Persuasive Messages

Facilitator:
Khoa Nguyen
 Requesting Favors and Actions
• Requests for time, money, information, special
privileges, and cooperation require persuasion.
• Requests may be granted because the receivers
– Are genuinely interested in your project.
– See benefits for others.
– Expect goodwill potential for themselves.
– Feel obligated as professionals to contribute their
time or expertise to "pay their dues."
Which of the following openings is effective for a
persuasive request?
1. We need a speaker for our graduation ceremony, and
your name was suggested.
2. We realize that you are an extremely busy individual
and that you must be booked up months in advance,
but would it be possible for you to speak at our
graduation ceremony June 7?
3. You were voted by our students as the speaker they
would most like to hear at their coming graduation
ceremony.
 A strategy to write an effective persuasive
message

Spark audience’s curiosity

Attention (A)

Relate message to audience’s needs

Interest (I) Provide factual description of item or service
Mention benefits to audience
Draw attention to enclosures
Desire (D) Build audience’s willingness to take action

State desired action

Action (A) Summarize benefits
Make action easy
Persuading Within Organizations
Pre-write
 Know your purpose. Make sure it’s doable
and attainable.
 Profile the audiences. Play What if
scenarios to anticipate the receiver’s
reactions.
Persuading Within Organizations
Gain Attention
 Use one of the following techniques:
 Make the reader aware of a problem.
 Use a startling statement.
 Provide a significant fact related to the request.
 Describe possible benefits.
 Ask a stimulating question.
 Offer compliments.
 Establish credibility but don’t pull rank.
Persuading Within Organizations
Build Interest
 Use facts, statistics, examples, and details to
build a solid foundation for your request.
 Strive for a personal but professional tone.
 Soften your words when persuading
upwards.
 Persuading Within Organizations
Generate Desire and Reduce Resistance
 Recognize any weakness in your proposal and
suggest well-reasoned counter-arguments.
 In requests flowing downward, avoid sounding
preachy, parental, or overly authoritarian.
Persuading Within Organizations
Motivate Action
 State a specific request including a
deadline, if appropriate.
 Suggest ways to make the response
effortless and painless.
 Repeat a major benefit.
 Include an incentive or reason to act.
 Express appreciation, if appropriate.
 Persuasive Techniques in High-Context
Cultures
South America
Africa
Asia Indirectness The Middle East

Collectivist Politeness
view
High-Context
Cultures

Relationship Soft-Sell
appeal, long-term Approach
goal
 Persuasive Techniques in Low-Context
Cultures
North America
Scandinavia
Directness Australia
Northern Europe

“You” Superlatives
view
Low-Context
Cultures

Short-term Hard-Sell
goal Approach