Deck 10: Writing Persuasive Messages

Question 1

Persuasion can be defined as asking somebody to do something.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Psychographics and demographics are strongly influenced by culture.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Supporting your message by providing objective evidence is one way to build credibility.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

To devise an effective persuasive message,you need to analyze audience members and then appeal to their needs.

Question 5

The term AIDA refers to a computer program used to compose persuasive messages.

Question 6

The wording of a persuasive message may be perfectly legal and yet still be offensive to your audience.

Question 7

When deciding on the approach to take in composing a persuasive message,an important factor to take into account is your corporate culture.

Question 8

With deduction you work from a generalization to a specific conclusion.

Question 9

In the attention phase of a persuasive letter,you tell the audience what is in the message for them.

Question 10

The most ethical persuasive messages influence audience members by providing information and aiding understanding.

Question 11

Induction refers to reasoning from a generalization to a specific conclusion.

Question 12

Organize persuasive messages using the AIDDO model.

Question 13

The best persuasive messages always employ the indirect approach.

Question 14

"Demographics" refers to the psychological characteristics of an individual,such as personality,attitudes,and lifestyle.

Question 15

Abstract concepts such as freedom,prestige,or success can be used to enhance the emotional content of persuasive messages.

Question 16

Sending an email is just as good as sending a letter when delivering a persuasive message; the delivery method is not an important consideration.

Question 17

An example of faulty logic is to assume that one event caused another just because it happened first.

Question 18

Logical flaws include circular reasoning.

Question 19

All persuasive messages are by nature unethical.

Question 20

When writing persuasive messages,one should be careful not to mix emotional and logical appeals.

Question 21

If low price is a major benefit of your product,you can display it prominently in your sales letter.

Question 22

The main idea in a sales letter revolves around a selling point and related consumer benefits.

Question 23

An attempt to change an audience's attitudes,beliefs,or actions is called _____________

A) strategic planning.
B) persuasion.
C) coercion.
D) nonverbal communication.

Question 24

If a supervisor approaches a worker who consistently arrives late by saying,"I know your job is important to you," the supervisor is addressing the worker's need for _____________

A) safety and security.
B) acceptance.
C) status and esteem.
D) self-actualization.

Question 25

Persuasive messages end with a section that urges specific action.

Question 26

Your consideration of audience needs is more than ethical; it's the proper use of persuasion.

Question 27

The best way to handle objections to sales messages is to wait until they appear and then address them; this way you don't waste time and energy worrying about what might happen.

Question 28

The interest section of a persuasive letter provides details on how the message is related to the audience.

Question 29

For a persuasive message to be successful,you must convince your audience to make major changes in their attitudes or beliefs.

Question 30

Selling points focus on the product; benefits focus on the user.

Question 31

If you expect a hostile audience,you should be careful to present all sides of an issue before making the case for your own argument.

Question 32

Sales letters are prepared according to the AIDA plan.

Question 33

When it comes to persuasive messages,an up-front,hard-sell approach is usually the most successful.

Question 34

When making a persuasive request,you can offer no benefits to the reader and thus must appeal to his or her altruistic tendencies.

Question 35

The AIDA model is ideal for the indirect approach.

Question 36

The purpose of the desire section of a persuasive letter is to reduce resistance by identifying and answering in advance any questions the audience might have.

Question 37

The purpose of a sales letter is to motivate people to spend money on products.

Question 38

Persuasive messages need which type of scope to be sure only the information needed to help your audience take the next step toward a favourable decision is included?

A) Broad scope
B) Narrow scope
C) Limited scope
D) No scope

Question 39

Generally speaking,persuasive business messages rely more heavily on logical appeals than on emotional appeals.

Question 40

Persuasion is a process,not a one-time event.

Question 41

The purpose of the interest section of a persuasive message is to _____________

A) capture attention.
B) stress how the information in the message will benefit the audience.
C) increase the audience's desire to take the action that is recommended in the message.
D) get the reader to act immediately.

Question 42

An ethical persuasive argument _____________

A) is a contradiction in terms.
B) focuses on how the audience's actions will benefit the sender.
C) includes any evidence the sender can come up with, whether or not it's relevant.
D) influences audience members by providing information that allows them freedom to choose.

Question 43

To build credibility with your audience,you _____________

A) come right out and state that you are trustworthy.
B) let them know that you're not rigid about what you have to say.
C) establish common ground with them.
D) point out ways in which your knowledge is superior to that of your audience members.

Question 44

When writing persuasive messages,one way to avoid faulty logic is to _____________

A) avoid induction.
B) avoid deduction.
C) avoid praising your opponent.
D) avoid hasty generalizations.

Question 45

AIDA stands for ?_____________

A) appeal, indirect, direct, action.
B) anticipate inquiry in doing adjustments.
C) assume, insist, describe, act.
D) attention, interest, desire, action.

Question 46

Which of the following is not an example of demographic information?

A) Age
B) Occupation
C) Lifestyle
D) Income

Question 47

An effective ending for a persuasive message would be _____________

A) "Return the enclosed coupon by June 15 and you'll receive your bonus 'early bird' key chain."
B) "Please respond as soon as possible."
C) "Wouldn't you like to save some money?"
D) "Be sure to tell all your friends about this exciting offer."

Question 48

When writing a persuasive claim letter _____________

A) assume that the other person is trying to cheat you.
B) use a confident and positive tone.
C) mention as many additional complaints as possible about the company.
D) do all of the above.

Question 49

The purpose of the desire section of a persuasive message is to _____________

A) introduce the main idea.
B) create interest in the main idea.
C) increase your audience's willingness to take action.
D) suggest the action your audience should take.

Question 50

__________ is the attempt to change people's attitudes,beliefs,or actions.

Question 51

Personality,lifestyle,and attitudes are assessed through _____________

A) demographic surveys.
B) psychographic studies.
C) inkblot tests.
D) examining census data.

Question 52

Which of the following would be considered a selling point of a car phone?

A) Status
B) Safety
C) Portability
D) None of the above

Question 53

An advertisement stating that Bubbly bubblebath "will free you of all your worries and cares" is using _____________

A) an emotional appeal.
B) an analogy.
C) an inductive appeal.
D) a deductive appeal.

Question 54

Which of the following is not one of the tried and true attention-getting devices used in sales letters?

A) Offering a free sample of the product
B) Insulting the reader
C) A provocative question
D) A solution to a problem

Question 55

Asking "What does the competition offer?" "What is special about my product?" and "What are potential buyers really looking for?" helps you determine _____________

A) which tried-and-true attention-getter to use.
B) your product's central selling point.
C) the price for your product.
D) which type of mailing list to use.

Question 56

To overcome audience resistance to your message _____________

A) use the hard-sell approach.
B) present all sides of the issue before making the case for your position.
C) resist compromise.
D) do all of the above.

Question 57

When writing a persuasive request for action,you _____________

A) use the direct approach.
B) demonstrate that helping you will indeed solve a significant problem.
C) ask for more than you actually want so that you'll have a cushion for negotiation.
D) avoid flattery.

Question 58

When it comes to persuasive messages,the indirect approach _____________

A) is often preferable when using the "you" attitude.
B) is often preferable when trying to persuade higher-level managers.
C) is used only by top management.
D) does not require inclusion of justifications or explanations.

Question 59

Which of the following would be the best wording in a sales letter?

A) "The NuForm desk chair is so comfortable that you won't want to go home from work."
B) "The NuForm desk chair is designed to give your lower back the ultimate in support and to relieve pressure on your legs as well."
C) "The NuForm desk chair supports your lower back and relieves pressure on your legs."
D) "The incredibly handsome NuForm desk chair is functional as well as impressive; it provides a great deal of lower back support."

Question 60

If price is one of your strong selling points,you _____________

A) mention special offers, such as volume discounts, before actually stating the price.
B) compare the price to the cost of some other product or activity ("This exercise equipment costs less than a health club membership").
C) break the total price into smaller units ("Just six easy payments of $19.95 each will bring you this lovely collector's item").
D) emphasize it in the opening of the sales letter.

Question 61

__________ are the most attractive features of a product.

Question 62

__________refers to information about an individual's personality,attitudes,lifestyle,and other psychological characteristics.

Question 63

If you can't be sure you can reach most or all of your audience with a single medium,you need to use __________.

Question 64

__________is the need to reach one's full potential as a human being.

Question 65

__________refer to information about people's age,gender,occupation,income,and education.

Question 66

__________is the human need that is the central motivation in fundraising messages and other appeals to charity.

Question 67

The purpose of __________ letters is to motivate people to spend money on products.

Question 68

Persuasive messages often follow a specialized form of the indirect approach called the ?__________ plan.

Question 69

It is particularly important to establish __________ with a skeptical or hostile audience.

Question 70

__________ is reasoning from specific evidence to a general conclusion.

Question 71

What does AIDA stand for?

Question 72

In preparing to write persuasive messages,what two types of information are vital to assess the needs of your audience?

Question 73

What are three methods of reasoning you can use when making a logical appeal?

Question 74

When is it a good idea to use the direct approach for persuasive messages?

Question 75

__________ is reasoning from a generalization to a specific conclusion.

Question 76

When your AIDA message uses an indirect approach and is delivered by memo or email,what are two goals to keep in mind as you write the subject line?

Question 77

Rewrite the following email subject line in order to make it more interesting without revealing the main idea: "Proposal to switch to new medical insurance provider."

Question 78

Limit your __________ to include only the information needed to help your audience take the next step toward making a favourable decision.

Question 79

__________ are the particular advantages that readers will realize from the features of a product or idea.

Question 80

A sales letter begins with some sort of _________ device.