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Persuasive Communication
by: Robert F. Abbott
Is all
communication persuasive? Sometimes, it seems it is. At the least, we can
say much of our communication includes a persuasion component.
Consider this
article, which takes an editorial rather than an overtly persuasive
approach. Yet, the underlying premise is that strategic communication
works more effectively than communication without a conscious purpose. So,
I'm trying to persuade you that one approach (the strategic) to
communication works better than another.
Consider,
too, the three most intriguing words in the English language: "I love
you." At the same time, these words can be both self-sacrificing and
self-serving. In the self-serving sense, we use the words because we want
something from the person to whom we've uttered them.
Given our
need to persuade through communication, let's explore a key starting point
for getting the results we want.
Because
persuasive communication focuses on the other person, we need to have that
other person firmly in our sights when we write or speak. In other words,
communication will be most persuasive when we build the message around the
other person, rather than ourselves.
So, if you
want to persuade me to do something, your communication should focus on my
response. And to get a response from me, you'll have to address the issues
in my terms, not your terms.
In sales and
marketing, this idea is well developed. Copywriters and others know their
chances of getting a sale go up dramatically when they communicate
benefits. They point out how the reader or listener will come out ahead by
buying or using their products. "Buy this shampoo and you'll have a more
active social life," for example.
The link
between product and consumer needs involves the connection between
features (what the product does) and outcomes for users. In the case of
the shampoo example, let's say the product's features include a new
moisturizer that makes our hair more attractive. In turn, more attractive
hair means we're more likely to enjoy a busier social life. So, the
marketer who emphasizes the outcome or benefit (a more active social life)
will sell more shampoo than a marketer who focuses on the product or its
features (new moisturizer).
In non-sales
fields that idea of addressing the needs of readers and listeners isn't
nearly as well appreciated. Consider internal memos, composed and
circulated by millions of well-meaning managers and supervisors. Many of
them focus on the needs of the manager or the organization, and not on the
reader, the person who needs to be persuaded by the writer of the memo.
Would
internal memos work more effectively if their writers focused on the
reader instead of themselves? Would people making in-house presentations
get better responses by building their pitches on the needs or aspirations
of the audience? I think so. The experience in sales has shown,
overwhelmingly, that benefits outsell features (features being the
characteristics of the product or service being sold).
When you next
set out to send an important message, pause long enough to ask yourself
whether persuasion is your goal -- either directly or indirectly. If you
do want to persuade, then ask yourself if you've focused sufficiently on
the recipients. That's the starting point for persuasive communication.
Robert F.
Abbott writes and publishes Abbott's Communication Letter. Each week
subscribers receive, at no charge, a new communication tip that helps them
lead or manage more effectively. Click here for more information:
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