Deck 12: Types of Business Presentations

Question 1

Honoring a Less-than-Honorable Person
Imagine your job is to speak briefly to welcome, introduce, toast, or give an award to someone you know is undeserving of respect. For example, the person about whom you must speak might be manipulative, racist, or lazy. (Feel free to think of a specific person who fits this description, and imagine the circumstances under which you might be required to publicly honor him or her.)
Describe how you would proceed in these circumstances. How could you be true to yourself while dealing with the obligations that often operate in business and professional situations?

Answer 1

Suppose there is an employee in the organization lazy in his job, make racist comments or manipulate the things around. In this case, if there comes a chance to appreciate and honor this employee, job should be focused on his positive sides and achievements. Employee should be appreciated on the basis of following: how he takes initiative, communicates with employees or the unique skills he possess. There are always some positive traits in people, and they can be praised or honored for them.
One can be true to one's obligations while dealing with such kind of circumstances in professional situations. It is obvious that everything happens around us is not good or fair, there are so many things which are beyond our control and cannot be changed. In this situation paying attention to good and fair and changing with the situation is a fair thing to do.

Question 2

Principled Persuasion
Contrast an ethical persuasive approach to each of the following situations with coercive and manipulative alternatives:
A boss tries to get volunteers to work weekend hours.

Answer 2

Coercion is use of force or threats of punishment to force the employees to listen to their boss. In this case, boss can ask the employees to give weekend hours or to face the strict action, may be termination of their career. But it is not a good course of action as it can put the employees in protest mode and can lead to loss of time, goodwill, and work.
Manipulation is using the trick of deception to make the other party think or act in the desired way. This approach has its own demerit because once the employees find out there are being tricked, can lead to protest or complete downfall.
Ethical persuasion Strategies: An organization goes work on weekend when it has plenty of work and deadline is too close. If boss tries to get volunteers to work on weekend hours, it is for the benefit sake of organization and ultimately for employees as well. Employer should put positive sides of the action in front of the employees so that they can make better decision and help the organization in its need. Ethical persuasive approach in this context states that employees should also understand the need of these weekend hours for the growth of their own career.

Question 3

Principled Persuasion
Contrast an ethical persuasive approach to each of the following situations with coercive and manipulative alternatives:
A union representative encourages new employees to join the union.

Answer 3

Coercion is use of force or threats of punishment to force the employees to join the union. In this case, a union representative can ask the new employees to join union by threating them. Union member can threat by saying that if they do not join, union members will not stand by their side. But it is not a good course of action as it can put the new employees in mental pressure if they do not join and in monetary pressure if they do.
Manipulation is using the trick of deception to make the other party think or act in the desired way. This approach has its own demerit because once the new employees find out they are being tricked by the union representative, can lead to devoid of the union and can also make the union downfall.
Ethical persuasion strategies: The purpose of the union is to bring the issues or interests of employees to the management so that both can work towards the growth of the organization. Although in the present, union lost its value of upbringing the issues of employees. A union representative can encourage employees to join the union by showing the benefits they can avail being in union.

Question 4

Principled Persuasion
Contrast an ethical persuasive approach to each of the following situations with coercive and manipulative alternatives:
An insurance agent tries to persuade a child-free young professional couple to buy life and income protection policies.

Question 5

Principled Persuasion
Contrast an ethical persuasive approach to each of the following situations with coercive and manipulative alternatives:
The representative for a waste disposal company tries to persuade residents of a town that locating a regional recycling center nearby would be good for the community.

Question 6

Principled Persuasion
Contrast an ethical persuasive approach to each of the following situations with coercive and manipulative alternatives:
A sales representative needs one more sale to meet his monthly quota and knows a competitor's product better meets this client's needs.