Writing for the Workplace: Business Communication for Professionals
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- Writing Persuasive Messages
| CHAPTER 4 Persuasive and Bad News Messages Not all workplace communication delivers good or routine news to an audience happy (or at least willing) to hear from the writer. In the workplace, organizations must often convey messages that the audience may not wish to hear. Some of these messages require persuasion to accomplish their purpose. Other times, these messages must deliver unwelcome news in away that is digestible to the reader. Both of these situations demand a different writing approach than the direct strategy we have discussed. In general, an indirect strategy is used when the reader may feel uninterested, displeased, disappointed, or hostile about the message. 1 For example, customers maybe less than interested in reading unsolicited sales messages therefore, the situation calls for persuasion. Likewise, news that will negatively impact the reader may result in displeasure, disappointment, or anger. In the following sections, we will tackle how to write effectively for these common workplace scenarios. Writing Persuasive Messages Persuasive messages are written to gain agreement or win support for an idea. When an audience needs to be convinced to take some action, the first step is to examine the situation from the reader’s point of view. As a writer, you must consider the question the reader will ask, which is, What’s in it for me? 2 This means you must emphasize the benefits to the reader, an approach sometimes referred to as the you view. The you view, simply put, is not focusing on me (i.e., the writer or the organization. It shows respect for the audience by anticipating and understanding its needs and poses information in away that will be meaningful to the reader (you) rather than the organization or writer (me). 48 WRITING FOR THE WORKPLACE Focusing on the benefits to the reader means that you must think strategically. For example, say you work for an auto repair chain that is trying to increase its customer base. In the message, you must emphasize the benefits of using your service. To determine the benefits, you examine the features you provide, such as being open late or having full service seven days a week. These features have inherent benefits. The benefit of being open late is that customers can pickup their cars after work. The benefit of being open everyday is that customers can choose when to have a service performed. Focusing on benefits is the key to persuasive writing. As mentioned, most situations calling for persuasive writing use an indirect strategy. This organizational style differs from the direct strategy in that it does not start off with the news or main idea. Instead, it builds toward that message using a series of calculated steps The opening that captures reader attention The body that builds reader interest The closing that motivates reader action The most common style of the indirect strategy for persuasion uses the AIDA model as illustrated in Table 4.1. Download 3.09 Mb. Share with your friends:
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