Deck 12: Persuasive Messages

Question 1

In the 21^st century, businesses depend more and more on persuasion and "buy-in"to get quality work done.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

External motivation doesn't last.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Persuasive messages include orders, requests, proposals, and recommendations.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

For most situations, apply external pressure to encourage your customers to use your product or service.

Question 5

There are at least five basic short-term strategies for persuasive messages, the most important of which is the direct request.

Question 6

Even though organizational cultures can differ, it's a good idea for employees to always use a forceful manner when writing a persuasive message.

Question 7

Five basic short-term persuasive strategies exist.

Question 8

All persuasive messages have a single purpose.

Question 9

A primary purpose of a persuasive message is to have the reader act.

Question 10

The best strategy for a persuasive message depends on your relationship to your readers.

Question 11

A persuasive strategy that works in one organization may not work somewhere else.

Question 12

Different ethnic and national cultures may have different preferences for gaining compliance.

Question 13

A directed subject line uses an implied approach to let the reader know the stance of a writer on a subject.

Question 14

If you expect ready agreement, you can start your persuasive message with your request.

Question 15

Direct requests should be direct.

Question 16

Use an indirect approach if you expect resistance from your audience.

Question 17

The easiest way to learn about objections your audience may have is to ask knowledgeable people in your organization or your town.

Question 18

If reader's have a vested interest in something, they benefit directly from change.

Question 19

Credibility is the audience's response to your message, not you are the source.

Question 20

Consumers often can be motivated by emotional appeal, but logic alone guides business decisions.

Question 21

Tone is important in persuasive messages.

Question 22

Requesting action by a specific date is one strategy for encouraging a timely response.

Question 23

Showing the cost of delaying action is one way to encourage readers to respond to your request.

Question 24

Problems should only be outlined generally in performance appraisals to protect the organization in case of a lawsuit.

Question 25

In many countries, even simple requests need to be phrased indirectly to be effective.

Question 26

If you are making a direct request you don't need to tell the reader exactly what to do because he or she will figure that out from the description of your problem.

Question 27

The best way to deal with an objection is to eliminate it.

Question 28

If someone's objection to an idea is based on emotions, they may be reluctant to share the objection with you.

Question 29

Emotional appeal works best when people want to be persuaded.

Question 30

Emotional appeal may not work with audiences who strongly resist being persuaded.

Question 31

Stories may be more persuasive that straightforward facts because people remember stories better.

Question 32

Recent research suggests avoiding stories in lieu of statistics when trying to persuade someone.

Question 33

If you can motivate people to a fast response, you are more likely to get them to carry through with the action they decided to take.

Question 34

Readers are highly sensitive to manipulation, so you should respect your reader's intelligence.

Question 35

Most businesses find that phoning for a collection issue is more effective than writing a letter.

Question 36

Middle letters are less assertive in asking for payment than earlier letters, as a more polite approach is needed to persuade readers to respond.

Question 37

Late letters are those sent to customers who have missed the initial deadline for a payment.

Question 38

Performance appraisals should cite observations, not inferences.

Question 39

Performance appraisals are more useful to subordinates if they make clear which areas are most important and contain specific recommendations for improvement.

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT a kind of persuasive message?

A) Orders and requests.
B) A contest winner announcement.
C) Job application letters.
D) Reports, if they recommend action.
E) All of the above are kinds of persuasive messages.

Question 41

Which of the following kinds of colleges would be MOST likely to be persuaded by a request from student leaders to reduce class size in business communication classes?

A) A college that prided itself on the research records of its faculty.
B) A college that prided itself on its state-of-the-art science facilities.
C) A college that prided itself on its good teaching.
D) A college that prided itself on its computer labs.
E) All are equally good reasons.

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT a primary purpose of a persuasive message?

A) To have the reader act.
B) To overcome any objections that might prevent action.
C) To provide enough information so that the reader knows exactly what to do.
D) To cement a good relationship between the writer and reader.
E) All of the above are primary purposes.

Question 43

You want to convince more employees to sign up for the HMO that your company offers because it is less costly to everyone involved. However, you expect most employees to want to stay with the more expensive PPO program, in part because they have more choice over which physicians to see. Which of the following is the BEST persuasive strategy?

A) Direct request pattern because the audience is busy and may not read the message.
B) Direct request pattern because you need action from everyone.
C) Problem-solving pattern because your organization's culture prefers it.
D) Problem-solving pattern because the audience is likely to object to doing as you ask.
E) None. Use a good news pattern because, after all, employees can save money, and that's good news.

Question 44

Which of the following is the BEST subject line for a persuasive message urging employees to attend a smoking cessation program?

A) Stop Killing Yourself Already!
B) If You Don't Want to See Insurance Rates Increase. . .
C) A Proposal to Live a Little Healthier
D) Quit Smoking
E) We Want YOU There

Question 45

Several employees have occasionally brought their children to the workplace when they are unable to find a sitter. For the most part, you don't mind, but sometimes the children are restless or noisy, and you are distracted. When you approach your boss, who set the precedent by bringing his son to a meeting one day, about your concerns, you get little sympathy. Chances are, he

A) Has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
B) Believes that balancing work and family takes precedence over your inconvenience.
C) Is caving in to pressure from the employees who benefit.
D) Wants to get even with you for a past problem and is really just displaying psychological reactance.
E) None of the above.

Question 46

You have to persuade a reluctant but photogenic customer to sign a release for using her image from a trade show in your company's upcoming magazine ad. Because you've only recently been hired by the company-and you're in an entry-level position-your BEST strategy for building credibility in your message is to

A) Exaggerate. After all, she doesn't yet know who you are.
B) Promise her that this will be her big break. If she's photogenic, chances are she's already looking for a decent opportunity.
C) Flatter her. Photogenic always people have big egos.
D) Be specific with your request. Choose language that provides details on why her participation is needed.
E) Use reverse psychology. For instance, point out her flaws so that she will want to prove to you she's photogenic.

Question 47

During a performance appraisal, your supervisor notes that you've been tardy on more than one occasion and have taken all of your personal days, even though the fiscal year is barely half over. She then asks if you are having any challenges outside of work. MOST likely, she is doing this to

A) Get into your personal business, and you should immediately report her to Human Resources.
B) See how you react to such questioning, especially to determine if you are lying.
C) Find out if you're doing anything illegal that the company might use as justification to terminate you.
D) Try to identify specific problems that can be addressed.
E) None of the above.

Question 48

Your window company has experienced a decrease in revenue over the past year. Because your sales employees are paid through a combination of a base salary plus commission, they have felt the pinch, but now you are exploring ways to reduce company costs further. You decide to ask sales employees to voluntarily take a 20% salary cut during this tough economic time. In the subject line of your message, you write, "Would You Be Willing to Take a 20% Pay Cut for the Company?"This is

A) A good strategy because employees will see the big picture and realize what's good for the company is good for them.
B) A good strategy because the alternative is for the company to start laying off employees.
C) A bad strategy because employees who are resistant to the idea are immediately given the opportunity to decline.
D) A bad strategy because asking the employees makes it sound like they have an option when in reality they do not.
E) Both A and B

Question 49

Explain the secondary purpose(s) of a persuasive message.

Question 50

List the reasons to use a direct request pattern.

Question 51

List the reasons to use an indirect request pattern.

Question 52

List in order the three steps normally followed in organizing direct requests.

Question 53

List in order the six steps normally followed in organizing problem-solving messages.

Question 54

Readers have a __________ __________ in something if they benefit directly from keeping things are they are.

Question 55

The best way to deal with an objection is to _________ it.

Question 56

A __________ subject line is one that makes your stance on the issue clear.

Question 57

__________ __________ means making the reader want to do what you ask.