Chapter Seven car03199_ch07_176-210.indd 176 Email and Social Media for Business Communication Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, you should be able to do the following: LO7.1 Apply principles for writing effective emails. LO7.2 Explain how to handle emotion effectively in online communications. LO7.3 Describe strategies for managing digital message overload. LO7.4 Explain characteristics of the emerging Social Age. LO7.5 LO7.6 LO7.7 S M Apply principles of effective social media use in professional settings. I Build a credible online reputation. T Describe the ethical use H of social media for work. , J O S H U A 6 8 9 0 B U 23/11/12 7:56 PM S THIS M WHY DOE ? ATTER? Hear Pete Cardon explain why this matters. For nearly two decades, email has been the primary written business communication tool. In Table 7.1, you can see that in a recent study, it ranked second in effectiveness among communication channels for coordinating work.1 Even with so many emerging communication tools, email remains the channel of choice.2 Writing emails will likely consume much of your time early in your career. One bit.ly.com/CardonWhy7 study showed that corporate employees spend 25 percent of their days on emailrelated tasks. By comparison, they spend 14 percent of their time in personal meetings and 9 percent of their time in phone conversations.3 Another study found that corporate workers average 14.5 hours per week TABLE 7.1 reading and responding Most Effective Communication Channels for Coordinating Work to email.4 The number of Percentage of Business S emails that business profesSkills Professionals sionals deal with is astoundM ing; the average business 89 1. Scheduled meetings I professional receives 58 le84 2. Email T gitimate (non-spam) emails 75 3. Landline phone per day and writes 33. By H 72 4. Cell phone 2015, business profession, 57 5. File sharing als are projected to receive 71 emails per day and 45 6. Informal conversations write 41.5 41 7. Texting J Emails, however, are not 29 8. Instant messaging O efficient for all types of writ15 9. Private messages on social networking platforms ten communication. Typically, S 12 10. Group messages on social networking platforms email is most appropriate for H private communication. For Source: Peter W. Cardon, Melvin Washington, Ephraim A. Okoro, Bryan Marshall, and Nipul Patel, “Cross-Generational Perspectives on How Mobile Phone Use for Texting and Calling Influences Work Outcomes and Work Relationships,” preteam and networked commu- sented at the Association for BusinessUCommunication Southeast Conference, Charleston, South Carolina, April 1, 2011. nication, social media tools Note: Percentages based on the number A of business professionals who rated communication channel as effective or extremely effective in their current jobs. such as blogs and wikis are generally more efficient (see Chapter 2 for distinctions between private, team, and net6 social media (often used worked communication). Many businesses are now adopting nearly synonymously with terms such as Web 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, social networking, 8 social software, and a variety of other terms) for internal use; however, these tools still 9 account for a small percentage of business communication. This will change rapidly over the next decade. Some analysts project that social 0 media tools will dominate busi6 ness communication by the year 2020. B In this chapter we first focus on email in the workplace. Then, we discuss the evolvU ing adoption of social media tools, which is transforming work culture into the Social Age. Next, we describe how blogs, wikis, and other social media tools are being used. We conclude with sections about managing your online reputation and using social media ethically. Examples throughout the chapter come from the chapter case about the Prestigio Hotel. Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with this case prior to reading the remainder of the chapter. car03199_ch07_176-210.indd 177 23/11/12 7:56 PM 178 Part Three Principles for Business Messages Chapter Case: Communicating with Emails and Social Media at the Prestigio Hotel Who’s Involved Andrea Garcia, general manager Situation 1 Nancy Jeffreys, director of marketing Barbara Brookshire, director of conventions S M Marketing Team Jeff Anderton, Kip Yamada, I marketing assistant marketing associate T H Terms Barbara Uses Emails with Clients to Establish Barbara leads efforts to negotiate contract ,terms for conferences. Generally, representatives of businesses and other organizations contact Barbara by phone or email. After an initial phone consultation and an on-site visit with potential clients, Barbara handles most of the marketing and negotiation J sends and receives 20 emails with any given client to by email. Before a deal is done, she typically respond to questions and concerns and to O finalize terms of the agreement. Sby Email Situation 2 Nancy and Kip Handle a Delicate Situation Nancy, the director of marketing, and Kip,H a marketing associate, recently had a conflict that generated hard feelings. Nancy harshly criticized Kip for making what she believed were unauthorized U refunds to some business travelers. Kip thought Nancy was unjustified. After several months of not working well together, they A aired their grievances to one another. Nevertheless, Kip still had some unresolved issues and decided to send a quick email to Nancy expressing his feelings about the conversation. 6 8 The entire marketing team has recently started using enterprise social software (which functions in many ways like Facebook but is customized9for use within an organization). The team is using blogs, wikis, and other tools to follow up with one 0 another related to action items agreed on in meetings, discuss ongoing projects and campaigns, B and update one another about their accomplishments. U Situation 3 The Marketing Team Adopts Social Media for Team Communication Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 How will Barbara manage emails to show professionalism and increase her likelihood of success with prospects? (See the section on creating effective emails.) How will Kip compose an email in an emotionally charged situation? How will Nancy respond? (See the “Manage Emotion and Maintain Civility” section.) How will the marketing team use social media to work more efficiently together? (See “Internal Communication Tools for the Social Age.”) car03199_ch07_176-210.indd 178 23/11/12 7:56 PM Chapter Seven Email and Social Media for Business Communication 179 Creating Effective Emails Email communication is the primary form of written business communication. Most analysts expect it to be the primary tool for at least the next five to ten years in most companies.7 Some forward-thinking companies are increasingly adopting social networking platforms (SNPs) for employee communication (discussed later); however, even in companies that adopt these SNPs, employees will continue to use private electronic messages within these platforms, which function nearly identically to emails. Furthermore, many of your colleagues, clients, and other contacts will likely prefer to use email systems for many years to come. Writing effective emails involves applying the principles of writing style that we discussed in Chapters 5 and 6. It also involves adapting to the unique characteristics of email. In this section, we explain basic principles for using emails effectively, including the basic components that ensure ease of reading. Then, we focus on managing emotion and maintaining civility in electronic communications. S Email is easy and convenient. Before quickly sending outMan email, however, consider whether it is the best communication channel for your work I purposes. Since emails are not rich—meaning lacking in virtually all verbal and nonverbal T cues associated with face-to-face communication and lacking immediate feedback— they are best suited for routine, task-oriented, fact-based,Hand nonsensitive messages.8 Communication specialist Alan Murray, in a Wall Street Journal article called “Should , I Use Email?” explained: LO7.1 Apply principles for writing effective emails. Use Email for the Right Purposes To avoid miscommunication, we suggest a simple rule: Email can be used effectively as a means to pass on straight facts, or to provide praise and encouragement. But it shouldn’t J be used to chastise, scold, or deliver bad news. If the message you are delivering is a O discouraging one, it’s best to deliver it in person.9 Email communication has few constraints (low cost,Slittle coordination) and high control (the writer can think them out carefully, and theyH provide a permanent record). Yet because it is not a rich form of communication, it is rarely appropriate for sensitive U or emotional communication tasks. It is also inefficient for facilitating discussions. Ensure Ease of Reading A Principles of Effective Emails • Use for the right purposes. • Ensure ease of reading. • Show respect for time. • Protect privacy and confidentiality. • Respond promptly. • Maintain professionalism and appropriate formality. • Manage emotion effectively. • Avoid distractions. In all written communication, ensuring ease of reading is critical. It is even more criti6 cal in emails and other digital messages. Simply put, your readers are unlikely to read 8 the ease of reading in the your message unless you make it easy for them. Compare less-effective and more-effective examples of emails in9Figures 7.1 and 7.2. Think about how quickly a reader can process the information. Also, use the following tips to 0 ensure ease of reading in your emails. B Provide a Short, Descriptive Subject Line Message recipients make imU on the subject line. If it mediate judgments about the importance of a message based is not clear and compelling, recipients may not open the message right away. Furthermore, when business professionals search for prior email messages, they often scan the subject lines in their in-boxes. Without a descriptive subject line, they may miss the message. Good subject lines are generally five to ten words long. By contrast, poor subjects are either too short (1 or 2 words) and thus nondescriptive or too long (12 words or longer) and thus difficult to process. Fundamentally, subject lines frame your entire message; they serve the same role that headlines do in newspapers and magazines. Keep Your Message Brief Yet Complete Get to the point within three or four sentences, and keep your paragraphs about half the size of those in business car03199_ch07_176-210.indd 179 Components of Effective Emails • • • • • • Subject line Greeting* Message Closing* Signature block* Attachments* *optional 23/11/12 7:57 PM 180 Part Three Principles for Business Messages FIGURE 7.1 Less-Effective Email Nondescriptive subject line Nondescriptive document name S M I T H , Poorly spaced, cluttered text Unhelpful signature block Unprofessional tagline documents—ideally 30 to 50 J words long. Consider placing the most critical information at the beginning so readersOgather the most relevant information immediately. This is an important strategy, since most people are so inundated with messages that they S often pay more attention to the beginning, skimming or skipping latter portions. This is H professionals increasingly use mobile devices. especially important as business U Actions Most emails are intended to spur acClearly Identify Expected tion. Effective emails containA specific and clear requests so that recipients know exactly how to respond. In many cases, you can place these directions in the subject line for greatest clarity. 6 Provide a Descriptive Signature Block Signature blocks should provide 8 allows recipients to easily contact you through richer clear contact information. This communication channels if needed. 9 It also enhances your professional image. 0 Attachments allow business professionals to share Use Attachments Wisely files that do not display effectively B in an email window. Messages that are more than several paragraphs long are typically appropriate as attachments. Also, pictures and other graphics, spreadsheets, U databases, and many other types of files are nearly always more appropriate as attachments. However, be careful about sending attachments that are too large, since they may fill others’ email boxes. Show Respect for Others’ Time Since email communication is so convenient, some people overuse and even abuse it. With business professionals sending and receiving hundreds of emails each week, they often experience information overload and email fatigue. Every time you write an email, you might want to envision your colleagues and clients who are receiving them. Imagine their time pressures and the line of emails awaiting their response. Assume they will likely have low tolerance for poorly written, sloppy, unclear emails. car03199_ch07_176-210.indd 180 23/11/12 7:57 PM Email and Social Media for Business Communication Chapter Seven 181 FIGURE 7.2 More-Effective Email Clear, detailed subject line Clearly labeled document Pleasant opening S M I T H , J O S H U A Numbered format leads to rapid processing of information References to details and specific locations in the attachment lead to rapid and complete processing Pleasant closing Complete, professional signature line 6 8 9 In the business world, where time pressures can be overwhelming, you can engen0 easy to read, and otherder goodwill by writing emails that are professional, relevant, oriented. To show your respect for others when sending B email, consider the following advice. U Select Message Recipients Carefully Before sending an email, think about the workload you are creating for your colleagues or other message recipients. Not only do they commit time to reading your email, but they also often interrupt another work task to do so. If you are requesting information or action, your colleagues are further committed in terms of time. So, make sure the email is necessary and relevant for each of your message recipients. Provide Timelines and Options If you use email to coordinate tasks with deadlines, provide detailed information about time frames and your availabilities. If you are setting up appointments, make sure you have provided several options. By car03199_ch07_176-210.indd 181 23/11/12 7:57 PM 182 Part Three Principles for Business Messages clearly providing timelines and schedules, you minimize the number of emails needed to coordinate your efforts, thus saving time. By providing options, you show respect for your colleagues’ schedules. Be Careful about Using the Priority Flag You will routinely make requests of others that are time-sensitive. If you too often set the priority flag on such emails, your colleagues may become annoyed, perceiving you as pushy. In fact, some business professionals are more likely to ignore emails when the priority flag is set. If you need something urgently, mention it politely in the subject line or use a rich communication channel such as a phone call to gain buy-in. Let Others Know When You Will Take Longer Than Anticipated to Respond or Take Action If you can’t respond to a request made in an email, reply immediately and explain how soon you can respond in full. You might use phrases such as “I will respond to your email by next Tuesday,” or “I can take care of this by the end of next week.”S Avoid Contributing toMConfusing and Repetitive Email Chains Email chains are groups of emails I that are sent back and forth among a group of people. As the number of messages and people involved in an email chain increases, confusion T can build. Consider the following complaint of a business professional: H One of my biggest pet peeves has to do with forwards. My company will often send out a corporate email to the all-hands , list, then a program manager will forward that email to the same all-hands list “in case you didn’t get this,” then the department head will forward the same email back to the same all-hands list “in case you didn’t get this.” Often another layer or two of managementJfeels compelled to forward the same email down to their organizational levels for the same reason. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I often have to delete the same email O five or six times! Please, if you’re in the habit of forwarding announcements for “FYI” reasons, pay attention to which lists you’re forwarding to and S which people are already on those lists.10 H Three features contribute to email chains: forward, copy, and reply to all. The forUany message you receive to others with the click of the ward feature allows you to send mouse. As always, make sure A that those you are forwarding the message to need to see the email. Also, consider whether the original sender would consider it appropriate for you to forward the email to others; after all, he or she did not place those people on the original email. Similarly, many6business professionals consider use of the blind carbon copy feature a breach of privacy. Furthermore, the ease of forwarding and copying can 8 send an email, you have no control over whether othcreate other problems. Once you ers will forward it, and to whom, 9 which leads to a good standard articulated by Tony DiRomualdo, strategy and IT researcher: “Don’t say anything you would not want the 0 11 entire planet to read at some point.” Many business professionals B use the copy feature liberally to let everyone in a department or work unit in on the conversation. Of course, one of your goals is transparU ency, allowing others in your relevant work group to know how decisions are being made. But copying too many people can lead to information overload. Furthermore, copying too many people on an email can dilute responsibility. When five or six people receive an email about accomplishing a specific task, uncertainty may arise about exactly who is supposed to do what. The more people you copy, the less likely you will get a response. Also, some people perceive copying a direct supervisor or boss on emails between peers as a subtle power play.12 The reply to all feature can contribute to confusing email chains in many of the same ways as the forward and copy features. In an email conversation of more than four or five people, various message recipients can lose track of the sequence of messages or miss some messages altogether. Reply email chains become especially confusing when car03199_ch07_176-210.indd 182 23/11/12 7:57 PM Email and Social Media for Business Communication Chapter Seven 183 some colleagues are using just the reply feature whereas others are using the reply to all feature. One advantage of team blogs and wikis in the workplaces is that they remove some of the inefficiencies and confusion of email chains by placing messages and shared content in a central location rather than in various, separate email boxes. Protect Privacy and Confidentiality Be careful about not spreading—purposely or inadvertently—sensitive or confidential information. Since emails are so convenient to send, even the rare mistake in an address line can result in damaging professional consequences. Consider, for example, that eight out of ten marketing and advertising executives say they have made mistakes via email, such as sending job offers to the wrong people or revealing confidential salary information to the entire company.13 Double-checking that you have placed the correct people in the address line before you hit the send button is a worthwhile habit that requires just a few extra moments. Respond Promptly S Most business professionals expect fast responses to emails. Of course, what seems like a quick response to one person seems like a delayedM response to another. One recent study of business professionals found that nearly all Ibusiness professionals expect an email response within one day (see Figure 7.3).14 Younger professionals are more T likely to expect a response immediately. The majority of business professionals in all age groups expect a response within one to two hours. If H you choose not to check your email more than a few times a day (a strategy recommended later in the chapter), let , others know how soon to expect replies. Maintain Professionalism and Appropriate Formality J Email communication is typically considered fairly formal. O Many business professionals are particularly sensitive to “sloppy” email. Management consultant Beverly S observed about an overly Langford reported what thousands of business leaders have casual attitude toward email use: H Many people seem to forget that email is, in fact, written communication, and, consequently, U treat it much less carefully. Workplace email messages often contain terse and offhand A remarks and project a flippant attitude that is sometimes excessive, even bordering on the unprofessional. Those who write the emails often seem to be overlooking how their 6 8 9 0 B U Age Group 21–30 31–40 FIGURE 7.3 Appropriate Response Time to Emails 41–50 51–65 0 25 50 75 100 Source: Peter W. Cardon, Melvin Washington, Ephraim A. Okoro, Bryan Marshall, and Nipul Patel, “Cross-Generational Perspectives on How Mobile Phone Use for Texting and Calling Influences Work Outcomes and Work Relationships,” presented at the Association for Business Communication Southeast Conference, Charleston, South Carolina, April 1, 2011. Percentage of Business Professionals Immediately car03199_ch07_176-210.indd 183 Within 1 hour Within 2 hours Within a day 23/11/12 7:57 PM 184 Part Three Principles for Business Messages message is coming across to the receiver. Further, when composing emails, many people don’t seem to be nearly as concerned with structure and correctness as they would be when putting something on paper. This . . . is ironic because often many more people see an email than would ever see a hard copy of a memo or letter because it’s so easy for the recipient to forward an email to anyone he or she chooses.15 Unfortunately, since so many more people can potentially see an email than would ever see a hard copy of a message, having high standards is even more important. In the past few years, a preference has emerged for less formal, stuffy writing. Still, you’ll want to achieve a balance between formality and the friendliness associated with casual writing. Generally, you are better off erring on the side of too much formality as opposed to too much casualness. Consider the following recommendations. Avoid Indications That You View Email as Casual Communication Certain casual ways of writing and formatting appear unprofessional—for example, using all lowercase letters or nonstandard spelling (i.e., hey barbara, how r u), using excessive formatting (i.e., flashy background colors, unusual fonts), providing extraS line (i.e., favorite quotations), and typing in all caps neous information in the signature (IMPLIES ANGER). Humor M and sarcasm, too, can be misinterpreted in digital communications, even among close colleagues. Furthermore, even when considered funny, I your central message. it can draw attention away from T Apply the Same Standards of Spelling, Punctuation, and ForHOther Written Documents Carefully review matting You Would for your message for typos, spelling, , punctuation, or grammatical problems before sending it. For important messages, consider first composing with word processing software. This will help you apply a higher level of seriousness. In addition, you’ll be able to use spell-check and grammar-check features that are more reliable than those within J email systems. Finally, you can ensure that you do not inadvertently send the message O without making sure it is polished and complete. S Use Greetings and Names Although not technically required, consider H using short greetings and the names of your message recipients. As one of Dale Carnegie’s most famous piecesUof networking advice goes, “A person’s name is to that 16 person the sweetest most important A sound in any language.” This advice applies to most communication situations, including emails. People leave out names in emails for several reasons. Some professionals view the use of greetings and names as excessively formal, resembling letters. 6 Other professionals view emails as the equivalent of memos. In fact, the layout of most emails—with a recipient line, sender line, and 8 Traditionally, the format for memos calls for omitting subject line—resembles memos. a personal greeting and name.9 In a recent study, a communication researcher was given access to the emails in two organizations. One was a0 low-morale organization and one was a high-morale organization. She found that B the presence or absence of greetings and names at the beginning of emails was a strong indicator of company climate (see Figure 7.4).17 In U the low-morale organization, just 20 percent of the emails contained greetings, and just 36 percent contained names. By contrast, in the high-morale organization, 58 percent contained greetings, and 78 percent contained names. The same trend was shown in closings. In the low-morale organization, just 23 percent of the emails contained a polite closing and a name compared to 73 percent in the high-morale organization. The conventions of using greetings and names are sometimes dropped as an email chain emerges and functions much like a conversation. Typically, feelers (those with the strongest people-orientation) show a stronger preference for greetings and names. If you’re having an ongoing email exchange with a feeler and you notice that he or she is using a formal greeting in each email, consider reciprocating. On the other hand, if you’re a feeler and like to see greetings and names in every email but your colleagues car03199_ch07_176-210.indd 184 23/11/12 7:57 PM Email and Social Media for Business Communication Percentage of Emails 59 53 50 25 21 17 No Greeting 25 15 5 Use of Email Greetings and Names in a Low-Morale and a High-Morale Organization Source: Data from Joan Waldvogel, “Greetings and Closings in Workplace Email,” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 12, no. 2 (2007). 5 Greeting Word Only Low-morale organization Name Only Greeting Word + Name High-morale organization S Mthey view emails much like are not doing so, avoid getting hung up on it. Assume that memos or that they view excessive use of greetings and names in back-and-forth email I chains as repetitive and unnecessary. T Manage Emotion and Maintain Civility H Many managers cite the lack of emotion in emails as positive. They see email as a , channel that allows the exchange of messages in minimal form—objective, task-based, and straightforward. As one manager explained, “With email I find myself answering without all the kindness necessary to keep people happyJwith their job.”18 Yet, avoiding emotion entirely, even for task-based messages, is nearly impossible. O Business professionals often want to invoke some emotion—perhaps enthusiasm or a sense of urgency. Even when senders intend to convey a S relatively nonemotional message, recipients may experience an emotional reaction. H In the absence of face-to-face communications, emails tend to elicit either the neuU means that recipients are trality effect or the negativity effect. The neutrality effect more likely to perceive messages with an intended positive A emotion as neutral. That is, the sender may wish to express enthusiasm about an event, but the receiver decodes the information without “hearing” the enthusiasm.19 The negativity effect means that recipients are more likely to perceive messages that are6intended as neutral as negative.20 The effects of emotional inaccuracy due to the neutrality and negativity effects can lead to conflict escalation, confusion, and anxiety.218Expert business communicators remain aware of these tendencies. 9 Two characteristics of asynchronous electronic communications can lead to feelings of anger and frustration more so than in face-to-face0communications. First, people often feel comfortable writing things they would notB say in person. In some cases, this sense of online freedom leads to flames, which are emails or other digital commuU nications with “hostile intentions characterized by words of profanity, obscenity, and 22 insults that inflict harm to a person or an organization.” The second aspect of asynchronous electronic communications that can lead to anger and frustration is cyber silence, which is nonresponse to emails and other communications. During the nonresponse stage, message senders often misattribute explanations for the silence. They sometimes wonder if message recipients are purposely avoiding or even ignoring them.23 As the length of time between messages increases, they often experience more frustration and anger.24 As a message sender, grant the benefit of the doubt to your recipients when responses take longer than you expected. Instead of getting frustrated, consider giving them a phone call. Keep in mind that they may have different expectations about a car03199_ch07_176-210.indd 185 185 FIGURE 7.4 75 0 Chapter Seven LO7.2 Explain how to handle emotion effectively in online communications. 23/11/12 7:57 PM 186 Part Three Principles for Business Messages reasonable time frame to respond to your email. If they routinely take longer than you expect, politely mention that you would appreciate quicker responses. In Chapter 2, we discussed the importance of civility. Civility is likewise important in electronic communication. Cyber incivility is the violation of respect and consideration in an online environment based on workplace norms. Research has shown that “fast-paced, high-tech interactions may add to incivility, as people believe that they do not have time to be ‘nice’ and that impersonal contacts [such as electronic communications] do not require courteous interaction.”25 Shockingly, recent research shows that 91 percent of employees reported experiencing either active or passive cyber incivility from supervisors in the workplace.26 Active incivility involves direct forms of disrespect (i.e., being condescending, demeaning, saying something hurtful). Passive incivility involves indirect forms of disrespect (i.e., using emails for time-sensitive messages, not acknowledging receipt of emails, not replying to emails). Cyber incivility has been shown to lead to lower job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Active incivility was the most damaging. In Figure 7.5, you can see a summary of this research. One interesting finding was that male and female supervisors engaged inSdifferent types of incivility. Male supervisors were far more likely to engage in active Mincivility, whereas female supervisors were far more likely to engage in passive incivility. I T HIncivility through Emails of Supervisors Active and Passive (Percentage of Employees Who Stated Their Current Supervisor Had Engaged in , Email Incivility) FIGURE 7.5 Active and Passive Incivility from Supervisors Source: Vivien K.G. Lim and Thompson S.H. Teo, “Mind Your E-manners: Impact of Cyber Incivility on Employees’ Work Attitude and Behavior,” Information & Management 46 (2009): 419–425. Copyright © 2009, with permission from Elsevier. Active Email Incivility Said something hurtful to youJthrough emails. 22% O 60% Made demeaning or derogatory remarks about you. S 23% 59% H Used emails to say negative things about you that he/she wouldn't say to you U face-to-face. 26% A 58% Put you down or was condescending to you in some way through emails. 28% 6 62% 8 40 50 60 9 Passive Email Incivility 0 Not replying to your emails at all. B 40% Did not acknowledge receipt U of your emails. 0 10 20 30 70 80 90 100 80% 40% Used emails for discussions that would require face-to-face dialogue. 84% 85% 42% Used emails for time-sensitive messages. 86% 44% 0 10 20 30 40 50 Female supervisors car03199_ch07_176-210.indd 186 60 70 80 90 100 Male supervisors 23/11/12 7:57 PM Email and Social Media for Business Communication Chapter Seven 187 Inevitably, you will be the target of what you consider uncivil electronic communications. In nearly all situations, your goal should be to avoid escalation. You can take several steps to constructively address uncivil emails: reinterpretation, relaxation, and defusing. Reinterpretation involves adjusting your initial perceptions by making more objective, more fact-based, and less personal judgments and evaluations. When people are distressed, they often make extreme, subjective, and overly personal judgments. By reinterpreting the event, you allow yourself to take the communication less personally. This is easier said than done. Many people engage in relaxation techniques to help constructively reinterpret the event. Relaxation involves releasing and overcoming anger and frustration so that you can make a more rational and less emotional response. People use a variety of methods to alleviate the physiological impact of anger, including counting to ten, taking time-outs, engaging in deep breathing, and looking for the humor in the situation.27 In the opening case, you learned that Kip was frustrated with his direct supervisor, Nancy. Kip, perhaps unwisely, fired off an angry email (see the bottom message in Figure 7.6), and Nancy responded (the top message in Figure 7.6). Whether he was Ssomewhat beside the point. correct or not about Nancy’s approach to guest service is Email is rarely an effective communication channel toM air complaints or to discuss emotionally charged issues. Figure 7.7 presents a more-effective response from Nancy I to this exchange. Defusing involves avoiding escalation and removing T tension to focus on work objectives. You can take several steps to defuse the situation when you receive an uncivil H reply. Second, focus on email. First, focus on task-related facts and issues in your shared objectives and agreements. Third, express interest , in arranging a time to meet in person. If this is not possible, attempt a richer channel of communication such as a phone call or web meeting with video. Defusing the situation with an immediate email is only part of the process in restoring or perhaps J even strengthening a working relationship. A follow-up meeting is nearly always essential to renew cooperation on O shared work efforts. S that you feel are unfair You will often need to respond to electronic messages or inappropriate. Notice how Nancy escalates the problem in the less-effective reH sponse by writing in an impersonal, defensive, and confrontational manner. By conU trast, notice how she defuses the situation in the more-effective response by avoiding defensiveness, focusing on shared interests, and arranging for a time to meet faceA to-face. Your ability to defuse uncivil electronic communications during your career will pay off in many ways: It will help your colleagues and teams stay on task and perform better; it will help you develop a reputation for6constructively resolving differences; and it will lead to more satisfying work experiences. The ability to defuse 8 such situations requires high emotional intelligence, especially in self-awareness and self-management. 9 0 B Constantly checking incoming messages—emails, texts, IMs, and various messages U through social networking platforms—or simply hearing message alerts distracts busiManage Your Emails to Avoid Distractions ness professionals from concentrating on the tasks at hand. As you are bombarded with incoming messages, your productivity decreases for two reasons: You are distracted from your immediate tasks and you try to multitask. Interruptions from digital messages, or e-interruptions, are extremely costly to your performance. One recent study found that the average worker loses 2.1 hours per day due to interruptions. Many of these distractions are email and other incoming messages. Many business professionals check their email every five minutes, which amounts to 96 e-interruptions in an eight-hour day. Distractions impact your performance for much longer than the few moments you take to acknowledge and respond to incoming messages. A Microsoft study found that it takes 15 minutes car03199_ch07_176-210.indd 187 LO7.3 Describe strategies for managing digital message overload. 23/11/12 7:57 PM 188 Part Three Principles for Business Messages FIGURE 7.6 Less-Effective Response to an Angry Email Re: Issues Impersonal. Leaves out greeting and name. Jeffreys, Nancy To: Kip Yamada Cc: Barbara Brookshire We need to talk about this email when I get back in a week after Thanksgiving. I thought we had a productive conversation but you obviously were not candid. How can we make any progress if you’re S not honest? Also, please empty your voice mail. I tried reaching you several M times only to get your full voice mail box. I From: Kip Yamada [kipyamada@prestigiohotels.com] T Sent: Saturday, November 23 9:54 PM H To: Nancy Jeffreys [njeffreys@prestigiohotels.com] Cc: Barbara Brookshire [bbrookshire@prestigiohotels.com] , Confrontational. Immediately creates a meversus-you approach with the phrase “we need to talk.” Defensive/attacking. Focuses on defending rather than understanding Kip’s point of view. Subject: Issues J Nancy, our conversation really wasn’t fair. I appreciate O you striking up the conversation but you caught me off guard. I know your goal was good – to S get us working together more effectively. But, in the spirit of compromise, I H hurting our was not as forthright as I should have been. You are really business because you’re not focusing on our customers. U Our guests come to me all the time and complain about your unfair treatment. Even some of A Accusatory. Kip lays blame on Nancy in every regard. The repeated use of youvoice increases the accusatory tone. the employees mention how you are not really listening to our guests when they make complaints. I think the big issue we need to focus on is customer service, not whether I have authorization to make refunds. 6 Kip 8 9 on average to refocus after 0 an interruption. Furthermore, these disruptions have been shown to reduce attention B spans, increase stress, and even reduce creativity. The cost to companies is enormous. Intel estimates that large companies lose about U $1 billion per year because of email overload. Not surprisingly, many major companies such as Google, Microsoft, IBM, and Intel have joined the Information Overload Research Group (iorgforum.org), which is devoted to finding solutions to such problems.28 Many business professionals erroneously assume they can respond immediately to all incoming messages and focus sufficiently on work tasks. This is simply not the case. A University of Michigan study found that productivity drops by up to 40 percent when people try to do two or more things at once. A variety of research about the brain shows that it is not hardwired to multitask effectively.29 In most business positions, however, you need to respond to others as soon as possible. This places you in a delicate balancing act; how can you stay responsive to others car03199_ch07_176-210.indd 188 23/11/12 7:57 PM Email and Social Media for Business Communication Chapter Seven 189 FIGURE 7.7 More-Effective Response to Defuse an Angry Email Meeting to Improve Our Response to Guest Complaints Jeffreys, Nancy To: Kip Yamada Cc: Barbara Brookshire Cordial and personal. Uses Kip’s name and extends warm wishes. Hello Kip, Validating. Compliments Kip on his attention to guest satisfaction. I’m sorry to hear that you did not think our conversationSwas fair. You’re right – I didn’t give you any chance ahead of time to gather your thoughts. M I do appreciate your enthusiasm for treating our guests fairly. Inviting. Asks for Kip’s input in terms of ideas and people who should be included in a decision-making process. I When we’re both back in the office, let’s set up a time to discuss how to T manage guest complaints. Would you be willing to come up with your ideas H for managing what you consider the three most common guest complaints? , When we meet, I’d also like to discuss how we track our responses to guest complaints and whether our responses make business sense. J Would you like to include anyone else in our meeting? Do you think the O entire marketing team should participate in this discussion? Happy Thanksgiving! Nancy S H U A Nondefensive. Nancy makes it clear that making “business sense” is an important part of the discussion. She does so without sounding defensive or intimidating (she is in the position of a superior). Focus on rich communication. Nancy temporarily defuses the situation by email but realizes these issues require rich communication. She identifies a meeting as the next step in the process. yet focus enough to achieve peak performance in your work 6 tasks? Consider the following guidelines:30 ● ● ● ● 8 Check digital messages just two to four times each day at designated times. Unless 9 never check your mesyour job calls for it (or your boss demands it!), you should sages more than every 45 minutes. Consider taking interruption-free periods during 0 the day exclusively devoted to email. For example, you might schedule 30 minutes B via email and other online to an hour at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day to communicate tools. U Turn off message alerts. Over the course of a day, these alerts can distract you and reduce your focus. Use rich channels such as face-to-face and phone conversations to accomplish a task completely. Back-and-forth email chains and other sets of asynchronous digital messages may repeatedly draw attention away from tasks at hand. As appropriate, use rich, synchronous communication to take care of the matter immediately so that distractions do not compound themselves. Reply immediately only to urgent messages. When you reply immediately to nonurgent messages, you set a precedent. Others form an expectation that you can be interrupted at any time for any matter. car03199_ch07_176-210.indd 189 23/11/12 7:57 PM 230 Part Four Types of Business Messages Making Apologies LO8.10 Compose apologies. Components of Apologies • Make acknowledgment. • Express regret. • Take responsibility. • Offer commitment. • State goodwill. Even with the best of intentions, colleagues sometimes let one another down. Differences in communication style, personality clashes, and careless comments are sometimes factors in personal offenses. Business professionals who are high in emotional intelligence notice how their actions impact others. When they intentionally or unintentionally do harm, they seek to improve the workplace relationships right away. In some cases, making apologies is the appropriate response. However, all apologies are not necessarily good apologies. As stated by management communication specialist Holly Weeks, “Offering the right apology, particularly in the corporate world, is not as simple as saying, ‘I’m sorry.’ Done right, an apology can enhance both reputations and relationships. Done wrong, an apology can compound the original mistake, sometimes to disastrous consequences.”4 Effective apologies achieve several important results. First, they help repair working relationships so that you can refocus on solving problems together. Second, they can rebuild your reputation. When you’ve made offenses or mistakes that harm others, S reputation for competence, caring, and/or character your credibility is weakened. Your may be questioned.5 M Typically, an apology includes the following elements: acknowledgment of a misI of regret for the harm caused, acceptance of respontake or an offense, an expression sibility, and a commitment that T the offense will not be repeated. Effective apologies should be timely and sincere. H Apologies are ineffective when they are vague and cliché. For the apology to be effective, others must sense that,the apologizer is sincere, genuine, and acting without an agenda. Effective apologies must focus on others, not you. During an apology, if the recipient decodes any behavior as defensive, it casts doubt on the apologizer’s sincerity.6 Before apologizing, considerJthe business implications. If you are dealing with customers and clients, an apology mayOimply legal responsibility. For serious matters, you might seek the company’s legal counsel. Internally, an apology may become a permanent record in S (in rare situations). So, you might consider the potential a performance review or other files costs of an apology to your company H and your career. Generally, however, apologies for routine mistakes and offenses pose little risk to either your company or your career. They are likely to restore and perhaps U even enhance your company’s and your personal credibility. Notice Bryan’s apology in A Figure 8.16 for unfair statements he made at a meeting. The apology contains the basic elements: acknowledgment, regret, responsibility, and commitment. It is short, simple, sincere, and forward-looking. Colleagues who have known Bryan for years will likely 6 accept the apology quickly and redirect their efforts to working together effectively. 8 9 Expressing Sympathy When your colleagues and 0 other close professional contacts encounter personal LO8.11 Construct losses—such as the sickness or even the passing away of loved ones—it is appropriate B expressions of for you to extend your sincere sympathies. Although you may have maintained strictly sympathy. U professional relations with others, expressing condolences, concern, and support can Components of Sympathy Messages • Express sympathy. • Offer support. • State goodwill. car03199_ch08_211-237.indd 230 help them cope with personal grief and pain. The foremost requirement of any expression of sympathy is that it be sincere. These difficult moments are challenging and awkward. You may feel uncertain about what to say, which words to use. Your genuine concern will compensate for any deficiencies in the words you use. Typically, keep your expressions of sympathy brief. For deaths, state your support and concern to the person who has experienced the loss. Make the note personal by mentioning the deceased person by name and your positive impressions and memories. When possible, handwrite your expression of sympathy on a nice card (see Figure 8.17 for an example of a sympathy message). And read the Communication Q&A for one businessperson’s thoughts on delivering routine messages of all kinds. 23/11/12 8:01 PM Routine Messages Chapter Eight 231 FIGURE 8.16 An Apology smith & smith advertising My Comments at Our Executive Management Meeting From: To: Bryan Atkins Executive Management Team Dear colleagues, Mon, June 24, 2013 ACKNOWLEDGMENT of mistake. This last Friday in our executive management meeting, I made several unfair comments. I complained that several of you care more about our clients than you do about our employees. I also said that you ask our employees to work excessive hours on weekends and evenings because you are never willing to say “no” to our clients, even when they make unreasonable demands . S M Over the weekend, I thought about my commentsIa lot. I am frustrated that we —myself included— give in to unreasonable demands from a few of our clients. I think we end up putting too much stress on our employees as a result. I am sorry that T I misdirected my frustration with the demands of our clients at each of you. Statement of RESPONSIBILITY. H I do hope that at our next executive management meeting, we can discuss how to negotiate with , our clients when we view their demands as unreasonable. For my part, I will avoid any blaming. I These statements were inaccurate and unfair. I have known each of you for many years, and I am certain that each of you cares deeply about our employees. Statement of REGRET. would certainly like to hear your experiences, perspectives, and suggestions. Bryan J COMMITMENT to avoid such behavior in the Ofuture and approach frustrations constructively. S H U A 6 8 9 0 B U car03199_ch08_211-237.indd 231 FIGURE 8.17 An Expression of Sympathy 23/11/12 8:01 PM Chapter Nine car03199_ch09_238-269.indd 238 Persuasive Messages Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, you should be able to do the following: LO9.1 Describe the relationship between credibility and persuasion. LO9.2 Explain the AIM planning process for persuasive messages and the basic components of most persuasive messages. LO9.3 Explain how the tone and style of persuasive messages impact their influence. LO9.4 LO9.5 LO9.6 LO9.7 S M Create compelling internal persuasive messages. I Compose influential external persuasive messages. T Construct effective mass sales messages. H Evaluate persuasive messages for effectiveness and fairness. , J O S H U A 6 8 9 0 B U 27/11/12 5:07 PM S THIS M WHY DOE ? ATTER? In many business situations, you hope to persuade others. In internal business communications, you may want your boss, peers, or colleagues to consider or adopt your ideas when their perspectives differ from yours. In external business communications, you will want to persuade your clients, customers, and prospects to use your products and services. Persuasion involves influencing others to see the merits of your ideas and act on your requests, even when they initially resist. In this chapter, we explore strategies for persuading others through writing. In some ways, all business messages contain an element of persuasion—that is, you are hoping to influence the way others think, feel, or behave. Many of the concepts in this chapter will enhance your ability to make any kind of request. However, the approaches in this chapter are most applicable to situations in which your audience will initially resist your requests. Throughout this chapter, you will see examples of S persuasive messages at Better Horizons Credit Union. The chapter case provides the M background. Hear Pete Cardon explain why this matters. bit.ly.com/CardonWhy9 I T H Chapter Case: Shifting Course ,at Better Horizons Credit Union Who’s Involved J O S H Haniz Zogby, marketing specialist and loan officer • Started working at Better HorizonsU nearly five years ago. She has worked 20 to 30 hours A per week while attending college with a major • • in finance and a minor in event management. Started as a teller. Within a few years, 6 she was promoted to positions of teller supervisor, loan officer, and marketing specialist. 8 Currently working on marketing initiatives under 9 the direction of Christine Russo. Situation 1 Christine Wants to Build Support for Christine Russo, president and CEO • Has worked at Better Horizons for approximately ten years. • Currently interested in increasing the number of young members. With declining numbers of young members, she is concerned that the credit union does not have good long-term prospects. 0 B New U Banking Services That Meet the Needs of Younger Members Christine recognized that people under the age of 30 were not joining the credit union. Christine wanted to write a message to board members about adopting marketing strategies and services that appeal to younger members. She planned to follow up by presenting her ideas in person at an upcoming meeting. The board is composed of longtime members who favor what they consider a “personal,” “friendly,” and “homey” credit union environment. They view moves to online marketing and services as breaking their brand of community and personal touch. The majority also oppose adding too many extra financial services, perceiving these services as “slick” and “too similar to banks.” Situation 2 Haniz Is in Charge of Recruiting Participants for a Local Charity Event Christine asked Haniz to be in charge of recruiting credit union members to join this year’s Hope Walkathon to support research on breast cancer. Better Horizons has assembled a walkathon team for this prominent community event each year for nearly a decade. Haniz is writing an email to send car03199_ch09_238-269.indd 239 27/11/12 5:07 PM 240 Part Four Types of Business Messages to all credit union members. The message will be modified slightly to appear as an announcement on the credit union website as well. Situation 3 Haniz Needs to Create a Flyer Explaining the Benefits of Credit Union Membership Compared to Banks Haniz is working on a flyer describing the benefits of membership at Better Horizons Credit Union. The flyer will be part of a packet of materials that is distributed to community members who participate in free financial planning and income tax assistance seminars offered by Better Horizons. Haniz is using the message to highlight the benefits of Better Horizons compared to local banks. Situation 4 Haniz Is Helping to Develop a Sales Message for Auto Loans Haniz and several other employees are working on sales messages for auto loans. In recent months, Better Horizon’s senior management decided the credit union should become a “player” in the auto loans market. Few Better Horizons members take advantage of car loans, most assuming that dealer financing is cheaper and easier to get. Task 1 How will Christine and Haniz write a message to board members that warms them up to ideas about new online services and marketing geared toward gaining younger members? (See the section on internal persuasive messages.) Task 3 How will Haniz develop a generalpurpose flyer that shows the broad benefits of choosing Better Horizons Credit Union over banks? (See the “Constructing External Persuasive Messages” section.) S M I T H , J O S H U A Task 2 How will Haniz persuade credit union members to join the Hope Walkathon? (See the section on external persuasive messages.) Task 4 How will Haniz develop sales messages for an auto loan campaign? (See the “Composing Mass Sales Messages” section.) 6 8 9 0 The Importance of Credibility in an Era ofBMistrust and Skepticism While credibility is critical toU all business communications, its importance is heightLO9.1 Describe the relationship between credibility and persuasion. ened for persuasive messages. By definition, persuasion implies that you are communicating with someone who does not think or feel the same way as you do. So, your goal is to help your audience members identify with and find merit in your positions. If they question your credibility, they are unlikely to carefully consider your ideas, requests, or recommendations. Persuasion is becoming more difficult as we live in a time of increasing mistrust. In Chapter 1, we discussed the declining levels of trust for nearly all professional groups, particularly business-related occupations. Michael Maslansky, one of the leading corporate communications experts, has labeled this the post-trust era (PTE): Just a few years ago, salespeople, corporate leaders, marketing departments, and communicators like me had it pretty easy. We looked at communication as a relatively car03199_ch09_238-269.indd 240 27/11/12 5:07 PM Persuasive Messages Chapter Nine 241 linear process. . . . But trust disappeared, things changed. . . . In a word, trust is out, skepticism is in.1 Over the past decade, Michael Maslansky and his colleagues have examined how language is used to persuade and motivate others. By interviewing hundreds of thousands of employees and customers in some 30 countries, they have found that the language of trust is more important than ever. Furthermore, they have noticed emerging trends in how language impacts trust. Strategies for persuasion that once worked are less effective in the PTE. Other strategies continue to work well. In this chapter, we sort through some of these basic principles of persuasive writing and identify those strategies that are most effective in the PTE. Applying the AIM Planning Process to Persuasive Messages Persuasion involves extensive planning: analyzing your audience to understand their needs, values, and how they are influenced; developing your ideas as you wrestle with S the complicated business issues at hand; and creating a message structure that most effectively reduces resistance and gains buy-in. Many effective business communicators M spend weeks and months learning about their target audiences, gathering information, I and piecing together persuasive messages. T H To convince others to modify their own ideas and accept yours, you need to show that , you care about them and that your ideas fit into their interests. This is the approach Understand Your Audience LO9.2 Explain the AIM planning process for persuasive messages and the basic components of most persuasive messages. communication specialist Liz Simpson recommends: To succeed at the persuasion game, you have to be absolutelyJcommitted to understanding the other side’s position as well as your own. Without that willingness to try on the other side’s arguments, you simply cannot be persuasive. From thatO understanding will come the insights you need to move the other side over to your camp.2 S This is true not only for ideas but also for products and services. Your best argument is H always one that meets the needs and wants of your audience. Understanding the needs and values of others is notUsimple. It requires a strong listening orientation. You will need to ask lots of questions A to get beyond a surface understanding about the hopes, expectations, and hidden assumptions of your target audience. Once you know your target audience’s needs and values, you are in a strong position to explain how your product, service, or idea benefits 6 them. In addition to understanding the needs and values of your target audience, you 8 how people are influenced. should consider the psychological principles that impact Also, you should consider whether you are making a logical 9 appeal or an emotional one in your persuasive messages. 0 Understand Methods of Influence Dr. Robert B Cialdini, a marketing psychologist, has spent his career studying how people are influenced in business and U marketing environments. He has examined research in this area for four decades, plus he spent three years taking undercover jobs in car dealerships, telemarketing firms, fund-raising organizations, and other buyer-seller environments to learn the most influential ways of getting people to say yes. Based on his work, he has identified six principles of persuasion (aside from the price and quality of products and services). These principles include reciprocation, consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity.3 Haniz’s message to recruit credit union members for the Hope Walkathon offers an interesting example for applying these various principles (see Figure 9.7, p. 258, for her completed message). Reciprocation is a principle of influence based on returning favors. As defined by Cialdini, “We should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us.”4 Cialdini cited an interesting study in which a professor sent Christmas cards to a car03199_ch09_238-269.indd 241 27/11/12 5:07 PM 242 Part Four Types of Business Messages random sample of strangers to see what would happen. Many of the card recipients reciprocated, sending cards to the professor without attempting to find out who he was. The study showed that even card receivers who did not know the card sender and who might not interact with the card sender in the future felt compelled to return the favor of sending a card. People tend to feel obligated to pay back others when they’ve received something of value.5 Haniz uses the principle of reciprocation in her message in several ways. For example, she focuses on a lengthy reciprocal relationship that the credit union has with the local breast cancer center, and the walkathon serves as the mechanism that draws the two organizations together. The credit union helps the center by generating walkathon donations, and the center helps the credit union and the larger community through more effective breast cancer treatment and education. Furthermore, the message implies a reciprocal relationship between the credit union and its members by offering various free items, such as a T-shirt, a water bottle, and a cancer guide, to members who are willing to participate in the walkathon. Consistency is based on the idea that once people make an explicit commitment, they tend to follow through orShonor that commitment. In other words, they want to stay consistent with their original M commitment. Cialdini cited several studies to make this point. In one, psychologists found that horse racing fans become more confident I placing a bet. Once they made a final commitment, that their horses would win after they were further convinced ofTthe correctness of their choice.6 Haniz appeals to commitment and consistency in several ways. Foremost, she appeals to the credit union’sHlong commitment to the fight against breast cancer. Some credit union members ,will want to continue to honor this long-standing collective commitment and will appreciate that their credit union is doing so. She also provides links in the message for people to immediately act on their interest in the walkathon. A link to register right now serves as an immediate commitment J to participate. O Social proof is a principle of influence whereby people determine what is right, correct, or desirable by seeingS what others do. Haniz employs several appeals to social proof in her letter. She describes the level of participation and contribution among H members in last year’s walkathon, implying that the popularity and financial impact of UAlso, the walkathon itself is a type of social proof; the this event make it a good cause. gathering of thousands of people A wearing team T-shirts and marching in unison for a cause is powerful imagery.7 Liking is a principle of influence whereby people are more likely to be persuaded by people who they like.8 Haniz 6 appeals directly to this principle by describing Betty Williams, who is a breast cancer survivor, the benefactor of the breast center, a credit 8 in the walkathon. Betty Williams is presumably a union member, and a participant person most people in the community know and like, a woman who many of the credit 9 union members may know from running into her at the credit union or other community events, and a woman who0is passionate about an important cause (a reason for liking). Haniz emphasizes in the B message that walkathon participants will join this likable and respected community member at the walkathon. Authority is a principle ofU influence whereby people follow authority figures. The number of celebrity endorsements in advertising is evidence of how authority can impact persuasion.9 Although Haniz does not appeal to a national celebrity, she does appeal to a prominent local community member—again Betty Williams. With Betty’s level of influence and personal experience combating cancer, she is likely seen as an authority. Furthermore, Haniz also appeals to members to support the Betty Williams Breast Center, a group of expert professionals who collectively are authorities on breast cancer. Scarcity is a principle of influence whereby people think there is limited availability of something they want or need, so they must act quickly.10 Haniz employs this principle in terms of time. She explains that the walkathon occurs only once each year car03199_ch09_238-269.indd 242 27/11/12 5:07 PM Persuasive Messages Chapter Nine 243 (limited time period to participate) and that participants must sign up by a given deadline (limited time period to sign up). You will apply these principles most often in external persuasive messages, and you should always apply them fairly. Cialdini describes them as “weapons of influence.”11 The very term weapons implies that they are powerful and can do harm. In the “Apply the FAIR Test” section near the end of the chapter, we further discuss the appropriate use of these principles. Persuade through Emotion and Reason Most people justify their business decisions based on the soundness of ideas, not feelings. Savvy business communicators, however, understand the importance of injecting emotion into their persuasive messages. While they appreciate the place of reason in business and consumer decisions, they understand that resistance to ideas, products, and services is often emotional. Conversely, they are aware that their target audiences often possess strong emotional attachment to competing ideas, products, and services. Thus, effective communicators find ways to appeal to the core emotional benefits of products, S services, and ideas.12 Even in internal persuasive messages, emotional appeals M are critical, as indicated by Craig Conway, president and CEO of PeopleSoft: I Good communicators have an enormous advantage over poor communicators because so much of running a company is inspirational. . . . You just T have to be able to persuade people that they are a part of something bigger. If you have a creative vision and you can H communicate it in a compelling way to get people excited, you will recruit better people as a result. Then, it is easy to convince the world that you have ,a more dynamic company.13 Part of understanding your audience is identifying the needs and values that resonate emotionally for them. J Typically, internal persuasive messages focus mostly on logical appeals. External O persuasive messages, with the exception of those that emphasize price, generally include strong emotional appeals. As you develop persuasive messages, think about how S to get the right mix of logical and emotional appeals. Generally, you will supply both H when you choose to make but emphasize one or the other. Keep in mind that even strong emotional appeals in written messages, you should U generally avoid the tone of mass advertising, where exaggeration, sarcasm, and over-the-top appeals are acceptA several messages created able and even effective. Later in the chapter, you will notice by Haniz and Christine—two based more strongly on logical appeals (Figures 9.5 and 9.8) and two on emotional appeals (Figures 9.7 and 9.9). 6 Develop Your Ideas 8 Idea development for persuasive messages is critical. Since 9 your audience is resistant to the message, one of your key tasks is to establish credibility. Developing strong 0 your voice of competence. ideas in the interest of your audience helps you demonstrate It involves gaining a deep understanding of the benefits B and drawbacks of your ideas, products, and services. In addition, it involves gaining a thorough understanding of U competing ideas, products, and services. Thus, before attempting to persuade others, expert business communicators seek to understand products, services, and ideas in great depth so that they can speak from an authoritative and competent perspective. To address the issue of attracting younger credit union members, Christine and Haniz spend months learning about the strategies that other credit unions use. When Haniz works on a message that promotes her credit union over local banks, she carefully analyzes and compares the major products and services offered by her credit union and those of competing banks. When Haniz works on a message to persuade credit union members to join the Hope Walkathon, she learns all she can about participation in this event and how it helps in the fight against breast cancer. car03199_ch09_238-269.indd 243 27/11/12 5:07 PM 244 Part Four Types of Business Messages Components of Persuasive Messages • • • • • • Gain attention. Raise a need. Deliver a solution. Provide a rationale. Show appreciation. Give counterpoints (optional). • Call to action. Set Up the Message Structure Most business writing is direct and explicit. It is direct in that you begin with a main idea or argument and then provide the supporting reasons. It is explicit in that nothing is implied; statements contain full and unambiguous meaning. When you write directly and explicitly, you help your readers understand your message and you show respect for their time. Compared to other business messages, persuasive messages are somewhat more indirect and implicit. They are sometimes indirect in that they provide the rationale for a request before making the specific request. They are sometimes implicit in that the request or some of the rationale for the request may be implied. In other words, sometimes the reader needs to read between the lines to grasp the entire meaning. Implicit statements politely ask people to do or think differently. Also, explicitly stating some types of benefits is considered poor form—for example, matters of financial or career gain in internal persuasive requests.14 Attention The first task of most persuasive messages is to gain the attention of your readers. You can do this S in a variety of ways, including asking a rhetorical question, providing a compelling or interesting fact, revealing a compelling statistic, issuing M 15 For internal persuasive messages, the primary a challenge, or posting a testimonial. means of gaining attention is Idemonstrating a business need—a gap between what is and what could be.16 You generally have more flexibility in external persuasive mesT sages as you choose your attention-getters. See Table 9.1 for examples of attentiongetters Haniz might use for some H of her communication tasks. , Need, Solution, and Rationale In the body of your message, your first task is to tie your product, service, or idea to the needs of your readers. The best way to reduce the resistance your reader may have is to show that your message meets your J readers’ needs. Once you’ve stated the need, you may describe your solution, which is O or idea. Many readers will remain skeptical unless a recommended product, service, you provide convincing support. S So, you will need to provide a strong rationale, meaning solid reasons why your product, service, or idea really benefits them. After all, you Hto influence skeptics.17 are more than likely attempting As you structure your message, U consider how direct you should be. If your audience members are strongly and emotionally resistant to your solution, consider a more A up to your ideas before you suggest a solution. To indirect approach so they warm make your message less direct, provide the rationale before the solution. TABLE 9.1 Effective Attention-Getters Type of Attention-Getter Rhetorical question 6 8 9 0 Example Bunion members save $400 per year compared to bank Did you know that average credit customers? U Intriguing statistic In the past five years, we’ve lost over 200 members—over 10 percent of our membership. Compelling and unusual fact/s You’ve probably heard car dealers boast about their near-zero percent interest rates—but there’s a catch! By financing with car dealers, you give up your opportunity to receive manufacturer rebates and your power to negotiate on price. Challenge Please join our team in this year’s Hope Walkathon in the fight against breast cancer. Testimonial “I never knew I could have so much negotiating power with a preapproved loan. By getting my car loan through Better Horizons, I negotiated a great deal with the car dealer. This is the way to buy cars!” car03199_ch09_238-269.indd 244 27/11/12 5:07 PM Persuasive Messages Chapter Nine 245 Appreciation At some point in the body of the message, you should validate your readers by showing appreciation for their views and preferences. Validation implies that you recognize and appreciate others’ needs, wants, ideas, and preferences as legitimate and reasonable. By validating your readers, you show respect for them and demonstrate a balanced perspective.18 Counterpoints Traditionally, communicators overcame objections by providing counterpoints to any of the audience members’ objections. In other words, they showed how their own ideas, products, or services were superior to the competing ideas, products, or services the audience favored. Overcoming objections with counterpoints, however, is risky in the post-trust era. This approach may unnecessarily carry a me-versus-you tone and delegitimize the readers’ concerns. Michael Maslansky, in his research about emerging trends in sales messages in the PTE, states that validation is “using words to let people know that their concerns are valid,” and that it is the “polar opposite of overcoming objections.”19 He says the “new sales mantra [is to] agree with objections.”20 This perhaps ironic S the potential customer’s approach shows respect and balance because you validate feelings and ideas. When you validate your readers, theyM are more likely to accept the merits of your persuasive message. I Thus, consider carefully whether to include counterpoints to your readers’ objections. When you know people well and believe that you will not T create a me-versus-you adversarial stance, tactfully state how your ideas, products, and services outperform H those of your readers. , Skilled business communicators understand that building support for their ideas takes time. Especially for persuasion within companies, you will generally use a mix of communication channels. Rarely will your ideas be accepted and enacted with J make a powerful statement one written message. However, one written message can and open avenues of communication that lead to acceptance and adoption of your O ideas. S Action You conclude persuasive messages with a call H to action, which asks your readers to take a specific step toward the purchase of a product or service or acceptance of an idea. However, a call to action should not be a hardUsell; pressuring others is increasingly ineffective in the PTE.21 In external persuasive Amessages, the call to action is typically a specific and explicit step. In internal persuasive messages, the call to action is sometimes explicit and sometimes implicit. It is more likely to be implicit for controversial change ideas and when corresponding with6superiors who have ultimate decision-making authority. 8 9 Getting the Tone and Style Right for Persuasive Messages 0 The tone for persuasive messages should be confident B and positive, yet at the same time avoid exaggeration or hype. This is tricky! You will no doubt need to make some U trade-offs. The more confident and positive you make your message, the more you risk being perceived as pushy or exaggerated. As you reduce confidence and positivity, you risk your product, service, or idea being perceived as weak or unexciting. One benefit of asking colleagues to read your persuasive message before you send it is they can help you decide if you have achieved the right level of confidence and positivity without sacrificing believability. The writing style of your message should be action-oriented and lively. But again, you risk being perceived as unbelievable or overly enthusiastic if you overdo the language. However, you risk being perceived as dull or unexceptional if you don’t use engaging, lively language. Proofreading by yourself and with the help of colleagues will help you get the right writing style to set your message apart. car03199_ch09_238-269.indd 245 Guidelines for Tone for Persuasive Messages • Apply the personal touch. • Use action-oriented, lively language. • Write with confidence. • Offer choice. • Show positivity. LO9.3 Explain how the tone and style of persuasive messages impact their influence. 27/11/12 5:07 PM 246 Part Four Types of Business Messages Apply the Personal Touch Recently, a number of competing developers delivered presentations to a property owner, each hoping to persuade him to sell them 4,000 acres of much-sought-after property. The presentations were nearly identical, so the property owner was unsure how to choose the best developer. A few days later, the property owner received a handwritten thank-you note from one candidate. The property owner immediately awarded the deal to that developer because he had taken the time to write a message of appreciation.22 Often, your competitors are nearly identical to you. Your colleagues and customers will be more easily persuaded when you show interest in them personally, speak to them in personal terms, understand their specific needs, and demonstrate that you are seeking benefits for them. Personalizing your messages is not easy, though, as Michael Maslansky points out: For all of us, selling ideas or products or ourselves begins with a need to talk about something that we have and the audience should need, want, or agree with. The problem is that too often, we focus on the first part—what we want to sell, and too little on the second—why S they want to buy . . . and yet, our audience demands increasingly that messages, products, and services speak directly to M them.23 I directly to customers and colleagues requires that you Creating messages that speak use language that helps your T customers and colleagues feel the product, service, or idea is just for them.24 H One of the primary strategies you can use to personalize persuasive messages is , you-voice, we-voice, I-voice, or impersonal voice (as your selection of voice—either introduced in Chapter 2). Table 9.2 offers guidance on choosing the appropriate voice. Generally, you-voice is more effective in external persuasive messages to customers J the benefits they receive from your products and and clients because it emphasizes services. From the customer’sO perspective, the you-voice shows them that they are the center of attention. Writing in the you-voice toScustomers is more than just a stylistic choice. It forces you to consciously consider the H readers’ needs and wants. It forces you to personalize the message for them. By contrast, the we-voice in external messages can focus too U and de-emphasize benefits to the customer. Notice much attention on your company the difference in overall tone inAthe two messages in Figures 9.4 and 9.5 (pp. 255–256). In the less-effective example, the you-voice is hardly used at all compared to the dominating we-voice. In the more-effective example, the you-voice takes center stage over the we-voice. The extensive use 6 of you-voice in the more-effective message sends a strong meta message: This message is about you. 8 Another method of personalizing a message is to make your statements tangible. By definition, tangible means9something can be touched; it is material or substantial. In a business communications context, making the statement tangible implies that the 0 readers can discern something in terms that are meaningful to them. This allows the reader to sense the impact on B a personal level.25 You often can achieve a tangible feel by combining you-voice withUspecificity. Consider the examples in Table 9.3, from messages that Haniz is working on for the credit union. As you reread your message, keep in mind the following advice from sales specialist Ralph Allora: “Read the letter aloud. If it doesn’t sound like you’re having a conversation with the client over the phone, then you’re not using the right tone.”26 This in part is a test of whether you have personalized your message enough. Use Action-Oriented and Lively Language In persuasive messages, you have somewhat more license to write creatively. Focus on using action-oriented and lively words to achieve a sense of excitement, optimism, or car03199_ch09_238-269.indd 246 27/11/12 5:07 PM Persuasive Messages Chapter Nine 247 TABLE 9.2 Voice in Persuasive Messages Voice Appropriate Cases Cautions Examples You-voice Use in external persuasive messages to emphasize reader benefits. Presumptuousness— assuming you know what is good for someone else When you take out an auto loan, you get a variety of resources to help you in your car shopping, including a free copy of a Kelly Blue Book, access to free Carfax reports, Mechanical Breakdown Insurance (MBI), and Guaranteed Auto Protection (GAP). In this example, you-voice helps show direct benefits to the customers. Overuse across an entire message, however, may come across as presumptuous, overbearing, or exaggerated. We-voice Use in internal persuasive messages to emphasize shared work goals. Presumptuousness— assuming you S share common Mor beliefs, ideas, understanding I with your colleagues T H , I-voice Impersonal voice Use in all persuasive messages sparingly. Use in persuasive messages to emphasize objectivity and neutrality. J O Overuse implies S self-centeredness H U A 6 Overuse may8 depersonalize the 9 message 0 B U At Better Horizons, we’ve instilled a personal touch into every aspect of our business. We’ve reinforced this culture with face-to-face services. Our tellers welcome members by name. When members come into the credit union, they know we care about them as people, not just as customers. The warm, friendly, genuine, and personal approach we take to serving our members is why I’m so proud to work here. In this passage, we-voice instills a sense of shared values, priorities, and goals. We-voice can instill a strong sense of teamwork. When audience members have different perspectives, however, they may resent that you are stating agreement where it does not exist. After examining the results of other credit unions, I am convinced that these tools can build emotional connections and loyalty with our members. In this example, I-voice is used to show a personal opinion and shows respect for audience members who are not yet fully persuaded. Frequent use of I-voice across an entire message, however, may come across as emphasizing your interests rather than those of the audience. The basic difference between credit unions and banks is that credit union members own and control their credit unions whereas bank account holders have no stake or control in their financial institutions. In this example, impersonal voice helps show objectivity. An entire persuasive message in impersonal voice, however, may fail to connect on a personal level with the audience. other positive emotions. Use strong nouns and verbs to add to the excitement of the message. Some sales messages sound dull because of overuse of and reliance on words such as provide and offer.27 Across the entire message or thought, the action-oriented and lively language should emphasize a central theme. See Table 9.4 for examples from documents Haniz is working on for two of her projects. car03199_ch09_238-269.indd 247 27/11/12 5:07 PM 248 Part Four Types of Business Messages TABLE 9.3 Making Tangible Statements Less Effective More Effective Credit unions save members about $8 billion a year thanks to better interest rates and reduced fees. On average, credit union members save $400 each year compared to bank customers thanks to lower loan rates and fees. The benefit is not tangible. Customers are not sure what the benefit would be for them personally. This benefit is tangible; the customers know how much they will save on an individual level. In recent years, many credit unions have lost membership because younger individuals are not attracted to them. In the past five years, we’ve lost over 200 members—over 10 percent of our membership. And we simply aren’t attracting younger members. This statement focuses on a general trend for credit unions but does not indicate an impact on a particular credit union. This statement invokes a sense of what is happening right here at our credit union. Identifying the amount (as well as a percentage) S reader discern the impact. helps the We provide lower rates on car loans. Our car loan rates are between 1.5 and 1.75 percentage points less than at any of the banks in town. M lower rates on car loans. You can get car loan You pay rates at I Better Horizons that are 1.5–1.75 percentage points less than at any other bank in town. Consider the savings: • On T a 4-year $15,000 new car loan: You save about $680. • On H a 4-year $5,000 used car loan: You save about $200. This statement doesn’t help the customers understand how much in dollars they would save on a car loan at Better Horizons. This statement allows customers to easily think about how much , savings they would receive by getting a car loan with Better Horizons. TABLE 9.4 Using Action-Oriented and Lively Language Less Effective The Betty Williams Breast Center has a nationally accredited program for treatment of breast cancer. The weak verb has implies little action on the part of the Betty Williams Breast Center. Better Horizons has always been known for its personal approach to our members. Our transactions have always occurred through face-to-face services. Our tellers are friendly to all members. Uses unexciting, weak verbs: has been known, have occurred, are (notice how passive verbs detract from a sense of action and engagement). The central theme of personalized service does not come through. For example, consider the contrast between our tellers are friendly versus our tellers welcome members by name. car03199_ch09_238-269.indd 248 J O S H U A More Effective 6 8The Betty Williams Breast Center runs a nationally accredited program for treatment of breast cancer. 9 action verb runs implies a full-fledged and active effort 0The on the part of the Betty Williams Breast Center. B At Better Horizons, we’ve instilled a personal touch into U every aspect of our business. We’ve reinforced this culture with face-to-face services. Our tellers welcome members by name. When members come into the credit union, they know we care about them as people, not just as customers. Uses a positive, diverse set of action verbs: instilled, reinforced, welcome, care. Uses adjectives and nouns to further emphasize a central theme of personalized service: personal touch, face-to-face services, name. 27/11/12 5:07 PM Persuasive Messages Chapter Nine 249 TABLE 9.5 Writing with Confidence Less Effective More Effective At our upcoming board meeting, I would like to discuss possible ways of appealing to younger members. We can talk about how various strategies might appeal to this group. At our upcoming board meeting, I will present a vision of how we can build marketing strategies and product offerings to appeal to younger members. These strategies will not only attract younger members to our credit union but also increase our business across other age groups. These statements are an attempt to achieve an otherorientation; they show sensitivity to involving others in the decision making. However, they show no confidence in the ideas or policies that the audience resists. These statements imply confidence in the change message: These are ideas and policies that will make a difference. Furthermore, the writer can make them happen. The argument is logic-based but also contains an excitement about possibilities. Please think about how Better Horizons can help you in your banking. We encourage you to stop by Better Horizons and make direct comparisons with your current bank. You’ll find that banking with S Better Horizons saves you money, provides convenience when Mtravel, and offers services to meet nearly any banking need. you This nonspecific request sounds weak and unconfident. It gives the reader an excuse to easily dismiss the message. This request lays down a challenge to make direct comparisons, confidently implying that Better Horizons can outperform T competitors. It then directly states specific benefits to the potential H member. I , J O As you display more confidence in your idea, your product, or your service, you can S provide compelling and more effectively influence your audience. Effective persuaders simple reasons for action. They should show confidence H in these ideas, as illustrated in Table 9.5, again with examples from two of Haniz’s projects. Emotionally, the writer’s confidence allows the audience to gain confidence in theUmessage. In internal persuasive messages, expressing confidence in key players, who Acan make the change occur, Write with Confidence is crucial. These key players include upper-level executives who will actively endorse and authorize resources as well as those managers and employees who will put the ideas into motion.28 6 8 9 Michael Maslansky and his research team have examined the reactions of tens of thousands of customers and clients to many types of written 0 messages. In this section, we illustrate a few findings from the financial industry. ForBexample, in Figure 9.1, you see four statements that were sent to respondents. In the hypothetical scenario that was U presented to them, a company is attempting to do a good thing—give its employees an Offer Choice opportunity to put money in a retirement account. The four statements state essentially the same thing but are phrased differently. Each is written fairly well and appeals to some individuals. The statement that appeals to the most people (40 percent) emphasizes choice rather than intent. It uses the you-voice rather than the we-voice, which is preferable for many messages written to consumers (this is most similar to a consumer situation). It contains three short sentences with 7, 2, and 27 words. The emphasis on choice (other-orientation), use of you-voice (other-orientation), and simple language combine to make this the most influential statement. By contrast, the other options each contain one long sentence (30, 36, and 27 words). car03199_ch09_238-269.indd 249 27/11/12 5:07 PM 250 Part Four Types of Business Messages FIGURE 9.1 Statement #1: This process is automatic, but not required. It’s voluntary. If you don’t want to be enrolled or you don’t like any of the choices we made, you can always opt-down to a lower level or opt-out. Most-Effective Statements to Persuade Skeptical Employees (Creating Salary Deduction for 401(k) Scenario) 40% Statement #2: We have established the investment rate and default option based on general retirement guidelines, but you may change your investment rate or stop participating in the plan at any time. Note: The survey involved a hypothetical situation where employers would automatically deduct 7 percent of an employee’s salary and place it into a 401(k). This process would help employees save money for the future. The employees would have the option to opt-out. 23% Statement #3: We do not want to tell you what to do with the money, but we do want to help you understand your options and make the most of the money that you do save for retirement. 22% Source: Adapted from The Language of Trust: Selling Ideas in a World of Skeptics by Michael Maslansky, Scott West, Gary DeMoss and David Saylor, Copyright © 2010 by Van Kampen Investor Services, Inc. Used by permission of Prentice Hall, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Statement #4: We believe S we have a responsibility to provide you with information and guidance about the most effective strategies for saving Myour retirement goals. and investing to achieve 15%I T H , Percentage of Employees Who Preferred Statement In the PTE, customers and clients consider choice an indicator of credibility. They view simple language (not implying lack of sophisticated knowledge) as a display J of transparency and respect. In contrast, they view overly complex language as poO effective persuasive messages avoid statements that tentially deceptive.29 Similarly, may be perceived as pressure S tactics. Hard sells are increasingly ineffective in a PTE, especially in written format.30 Compare Haniz’s less-effective and more-effective perH suasive statements in Table 9.6, all of which you will see again in her messages located U later in the chapter. In persuasive messages, always A be careful about being perceived as presumptuous— unfairly assuming that you know or even share the thoughts, feelings, and intentions You owe it to the women in your lives to make a difference. 6 8 9 0 More Effective B You can help make a difference for women here in our U community. This appeal focuses on obligation and pressure. Most readers will not respond positively. This appeal focuses on volunteerism and contribution to the community without telling the reader what to do. The walkathon will be held on Saturday, October 6 at 9:00 a.m. at Central Park. Do your part to improve the lives of women in our community! The walkathon will be held on Saturday, October 6 at 9:00 a.m. at Central Park. Please join Betty and the rest of the Better Horizons team for a day of fun, excitement, and hope! This request is a guilt trip; it emphasizes the readers’ duty. This request recognizes the readers’ choice to participate in a fun and exciting approach to a good cause. TABLE 9.6 Emphasizing Choice Less Effective car03199_ch09_238-269.indd 250 27/11/12 5:07 PM Persuasive Messages Chapter Nine 251 of others. Many people are easily offended when you presume to know or even dictate how they will think, feel, or react to your messages.31 Show Positivity Positivity in persuasive messages helps your audience focus on the benefits rather than the drawbacks of what you are trying to promote. Maslansky and his team’s research helps demonstrate that subtle changes to more positive wording are generally more persuasive. For example, they asked consumers to identify which of three pairs of phrases were more persuasive in promotional material about investment options. In the first pair of statements, 90 percent of consumers thought the statement making sure you have enough money as long as you live was more effective than the statement managing longevity risk. Overwhelmingly, the consumers thought the benefit (having long-term financial security) was more influential than the possible drawback (avoiding financial loss). S For the second pair of statements, 81 percent of consumers thought the statement making sure you can afford to maintain your lifestyle was more persuasive than the M statement managing inflation risk. Similarly, the vast majority of consumers in the I more compelling than the case thought that the benefit (maintaining your lifestyle) was drawback (possibly losing your current buying power). T For the third pair of statements, 63 percent of consumers thought the statement making sure you can participate in the gains while reducing H your downside risk was more persuasive than managing market risk. In this case, consumers were more positively , influenced by the statement about risk (a drawback) when it was preceded by a phrase about gains (the benefit).32 In addition to being positive, avoiding superlatives gives J you the best chance of persuading your audience. Phrases such as best product on the market, state-of-the-art O technology, or best-in-class service sound increasingly hollow. Maslansky’s research with consumers shows that terms such as comfortable S retirement rather than dream retirement; protection rather than guarantee; financial H security rather than financial freedom; effective rather than best of breed are more persuasive. U attempts to convince them Consumers perceive too-good-to-be-true statements as of “the merits without making a rational argument. And A they [too-good-to-be-true statements] fail because they suggest an inherent bias that ruins the integrity of the communicator.”33 Table 9.7 highlights the kinds of phrases that are increasingly ineffective with today’s skeptical consumers. Table 9.8 contrasts 6 messages from Haniz’s projects that persuade with and without exaggeration. 8 9 Statements to Avoid in the Post-Trust Era 0 B Type Examples That Don’t Work U Trust me “Trust me” or “We speak your language” TABLE 9.7 Unbelievable “Your call is important to us” or “We care about our customers” Too good to be true “This is the right product for you” or “We give you guaranteed results” Excuses “What you need to understand is . . .” or “Our hands are tied” Explanations “This was taken out of context” or “I can explain” Fear tactics “Are you concerned about the security of your family?” or “Act now or you’ll miss this opportunity” Source: Adapted from The Language of Trust: Selling Ideas in a World of Skeptics by Michael Maslansky, Scott West, Gary DeMoss and David Saylor, Copyright © 2010 by Van Kampen Investor Services, Inc. Used by permission of Prentice Hall, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. car03199_ch09_238-269.indd 251 27/11/12 5:07 PM 252 Part Four Types of Business Messages TABLE 9.8 Avoiding Exaggeration and Superlatives Less Effective More Effective You can trust us at Better Horizons to make your financial dreams come true. As a nonprofit, member-controlled financial institution, Better Horizons can provide you with higher rates on savings accounts, better terms on loans, and lower fees. This statement uses phrases that seem unbelievable (you can trust us) and exaggerated (make your financial dreams come true). It is positive but not plausible. This statement focuses on specific benefits and uses words that nearly all people view positively (nonprofit, member-controlled, savings, better, lower fees). It is both positive and plausible. Pay attention to these facts or risk losing money to banks. Consider some of the following reasons to join Better Horizons and start saving today. This statement focuses on fear and applies pressure. Most customers would consider the writer not credible. This statement is inviting and nonthreatening. It uses pressure-free (consider) S and positive (join, start saving) words. M I Creating Internal Persuasive Messages T LO9.4 Create compelling Internal and external persuasive H messages contain many common elements: they gain attention, raise a need, deliver a solution, provide a rationale, show appreciation for internal , differences of opinion, give counterpoints, and call readers to action. Nevertheless, persuasive messages. internal and external persuasive messages differ in some ways (see Table 9.9). Internal messages more often focus on promoting ideas, whereas external messages more often focus on promoting productsJand services. Also, internal persuasive messages tend to be slightly more direct andO explicit, and they tend to be based on logical appeals. S H TABLE 9.9 U Components of Internal and External Persuasive Messages A Internal Messages (Typically for Ideas) Attention Need Solution Rationale 6 Description of a business problem 8 9 Description of how your idea or policy 0 addresses the business problem B Elaboration about why your idea or policy is U the best option Overview of a business problem External Messages (Typically for Products and Services) Catchy statement Description of unmet needs or wants of your customers Description of how your product or service benefits customers Elaboration about why your product or service will benefit the customer Appreciation Appreciation for decision makers’ perspectives and resistance to your ideas Recognition of customers’ resistance to your product or service Counterpoints Explanation of why your ideas are better than competing ideas (typically those of decision makers who comprise you...
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