
occupation, income, and education
 Psychographics: Your audience’s personality,
attitudes, and lifestyle
 Demographics and psychographics are strongly
influenced by cultural expectations and practices.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.9
Step 1: Planning
 To persuade a skeptical or hostile
audience, you must convince people that
you know what you’re talking about and
that you’re not trying to mislead them.
 Credibility is your capability of being
believed because you’re reliable and
worthy of confidence.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.10
Establishing Credibility
Support your message with facts.
Name your sources.
Be an expert.
Establish common ground.
Show enthusiasm.
Be objective.
Show sincerity.
Be trustworthy.
Indicate good intentions.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.11
Step 1: Planning
 The best businesspeople make persuasion
a positive (rather than a negative) activity,
influencing audience members by
 Allowing audiences the freedom to
choose
 Providing information and aiding
understanding
 Informing audiences of the benefits of an
idea, a product, a donation, a firm, and
so on
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.12
Step 2: Writing
 When writing persuasive messages, you
need to
 Define your main idea
 Limit the scope of your message
 Group your points in a meaningful way
 Chose the direct or the indirect approach
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.13
Writing Persuasive Messages
 Most persuasive messages use the
indirect approach – explaining reasons and
building interest before revealing the
purpose.
 Your choice between the direct and the
indirect approach is influenced by
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Your audience’s probable reaction
Your audience’s and your organization’s
preferences
Your authority, expertise, or power in the
organization.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.14
Step 3: Completing
 When completing persuasive messages, you
must make sure that you
 Judge your argument objectively
 Seriously appraise your credibility
 Carefully match the purpose and organization
to audience needs
 Design your message to complement your
argument
 Choose a delivery method that fits your
audience’s expectations
 Proofread for any mechanical or spelling
errors that would weaken your argument
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.15
Sending Persuasive Messages
 In persuasive messages, you must
communicate your main idea and reasons,
but you must also motivate your audience
to do something.
 Four strategies for persuasive messages
are
 Balancing emotional and logical appeals
 Framing your arguments
 Reinforcing your position
 Dealing with resistance
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.16
Appeals for Persuasion
A balance between two types of appeals,
the logical appeal and the emotional
appeal, depends on these factors:
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Actions you wish to motivate
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Reader’s expectations
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Degree of resistance you must overcome
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Your authority in selling your point of view
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.17
Appeals for Persuasion
 Lean toward logic and keep your emotional
appeal subtle when you want someone to
 Accept a complex idea
 Take a serious step
 Make an important decision
 Rely a bit more heavily on emotion when you
want someone to
 Purchase a product
 Join a cause
 Make a donation
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.18
Logical Appeals
 A logical appeal calls on human reason, basing
the argument on making a claim and then
supporting that claim with reasons or evidence.
 When using logical appeals, you might use three
types of reasoning:
 Analogy: Reasoning from specific evidence to
specific evidence
 Induction: Reasoning from specific evidence
to a general conclusion
 Deduction: Reasoning from a generalization
to a specific conclusion
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Guidelines for a Logical,
Sound Argument
Avoid hasty generalizations
Avoid begging the question
Avoid attacking your opponent
Avoid oversimplifying a complex opponent
Avoid assuming a false cause
Avoid faulty analogies
Avoid illogical support
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.19
9.20
AIDA Plan
 When framing a persuasive argument, effective
businesspeople use the AIDA plan:
 Attention: Your opening does more than
simply serve as a buffer, it grabs your
audience’s attention.
 Interest: Your explanation does more than
present reasons, it incites your audience’s
interest.
 Desire: Your continued explanation does more
than present benefits, it changes your
audience’s attitude.
 Action: Your close does more than end on a
positive note, it emphasizes reader benefits
and motivates readers to take specific action.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
How to Strengthen
a Persuasive Message
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Use semantics effectively.
Be moderate.
Focus on your goal.
Use simple language.
Anticipate opposition.
Provide support.
Be specific.
Create a win-win situation.
Time your message to be effective.
Speak metaphorically and use anecdotes.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.21
9.22
Audience Resistance
 The best way to deal with audience
resistance is to eliminate it by
 Presenting all sides
 Uncovering audience objections through
“What if?” scenarios
 Asking audience members for their
thoughts on the subject before building
your argument
 Perhaps even turning problems into
opportunities
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.23
Good Persuasive Messages
 Don’t use a hard-sell.
 Don’t resist compromise.
 Don’t rely solely on
great arguments.
 Don’t try to persuade audiences in a
one-shot effort.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Persuasive Requests
for Action
9.24
Use the AIDA plan to frame your message:
1. Show readers that you know about their
concerns.
2. Show that you know about the situation
you’re requesting action on by using facts
and figures. Explain to your readers that
helping you will help solve a significant
problem.
3. Close with a request for a specific action.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Strategies for
Sales Messages
Determine your selling point and benefits
Keep in mind legal aspects of your message
Be liberal in your use of action words
Be careful when talking about price
Support your claims
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.25
How to Grab Your
Audience’s Attention
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Provide a piece of genuine news.
Appeal personally to the reader’s emotions.
Tout your product’s most attractive feature.
Provide some intriguing numbers.
Include a sample of the product.
Reinforce a concrete illustration with some
story appeal.
 Share a specific trait with the audience.
 Issue a challenge.
 Provide a solution to a problem.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
9.26
Let’s
Discuss
Test Your
Knowledge
 How do emotional appeals differ from
9.27
logical appeals?
 What is the AIDA plan, and how does it
apply to persuasive messages?
 What are four common mistakes to
avoid when developing a persuasive
message to overcome resistance?
 What are the similarities and differences
between sales messages and
fundraising messages?
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Let’s
Discuss
Test Your
Knowledge
9.28
continued
 What are some questions to ask when
gauging the audience’s needs during
the planning of a persuasive message?
 What role do demographics and
psychographics play in audience
analysis during the planning of a
persuasive message?
 What are four ways you can build
credibility with an audience when
planning a persuasive message?
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Let’s
Discuss
Test Your
Knowledge
9.29
continued
 What three types of reasoning can you
use in logical appeals?
 How can semantics affect a persuasive
message?
 How do benefits differ from features?
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall