Technical Communication - Chapter 3: Persuading Your Audience PDF

Technical Communication Fifteenth Edition Chapter 3 Persuading Your Audience Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Learning Objectives 3.1 Define pe...

Technical Communication Fifteenth Edition Chapter 3 Persuading Your Audience Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Learning Objectives 3.1 Define persuasion and claims 3.2 Determine your persuasive approach 3.3 Anticipate how your audience may react 3.4 Choose a strategy to connect with your audience 3.5 Respect various limitations when making an argument 3.6 Support your argument using evidence and reason 3.7 Understand how social media influences persuasion 3.8 Prepare a convincing argument Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved What Is Persuasion? Persuasion means trying to influence someone’s actions, opinions, or decisions. In the workplace, we rely on persuasion daily. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Implicit and Explicit Persuasion Almost all workplace documents have an implicit or explicit persuasive goal: –Implicit persuasion assures readers that the information provided is accurate, the facts are correct, and the writer is fluent, competent, and knowledgeable. –Explicit persuasion seeks to win readers over to a particular point of view about an issue that is in some way controversial. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Identify Your Specific Persuasive Goal Before you undertake writing a persuasive document, first consider what you want it to accomplish, and realize that goals may overlap. Do you want to: – Influence people’s opinions? – Enlist people’s support? – Submit a proposal? – Change people’s behavior? Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Try to Predict Audience Reaction Any document can evoke different reactions depending on a reader’s temperament, interests, fears, biases, ambitions, or assumptions. Whenever peoples’ views are challenged, they react with defensive questions such as: “Says who?,” “So what?,” “Why should I?,” “What’s in this for me?,” “What will it cost?,” and “What are the risks?” Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Expect Audience Resistance Getting people to admit you might be right means getting them to admit they might be wrong. Audiences will accept an argument for any of three reasons: –Compliance (acceptance under pressure) –Identification (acceptance for personal reasons) –Internalization (acceptance because the argument makes good sense). Aim for internalization. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Know How to Connect with the Audience Three ways of connecting with an audience are the power connection, the relationship connection, and the rational connection. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Allow for Give-and-Take (1 of 2) Make a balanced argument, with both sides of the issue considered evenly and fairly: –Explain the reasoning and evidence behind your stance. –Invite people to find weak spots in your case, and to improve on it. –Invite people to challenge your ideas. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Allow for Give and Take (2 of 2) When others offer an opposing view, you need to do these things: –Try to see the issue their way, instead of insisting on your way. –Rephrase an opposing position in your own words, to be sure you understand it accurately. –Try reaching agreement on what to do next, to resolve any insurmountable differences. –Explore possible compromises others might accept. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Ask for a Specific Response but Never Ask for Too Much Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want when making an argument. Let people know what you want them to do or think. However, remember that any request that exceeds its audience’s “latitude of acceptance” is doomed. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Recognize All Constraints Constraints are limits or restrictions imposed by the situation when you make an argument: –Organizational constraints: Constraints based on company rules. –Legal constraints: Constraints based on the law. –Ethical constraints: Constraints based on honesty and fair play. –Time constraints: Constraints based on the right timing. –Social and psychological constraints: Constraints based on audience. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Support Your Claims Convincingly The most persuasive argument will be the one that presents the strongest case—from the audience’s perspective. You must: –Offer convincing evidence: The evidence must have quality, use credible sources, and be reasonable. Types of evidence are factual statements, statistics, examples, and expert testimony. –Appeal to common goals and values: Consider what the audience also wants to accomplish and how they feel. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Consider the Cultural Context Reaction to persuasive appeals can be influenced by a culture’s customs and values. Be aware of the following considerations: –Recognize that cultures differ –Understand the importance of “saving face” in all cultures –Learn all you can about various business cultures Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Digital Persuasion and Social Media (1 of 2) The Internet has positive and negative effects on how people research, receive and process information. –On the plus side, more people have access to vast amounts of information, allowing them to consider many points of view. –On the negative side, social media caters to individual likes and dislikes, thereby isolating people from viewpoints that are in conflict with their own. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Digital Persuasion and Social Media (2 of 2) Social media creates confirmation bias, which enhances what people already know, despite conflicting evidence. People can even be persuaded by false stories. To avoid confirmation bias: –Read and consider what you find online with more care. –Take time to check the source. –Read more slowly and avoid jumping to immediate conclusions. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Guidelines for Persuasion (1 of 4) Analyze the Situation –Assess the political climate. –Learn the unspoken rules. –Decide on a connection (or combination of connections). –Anticipate your audience’s reaction. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Guidelines for Persuasion (2 of 4) Develop a Clear and Credible Plan –Define your precise goal. –Do your homework. –Think your idea through. –Think your idea through. –Never make a claim or ask for something that people will reject outright. –Consider the cultural context. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Guidelines for Persuasion (3 of 4) Prepare Your Argument –Be clear about what you want. –Avoid an extreme persona. –Find points of agreement with your audience. –Never distort the opponent’s position. –Try to concede something to the opponent. –Do not merely criticize. –Stick to claims you can support. –Stick to your best material. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Guidelines for Persuasion (4 of 4) Present Your Argument –Before releasing the document, seek a second opinion. –Get the timing right. –Decide on the proper format. –Decide on the appropriate medium. –Be sure everyone involved receives a copy. –Invite responses. –Do not be defensive about negative reactions. –Know when to back off. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Review Questions (1 of 2) 1. What is the definition of persuasion? 2. What is the difference between implicit persuasion and explicit persuasion? 3. Why is identifying your persuasive goal important and what are the four types of persuasive goals? 4. What are three possible reactions to an argument that you should anticipate? 5. What are the three types of audience acceptance and how do they work? Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Review Questions (2 of 2) 6. What are the three types of audience connection and how do they work? 7. Why is it important to allow for give-and-take? 8. What are the five types of constraints on an argument and what do they each mean? 9. In what two ways can you support your claims convincingly? 10. What three things can you do to ensure you consider the cultural context in an argument? Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Copyright This work is protected by United States copyright laws and is provided solely for the use of instructors in teaching their courses and assessing student learning. Dissemination or sale of any part of this work (including on the World Wide Web) will destroy the integrity of the work and is not permitted. The work and materials from it should never be made available to students except by instructors using the accompanying text in their classes. All recipients of this work are expected to abide by these restrictions and to honor the intended pedagogical purposes and the needs of other instructors who rely on these materials. Copyright © 2020, 2017, 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved