Summary of Ober Chapter 8
Persuasive Messages
Planning the Persuasive Message
Definition of Persuasion = motivating someone to believe something or
do something that he/she would not otherwise have believed or done
Essence of Persuasion = overcoming initial resistance
Organizing a Persuasive Request
1. Determine how to start the message = whether to use the direct plan or
indirect plan
Direct Plan
-Present main idea (recommendation) first
-Include brief rationale/criteria in first paragraph
-Use when one of the following conditions apply:
 You are writing to superiors in the organization
 Your audience is predisposed to listen objectively to your
request
 The proposal does not require strong persuasion
 The proposal is long or complex
 You know the reader prefers a direct approach
Indirect Plan
-You convince the reader before asking for action
-Use a subject line that does not disclose your purpose
immediately
-First sentence should be interesting enough to catch the reader’s
attention, such as:

Rhetorical questions = asked strictly to get the reader
thinking (therefore, don’t use questions with obvious
answers or yes/no questions that don’t require much
thought)

Unusual fact or unexpected statement
-Keep the opening statement interesting, relevant, and short
2. Creating interest and justifying your request
-Include evidence such as:



Facts & statistics
Expert opinion
Examples
-Include benefits that will accompany the proposal
3. Dealing with obstacles
-Ignoring obstacles provides the reader a ready excuse to refuse
your request
-Strategy should be that even considering such an obstacle, the
request is still reasonable
-Although you must address the major obstacles, do not emphasize
them; rather, subordinate this discussion by:
 Devoting little space to it
 Put in the same sentence as a reader benefit
 Put the discussion in the middle of a paragraph
4. Motivating action
-Give a direct statement of the request late in the message
-Ask for a desired action in a confident tone
Common Types of Persuasive Requests
Selling an idea – most often used within your organization
Requesting a favor
Writing a persuasive claim
-Persuasion is not ordinarily necessary for reasonable claims
-Use when initial claim is turned down
-Differs from a routine claim letter in that you need:
 Attention-getting opening
 More evidence
Writing a Sales Letter
AIDA plan (a form of indirect plan) is used for sales letters:

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Gain readers Attention
Create Interest
Create Desire
Motivate Action
Steps:
1.
Select a single central selling theme
-Don’t try to emphasize every feature
-Emphasize by (1) position and (2) repetition
-Examples: convenience, ease of use, flexibility, price
-Select something that sets your product apart
2.
Gain the reader’s attention
-Most sales letters are unsolicited or prospecting letters
-The following are types of opening sentences:
 Rhetorical question
 Thought-provoking statement
 Unusual fact
 Current event
 Anecdote
 Direct challenge
-Try to include the central selling theme in the opening
sentence
3.
Creating interest and building desire

Interpret features
-Show how each will benefit the reader = derived
benefit, rather than emphasizing product features
-Emphasize product features only when:
-Promoting product to an expert
-Promoting expensive equipment

Use vivid language
-Use action verbs, colorful adjectives & adverbs

Use objective, ethical language
-Puffery is legal

Focus on the central selling theme
-This is what you want your reader to remember even if
he/she remembers nothing else

Mentioning price
-If this is the central selling theme, mention it early
-If this is not the central selling them you might:
-Place it in a long compound sentence
-Place it in a sentence that mentions a benefit
-Present it in terms of small units (i.e. weekly price)

Referring to enclosures
-Subordinate the enclosure
-Refer to some specific item in the enclosure
4.
Motivating Action
-Delay making specific request until late in the letter
-Provide an incentive for prompt action
-When asking the reader to part with money, try to mention a
benefit in the same sentence
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