SBenegaL

Category: Persuasion

  • Persuasion Model – Explanation

    In the last byte, we look at the model of persuasion. In today’s byte we discuss the model in detail.

    The model described in the earlier byte is called – the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. The model is called so, since the model could be differentiated based on the degree of elaboration, or scrutiny and its impact on persuasion. As indicated in the model, there could broadly be two routes to persuasion

    1. The Central Route
    2. The Peripheral Route
    In the first approach towards persuasion, the attempt to persuade is focused on the target’s cognitive appeal. In such a scenario, the content of the message is of extremely important. The arguments have to be provided logically and should be convincing. If this is executed right, the attitude change would follow.

    In the peripheral route, the appeal is not based on the message content. In this scenario, the target may be persuaded based on the characteristics of the persuader – It could be due to the expertise the individual possess, or the trustworthiness, or attractiveness. They could also be persuaded by the use of statistics, or the number of arguments or the method of presentation – these are not the message itself but the non-substantial aspects of the message.

    Central route is found to be more effective when the message context is personalized and strikes a chord to be able to motivate the individual to change the attitude. Thus the involvement of the target in the process is an important factor.

    Given this, the manager would have to structure the content of the messages carefully, develop their own attributes that will help them be more persuasive and choose a method of presentation that will attractive to the listeners.

  • Persuasion – Message

    In the last byte, we looked at the characteristics of the target that tend to influence the persuasion that a manager wishes to accomplish. In today’s byte, we continue from this point and attempt understanding how “message” itself would influence the aspect of persuasion.

    In Kannada one of the numerous languages in India, there exists an adage, which would roughly translate to the following saying: “He who knows how to speak is one without enemies.” This adage simply summarizes how effective the message is when one attempts to persuade someone to change. Managers would need to frame their thoughts really well in order to be persuasive with their employees.

    Let us take a sample scenario, as a manager there is a policy that the management of the company intends to implement. The policy is seen not favorably by the employees and they are showing resentment. As a manager, your are entrusted with the task of trying to persuade the change in your employee’s attitude. What is the approach towards framing the message could you take?

    It has been seen that, an effective strategy would be to present both sides of the issue.  When both sides of the issue are presented, the employees would not just see that you support one side of the issue, but also acknowledge the other side!  Instead if the approach is to refute the other side, it would only breed negativity to the whole attempt.

    When one communicates the tone of the message too is an important aspect to be thought about – Persuasion is found to be more successful when it is framed in the same emption as the one felt by the target!

    It is not just a manager who would find a persuasive message useful – the prevalence of advertisements in magazines is a clear indication of the intention to persuade customers to purchase!

  • Persuasion – Target Characteristics

    In the last byte, we began a discussion on persuasion to change the attitude of an individual. In today’s byte, we move ahead from looking at how the source characteristics can affect persuasion and look at the target characteristics to understand how it influences persuasion.

    When a manager attempts to persuade his team members to change their attitude towards work, there are certain characteristics of the individual he would need to understand and consider significantly. One of the most important of these characteristics is the self-esteem of the individual. People with high self esteem are generally less likely to change their attitude compared to those with a lower self esteem, when persuaded.

    It is also an observation that people who hold extreme attitudes are thought to persuade. A person who is a fanatic believer of a particular belief would be extremely hard to persuade to act against his belief. His attitude is less likely to change.

    From our practical experience, we would have also noticed that people are ready to change when they are in a happier mood. It is commonly realized by kids, and they generally make requests to their parents when they are in a happy mood. It is also the logic that people take their friends out for a party to request some favor 😉

    If you were to ask if there is a single definitely way to persuade an individual – the answer is simply no. Managers would need to realize that there is no universal accepted mechanism to persuade people to change attitude, the ability to change the attitude also depends on the state in which the target of persuasion is.