In the first two shows (BEP 59 & BEP 60) of this Business English Pod series on persuasion, we saw how getting your audience’s attention and demonstrating a clear need were essential to the persuasive process. We learned that in the indirect method of persuasion you should demonstrate the problem before you offer a solution.

After you have established the need, you then describe the future benefits if your proposal is accepted. This is the visualization step: Talk about how accepting your proposal will have positive future outcomes or maybe how not accepting it will have negative outcomes. Finally, you need to make a concrete, specific call to action – what the audience can do right now to implement your proposal.

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Listening Quiz: BEP 62 ADV – Persuasion 3

1) How long will it take Swift to get back the investment in air conditioning?

Steve says Swift can get its investment back in under three years.

2) How much extra profit can Swift make per year by adopting Nick’s proposal?

Nick anticipates that Swift can make at least an extra $200,000 per year after the air conditioning system and insulation have been paid for in the first three years.

3) What specific action does Steve ask his manager’s to take?

Nick asks his managers to “authorize the purchasing department to request bids for the system.”

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Listening Quiz: BEP 60 ADV – Persuasion 2: Establishing the Need

1) What’s the highest temperature in the welding room?

On six days last summer, it hit 41°C.

2) What does Steve present first – the problem or the solution?

Following an indirect approach, Steve first presents the problem then the solution. By first making a convincing statement of an urgent need, Steve is preparing his audience to accept his solution.

3) What kind of strategies does Steve use to paint a vivid picture of the need for his solution?

Steve uses a number of strategies to make a convincing statement of the turnover problem. He starts with the origin of issue. Describing how the welding room gradually heats up during the day, he paints a vivid picture of the background to the problem. Then he uses a number of figures to show a real business need for addressing the problem because of its impact on the “bottom line” or profit of the company.

Do you ever need to persuade or convince someone of your point of view? Do you need to win support for a proposal, or get backing for a project? Of course you do. Persuasion – convincing someone of something – is an essential part of almost everything we do, from informal discussions to formal negotiations. To be successful, you need to be persuasive. You need to get people to accept a different point view, to see things your way. How can you be more persuasive? In this three-part series, we’ll be giving you some answers.

Throughout the years, many talented speakers and researchers have been developing ways to persuade people effectively. One of the most widely used methods is Alan H. Monroe’s. In the mid-1930s, Monroe created a persuasive process called the “Monroe sequence” that has become a standard in business, media and politics. Once you know it, you’ll recognize it everywhere – in speeches, statements, proposals, advertisements. It’s popular because it is logical and effective.

So over the next three episodes, we’ll be studying language and strategies for persuasion based on the Monroe Sequence.

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Listening Quiz: BEP 59 ADV – Persuasion 1: Getting Attention

Bad example
1) Whose needs does Franz focus on? That is, whose needs is he taking into consideration when he makes the proposal?

Franz is viewing the problem from the workers’ perspective. Of course there is nothing wrong with this, but from the management’s point of view, it is not very persuasive.

2) Why is Franz’s proposal so ineffective?

Franz is talking to his manager, so he should discuss the issue in terms of the management’s needs.

Good example
1) What does Steve do at the beginning of his presentation?

Steve starts by getting the attention of his audience, which is the first step in the Monroe Sequence for persuasive speaking. Steve combines two popular methods for getting attention: Making a startling statement and posing a problem.

2) Whose needs does Steve focus on – the workers’ or the management’s?

In his open attention-getting statement, it is already clear that Steve is focusing on making a clear business case for his proposal, which means explaining the benefit to management of accepting his proposal. In this case it is a win-win situation – what is good for management (saving money) is good for workers (better working conditions). But Steve is aware of his audience, so he focuses on the business need to be more persuasive.