Chapter 3

Persuading Your Audience

Technical Communication
Fourteenth Edition, Global Edition

John M. Lannon
Laura J. Gurak

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 Learning Objectives
 Identify a specific persuasive goal
 Anticipate how your audience may react
 Appreciate that your audience may be
resistant
 Choose a strategy to connect with your
audience
 Respect various limitations when making an
argument
 Support your argument using evidence and
reason

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 Learning Objectives (continued)
 Understand how cultural factors influence
persuasion
 Prepare a convincing argument

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 Persuasion
Persuasion means trying to influence
someone’s actions, opinions, or decisions. In
the workplace, we rely on persuasion daily.

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 Implicit and Explicit Persuasion
Almost all workplace documents have an
implicit or explicit persuasive goal:
 Implicit persuasion assures readers that the
information provided is accurate, the facts are
correct, and the writer is fluent, competent, and
knowledgeable.
 Explicit persuasion seeks to win readers over to
a particular point of view about an issue that is in
some way controversial.

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 Identify Your Specific
Persuasive Goal
Before you undertake writing a persuasive
document, first consider what you want it to
accomplish, and realize that goals may overlap.
Do you want to:
 Influence people’s opinions?
 Enlist people’s support?

 Submit a proposal?

 Change people’s behavior?

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 Try to Predict Audience Reaction

 Any document can evoke different reactions

depending on a reader’s temperament,
interests, fears, biases, ambitions, or
assumptions.
 Whenever peoples’ views are challenged,
they react with defensive questions such as
“Says who?,” “So what?,” “Why should I?,”
“What’s in this for me?,” “What will it cost?,”
and “What are the risks?”

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 Expect Audience Resistance

Getting people to admit you might be right

means getting them to admit they might be
wrong. Audiences will accept an argument for
any of three reasons:
 Compliance (acceptance under pressure)
 Identification (acceptance for personal reasons)
 Internalization (acceptance because the
argument makes good sense). Aim for
internalization.

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 Expect Audience Resistance
(continued)
This graphic illustrates the three types of
audience acceptance:

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 Know How to Connect
with the Audience
Three ways of connecting with an audience
are the power connection, the relationship
connection, and the rational connection.

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 Allow for Give and Take
Make a balanced argument, with both sides of
the issue considered evenly and fairly:
 Explain the reasoning and evidence behind your
stance.
 Invite people to find weak spots in your case, and
to improve on it.
 Invite people to challenge your ideas.

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 Allow for Give and Take
(continued)
When others offer an opposing view, you need
to do these things:
 Try to see the issue their way, instead of insisting
on your way.
 Rephrase an opposing position in your own words,
to be sure you understand it accurately.
 Try reaching agreement on what to do next, to
resolve any insurmountable differences.
 Explore possible compromises others might
accept.

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 Ask for a Specific Response but
Don’t Ask for too Much
 Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want when
making an argument. Let people know what
you want them to do or think.
 However, remember that any request that
exceeds its audience’s “latitude of
acceptance” is doomed.

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 Recognize All Constraints
Constraints are limits or restrictions imposed
by the situation when you make an argument:
 Organizational constraints: Constraints based
on company rules.
 Legal constraints: Constraints based on the law.
 Ethical constraints: Constraints based on
honesty and fair play.
 Time constraints: Constraints based on the right
timing.
 Social and psychological constraints:
Constraints based on audience.

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Support Your Claims Convincingly
The most persuasive argument will be the one
that presents the strongest case—from the
audience’s perspective. You must:
 Offer convincing evidence: The evidence must
have quality, use credible sources, and be
reasonable. Types of evidence are factual
statements, statistics, examples, and expert
testimony.
 Appeal to common goals and values: Consider
what the audience also wants to accomplish and
how they feel.

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 Consider the Cultural Context

Reaction to persuasive appeals can be

influenced by a culture’s customs and values.
Be aware of the following considerations:
 Recognize that cultures differ
 Understand the importance of face saving in all
cultures
 Learn all you can about various business cultures

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 Guidelines for Persuasion

Analyze the Situation

 Assess the political climate.
 Learn the unspoken rules.
 Decide on a connection (or combination of
connections).
 Anticipate your audience’s reaction.

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 Guidelines for Persuasion
(continued)
Develop a Clear and Credible Plan
 Define your precise goal.
 Do your homework.
 Think your idea through.
 Think your idea through.
 Never make a claim or ask for something that
people will reject outright.
 Consider the cultural context.

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 Guidelines for Persuasion
(continued)
Prepare Your Argument
 Be clear about what you want.
 Avoid an extreme persona
 Find points of agreement with your audience.
 Never distort the opponent’s position.
 Try to concede something to the opponent.
 Do not merely criticize.
 Stick to claims you can support.
 Stick to your best material.

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 Guidelines for Persuasion
(continued)
Present Your Argument
 Before releasing the document, seek a second
opinion.
 Get the timing right.
 Decide on the proper format.
 Decide on the appropriate medium.
 Be sure everyone involved receives a copy.
 Invite responses.
 Do not be defensive about negative reactions.
 Know when to back off.
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 Review Questions
1. What is the definition of persuasion?
2. What is the difference between implicit
persuasion and explicit persuasion?
3. What is identifying your persuasive goal
important and what are the four types of
persuasive goals?
4. What are three possible reactions to an
argument that you should anticipate?
5. What are the three types of audience
acceptance and how do they work?

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 Review Questions (continued)
6. What are the three types of audience
connection and how do they work?
7. Why is it important to allow for give and take?
8. What are the five types of constraints on an
argument and what do they each mean?
9. In what two ways can you support your claims
convincingly?
10. What three things can you do to ensure you
consider the cultural context in an argument?

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