Blog Post 330-341

Blog Post 330-341

Learning how to construct a persuasive message is one of the most important skills that is needed in business.  It is also important to know how to create one that has just the right balance of emotional and logical appeals.  To make a persuasive argument effective, the writer must be able to know the audience’s needs, getting attention and interest, and motivate action.  An example of a scenario that would require persuasive notes would be from the company that my mother works for.

The company motivates employees to do their own thinking to help the company in some way by giving away a brand new iPad every quarter to the most insightful employee.  Therefore, it is important for employees who want to help the company to construct well thought out persuasive letters.  My mother submitted two proposals of her own already.  The first one did not win the iPad because someone with the same idea submitted the proposal before her.  This time, my mother proposed an idea that suggests for the company to look into regaining unclaimed property accumulated in different states over the years.  My mother did the research, and just one state alone could save the company thousands of dollars.  This problem does not just occur in this company.  It is a problem that all companies encounter, and it usually goes unchecked.

In this example, it would probably be wiser to use more logic versus emotion.  Using statistics would probably prove more persuasive than trying to evoke someone’s feelings.  With the AIDA process, my mother would probably start off trying to grab attention by saying something like “unclaimed property could save the company hundreds of thousands of dollars.” Then interest could be sparked by emphasizing the issue at hand where the company is losing money in property that needs to be reclaimed.  To get the desire of the audience, my mother can show that the saved money can benefit them by getting bigger bonuses or more allocated vacation days.  To end the message, my mother could call to action a plan that would reclaim the property and also maybe prevent the company from losing the property in the first place.

Discussion question:  In what other way can the persuasive essay in this situation be started off to grab attention?