Persuasion

1. Persuasion Emphasis is on the audience • Knowledge and background • Fears • Expectations • Values • Criteria for judging your case Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

2. Persuasive Appeals Appeal to your audience • Appeal to logic or reason • Appeal to values • Appeal from your credibility Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

3. Means of Persuasion Use appeals to generate content and approach • Appeal to reason: What facts or authorities support my case? • Appeal to values, concerns, and fears: What content is needed? What approach is appropriate? • Appeal from credibility: How do I present myself? Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

4. Identification Persuasion requires identification • Have you identified shared beliefs and points of agreement? Identification requires respect • Can you recognize and appreciate differences in subject matter, approach, conventions, terminology, ways of thinking? Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

5. Models of Persuasion • Use models only as guides • Be creative • Problem-solve • Focus on audience’s needs, expectations, values, and fears. Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

6. Adversarial Persuasion • Introduce topic • Explain facts and issues; define terms • State your case • Provide supporting evidence • Refute other positions and explain why your solution is superior • Summarize arguments and refutations Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

7. Adversarial Persuasion Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

8. Adversarial Example Robert: The report is due this week and I haven’t seen your part of it yet. The boss has demanded that I have the completed report on his desk by Friday morning and everything is finished except your part. This project is the most important thing we are working on. Our company stands to lose a lot of money if the report is late. A week ago, you promised me that your part of the report would be completed in a day. I’m still waiting, and I’m running out of time (and patience). As it stands now, I will have to work late tomorrow evening just to revise and format your part of the report. I must have your report by first thing in the morn-ing. Work all night if you have to. Your job may depend on it. Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

9. Collegial Persuasion • Present conflict as problem • Demonstrate understanding of other position • Identify when other position is valid • State own position without overstating it • Identify when it is valid • Describe benefits of your position or propose a compromise Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

10. Collegial Persuasion Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

11. Collegial Example Hi Bob, It sounds like we are going to run into some problems meeting our deadlines for the report. I understand you have a lot of other work to do that is interfering with you completing your part of the report. I know your other commitments are very important and normally it wouldn’t matter if you were a bit late. But I really do need your part of the report as soon as possible. Perhaps the deadline we face has slipped your mind. The boss has told me that the entire report must be completed by Friday morning because our company stands to lose a lot of money if it is submitted late and jobs could be lost. If you will get me your part of the report by tomorrow afternoon, I will let him know that you went out of your way to complete it. Thanks Bob. Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

12. Constructive Criticism • Describe the other’s specific behavior or action When you do _____ • Describe the specific result of the behavior or action _____ results • Suggest an alternative behavior I wish you would do ______ instead • If appropriate, suggest a way to implement that change You can accomplish that by ______ Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

13. Constructive Criticism Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

14. Constructive Example Bob: When you give me your part of the report late, I must work a lot of overtime in order to meet the deadlines for the project. I wish you would give me your work at the agreed-upon time instead. Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

15. Connotation Connotations are contextual meanings Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

16. Generic Language He Businessman Chairman Foreman Husband, Wife Inclusive Language Inclusive Language  He or she, S/he, They Entrepreneur Chair Supervisor Spouse Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

17. Guidelines for Inclusive Language • Avoid nouns that imply gender • Avoid gendered nouns with negative connotations • Avoid gender stereotyping • Use neutral or dual pronouns • Switch to the plural • Use both pronouns (he or she) • Combine pronouns (s/he) • Omit pronoun or replace with a definite article (the) • Alternate pronouns throughout a document • Use third-person plural pronouns as the singular (they, them, their) Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

18. Example of Generic Language For example, a user selects “Compile” in order to collect timing signals. Later, heselects “Analyze” to produce a series of graphs for the compiled timing data. Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

19. Original For example, a user selects “Compile” in order to collect timing signals. Later, he selects “Analyze” to produce a series of graphs for the compiled timing data. Revising Generic Language Revised For example, users select “Compile” in order to collect timing signals. Later, they select “Analyze” to produce a series of graphs for the compiled timing data. Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication

20. Principles of Persuasion • Respect readers and let them guide planning, drafting, and revising • Appeal to reason, to values, and from your credibility • Build on a foundation of shared beliefs and points of agreement • Respect different ways of thinking and different perspectives • Use models only as guides • Note the connotations of words • Employ inclusive language • Be honest Stevenson/Whitmore: Strategies for Engineering Communication