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Technical Communication A Reader-Centred Approach First Canadian Edition

Technical Communication A Reader-Centred Approach First Canadian Edition. Paul V. Anderson Kerry Surman. www.techcomm.nelson.com. Planning Your Persuasive Strategies. Chapter 10. Learning Objectives. Describe ways to change readers’ attitudes

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Technical Communication A Reader-Centred Approach First Canadian Edition

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  1. Technical CommunicationA Reader-Centred ApproachFirst Canadian Edition Paul V. Anderson Kerry Surman www.techcomm.nelson.com

  2. Planning Your Persuasive Strategies Chapter 10

  3. Learning Objectives • Describe ways to change readers’ attitudes • Influence readers’ thoughts, feelings, and actions through persuasive strategies • Use ethical persuasive techniques (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  4. The Importance of Persuasive Writing • Goal shared by all on-the-job writing • Key goal in proposals, but important in instructions and reports • Writers want to create a favourable impression of • Themselves • Departments • Companies (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  5. How Persuasion Works • Need to shape attitudes to influence how people think, feel, or act • Ways to change readers’ attitudes • Reverse an attitude • Reinforce an attitude • Shape their attitude • Attitude is determined by the sum of thoughts about a topic (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  6. Guidelines for Shaping Readers’ Attitudes • Learn and focus on your readers’ goals and values • Address your readers’ concerns and counterarguments • Show that your reasoning is sound (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  7. Guidelines for Shaping Readers’ Attitudes (continued) • Organize to create a favourable response • Build an effective relationship with your readers • Adapt your persuasive strategies to your readers’ cultural background (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  8. Learn and Focus on Your Readers’ Goals and Values • Focus on the goals that guide your readers’ decisions and actions • Identify their goals • Identify the ways that your ideas, actions, or recommendations can assist them in achieving their goals • Craft your communication to highlight these links (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  9. Identify Your Readers’ Goals • Organization goals • Value-based goals • Achievement and growth goals (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  10. Organizational Goals • Choose specific objectives rather than general ones • Focus on goals that are most related to idea you are advocating • See Figure 5.1, page 244 (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  11. Values-Based Goals • Companies have social, ethical, and esthetic values not directly related to profit and productivity • See Figure 5.2, page 245 • Employees also have personal values (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  12. Achievement and Growth Goals • People seek more than pay from their jobs • Recruiting materials often appeal to these needs • See Figure 5.3, page 247 (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  13. Address Your Readers’ Concerns and Counterarguments • Readers’ self-generated thoughts are very influential • Avoid inspiring negative thoughts • Anticipate and answer questions • Address objections your readers might raise • Give reasons to rely on your position • See Figure 10.4, page 249 (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  14. Show That Your Reasoning Is Sound • You need to • Identify potential benefits • Persuade reader of link between your action and the benefits that will result • You must not only use sound reasoning, but also convince your readers that your reasoning is sound (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  15. How Reasoning Works • Your claim • The position you want your readers to accept • Your evidence • The facts, observations, and other evidence that support your claim • Your line of reasoning • The connection linking your claim and evidence (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  16. Present Sufficient and Reliable Evidence • You must furnish all of the details your readers are likely to want • You must produce the type of evidence your readers are likely to accept • Data • Expert testimony • Examples (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  17. Explicitly Justify Your Line of Reasoning Where Necessary • Avoid false assumptions • Offer evidence or explanation to dispel doubt • Avoid over generalizing • Increase the number of instance to match your conclusion, or • Narrow your conclusion to match the number of instances (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  18. Organize To Create A Favourable Response • The way you organize a communication has almost as much power to persuade as what you say • Strategies to elicit a favourable response • Choose carefully between the direct and indirect patterns • Create a tight fit among the parts of your communication (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  19. Choose Carefully Between the Direct and Indirect Patterns • Direct pattern • Goes directly to the main point • Use when you are expecting a favourable response • Indirect pattern • Delays the main point • Use when your readers might react unfavourably (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  20. Create a Tight Fit Among the Parts of Your Communication • Review side by side the claims made in various parts • In a proposal, for example • Project solves all aspects of problem • Budget matches project • Schedule matches project (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  21. Build An Effective Relationship With Your Readers • Present yourself as a credible person • Present yourself as a friend, not a foe (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  22. Strategies for Building Credibility • Expertise • Trustworthiness • Group membership • Dynamic appeal • Power • See Figure 10.6, page 257 (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  23. Present Yourself As a Friend, Not a Foe • Praise your readers • Present yourself as your readers’ partner • Show that you understand your readers • Maintain a positive and helpful stance • See Figure 10.7, page 260 (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  24. Adapt Your Strategies to Your Readers’ Cultural Background • What readers consider to be benefits may vary • What readers view as a good reason for taking a particular action may vary • What readers consider to be an appropriate role for a writer may vary (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  25. Ethics Guideline: Employ Ethical Persuasive Techniques • Don’t mislead • Don’t manipulate • Open yourself to your readers’ viewpoint • Argue from human values (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

  26. In Summary • Change readers’ attitudes through the use of persuasive strategies • Use ethical persuasive techniques to change attitudes (c) 2007 Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

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