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TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
12.1. To build credibility with an audience when planning a persuasive message, the communicator can use
communication (See MyBCommLab for additional insights)
12.2. The AIDA model stands for (1) attention, (2) interest, (3) desire, and (4) action. The limitations of the
communication (See MyBCommLab for additional insights)
12.3. Emotional appeals address audience feelings by basing the argument of a message on audience needs or
AACSB: Written and oral communication
12.4. Three types of reasoning that work in logical appeals are analogy (reasoning from specific evidence to
communication
12.5. Conversation marketing occurs when companies initiate and facilitate conversations in a networked
and oral communication
12.6. Marketing messages move potential buyers along the path toward a purchase without asking them to
make a specific purchase decision. For example, a television commercial might encourage people to visit
and oral communication
12.7. The best way to deal with audience objections is to anticipate and address as many objections as you can
concerns. [LO-2] [LO-3] AACSB: Written and oral communication
12.8. Features are the selling points of an idea or product. In contrast, benefits are the particular advantages that
12.9. Promotional messages on mobile devices need to be short and simple because messages in general are
12.10. Ethical persuasion works by aligning the sender's interests with the receiver's interest. By combining this
for additional insights)
APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE
12.11. If you don’t understand what motivates readers, you will have no idea how to frame a message that will
communication
12.12. You present both sides to show that you have thoroughly studied the alternatives. By second-guessing
12.13. If an emotional appeal is used to manipulate an audience’s decision in a way that is not in the audience’s
best interests, that appeal must be considered unethical. For example, stirring up fear about some possible
catastrophic outcome to sell a product when there is little chance of that outcome ever occurring is
and reasoning (See MyBCommLab for additional insights)
12.14. Unless your request is routine, opening your persuasive message with an immediate call to action will
often lead the audience to say “no.” Most audiences are initially resistant to act, and unless you give
12.15. Students have probably seen so many of these messages over the years that they may no longer even
recognize the ethical issue. Unless an advertiser can provide credible evidence behind a superlative such
as “best food in town” (the results of consumer survey, for example), one can reasonably argue that the
claim is unethical. One counter to this could be that “well, in our opinion it’s the best food in town,” but
PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS
12.16. Message 12.A: Message Strategies: Persuasive Claims and Requests for Adjustment
The letter suffers from overall vagueness. In addition, note the following communication barriers:
[LO-2] AACSB: Written and oral communication
12.17. Message 12. B: Message Strategies: Sales Messages
This letter suffers from uneven organization, vagueness, and the following specific problems:
[LO-3] AACSB: Written and oral communication
12.18. Message 12.C: Media Skills: Podcasting [LO-2]
This promotional podcast suffers from several flaws:
[LO-2] AACSB: Written and oral communication
Exercises
Choosing a Message Strategy Here are suggested strategies: [LO-1] AACSB: Written and oral
communication
12.19. Because it’s unsolicited, the boss will most likely not be receptive to the message. The
12.20. This message includes components of negative and persuasive messages, and both would
be served well by the indirect approach—particularly since the message is unsolicited and
12.21. This message is negative as it conveys bad news to the customer, however the direct
approach is best here because there is nothing to be gained by building up to the negative
12.22. Because it delivers (great) good news, this message is positive. It should begin directly
Message Strategies: Persuasive Business Messages; Collaboration: Team Projects Students should
reach the following conclusions: [LO-2] AACSB: Written and oral communication
12.23. The question in the subject line and particularly the question at the end of the opening are
12.24. The message uses a combination the direct and indirect approaches. “What if we did the
exact opposite of what we’ve been doing?” in the opening paragraph is a dramatic
12.25. Yes, the subject line is effective because it raises a vital issue (how to compete with
12.26. The writer uses mostly logical appeals, such as the information about analyzing the
12.27. The key reader benefit is the possibility of saving the company from the relentless
12.28. The writer establishes credibility by supporting his claims with evidence of careful and
Message Strategies: Persuasive Business Messages, Marketing and Sales Messages: Media Skills:
Email Here are suggested subject lines: [LO-2], [LO-3] AACSB: Written and oral communication
12.32. Using emotional appeals is not unethical unless you have distorted the truth, used words that can be
misinterpreted, or gone overboard in attempts to play on readers’ emotions (making them feel guilty about
Message Strategies: Marketing and Sales Messages (Customer Benefits) Here are feature/benefit
assessments and possible rewrites as needed: [LO-3] AACSB: Written and oral communication
12.33. The original sentence focuses on features. A revision to focus on benefits: Cleanup is
12.34. Focuses on benefits.
12.35. The original sentence focuses on features. A revision to focus on benefits: You will have
12.36. Here is an example solution using www.crutchfield.com with the page title: Crutchfield: Car Stereo,
Speakers, Home Theater, Pro Audio, 4K TV.
This title is good in the sense that it uses multiple keywords that reflect the products Crutchfield
sells, and it is presumably based on SEO testing. However, there seem to be a few missed
headphones. In fact, here are the product section headers on the website:
The company can certainly test various page titles, but here is one possible revision: Crutchfield:
Car Electronics, Home Audio, TV, Video, Headphones, Cameras & Drones, Pro Audio, and More.
[LO-3] AACSB: Written and oral communication
CASE SOLUTIONS
Here are sample solutions for this chapter’s cases.
12.37. Message Strategies: Persuasive Business Messages
Note: Here are three high-profile executives who use Twitter to reach their stakeholders.
Twitter lets top CEOs connect directly and personally with customers and others instantly, in 140
characters or less.
Richard Branson uses Twitter to focus on Virgin’s CSR efforts and to connect on a personal level. See
[LO-2] AACSB: Information technology
12.38. Message Strategies: Persuasive Business Messages
Note: Students may use catchy texting language to grab the reader’s attention, as this sample solution
does. This informality, however, should not carry throughout the message as its misuse in the workplace
is the main message. To better make the case against inappropriate writing, students should take extra
care to ensure professional, clean, concise writing for this message.
Using social media at work: Nothing LOL about it
“afk atm brb. btw m1 gtg”
I found this cryptic message staring at me from my computer screen when I messaged a colleague asking
for a project update. Sensing my confusion, the intern who shares my workspace rushed to my rescue and
This incident would be funny if it were not symptomatic of a larger problem that is quickly spreading
across our organization. While it is exciting to see just how quickly we have transitioned to blogging, wiki
To protect the quality of our work environment and our relationship with customers and other groups, we
need to reverse this trend. We must keep in mind that although social media communication is often more
informal than traditional business communication, we still need to maintain a certain level of
A good general rule to ensure that our online communications reflect well on us and the organization is to
use the same care in developing electronic messages as in writing a formal letter. Take a few seconds to
think about the purpose of your message and the needs of your audience, choose your structure and words
[LO-2] AACSB: Written and oral communication
12.39. Message Strategies: Persuasive Business Messages
Note: This sample solution devotes one paragraph to each stage of the AIDA model. The idea that
experienced employees are considering leaving is a definite attention-getter, then the next two
paragraphs introduce and expand on the solution of job sharing. Note that a full-blown proposal would
probably contain more detail, but this sample message shows students an effective way to structure the
message.
[subject line] A potential solution to a major work/life balance issue
Hi Shauna,
In the cafeteria last week, a group of us got into an interesting conversation about work/life balance.
Turns out several of us have been wrestling with the same dilemma: How to reduce our workloads so that
we can make time to deal with family responsibilities or pursue personal interests. For example, two of us
However, there is a potential solution for employees facing this dilemma, and it would be a winning
solution for the company as well. My research indicates that a growing number of companies now offer
job sharing, where two employees split the responsibilities, compensation, and benefits of one job. The
most common arrangement is where one employee works two days a week and the other works three, but
Job sharing does present some challenges, but lots of people have found creative ways around the hurdles.
To keep things from falling through the gap, some duos divide their responsibilities by project, client, or
some other definable boundary. For those jobs where things can’t be divided quite so cleanly, the pair has
Would you consider pitching this idea to executive management at your next meeting? I can provide more
details, including some cost/benefit analyses and guidelines for starting a low-risk pilot program. This
[LO-2] AACSB: Written and oral communication
12.40. Message Strategies: Persuasive Business Messages
Note: Students can find supporting information on the websites of manufacturers such as
www.lifespanfitness.com, but they should be sure to complement this with objective reviews and studies.
As with all such messages, the sender’s relationship with the recipient should determine the tone, of
course. This message assumes a casual, comfortable working relationship.
[subject line] Walking my way to higher productivity
Hi Jesse,
As we’ve been putting in the long hours this year, I’m feeling myself sliding into a slump, both physically
and mentally. Too many hours nailed to my chair and hunched over a keyboard are taking their toll, I’m
Fortunately, I’ve found a potential solution. You may have heard of treadmill desks, which combine a
Here are the benefits that people are reporting from using treadmill desks:
By keeping people healthier, workplace exercise helps people stay out of the doctor’s office.
I think we should give it a try, and I volunteer myself as the test subject. I have room in my cubicle, and
and general workflow.
If this sounds to you like a worthwhile experiment, I’ll contact Purchasing to arrange the rental and put in
[LO-2] AACSB: Written and oral communication
12.41. Message Strategies: Persuasive Business Messages
Note: This is an unsolicited message, a type that is often construed as negative. The sender runs the risks
of pushing the proprietor into a defensive posture if the message is incorrectly written. Students should be
clear that this is a persuasive message intended to benefit both customers and business. They should
begin with complimentary comments regarding the business, then move into the request and the reasons
for it. The closing should include the motivation to agree: offer a benefit to the owner, such as increased
revenue.
Dear Ms. Peterson,
Your coffee shop, Daily Brew is a second home to me. Most of my free time is spent there, meeting up
with friends, reading a book, or doing my homework. The excellent food and comforting ambiance are
I miss only one thing at Daily Brew—a way to print my homework and other files. There are no printing
services in your shop or nearby and most students have to walk or take a bus to the campus when they
I am certain that college students would spend more time at Daily Brew—and hence spend more on
To sum up, an onsite printing facility could increase your customer loyalty and sales in the student
[LO-2] AACSB: Written and oral communication
12.42. Message Strategies: Persuasive Business Messages
Note: A key point here is to avoid an emotional reaction that could lead to an offensive message (along
the lines of “I can’t believe how backward this company is”). Your message has, in effect, already been
rejected, so the indirect approach is definitely called for. A good strategy would be to acknowledge the
boss’s valid concerns about productivity and the appropriate use of company resources, establish
common ground by agreeing that the “social” label attached to these media makes them sound out of
place in a business context, and then use the boss’s concerns about productivity as an opening to list the
business benefits of social media. The tone of this message needs to be extremely respectful—after all,
you are a new employee addressing the CEO—but it needs to exude a “quiet confidence” based on hard
evidence as well.
[subject line] Re: New social media policies
Hello Aaron,
I've just read the new policy prohibiting the use of social media at this company, and I certainly agree that
making connections and sharing information. Here are just a few of the ways business professionals are
using social media to make valuable connections:
In all of these areas and many more, social media allow professionals to get things done that would be
time consuming, expensive, or even impossible otherwise. In other words, although misusing social
media is bad for the company, not using social media can be just as detrimental. By not using these media,
Please let me know if we can arrange a brief meeting to look at some specific examples of how
companies like ours use social media to boost productivity and organizational effectiveness.
[LO-2] AACSB: Information technology
12.43. Message Strategies: Requests for Action
Note: Open with an emotional appeal that paints an image (broadening it to include the diverse
populations served), then lead into your request. Supply dates and logistics to encourage timeliness and
make action easy. Close with additional appeals to employees’ natural desire to share, give, and spread
holiday cheer.
Happy children under the tree, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa without hunger…help us make this a reality for
those in need! You still have until Dec. 16 for cash contributions and until Dec. 20 to bring in toys, food,
[LO-2] AACSB: Written and oral communication
12.44. Message Strategies: Requests for Action
Note: This is a doubly difficult message to write because you have to convince your boss that you can
change your behavior and that his decision to demote you was essentially a mistake. This example uses
the indirect approach, building up to the request. The first sentence is a buffer; notice how the writer
expresses understanding with the manager’s decision—but not agreement, since the rest of the message is
building up to ask the manager to reverse that decision.
[subject line] Leadership of the project launch team
Hi Sunil,
I certainly understand your decision to remove me as project lead for the Paragon launch. My behavior at
the checkpoint meeting was inexcusable. I let you down, I let my team down, and I let myself down.
Having had a couple of days to reflect on the situation, I was able to identify the series of escalating
Looking beyond my own situation to what is best for the company, I’d like to make the case that I am still
Clearly, I have some fence mending to take care of within the team. I have already spoken to everyone
who was at the meeting and apologized for my behavior. To their great credit, my colleagues were kind in
accepting my apologies and acknowledging the intense pressure we’ve all been under. I believe this is an
