CHAPTER 14 PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION

MGT 3213 – ORG. COMMUNICATION

Mississippi State UniversityCollege of Business

What is Persuasion?

An act or process of presenting arguments to move, motivate, or change your audience

Motivation is distinct from persuasion It involves the force, stimulus, or influence to bring about

change Measurable gain: A system of assessing the

extent to which audience members respond to a persuasive message

Figure 14.1 - Measurable Gain

Principles of Persuasion

Reciprocity The mutual expectation for exchange of value or service. When one person gives you something, you are expected to

reciprocate, even if by only saying “thank you.”

Scarcity The perception of inadequate supply or limited resource. We are all attracted to the rare, unusual, and unique. Can be used to create a sense of urgency that motivates action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xocWefokZx4

Principles of Persuasion

Authority We are persuaded by people who have credibility, who we

trust.

Consensus Why testimonials are powerful. When we lack information, we trust the “herd” (why peer

influence is powerful)

Liking We trust people we like. We like people who are similar to ourselves. We feel safe with people who are similar to ourselves. We are persuaded by people we trust and like.

Persuasive Messages: Plan Before You Write

Know your product, service, or idea

Know your audience Know the desired action you

wish your audience to take

How To Know Your Product Read all the available literature

Use the product or watch others use it

Compare the product, service, or idea with others

Conduct tests or experiments

Talk to people who really use the product

How to Know Your Receiver Identify basic demographics

Age, gender, educational background, income level, race…

Know receiver’s wants and needs

Consider how you can meet needs based on Maslow’s hierarchy

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Physiological needsPhysiological needs

Security and safety needsSecurity and safety needs

Social needsSocial needs

Ego needsEgo needs

Self-actualization needsSelf-actualization needs

Maslow in Advertisements

Maslow in Advertisements

• Arbys http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg05vToa7Zk

• Volkswagen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W5kUl1YUY0

• UnderArmour http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5bNyertg98

Goals of Persuasive Messages

Stimulate (inspire, motivate) Convince (change attitudes/beliefs) Call to action (do something)

Adoption (buy a carbon monoxide detector) Discontinuance (stop smoking) Deterrence (don’t do drugs!) Continuance (keep up your current exercise routine!) Other potential “actions”: get more information, call a 1-800

phone number, visit a website, attend an event Increase consideration (build awareness) Develop tolerance of alternate perspectives (build

awareness)

Inductive Outline Used in Persuasive Messages

Gaining Attention in Sales Messages

Personal experience Solution to

a problem

Startling statement

What-if opening

Story/Quote/Question

Split sentence

Analogy

Split Sentences Imagine relaxing on a pristine, white

sand beach in December … you can make that dream a reality with a Carnival Caribbean cruise!

Imagine a world where every child has a safe place to go after school … your donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Starkville makes that possible.

Introducing the Product, Service, or Idea

Be cohesive Attention-getter must lead

naturally to introduction Stress a central selling point

Attention-getter must lead to discussion of distinctive feature

Be action-oriented Place product in the receivers’

hands and allow them to use it

‘Applewood-Smoked Bacon’ Just Tastes Better Vivid menu descriptions increase

restaurant sales up to 27 percent “applewood-smoked bacon” “Maytag blue cheese” “buttery plump pasta”

Diners feel more satisfied after eating a Southwestern Tex-Mex Salad than after eating the same salad with a blander name

**According to research by Brian Wansink

Use adjectives that are: Vivid.

“Freshly cracked,” “light-and-fluffy,” “handcrafted,” “triple-basted” and “slow-cooked” paint pictures in the readers’ minds.

Those pictures are more compelling than, say, a plain, old omelet.

Sensory. Applewood smoked bacon. Descriptions like this engage the readers’ senses.

Emotional or nostalgic. “Aged Vermont cheddar” evokes images of crusty New

England dairymen rather than Kraft mega-plants. “Boodie’s Chicken Liver Masala” and “Grandma’s zucchini

cookies” also evoke emotion and nostalgia. Specific.

“Wild Alaskan” salmon conjures up visions of vigorous, healthy fish swimming in pristine, unpolluted streams.

Build Desire Using Persuasive Techniques

Provide specific evidence to back up your statements (your claims)

Be objective, excluding exaggerations and subjective claims

Table 14.3 - Toulmin’s Three-Part Rhetorical Strategy

Convincing Customers with Testimonials, Guarantees, and Samples Tell what others have said about

your product Provide guarantees or free trial

offers Allow customers to

sample product before buying

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKLnhuzh9uY

Appealing to Emotions

Why do we do irrational things?

Emotions are often contagious If abused, creates emotional resistance

Be cautious when sharing personal stories/experiences Lack of emotional control damages your credibility

Subordinating the Price

Create desire for the product first Use figures to show how the price

saves money State the price in small units Invite comparisons with like

products Put price in a dependent clause

combined with the central selling point

Magic Bullet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZILNbEV91-gBose: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0Ywhw7S8v0

Motivating Action

Make the action clear and simple to complete

Restate the reward for action, relate to central selling point

Provide incentive for quick action Discounts, coupons Free gift with purchase offers Must have a deadline for action!

Ask confidently for action

Packaging & Design

Chile's ADT security company has been sliding spring-loaded envelopes under people's doors.

The only text on the box, a note from ADT reading: "Breaking into your apartment is easier than you think."

Guidelines for Ethical Persuasion

Do not: Use false, fabricated, misrepresented, distorted or irrelevant evidence to support arguments or

claims Intentionally use unsupported, misleading, or illogical reasoning Represent yourself as informed or an “expert” on a subject when you are not Use irrelevant appeals to divert attention from the issue at hand Deceive your audience by concealing your real purpose, self-interest, the group you represent,

or your position as an advocate of a viewpoint Distort, hide, or misrepresent the number, scope, intensity, or undesirable features of

consequences or effects Use “emotional appeals” that lack a supporting basis of evidence or reasoning Pretend certainty where tentativeness and degrees of probability would be more accurate

Table 14.5 – Fallacies

Table 14.5 – Fallacies (Contd.)

Other Potential Problem Areas Are your comparative statements

misleading?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=vY0YyiZfnGk http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=ruIpTQAIbLE http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=rUC0fuVTX4E

Other Potential Problem Areas

Have you offered a clear definition of offered product or service?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032600/vp/46860128#46860128