Deck 10: Writing Persuasive Messages

Question 1

When using the AIDA approach to persuasion, the closing should

A) provide additional evidence and detail not covered in the desire section.
B) explain the steps needed to implement your ideas.
C) urge the audience to take the action you are requesting.
D) do all of the above.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

One way to overcome audience resistance to your message is to

A) emphasize the positive.
B) use the hard-sell approach.
C) address all possible concerns that your audience has.
D) do all of the above.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

An effective ending for a persuasive message would be:

A) Please respond as soon as possible because this offer is not likely to last very long.
B) Simply take the enclosed coupon to any of our service centers by June 15 for your free oil and filter change.
C) Wouldn't you like to save some money?
D) Be sure to tell all your friends about this exciting offer.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is not an example of demographic information?

A) Lifestyle
B) Occupation
C) Age
D) Income

Question 5

If you can't be sure which medium will be best to convey your persuasive message to a diverse audience, you should

A) select the one that is easiest to use (such as email).
B) choose one at random and see how well it works.
C) choose the one that is most economical.
D) use two or more media at the same time.

Question 6

Which of the following uses a deductive approach to persuasion?

A) Our stock price is like a marathon runner, slowly making progress towards our goal.
B) Because the stock price of our company fell, the entire market will probably also decline.
C) Because the stock market has been falling lately, share prices of our company stock will probably also decline.
D) None of the above.

Question 7

When writing persuasive messages, one way to avoid faulty logic is to

A) avoid induction.
B) avoid hasty generalizations.
C) avoid deduction.
D) avoid praising your opponent.

Question 8

When it comes to persuasive messages, the direct approach

A) does not require inclusion of justifications or explanations.
B) is used only by top management.
C) is often preferable with a receptive audience.
D) is rarely used.

Question 9

AIDA stands for

A) anticipate inquiry in doing adjustments.
B) assume, insist, describe, act.
C) attention, interest, desire, action.
D) appeal, indirect, direct, action.

Question 10

Personality, lifestyle, and attitudes are assessed through

A) demographic surveys.
B) psychographic studies.
C) examinations of census data.
D) inkblot tests.

Question 11

In general, the best persuasive messages ________ the audience's motivations.

A) dismiss
B) downplay
C) avoid mentioning
D) openly address

Question 12

An advertisement stating that a new resort offers "freedom and comfort along with $20 savings per month" is using

A) an analogy.
B) an inductive appeal.
C) an emotional appeal.
D) both logical and emotional appeals.

Question 13

If a supervisor tells a worker who consistently arrives late, "I know you don't want to have your pay docked," the supervisor is addressing the worker's need for

A) self-actualization.
B) safety and security.
C) acceptance.
D) status and esteem.

Question 14

The AIDA approach for persuasive messages should be used with

A) the direct approach only.
B) the indirect approach only.
C) either the direct or the indirect approach.
D) neither the direct nor the indirect approach.

Question 15

The key to a successful action phase in the AIDA model is

A) making the action you propose simple and easy.
B) creating a win-lose situation, with you as the winner.
C) getting readers to change their minds.
D) increasing the audience's awareness of your product or service.

Question 16

When using the AIDA approach to persuasion, which of the following would be the best opening to your message?

A) Are you spending way too much on prescription drugs?
B) How are you today?
C) I know you've heard this all before, but ...
D) This is an important message.

Question 17

An analogy lets you

A) reason from a generalization to a specific conclusion.
B) reason from one specific piece of evidence to a general conclusion.
C) reason from one specific piece of evidence to another specific piece of evidence.
D) do all of the above.

Question 18

The purpose of the interest section of a persuasive message is to

A) capture attention.
B) increase the audience's desire to take the action recommended in the message.
C) show that your product is well-suited to your audience.
D) get the reader to act immediately.

Question 19

Most persuasive messages combine

A) current and very old evidence.
B) logical and emotional factors.
C) truth and falsehood.
D) many major points all at once.

Question 20

Using the AIDA approach with social media

A) requires a different, more interactive approach.
B) requires a more rigid approach.
C) does not work at all.
D) requires the same steps as the AIDA approach with conventional media.

Question 21

Which of the following would be the best wording in a marketing or sales message?

A) The Never-Off whole-house generator smashes all your doubts about generators and tosses them in the trash.
B) The Never-Off whole-house generator requires professional installation.
C) The Never-Off whole-house generator automatically provides the 110 volt power your family needs during electrical outages.
D) The Never-Off whole-house generator provides either 110 volts for standard use or 220 volts for washers and driers.

Question 22

When writing a persuasive claim letter, you should

A) mention as many additional complaints as possible about the company.
B) assume that the other person has no interest in helping you.
C) use a confident and positive tone.
D) say you have already contacted an attorney (even if you really haven't).

Question 23

To devise an effective persuasive message, you need to analyze audience members and then appeal to their desires and interests.

Question 24

Regardless of the audience's specific needs, if your product is good and your message is clear, you will likely persuade them to make a purchase.

Question 25

Which of the following would not be an effective technique for gaining audience attention in sales messages?

A) Promising savings
B) Stating your product's strongest benefit
C) Emphasizing how badly you need some sales to remain open
D) Explaining how your product offers a solution to a problem

Question 26

When writing a persuasive request for action, you should

A) demonstrate that helping you will solve a significant problem.
B) ask for more than you actually want so that you'll have a cushion for negotiation.
C) use the hard-sell approach.
D) avoid flattery.

Question 27

In marketing and sales messages, you can deemphasize the price of your product by

A) commenting on how wealthy your readers probably are.
B) mentioning it in the middle of a paragraph.
C) stating it right at the beginning.
D) doing all of the above.

Question 28

In a marketing or sales message, product claims are supported

A) by solid evidence from a credible source.
B) by testimonials from paid reviewers.
C) information from rival products.
D) primarily by testimonials from satisfied customers.

Question 29

If price is one of your strong selling points, you should

A) give it a position of prominence, such as in the headline or as the last item in a paragraph.
B) mention special offers, such as volume discounts, before actually stating the price.
C) compare the price to the cost of some other product or activity ("This exercise equipment costs less than a health club membership").
D) break the total price into smaller units ("Just six easy payments of $19.95 each will bring you this lovely collector's item").

Question 30

A common effective approach to presenting the benefits of a product is to

A) list the features, and challenge the audience to figure out the benefits.
B) describe them with highly complex terms.
C) choose one direct benefit and one indirect benefit.
D) show them in a list or a table.

Question 31

Most persuasive messages take the direct approach.

Question 32

Unlike more traditional promotional messages, those written for social media

A) allow for less transparency and openness with customers.
B) are less interactive.
C) save money by allowing companies to rely on the news media to distribute important messages.
D) enable companies to engage in conversations about their products and services.

Question 33

The interest phase of a sales message should

A) emphasize attractive features and important details.
B) begin with a "hard sell" that makes audiences want to hear more.
C) help the audience understand how your idea will benefit them.
D) avoid any attempts at answering potential objections.

Question 34

Successful professionals understand that persuasion is the attempt to get your audience to make the choices you want them to make-even if those choices are not in their best interest.

Question 35

In marketing and sales messages, what is the primary difference between selling points and benefits?

A) Selling points focus on the user rather than the product.
B) Selling points focus on the product rather than the user.
C) Selling points are positive whereas benefits are not.
D) None of the above is correct.

Question 36

Demographic information includes people's psychological characteristics, such as personality, attitudes, and lifestyle.

Question 37

When preparing a persuasive request for action, it is vital to

A) emphasize how you will benefit if the request is fulfilled.
B) show that you understand and respect the audience's concerns.
C) emphasize the negative consequences of not complying with the request.
D) make yourself look good in the reader's eyes.

Question 38

An ethical persuasive argument

A) focuses on how the audience's actions will benefit the sender.
B) is a contradiction in terms.
C) includes any evidence the sender can come up with, whether or not it's relevant.
D) focuses on being both truthful and nondeceptive.

Question 39

In marketing and sales messages, the best way to handle potential objections is to

A) explain why the objections aren't really important.
B) avoid mentioning them.
C) suggest that anyone who has them simply needs to do more research.
D) identify them up front and try to address as many as you can.

Question 40

If the audience for your marketing or sales message promoting a new security system is made up of wealthy professionals, the consumer benefit you would most want to emphasize is

A) the low cost of the system.
B) the low monthly payments for the service.
C) easy, do-it-yourself installation.
D) protection of the consumer's property.

Question 41

In developing persuasive messages, you should avoid the use of metaphors, as they will only confuse the reader.

Question 42

An example of faulty logic is to assume that one event caused another just because the two seem to coincide in time or place.

Question 43

The term AIDA refers to computer software used to compose persuasive products.

Question 44

In the attention phase of a persuasive message, your goal is to make the audience want to hear about your idea.

Question 45

Using polite language in business-related persuasive messages weakens your argument and reduces your chance of success.

Question 46

Induction refers to reasoning from a generalization to a specific conclusion.

Question 47

Deductive reasoning moves from specific evidence to a general conclusion.

Question 48

If you possess little authority in your organization, the direct approach will generally be best for the persuasive messages you send to colleagues.

Question 49

The AIDA model can be used with both the direct and indirect approaches for persuasive messages.

Question 50

If you anticipate objections to your persuasive message, it is best not to bring them up.

Question 51

The primary purpose of the desire section of a persuasive message is to get the audience to keep reading (or listening) to your message.

Question 52

Using simple language in persuasive messages usually increases your credibility with a skeptical audience.

Question 53

When preparing persuasive messages for audiences in high-context cultures, you will be most successful if you use an aggressive, hard-sell approach.

Question 54

One of the best ways to gain credibility for your message is to support it with objective evidence.

Question 55

If you are trying to persuade a hostile audience to take action, you should meet their hostility with your own belligerence to show that you are as tough as they are.

Question 56

Most persuasive messages combine logical and emotional appeals.

Question 57

The interest section of a persuasive message emphasizes the relevance of your product or idea to your audience.

Question 58

When it comes to persuasive messages, an up-front hard-sell approach is usually the most successful.

Question 59

The AIDA model for persuasive messages works only with audiences who are receptive to your message.

Question 60

When writing persuasive messages, one should be careful not to mix emotional and logical appeals.

Question 61

A(n) ________ appeal is based on the audience's feelings or sympathies rather than its rational assessment of the facts.

Question 62

A good way to gain attention for a persuasive campaign for an electric car would be a series of graphs and technical data that show how efficient the car is.

Question 63

When addressing a persuasive claim or request for adjustment, you should appeal to your audience's sense of fair play, goodwill, or moral responsibility.

Question 64

________ is reasoning that works from a generalization to a specific conclusion.

Question 65

Successful marketing and sales messages match the product's selling points to the audience's primary needs or emotional concerns.

Question 66

A marketing or sales message begins with an effort to gain the audience's ________.

Question 67

________ reasoning is a logical fallacy in which you try to support your claim by using the premise of your statement.

Question 68

Because promotional messages are not legally binding contracts in most states, it is usually acceptable to imply offers or promises you cannot deliver.

Question 69

________ include information about an individual's personality, attitudes, lifestyle, and other psychological characteristics.

Question 70

In the action section of a marketing or sales message, you try to persuade the reader to act immediately.

Question 71

________ is the process of changing an audience's attitudes, beliefs, or actions.

Question 72

You usually do not need permission to use a person's name or photograph in a marketing or sales message.

Question 73

In a message promoting a new laptop, a selling point would be the computer's lightning fast performance whereas a benefit would be "never having to worry about having enough space for your photos, music, movies, and documents."

Question 74

________ information includes age, gender, occupation, income, and education.

Question 75

A persuasive message should always do more than simply convince audiences to change their attitudes or beliefs about a particular topic.

Question 76

________ messages take a customer through the purchasing process without requiring a purchase.

Question 77

Persuasive messages often follow a specialized four-phase format called the ________ model.

Question 78

Most persuasive business messages involve requests for action.

Question 79

Most persuasive claims and requests for adjustment use the direct approach.

Question 80

It is particularly important to establish ________ with a skeptical or hostile audience-to convince them that you know what you're talking about and that you're not trying to mislead them.