Business Communication

PCP 2
Chapter 4, 5 and 6

1
Persuasive Message: Plan Before
You Write
• Know your product,
service, or idea
• Know your audience
• Know the desired action
you wish your audience to
take

2
Types of Persuasive Messages
 Claim messages
 Messages requesting a favor
 Messages requesting information (surveys)
 Messages to compel change within an
Organization
 Unsolicited sale messages

3
 Aristotle’s 3 Types of Persuasion
Logos: logical appeal that consists of
facts and statistics
Ethos: appeal based on information or
association that provides credibility
for seller, product or position
Pathos: emotional appeal that
works by eliciting an emotional
response from audience

4
How To Know Your Product
Know your Receiver
• What will the product, service or
idea do for the receiver?
• What are its superior features?
• How is it different from the
competition?
• What is the cost to the receiver?

5
Apply Sound Writing Principles

• Clear Definition
• Scientific Evidence
• Context for
Comparison
• Audience Sensitivity

6
Inductive Outline Used in Persuasive
Messages
Gaining Attention in Sales Messages

Personal
experience Solution to
Analogy
a problem

Split Startling
sentence statement

Story/ What-if
Quote/ opening
Question
8
Introducing the Product,
Service, or Idea
• Be cohesive
– Attention-getter must lead naturally
to introduction
• Be action-oriented
– Place product in the receivers’
hands and allow them to use it
• Stress a central selling point
– Attention-getter must lead to
discussion of distinctive feature

9
 Presenting and Interpreting
Factual Evidence
• Don’t just say it, show it
– Present data to back up the
central selling point
• Compare a new product with
something familiar
• Be objective, excluding
exaggerations and subjective
claims

10
Elements of Ethical Persuasion
• Clear definition of offered product
or service
• Scientific evidence for product
claims
• Context for comparative statements
• Audience sensitivity for ideas that
are objectionable or offensive

11
 Motivating Action
• Make the action clear and
simple to complete
• Restate the reward for action,
relate to central selling point
• Provide incentive for quick
action
• Ask confidently for action

12
Understanding Nonverbal
Messages
• May receive more attention than
verbal messages
• Provide clues about sender’s
background and motives
• Influenced by circumstances
surrounding communication
• May be beneficial or harmful
• May vary depending upon person’s
gender

13
Nonverbal Communication
Conveys Added Meaning
• Metacommunication
• Kinesic Messages
– Visual
– Vocal

14
 Remember This!
Metacommunication: a message
that, although not expressed in
words, accompanies a message that
is expressed in words.
“Your solution is perfect”
may convey
“You are efficient,”
or “I like your work”.

© 2009 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 15

 Remember This!
Kinesic Communication: an idea
expressed through nonverbal
behavior that receivers gain
additional meaning from
• Visual—gestures, winks, smiles,
frowns, sighs, attire, grooming, and all
kinds of body movements.
• Vocal—intonation, projection, and
resonance of the voice.

16
 Cultural Differences in Nonverbal
Communication
U.S.
Action Other interpretations
interpretation
Thumbs up “Good job!” Islamic countries:
obscenity; Bangladesh:
taunting
Eye contact “I am interested.” Japan: disrespect (esp. in
OR “I trust you.” women)

Slapping a “I enjoy working Japan: aggressive

co-worker on with you!”
the back
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 Chapter 6

Speaking Across
Cultures
Components of Paralanguage

• Pitch • Tone
• Inflection • Timbre
• Resonance • Emphasis
• Articulation • Fluency
• Pronunciation • Pauses
• Volume • Modulation
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Barriers to Intercultural Communication

• • Touching
Ethnocentrism
• Body
• Stereotypes
Language
• Interpretation
• Translation
of time
limitations
• Personal space • Commonsens
requirements e approach
20
Query Session

21
 Knowledge Application
• When a manager says to the sales staff, “Let’s try to
make budget this year,” what are some of the
possible metacommunications?

• Lilly is told by her supervisor that she is doing a

good job while his body language suggests he is
distracted and in a hurry; should she believe the
verbal or the non verbal message?

• A job applicant submits a résumé containing

numerous spelling and grammatical errors. What
nonverbal message is she most likely sending to the
recruiter? 22
 What have I understood

• How is the activity of listening impacted by the

particular situation?

• How will it impact a student who is listening to

instructions for a homework assignment if he
exhibits casual listening skills?

• What role does culture play in nonverbal

communication?

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 What have I understood
• A recent survey of North American executives
showed that a large majority viewed skill in listening
to be one of the most important skills needed in the
corporate environment. Comment.

• Discuss six bad listening habits. Which do you think

is the biggest challenge for you personally?

• How can one grab attention in sales messages?

• Which components should we take care of while

presenting new Product or Idea.
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 Video
• Please pick video from the CD provided to
me on Non verbal communication

© 2009 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 25

 The Story
• A colleague walks to another colleagues
workstation to seek some information
• He asks a question and gets a body
gesture in reply instead of a proper answer
• He understand without the other colleague
even uttering a word
• He waits and then gets the answer he is
seeking in a verbal reply

26
 Concept
• Body language can be used to substitute
for what can be verbally said to avoid
vocalizing it

• Messages can be complemented or

accented in addition to verbal cues. Like
boss patting your back while praising you.

27
 MCQ
• Which of the following is NOT true of nonverbal communication?
a. Nonverbal messages may be intentional or unintentional.
b. Nonverbal messages may have different meanings for different
people.
c. Nonverbal messages can contradict the accompanying verbal
message.
d. Nonverbal messages, though powerful, are less powerful than
verbal messages.

• All of the following statements about nonverbal messages are true

EXCEPT
a. Nonverbal messages cannot be avoided.
b. Nonverbal messages may be beneficial or harmful.
c. Nonverbal messages may be intentional or unintentional.
d. Nonverbal messages are consistent across cultures.
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 MCQ
• A manager who constantly emphasizes punctuality to subordinates
can make his subordinates believe in this as well. He can convey
this strongly by nonverbal message by-
a. Coming late for meeting
b. By attending selective meetings only
c. By arriving on time always
d. By completely avoiding official meetings

• You are a U.S. businessperson who has just completed a

successful agreement with two Japanese clients. As a gesture of
friendship, you pat the shoulders of your Japanese counterparts.
How are they likely to react?
a. Move in closer and "invade" your personal space.
b. Stiffen their bodies, as they consider such touching improper.
c. Smile, looking directly into your eyes.
d. Take both your hands in a warm handshake. 29
 Class Activity
Provide this situation to students and record statements

In the past few months, Rhamel has frequently called in sick to

work. He has received medical treatment for a respiratory infection,
but the infection continues to reoccur. He has missed several
important deadlines and his sick leave is quickly dwindling.
Rhamel’s supervisor has been patient and supportive through this
illness, but other employees have recently been asked to handle
Rhamel’s work in addition to their own workload. Some other co-
workers have started to feel resentful and this is evident in their
nonverbal communication with Rhamel when he is at work.
Give two examples of negative metacommunication and three
examples of kinesic messages that coworkers may communicate to
Rhamel that express their frustration and resentment.

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