Deck 10: Writing Persuasive Messages

Question 1

AIDA stands for

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

Answer 1

D
Explanation: D)AIDA is a persuasive model that provides an effective approach for forming persuasive messages.It is an indirect approach that can be used for audiences that might not be receptive to the message of the presenter.It can be used for the direct approach as well.

Question 2

Compared to more traditional approaches,using social media for promotional messages

A) is far more expensive.
B) allows for the same strategies and techniques.
C) requires a different, more interactive approach.
D) is generally less effective.
E) reaches a much smaller audience.

Answer 2

C
Explanation: C)Social media shifts the dialogue style from unidirectional talks to multidirectional conversations.Social media is not necessarily more expensive and it can be very effective if used well,potentially reaching a very wide audience.

Question 3

In general,the best persuasive messages ________ the audience's potential resistance.

A) avoid mentioning
B) downplay
C) anticipate and address
D) dismiss
E) lampoon

Answer 3

C
Explanation: C)Persuasive messages that are the most effective are those that are closely aligned with audience motivations,which are the forces that drive people to satisfy their needs.Part of this is understanding the audience's resistance and addressing it rather than avoiding or making fun of it.

Question 4

If you can't be sure which medium will be best to convey your persuasive message to a diverse audience,you should

A) choose the one that is most economical.
B) select the one that is easiest to use (such as email).
C) use two or more, such as following up an email campaign with printed letters.
D) choose one at random and see how well it works.
E) not send the message.

Question 5

One way to overcome audience resistance to your message is to

A) use the hard-sell approach.
B) present all sides of the issue before making the case for your position.
C) emphasize your impeccable logic.
D) speak negatively about your competitors.
E) do all of the above.

Question 6

The secret to a successful action phase in the AIDA model is

A) getting readers to change their minds.
B) increasing the audience's awareness of your product or service.
C) emphasizing how taking the action you propose will benefit the audience.
D) creating a win-lose situation, with you as the winner.
E) telling the audience they should be ashamed for not having thought of this on their own.

Question 7

When using the AIDA approach to persuasion,which of the following would be the best opening to your message?

A) How are you today?
B) I know you've heard this all before, but ...
C) How would you like to save up to 70% on prescription drugs?
D) This is an important message.
E) What I am about to tell you might seem boring and insignificant, but believe me, it is not.

Question 8

Which of the following uses a deductive approach to persuasion?

A) Because the stock market is expected to fall next month, shares of our company stock will probably also decline.
B) It is important for our sales force to operate like a well-oiled machine.
C) Our stock price is like a marathon runner, slowly making progress towards our goal.
D) Have you heard what happened to stock prices last week?
E) None of the above.

Question 9

An analogy lets you

A) reason from one specific piece of evidence to another specific piece of evidence.
B) reason from specific evidence to a general conclusion.
C) reason from a generalization to a specific conclusion.
D) make generalizations without backing them up.
E) do all of the above.

Question 10

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

A) capture attention.
B) explain the relevance of your message to your audience.
C) increase the audience's desire to take the action recommended in the message.
D) get the reader to act immediately.
E) coax the audience into thinking what you're about to say is insignificant.

Question 11

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.
E) stick to vague, hedging statements.

Question 12

An effective ending for a persuasive message would be:

A) Simply take the enclosed coupon to any of our service centers by June 15 for your free oil and filter change.
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.
E) Well, I guess that's it.

Question 13

The AIDA approach for persuasive messages should be used with

A) the direct approach only.
B) the indirect approach only.
C) a combination of the direct and indirect approaches-never one or the other.
D) either the direct or the indirect approach.
E) neither the direct nor the indirect approach.

Question 14

When using the AIDA approach to persuasion,the closing should

A) urge the audience to take the action you are requesting.
B) provide additional evidence and detail not covered in the desire section.
C) explain the steps needed to implement your ideas.
D) warn the audience that bad things will happen if they don't listen to you.
E) do all of the above.

Question 15

An advertisement stating that a new resort offers "freedom and comfort along with great value" is using

A) an emotional appeal.
B) an analogy.
C) an inductive appeal.
D) both logical and emotional appeals.
E) circular reasoning.

Question 16

If a supervisor approaches a worker who consistently arrives late by saying,"I know you don't want to have your pay docked," the supervisor is addressing the worker's need for

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

Question 17

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

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

Question 18

When it comes to persuasive messages,the direct approach

A) is rarely used.
B) is often preferable when you know your audience is likely to agree with you.
C) is used only by top management.
D) does not require inclusion of justifications or explanations.
E) is a sign that the writer lacks confidence.

Question 19

Most persuasive messages combine

A) truth and falsehood.
B) current and very old evidence.
C) logical and emotional factors.
D) many major points all at once.
E) multiple questions into one.

Question 20

Personality,lifestyle,and attitudes are assessed through

A) demographic surveys.
B) psychographic studies.
C) inkblot tests.
D) examinations of census data.
E) none of the above.

Question 21

Avatars are

A) special chat rooms that strictly limit what can be said.
B) harmful spyware programs that help companies gather personal information on their customers.
C) used to create a more sociable experience for shoppers on websites.
D) items that are exactly the same for everyone.
E) unexpected objections raised by the audience in response to a persuasive message.

Question 22

The best way to persuade an audience to do something is to

A) convince them that their existing motivations are unreasonable.
B) change their motivation by suggesting that they are unsophisticated.
C) align your message with their existing motivation.
D) use scare tactics to describe the consequences of failing to do what you have asked.
E) shame them into doing what you want.

Question 23

When it comes to assessing human needs,

A) psychologists have identified a number of common ones most people share.
B) it is impossible to generalize, since everyone is different.
C) money is at the top of everyone's list.
D) everyone's are exactly the same.
E) none of the above are true.

Question 24

Which of the following would be the best wording in a marketing or sales message?

A) The Never-Off whole-house generator requires professional installation.
B) The Never-Off whole-house generator is designed to turn on automatically when it detects a general service interruption.
C) The Never-Off whole-house generator provides the power you and your family need during electrical outages.
D) The Never-Off whole-house generator is compact and unobtrusive, so it will not present an unattractive appearance.
E) The Never-Off whole-house generator may be noisy, but the power it provides is worth it.

Question 25

When writing a persuasive request for action,you should

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.
E) make fantastic claims about the benefits of complying, since no one is likely to follow up.

Question 26

The interest phase of a sales message should

A) begin with a "hard sell" that makes audiences want to hear more.
B) help the audience understand how your idea will benefit them.
C) emphasize the relevance of your message to your audience.
D) avoid any attempts at answering potential objections.
E) suggest that anyone who is not interested in hearing more is foolish.

Question 27

In marketing and sales messages,what is the primary difference between selling points and benefits?

A) Selling points are positive whereas benefits are not.
B) Selling points focus on the user rather than the product.
C) Selling points focus on the product rather than the user.
D) Benefits are completely unrelated to the audience.
E) None of the above are correct.

Question 28

An effective approach to presenting the benefits of a product is to

A) describe them with highly complex terms.
B) show them in a list or a table, identifying each feature and describing the benefits it offers.
C) list the features, and challenge the audience to figure out the benefits.
D) choose one direct benefit and one indirect benefit.
E) exaggerate them.

Question 29

Unlike more traditional promotional messages,those written for social media

A) are less interactive.
B) enable companies to engage in conversations about their products and services.
C) allow for less transparency and openness with customers.
D) save money by allowing companies to rely on the news media to distribute important messages.
E) are effective only for audience members between 18 and 25 years of age.

Question 30

In marketing and sales messages,you can deemphasize the price of your product by

A) mentioning it in the middle of a paragraph after you've presented benefits and selling points.
B) stating it right at the beginning.
C) commenting on how wealthy your readers probably are.
D) simply saying the benefits outweigh the costs.
E) doing all of the above.

Question 31

When preparing a persuasive request,it is vital to

A) show that you understand and respect the audience's concerns.
B) emphasize how you will benefit if the request is fulfilled.
C) emphasize the negative consequences of not complying with the request.
D) suggest that there are no other alternatives, even when there are.
E) show readers that you are not overly concerned about their objections.

Question 32

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.
E) requires admitting up front that you stand to gain a lot if the audience complies.

Question 33

Addressing alternative positions in a persuasive message

A) enhances your credibility and can strengthen your argument.
B) weakens your argument, unless you use an aggressive tone.
C) shows that you lack confidence in your opinions.
D) is effective only with controversial subjects.
E) requires that you use the direct approach.

Question 34

Which of the following would not be an effective technique for gaining audience attention in sales messages?

A) Stating your product's strongest benefit.
B) Emphasizing how badly you need to make some sales.
C) Explaining how your product offers a solution to a problem.
D) Promising savings.
E) Giving insider information.

Question 35

In marketing and sales messages,the best way to handle potential objections is to

A) avoid mentioning them.
B) identify them up front and try to address as many as you can.
C) explain why the objections aren't really important.
D) suggest that anyone who has them simply needs to do more research.
E) imply that they stem from remarkable ignorance.

Question 36

When writing a persuasive claim letter,you should

A) assume that the other person has no interest in helping you.
B) use a confident and positive tone.
C) mention as many additional complaints as possible about the company.
D) say you have already contacted an attorney (even if you really haven't).
E) repeatedly say how disappointed you are in the company.

Question 37

If the audience for your marketing or sales message promoting a new security system is made up of wealthy professionals,which of the following consumer benefits would you want to emphasize most?

A) the reliability of the system when protecting the consumer's property
B) the low cost
C) the attractive appearance of the device
D) easy, do-it-yourself installation
E) how many hundreds of households have the system installed

Question 38

In persuasive messages,limiting your scope

A) is less important than in other types of messages.
B) reduces the likelihood that your audience will be convinced.
C) is critical if your audience is to understand and accept your position.
D) is unnecessary, since audiences expect these messages to be long.
E) can reduce the effectiveness of your argument.

Question 39

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

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) give it a position of prominence, such as in the headline or as the last item in a paragraph.
E) not overemphasize it, since you might need to fall back on it later.

Question 40

In a marketing or sales message,product claims should be supported

A) primarily by testimonials from satisfied customers.
B) primarily by statistics from scientific studies of the product.
C) primarily by background information on the company selling the product.
D) by relevant, compelling information-often of many different types.
E) best by emotional appeals.

Question 41

In persuasive messages,suggesting that the action you want readers to take is easy

A) makes them suspect that you are hiding something.
B) encourages them to do what you have asked.
C) is insulting, since everyone will know it is not.
D) leads them to question the significance of your argument.
E) works only when you use a tone that is obviously sarcastic.

Question 42

Causation and correlation

A) are not the same, and confusing the two in persuasive messages can lead to faulty logic.
B) are essentially the same.
C) should not be addressed in persuasive business messages.
D) are so complex that only professional writers should attempt to address them.
E) make it difficult for audiences to assess the quality of a persuasive message.

Question 43

Using simple language in persuasive messages usually increases your credibility.

Question 44

The primary difference between a marketing message and a sales message is

A) so insignificant that the two can be used interchangeably.
B) that a sales message asks potential buyers to make a purchase decision right away.
C) that sales messages are longer.
D) that marketing messages are more aggressive.
E) that marketing messages are more difficult to compose.

Question 45

If you possess little authority in your organization,the direct approach will generally be best for the persuasive messages you send.

Question 46

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

Question 47

Suggesting that readers have made poor choices in the past

A) is helpful in sales messages, but not other persuasive messages.
B) is effective in persuasive messages, as long as you are subtle.
C) works well if you are trying to convince someone to make a large purchase.
D) can inadvertently insult your audience, reducing the effectiveness of your persuasive message.
E) makes them more likely to accept your argument, as long as you are blunt and forceful.

Question 48

Successful professionals understand that persuasion is the attempt to get your audience to make the choices you want them to make-even if those choices are not in their best interest.

Question 49

Using polite language in persuasive messages

A) enhances the effectiveness of your arguments.
B) is less effective than an aggressive "hard sell."
C) shows a lack of confidence, and should be avoided.
D) is effective only with external audiences.
E) is helpful in the body, but not in the opening or close.

Question 50

Establishing credibility in persuasive messages

A) is impossible unless the audience is already familiar with you.
B) is a waste of time, since data and evidence are the only things audiences find convincing.
C) requires a condescending, "know-it-all" tone.
D) works only when you make negative comments about your company's competitors.
E) is essential when you are trying to persuade a hostile or skeptical audience.

Question 51

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

Question 52

Using simple language in persuasive messages

A) helps avoid suspicions of fantastic claims and emotional manipulation.
B) reduces your credibility, since jargon and complex terminology are impressive.
C) confuses the audience, since they expect you to show how much you know.
D) is harmful when addressing external audiences.
E) is fine as long as you overwhelm the audience with complicated charts and diagrams.

Question 53

Using polite language in business-related persuasive messages weakens your argument and reduces your chance of success.

Question 54

Differences in organizational culture

A) are not important when it comes to writing persuasive messages.
B) can profoundly affect the success of a persuasive message.
C) are important when addressing international audiences, but not those in the U.S.
D) are so complex that no one can truly understand them.
E) are important to consider for negative messages, but not for persuasive messages.

Question 55

When it comes to persuasive messages,the completing step

A) is much simpler than it is for other types of messages.
B) is less important than it is for negative messages.
C) is especially important.
D) is unnecessary.
E) generally involves nothing more than a quick review.

Question 56

One of the best ways to gain credibility for your message is to support it with objective evidence.

Question 57

Emotional appeals

A) have no place in persuasive business messages.
B) can help audiences care enough to respond positively to your persuasive message.
C) often backfire, and should be used only when addressing internal audiences.
D) are usually sufficient, on their own, to convince the audience to make important decisions.
E) are most effective in persuasive messages designed for international audiences.

Question 58

Demographic information includes people's psychological characteristics,such as personality,attitudes,and lifestyle.

Question 59

When preparing persuasive messages for audiences in high-context cultures,you will be most successful if you use an aggressive,hard-sell approach.

Question 60

Regardless of the audience's specific needs,if your product is good and your message is clear,you will likely persuade them to make a purchase.

Question 61

In developing persuasive messages,you should avoid the use of metaphors,as they will only confuse the reader.

Question 62

Deductive reasoning moves from specific evidence to a general conclusion.

Question 63

When writing a persuasive claim or request for adjustment,you should appeal to your audience's sense of fair play,goodwill,or moral responsibility.

Question 64

The AIDA model for persuasive messages works only with the indirect approach.

Question 65

________ include information about an individual's personality,attitudes,lifestyle,and other psychological characteristics.

Question 66

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

Question 67

________ information includes age,gender,occupation,income,and education.

Question 68

Successful marketing and sales messages match the product's distinguishing benefit to the audience's primary needs or emotional concerns.

Question 69

The primary purpose of the desire section of a persuasive message is to get the audience to keep reading (or listening)to your message.

Question 70

Because promotional messages are not legally binding contracts in most states,it is usually acceptable to imply offers or promises you cannot deliver.

Question 71

________ is reasoning from a generalization to a specific conclusion.

Question 72

Persuasive messages often follow a specialized four-phase format called the ________ model.

Question 73

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

Question 74

The AIDA model can be used with both the direct and indirect approaches for persuasive messages.

Question 75

________ ________ are the most attractive features of an idea or product.

Question 76

Most persuasive business messages involve requests for action.

Question 77

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 78

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

Question 79

A good way to open a marketing or sales message would be "We here at Colbert Corporation are proud to announce our new,improved all-weather tent."

Question 80

Most persuasive messages combine logical and emotional appeals.