Chapter 11
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Chapter 11 Crafting Persuasive Messages Purposes Persuasive Strategies Credibility Threats Organizing Objections Acting Promptly Tone Varieties Organizing Sales / FundRaising Messages Writing Style 11-1 Purposes Primary • To have audience act or change beliefs Secondary • To build good image of the communicator • To build good image of communicator’s organization • To cement a good relationship • To overcome any objections • To reduce or eliminate future messages on subject 11-2 Choosing a Persuasive Strategy 1. Decide specifically what you want. Persuasive messages motivate the reader to agree with you or to do as you ask. Adopt a complex proposal, persuade • Adopt the whole proposal? • Approve a pilot test? • Schedule a meeting to present in person? Sales letter: • Make a sale? • Get reader interested? • Schedule a sales call? 11-3 Choosing a Persuasive Strategy cont 2. What objections will audience have? What do they already know? • How much background information to include? What is their attitude? • • Negative: Give more than 2 reasons Why are they negative? Tailor your arguments to overcome their objections 11-4 Choosing a Persuasive Strategy cont 3. How strong a case can you make? Logos-Argument—reasons or logic communicator offers Ethos-Credibility—audience’s response to communicator as source of message • Expertise, image, relationships Pathos-Emotional appeal—making audience want to do as communicator asks 11-5 Building Credibility Be factual—don’t exaggerate Be specific—if you say X is better, show in detail how it is better Be reliable—if project will take longer or cost more than estimated, tell audience immediately 11-6 Choosing a Persuasive Strategy cont 4. What kind of persuasion is best for the situation? • Perform Audience Analysis: What works best for one person, may not work for all. 5. What kind of persuasion is best for organization and culture? 11-7 Use a Direct Request Pattern When… Writing to superiors Strong persuasion is not needed. • You need response only from people who can easily do as you ask Presenting a long or complex proposal. • Audience may not read all of the message 11-8 Organizing Direct Requests 1. Ask immediately for the information or service you want 2. Give audience all the information they need to act on your request 3. Ask for the action you want 11-9 Prefer the indirect plan when Writing to colleagues and subordinates Writing to someone outside the organization The reader prefers the indirect approach Strong persuasion is required either logical or emotional appeal The reader is initially resistant to your proposal 11-10 Why Threats Don’t Persuade Don’t produce permanent change May not produce desired action May make people abandon action Produce tension People dislike/avoid one who threatens Can provoke counter-aggression 11-11 Organizing Indirect--ProblemSolving Messages 1. Catch audience’s interest by mentioning common ground 2. Define problem you share with audience Find the common ground 3. Explain solution to problem 4. Show that advantages outweigh negatives Deal with their objections 5. Summarize additional benefits of solution 6. Ask for action you want 11-12 Developing Common Ground Suggest you and audience have mutual interest in solving problem Analyze audience to understand biases, objections, and needs Identify with audience to find common goals 11-13 Dealing with Objections Specify time, money required to act • May be less than audience fears • Example: Filling out the forms should only take 10 minutes. Your responses will be put into our database—no more paperwork. 11-14 Dealing with Objections, continued… Put time, money in context of benefits they bring • Example: Paying $17,500 for all three of us to attend the summer institute will enable us to get the thorough instruction we need to train the rest of the staff. 11-15 Dealing with Objections, continued… Show that money spent now will save money in long run • Example: By spending $4,000 now, we can upgrade the labs in time to avoid a $6,500 fine for noncompliance with the new regulations. 11-16 Dealing with Objections, continued… Show that doing as you ask will benefit something audience cares about • Example: By becoming an e-mail mentor, you’ll give an atrisk student the encouragement he or she needs to stay in school. 11-17 Dealing with Objections, continued… Show audience need for sacrifice to achieve larger, more important goal • Example: If we work just four additional hours each week, we’ll be able to keep the shelter open 24 hours a day, which will qualify us for the new urban development grant. 11-18 Dealing with Objections, continued… Show that advantages outweigh the disadvantages • Example: Although relocating support staff to the fourth floor means losing storage space, having everyone in a central location will greatly increase our efficiency. 11-19 Reasons to Act Promptly Show that time limit is real • Example: Returning the enclosed form by July 1 will let us include your responses in our Executive Board presentation on July 15. 11-20 Reasons to Act Promptly, continued… Show that acting now will save time or money • Example: When you return the acceptance notice before October 1st, you will be guaranteed the lower interest rate. 11-21 Reasons to Act Promptly, continued… Show the cost of delaying action • Example: The prices quoted are good until the first of next month. After that, everything will increase 5%. 11-22 Building Emotional Appeal Storytelling Psychological description • Create word picture for audience’s senses Hear See Smell Taste Touch • Help audiences imagine themselves doing, enjoying what you ask 11-23 Tone in Persuasive Messages Be courteous: Please is a great word Give solid reasons for requests Make requests clear Give enough information for audience to act Tone down requests to superiors • I expect you to give me a new computer. • If funds permit, I’d like a new computer. 11-24 Varieties of Persuasive Messages: Performance Appraisals Cite specific observations, not inferences Include specific suggestions for improvement Identify two or three areas that the worker should emphasize in the next month or quarter 11-25 Varieties of Persuasive Messages: Recommendation Letters Be specific Tell how well, how long writer knew applicant Give details about applicant’s work Say whether writer would rehire applicant 11-26 Sales and Fund-Raising Purposes Primary • To motivate audience to act (send donation, order a product) Secondary • To build good image of communicator’s organization • To strengthen commitment of audiences who act • To make audiences who do not act more likely to act next time 11-27 Organizing Sales/Fund-Raising Messages: Opener Use AIDA: Attention • Makes audience want to read entire message Use of these main types • Questions • Narration, stories, anecdotes • Startling statements, Quotations Sets up transition to letter body 11-28 Organizing Sales/Fund-Raising Messages: Body Interest and Desire in Body • • • • • Answers audience’s questions Overcomes audience’s objections Involves audience emotionally Long letters work best: 4 pages ideal Short letters, e-mail work too 11-29 Organizing Sales/Fund-Raising Messages: Body Content Information audience can use Stories about history of product or organization Stories about people who use product Word pictures of audiences enjoying benefits offered 11-30 Organizing Sales/Fund-Raising Messages: Action Close Action: the last paragraph • • • • • Tells audience what to do Makes action sound easy Offers audience reason to act now Ends with positive picture May recall central selling point 11-31 Using a Postscript Reason to act promptly Description of premium audience receives Reference to another part of package Restatement of central selling point P.S. read Many p eopl it fir e st! 11-32 Strategy in Sales Messages: Satisfying Need Tell people of need product meets Prove that product satisfies that need Show why product is better than similar ones Make audience want to have product 11-33 Dealing with Price Link price to product’s benefit Link price to benefits your company offers Show how much product costs each day, week, or month Allow customers to charge sales or pay in installments 11-34 Strategy in Fund-Raising Appeals: Vicarious Participation Use we to talk about the cause At end, use you to talk about what audience will be doing Show how audience’s dollars help solve the problem 11-35 Fund-Raising Messages Provide lots of information to • Persuade audiences • Give evidence to use with others • Give image of strong, worthy cause to non-supporters Suggest other ways audiences can help 11-36 How Much to Ask For Link gift to what it will buy Offer a premium for giving Ask for a monthly pledge Always send a Thank You to every donor 11-37 Logical Proof in Fund-Raising Messages Body must prove that— 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Problem deserves attention Problem can be alleviated or solved Your group is helping to solve problem Private funds are needed Your organization will use funds wisely 11-38 Writing Style for Persuasive Messages 1. Make text interesting • Tight • Conversational 2. Use psychological description: vivid word pictures • Describe audience benefits • Describe problem product solves 11-39 Writing Style, continued… 3. Make message sound like a letter, not an ad • One person talking to another • Informal: short sentences and words, even slang • Create a persona—character who writes the letter 11-40
