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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 of view, to see things your way.
How can you be more persuasive?
In this three-part series, we'll be giving you some of the 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 and advertisements.
It's popular because it's logical and effective.
So over the next three episodes we'll be studying language and strategies for persuasion based on the Monroe Sequence.
The Monroe Sequence has five parts.
First, get the audience's attention.
Second, establish a need.
Third, satisfy that need.
Fourth, visualize the future.
And fifth, ask for action.
This show will focus on the first step, getting the audience's attention.
The listening takes place at Swift, a bicycle manufacturer whose major market is the U.S.
We'll be listening to a good example and a bad example of persuasion.
First, let's examine the bad example.
Franz Barbosa is the new production supervisor at a Swift factory in Brazil where most of the company's manufacturing is done.
In one room in the production center, employees work on welding bike frames.
To weld means to use a hot flame to attach metal parts.
During the summer, When the temperature outside is 31 degrees centigrade, the temperature in the welding room is over 37 degrees.
Last year, 19 out of 36 workers quit because they could not bear the heat.
This turnover happens every summer.
To solve this problem.
Franz has gone to Swift Management to request they insulate and air condition the production center, which would cost 300000.
To insulate means add material to the walls to protect the room from heat.
Air condition refers to using a machine to keep the room cool.
Unfortunately, it's not possible to air condition the welding room alone.
Here are the listening questions for the first dialogue.
First...
Whose needs does Franz focus on?
That is, whose needs is he taking into consideration when he makes the proposal?
And second, why is Franz's proposal so ineffective?
My proposal is simple.
Please put air conditioning in the welding room.
This past summer, one-third of our employees quit because it was so hot.
It's not fair that they have to work in unbearable temperatures while we managers sit in our air-conditioned offices.
I propose that we solve this problem by air conditioning the welding room to bring down the temperature to 30 degrees.
Insulating and air conditioning the welding room would cost about $300,000.
I urge you to approve this request.
Thank you.
Um, sorry friends, what exactly is your point?
How do we justify this?
It doesn't sound like Franz's boss is very supportive of this proposal.
Why is Franz so unsuccessful, so unpersuasive?
To answer this problem, let's go back to the listening questions.
Whose needs does Franz focus on?
In other words, whose perspective is he viewing the problem from?
Remember Franz says of the workers It's not fair that they have to work in unbearable temperatures while we managers sit in our air-conditioned offices.
So, obviously Franz is viewing the problem from the workers' perspective.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with this.
But from the management's point of view, it's not very persuasive.
In this situation, as in so many cases, what's good for the workers is also good for the business.
However, to be persuasive, Franz needs to discuss the issue in terms of the management's needs.
Predictably, a couple of years later, Franz has been fired.
His replacement, Steve Seidel, makes the same proposal to install air conditioning in the production center.
Now the price of insulation and air conditioning has risen to half a million dollars.
But with such a high staff turnover, the company is losing money every summer.
Let's listen to how Steve starts off his presentation.
While you listen, see if you can answer these questions.
You can check your answers in a few days at www.businessenglishpod.com.
First, what does Steve do at the beginning of his presentation?
And second, whose needs does Steve focus on, the workers or the management's?
Swift lost 181000 in profits last summer due to a 16 drop in productivity in our production center here.
That's not unusual.
This factory has a history of low summer productivity.
But if I told you we could reverse the trend and bring summer productivity in line with the rest of the year, would you be interested?
What do you have in mind, Steve?
Well, the problem starts in the welding room.
Steve's proposal is off to a good start, isn't it?
His introduction is so effective for two main reasons.
First, he gets the audience's attention.
Second, he focuses on his audience's needs, which in this case is how can Swift save money?
The first step in the Monroe sequence is getting the audience's attention.
If no one's listening, your words will have no impact.
To persuade people effectively, you first need to make sure they're paying attention.
There are many ways you can do this.
For example, you can pose a problem.
How can we increase the scale of our business without hiring more staff?
Have you ever wondered why our electricity costs are higher in the winter than they are in the summer?
Well, if I could show you a way to reverse this trend, would you be interested?
You can also ask a rhetorical question.
A rhetorical question is a question that you answer yourself, or one that everyone already knows the answer to.
Can we afford to lose any more clients?
No, of course not.
Do we need to cut costs?
Are we looking for ways to increase sales?
Yes, of course we are.
One of the best ways to get attention is to make a startling or surprising statement.
Here's a little known fact.
Last year, our workers averaged only three hours of productive time per day.
It's hard to believe, but our raw materials costs have gone up by 37% in the last two months.
Another thing you can do is tell a story.
Everyone likes to hear a good story, especially when it involves the people present.
How can you begin a story?
You know when I first started working in this company five years ago.
When I think about all the hard work we have put into this marketing campaign, I remember our first meeting together in January.
Some people like to use an interesting quotation that's relevant to their topic.
How do you introduce a quotation?
Mark Twain once said, There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.
I am reminded of the famous words of chess master Tartakova Victory goes to the player who makes the next to last mistake.
Many audiences like it when you tell a joke or make a humorous comment.
I think most of you will agree.
What do salespeople usually mean when they say a product is new?
They mean it's a different color from the previous design.
Who here can tell me what a management consultant is?
It's a person who solves a problem you didn't know you had in a way you don't understand.
Finally, as the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Many speakers find that first showing the audience a picture is a great way to create interest.
Have a look at this graph.
As you can see, despite a rise in profits, our return on investment has plummeted over the last three years.
As the old adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Now take a look at this.
Take a look at this before and after picture.
On the left, you see our factory before the renovation.
On the right, after.
Can you think of more ways to get the audience's attention?
I'm sure you can.
No matter which way you choose, and you're not limited to one, you can combine them.
The main point is to establish relevance to the audience.
Establishing relevance means showing that what we have to say is important to them.
He combines two of the strategies we've just studied.
First, he makes a startling statement.
Swift lost 181000 in profits last summer due to a 16 drop in productivity in our production center here.
Then he poses a problem.
That's not unusual.
This factory has a history of low summer productivity.
But if I told you we could reverse the trend and bring summer productivity in line with the rest of the year, would you be interested?
Usually, it's best to keep the attention step brief, as Steve has done.
Ask yourself, how can I create the greatest amount of interest with the fewest amount of words?
Now it's your turn to practice.
This practice will focus on just two of the attention-getting strategies posing problems and making startling statements.
First, you'll hear the name of the strategy, either problem or startling statement.
Then, you'll hear some information.
After the beep, create a sentence based on the information you hear.
For startling statements, you can say things like, Here's a little known fact.
Or, It's hard to believe, but... Or, Did you know...
For posing problems, you can use language like, Have you ever wondered why?
And, What if?
Or, What if I told you?
For example, if you hear, Problem.
Marketing budget cut by 75%.
How do we promote our product?
You could say something like, What if I told you your marketing budget was cut by 75%?
How would you go about promoting your product?
After each exercise, we'll play an example answer that you can compare with your own.
Are you ready?
Let's begin.
Q1.
Problem.
Hold fewer meetings but improve communication.
Answer What if I told you there was a way to hold fewer meetings and improve communication?
Would you be interested?
Q2 Startling Statement McDonald's is the number one owner of property in the world.
Answer Here's a little-known fact.
McDonald's is the number one owner of property in the world.
Q3 Problem Half of new businesses fail within four years.
Answer Have you ever wondered why half of new businesses fail within four years of starting up?
Q4 Startling Statement 75% of US employees are looking for a new job.
Answer.
Did you know that 75% of U.S. employees are looking for a new job?
How did you do?
Go back and try them again.
After you've practiced a couple times, try substituting language.
How does saying the same thing in different ways change the impact of your statement?
That's all for today's show.
Today we've covered the first step in the Monroe Sequence an effective process for persuading people to accept your ideas.
In the second episode in this series, we'll study the next step.
We'll see how Steve carefully builds up a vivid picture of the problem until his audience is literally begging him for a solution.
Then, in the third episode, we'll look at the remaining three parts of the persuasive sequence the satisfaction step, the visualization step and the action step.
Remember to read the study notes for this and other episodes which you can sign up for at wwwbusinessenglishpodcom.
There, you'll find a complete transcript, vocabulary, and additional practice.
Thanks for listening, and see you next time.
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