Business Communication I

BBA

PERSUASIVE MESSAGES
Introduction:
Persuasion means the attempt to change an audiences attitudes, beliefs or actions.
Effective persuasion is the ability to present a message in a way that will lead others to support it.
It makes the audience feel they have a choice, and they choose to agree.
Most persuasive messages go beyond the indirect approach used for negative messages. This
topic introduces the AIDA plan, a more intense plan for persuasive messages. A writer grabs the
audiences attention and proceeds to develop interest and desire which motivates the audience
to take action.

Using the Three-Step Writing Process for writing Persuasive Messages

Following the three-step writing process helps you make your persuasive messages more
effective.
Persuasive messages differ from routine positive messages in numerous ways:
They target audiences who are inclined to resist. They are generally longer. They are usually more
detailed. They often depend heavily on strategic planning.
Step 1: Planning Persuasive Messages
When planning persuasive messages you
Analyze your purpose
Analyze your audience and gauge their needs
Establish your credibility
Make sure your ethics are above reproach
Analyze your Purpose:
When analyzing your purpose, keep in mind that people in your audience are busy and reluctant
to do something different. Moreover it is possible that competing requests are plentiful, hence you
must know the art of persuasion.
Analyze your audience and gauge their needs
When analyzing your audience, you need to
Gauge audience needs
Consider cultural differences
To assess audience needs, take into account Maslows hierarchy of needs. Determine your
audiences level of needs (physiological, safety and security, social, esteem and status, selfactualization). Be conscious of Demographics: Determine the age, gender, occupation, income,
and education of your audience members. Take care of Psychographics. Determine the personality,
1
Yousaf Marwat
Lecturer
Iqra National University
Peshawar

Business Communication I

BBA

attitudes, and lifestyle of your audience members.

Because the process of persuasion is different in different cultures, understanding culture helps
you satisfy your audiences needs. It also helps you earn your audiences respect. Organizational
culture also heavily influences your messages effectiveness. When you accept and use your
organizations traditions, you establish a sort of common ground with your internal audience.
Similarly, when you reject or never learn these traditions, you damage both your credibility and
your persuasion attempts.
Establish your credibility:
To persuade a skeptical or hostile audience, you must establish your credibilityyour capability
of being believed because youre reliable and worthy of confidence.
Some of the best ways to gain credibility include
Supporting your message with facts
Naming your sources
Being an expert
Establishing common ground
Being enthusiastic
Being objective
Being sincere
Being trustworthy
Having good intentions

Strive for high ethical standards:

Because the concept of persuasion is often associated with dishonesty and unethical practices,
you must strive for high ethical standards to overcome this stigma.
The best businesspeople make persuasion a positive activity, influencing the members of their
audience by providing information and aiding understanding, allowing them the freedom to
choose, and informing them of the benefits of an idea, a product, a donation, or an action. To
persuade without manipulating, you must choose words that wont be misinterpreted. Be sure you
dont distort the truth. Adopt the you attitude by showing your honest concern for audience
members needs and interests.
Step 2: Writing Persuasive Messages:
In the writing stage, you need to define your main idea, limit the scope of your message, group
your points in a meaningful way and choose the direct or the indirect approach.
Most persuasive messages use the indirect approach to explain reasons and build interest before
revealing the purpose. Use the direct approach if audience members are objective or if you know
your audience prefers the bottom line first or your corporate culture encourages directness or
when your message is long or complex. Remember that if you use the direct approach, you still
need to include at least a brief justification for or explanation of your reasons.
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Yousaf Marwat
Lecturer
Iqra National University
Peshawar

Business Communication I

BBA

Your choice of the direct or the indirect approach also depends on the amount of your authority,
expertise, or power in an organization.
Step 3: Completing Persuasive Messages:
When completing persuasive messages, you must make sure that you judge your argument
objectively. You seriously appraise your credibility and carefully match the purpose and
organization to audience needs. Also you must take care to design your message to complement
your argument, to choose a delivery method that fits your audiences expectations and to
proofread for any mechanical or spelling errors that would weaken your argument.

Sending Persuasive Messages

In persuasive messages, you must communicate your main idea and reasons, but you must also
motivate your audience to do something.
Finding the right balance between emotional and logical appeals depends on four factors:
1. The actions you wish to motivate
2. Your readers expectations
3. The degree of resistance you must overcome
4. How far you feel empowered to go to sell your point of view
Lean toward logic and keep your emotional appeal subtle when you want someone to accept a
complex idea, take a serious step, or make and important decision. Rely a bit more heavily on
emotions when you want someone to purchase a product, join a cause or make a donation.
Emotional appeal:
An emotional appeal calls on human feelings, basing the argument on audience needs or
sympathies. Make subtle emotional appeals by using the emotions surrounding certain words to
help your audience accept your message. Remember that people need to find rational support for
an attitude theyve already embraced emotionally; therefore, to be truly effective, emotional
appeals must be accompanied by logical appeals.
Logical appeal:
A logical appeal calls on human reason, basing an argument on making a claim and then supporting
that claim with reasons or evidence. When using logical appeals, you might use three types of
reasoning:
Analogy: Reasoning from specific evidence to specific evidence
Induction: Reasoning from specific evidence to a general conclusion
Deduction: Reasoning from a generalization to a specific conclusion
When framing a persuasive argument, effective businesspeople use the AIDA plan:
Attention: Your opening does more than simply serve as a buffer; it grabs audience attention.
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Yousaf Marwat
Lecturer
Iqra National University
Peshawar

Business Communication I

BBA

Interest: Your explanation does more than present reasons; it incites the interest of your
audience.
Desire: Your continued explanation does more than present benefits; it changes your audiences
attitude.
Action: Your close does more than end on a positive note; it emphasizes reader benefits and
motivates readers to take specific action.
When using the AIDA plan, you can
Use either the indirect or the direct approach
Make subject lines interesting without revealing your proposal
Concentrate your efforts on achieving your primary goal
When preparing persuasive requests, be sure to keep your request within bounds and highlight
both the direct and the indirect benefits of fulfilling the request.
When writing persuasive requests for action, begin with an attention-getting device (showing
readers you know something of their concerns), include a flattering comment (as long as its
sincere), give facts, explain benefits, and enhance your appeal in the interest and desire sections.
You must try to gain credibility for you and your request, convince your readers that helping you
will help solve a significant problem. Similarly, you must avoid asking readers to do all your
work for you. Finally, close with a request for some specific action.
When requesting a favor, use the direct approach for a routine favor. If you request for a special
favour, use indirect/persuasive technique.
When writing persuasive claims and requests for adjustment
Begin by stating the basic problem
Include a statement that both you and your audience can agree with
Be specific about what you want to happen
Give your reader a good reason for granting your claim
Show how your audience is responsible for the problem
Appeal to your readers sense of fair play, goodwill, or moral responsibility
Tell your audience how you feel about the problem without getting carried away
Make sure your request is calm and reasonable
State your request specifically and confidently
Make your request proceed logically from the problem and facts youve explained
Specify a deadline for action
Remind your audience of the main benefit of granting your claim

4
Yousaf Marwat
Lecturer
Iqra National University
Peshawar