Transforming Language into Business Influence: A Tutorial in Persuasion

Susheela A. Varghese

Susheela A. Varghese

Singapore Management University, Singapore

Volume 2: 2009, pp. 57-68; ABSTRACT

Do the choices that you make in the expression, content, and placement of ideas persuade others effectively in writing? Persuasion research has in fact demonstrated that thoughtfully selected influence strategies can result in potent language choices that convince others powerfully. This article offers a quiz on persuasion that is organized according to the structure of a written persuasive message: the beginning, the body and the conclusion. The choices you make for each section of a persuasive message will be decided in the context of an assigned business case. The final section of the article takes you through some of the basic research in persuasion that can guide the decisions you make in order to influence the recipient of your written message. By the time you end this tutorial, you will better understand how persuasive strategy in writing creates business influence.

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