SESSION 14-15

Critical Thinking and

Communication for Managers
(Term 1)

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CONTENTS:

 Communicating Arguments
• How arguers influence their audience?
• Argument communication strategies, techniques and principles.

 Team Communication and Difficult conversations (Ch-3- Peter W. Cardon)

 Creating effective business messages (Ch- 5- Peter W. Cardon)

Arguer as Communicator:

X (common goal)

• Role of
trustworthiness
and expertise

A B

Theodore Newcomb’s A-B-X model

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How Arguers influence their audience?

COMPLIANCE
1 Compliance is the use of rewards and
punishments by a powerful source to get

1 receipients to believe or act in a certain manner.

IDENTIFICATION
2 Identification is influence that occurs because

2
people find a source attractive and wish to
enhance their own self-concept by establishing a
relationship with the source.

INTERNALIZATION

3 3 Internalization is a process in which people accept

an argument by thinking about it and by
integrating it into their coginitive systems.

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Audiences and Argument (communication) strategy:

Audience Strategy Description

Type
Private Argument Arguers choose not to say anything. They may wait for
Audience Avoidance another arguer/person to initiate the argument, or they
may wait for the situation to end before making the
choice to argue.

Informal Arguers work in partnership to collaborate over a

discussion collection of issues. Argumentation tends to be freeform
and will evolve as arguments and responses are made by
the participants.

Negotiation Arguers advocate position and work together to

collaborate and compromise toward a mutually agreeable
outcome.
Mediation When tension, hostility, or other barriers inhibit arguers
from talking with one another, the arguer may invite a
facilitator to help manage the exchange of arguments .
Mediators do not take decision; rather they assist the
participants in developing arguments, ideas, alternatives
toward a mutually agreeable conclusions.
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Audience Strategy Description
Type
Private Administrative Administrative decisions are made by a third neutral
third-party decision party. The third party is private in the sense that it is
audience typically a member of the organization or field. Most
often the arguers seek out and mutually agree upon
the third party, and the third party is typically an
expert in the area of the dispute.
Arbitration Arbitration is the use of an external third party to
listen to both sides of the issue and then render a
decision. Whereas an administration decision may
seek a middle ground between arguers, an arbitrator
will typically decide for one or the other but not offer
alternatives.

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Audience Strategy Description
Type
Public third- Judicial Once the authority for a decision leaves the private
party decision and technical spheres and enters the public area,
audience public decisions are made. Judicial decisions occur
when arguers seek legal recourse to resolve a
dispute. Judicial decisions are typically public, apply
publicly accepted standards (such as the application
of the Constitution or other laws), and make
decisions that are binding to the arguers.
Legislative Legislative decision occur when public, third-party
decision audiences use the legislative process to change law,
policy or legal processes. Typically, a legislative
agenda becomes the subject of political debate,
campaigns or debate on the floor of the legislative
assembly.

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Audience Strategy Description
Type
Extra-legal Non violent Extra legal decisions occurs when audiences turn
audiences direct action to means outside the legal process, often
because they view the legal system as an
illegitimate means through which to resole
conflict. Nonviolent direct action involves
collective protest.
Violent direct Violent direct action occurs when audiences
action attempt to change minds through violence and
coercion. Violence is not a form of argumentation
and may be used when groups believe that
argumentation will not be effective.

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Continuum of Audience relationships:

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Enhancing Credibility:

As an arguer, you will usually have three goals to

establish credibility (competence, caring,
character are barometers of credibility not
goals) To make an initial
favourable
impression on the
audience

To focus the attention

of the audience on the
content of your
message
To cause the audience to
form a favourable
impression of your
trustworthiness and
expertise.
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Credibility-enhancing strategies

Avoid inconsistency

Demonstrate fairness
Use sound reasoning
and avoid fallacies

Use reluctant testimony

Use as many qualified

sources as possible.

Use sources the recipients are likely to

respect.
Show that you or the
sources you use have
experience with the topic.

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 Team Communication
and
Difficult Conversations

Detailed reading from Chapter 3: Peter W. Cardon Book 12

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Approaches to planning, running, and following up on meetings:

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Principles of effective virtual team communication:

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Maintaining Trust over the Life of a Virtual Team Project

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Managing Difficult Conversations

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Ineffective and effective approaches to difficult conversations:

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Ineffective and effective approaches to difficult conversations:

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 Creating Effective Business Messages

Detailed reading from Chapter 5: Peter W. Cardon Book 21

The Stages and Goals of Effective Message Creation

AIM
PROCESS

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Identify the needs of your audience in the AIM planning process:

Gather the right information and refine business ideas in the AIM planning process:

Develop your primary message and key points in the AIM planning process:

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Apply positive and other-oriented tone in
business messages

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Thank You

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