Chapter 9: Persuasive Messages – Flashcards

Credibility importance heightens when it comes to persuasive messages. Persuasion implies that you are communicating with with someone who does not think or feel the same way you do. If your credibility is questioned by audience members they are are unlikely to carefully consider your ideas, requests, or recommendations.

Many effective business communicators spend weeks and months learning about their target audiences, gathering information, and piecing together persuasive messaging. 1) Analyzing your audience to understand their needs, values, and how they are influenced. To convince others to modify their own ideas and accept yours, you need to show that you care about them and that your ideas fit into their interests. This is true for ideas but also for products and services. Understanding the needs of your audience requires strong listening orientation. 2) Understand Methods of Influencing-Robert Cialdini identified six principles of persuasion. *Reciprocation*-is a principle of influence based on return favors. "We should to try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us. " *Consistency*-is based on the idea that once people make an explicit commitment, they tend to follow through or honor that commitment. They want to stay consistent with their original commitment. *Social Proof*-is a principle of influence, whereby people determine what is right, correct, or desirable by seeing what others do. *Liking*-is a principle of influence whereby people are more likely to be persuaded by people they like. *Authority*-is a principle of influence whereby people follow authority figures. Like celebrity endorsements. *Scarcity*-is a principle of influence whereby people think there is limited availability of something they want or need, so they must act quickly. 3) Persuade through Emotion and Reason-Savvy business communicators understand the importance of injecting emotion into their persuasive messages. Most resistance to ideas, products, and services is often emotional. Identify the needs and values that resonate emotionally for them. Internal persuasive ideas focus mostly on logical appeals. External messages, with the exception of those that emphasize price, generally include strong emotional appeals. Think about how to get the right mix of logical and emotional appeals. Avoid the tone of mass advertising, where exaggeration, sarcasm, and over the top appeals are acceptable and even effective. 4) Develop Your Ideas-Developing strong ideas in the interest of the audience helps you to demonstrate your voice of competence. Before attempting to persuade others, expert business communicators seek to understand products, services, and ideas in great depth so that they can speak from an authoritative and competent perspective.

Message Structure: Most business writing is *direct* or *explicit* Direct is that you begin with a main idea or argument and then provide the supporting reasons. Explicit is nothing implies; statements contain full and unambiguous meaning. When you write like this you help your readers understand your message and show respect for their time. Persuasive messages are more *indirect* or *implicit* Indirect when they provide the rationale for a request before making the specific request. Implicit when the request or some of the rationale for the request may be implied. In other words the readers need to read in between the lines to grasp the entire meaning. They politely ask people to do or think differently. 1) Gain Attention-asking rhetorical questions, providing a compelling or interesting, revealing a compelling statistic, issuing challenge. Internal messages-demonstrating a business need--a gap between what is and what could be. External messages-more flexibility as you choose your attention getters. 2) Need, Solution, and Rationale-In the body of the message, your first task is to tie your product, service or idea to the needs of the reader. Then, describe your solution, which is a recommended product, service or idea. Provide a strong rationale, meaning why your product or service benefits them. After you structure the message consider how direct to be. 3) Appreciation-At some point in the body you should validate your readers by showing appreciation for their views and preferences. 4) Counterpoints (optional)-This means that companies showed how their own ideas, products, or services were superior to the competing ideas, products, or services the audiences favored. This is risky in the Post-trust era it carries a me-versus-you tone and delegitimizes the readers' concern. This is why counterpoints are optional, you feel out your audience before you decide to use them. You will generally use a mix of communication channels. 5) Action-You conclude a persuasion message with a call to action, which asks your readers to take a specific step toward the purchase of a product or service or acceptance of an idea. Should not be a hard sell. In external messages, the call to action is a specific and explicit step. In internal messages, the call to action is sometimes explicit and sometimes implicit.

Tone should be confident and positive, but avoiding hype or exaggeration. The writing style should be action-oriented and lively. Proofreading by yourself and with the help of colleagues will help you get the right writing style to set your message apart. 1) Apply the Personal Touch-Creating messages that speak directly to customers and colleagues requires that you use language that helps your customers feel the product, service, or idea is just for them. One primary strategy is your selection of voice--either you-voice (used in external messages, makes customer feel like the center of attention), we-voice (used in internal messages to emphasize shared work goals, can focus too much on the company instead of customers), I-voice (use sparingly in all messages), or impersonal voice (emphasizes objectivity and neutrality). Make your product tangible, meaning something that can be touched (material or substantial). 2) Use Action-Oriented and Lively Language-more creative. Use action-oriented and lively words to generate a sense of excitement, optimism, or other positive emotions. Use strong nouns and verbs. 3) Write with Confidence-Higher confidence effectively influences your audience. This allows the consumer to gain confidence in the message. In internal messages, expressing confidence in key players who can make the change occur, is crucial. 4) Offer Choice-Most people emphasize choice rather than intent. Emphasis on choice and you-voice, and simple language combine to make this the most influential statement. Choice is an indicator of credibility. They view simple language as a display of transparency and respect. Be careful about being perceived as presumptuous. 5) Show Positivity-Helps focus on the benefits rather than the drawbacks. Avoid superlatives (best product on the market, state-of-the-art). Consumers perceive too-good-to-be-true statements as attempts to convince them of the merits without making a rational argument.

Internal and External messages contain many common elements: they gain attention, raise a need, deliver a solution, provide a rationale, show appreciation for differences in opinions, give counter points, and call readers to action. -Internal messages focus more on promoting ideas -Slightly direct and explicit -based on logical appeals External messages are focused on promoting products & services -slightly more indirect and implicit -based on emotional appeals

Messages sent to a large group of consumers and intended to market a particular product or service. Have low success-rates mass email, online ads, sales letters. A benefit of these is even though there is less response the company still raises brand awareness. On the other hand, many consumers resent these. 1) Gain attention 2) Generate Interest 3) Build Desire 4) Call to Action The model used for these messages is AIDA approach: attention, interest, desire, and action.

Always carefully review your messages, especially since most of them are high-stakes communication. They can enhance credibility and provide you with future opportunities. and likewise. Get Feedback and Reread-these messages are directed at an audience who resists your ideas, products, or services. Ask trusted colleagues that may be resistant in the same way your audience would. Apply the Fair Test- By applying this you can avoid sending persuasive messages that manipulate others.