Unit VIII Project Comm

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Chapter 13

Informing, Persuading, and
Making Special Presentations

Learni ag Objectives

13.1 Describe some of the strategies to enhance
the effectiveness of a persuasive message

13.2 Describe how developing leadership skills .
are important to developing persuasion skills

When Andrea Jung joined Avon in 1993 as a consultant, the
company was in big trouble. With more women in the day-
time labor’ force, door-to-door cosmetic sales had become
much more challenging than in the company’s heyday
during the mid twentieth century. The company’s iconic
slogan—”Ding dong, Avon calling”—was no longer a mes-
sage for success.

Jung knew Avon could do better. She joined the compa-
ny’s marketing department in 1994 and, on the basis of her
communication talents and sales instincts, rose to CEO in

400

13.3 Describe communication strategies for
malting special speaking presentations

1999.1 As CEO, she reengineered Avon from top to bob
establishing a trendy flagship store and spa on Fifth Ave
thereby rejuvenating the brand and helping to shed its
time image as aline of cosmetics that housewives boug
their homes. She also expanded the company’s rear
untapped markets throughout the world and enhance(
sales force by upgrading the use of online sales tools.

Today, you can still purchase Avon products from
vidual sellers, but you also have many more buying opi
Avon is now available in its own stylish boutiques, at

cosmetic stores around the globe, and online. Since Jung took
over the company’s leadership, the stock price has risen 165
percent. Avon was earning $4 billion per year when she
became CEO; in 2013 it had grown to a $10 billion company.2
To remind her of the importance of leadership and being
number one, Jung has a pillow in her New York office that
reads, “If you are not the lead dog, the view never changes.”

Andrea Jung not only knows how to sell cosmetics, She
also knows how to sell ideas ;that change the culture .of a
company. She is an excellent communicator. As we have
emphasized throughout this book, leadership and commu-
nication are linked—two sides of the same coin. Jung was
able to reinvent Avon by articulately expressing her vision
to. her executive colleagues. She also knows .something .
about how to both present and persuade. Her application of
-the five principles for leadership was the prime factor in her
success. She became aware of what needed to be done,
communicated well both verbally and nonverbally, lis-
tened, and appropriately adapted her message to transform
a company. When persuading others, it’s especially vital
that you adapt or customize your message to the listener.

Leading Questions
1. Andrea Jung is a good salesperson. She first had to

sell her new colleagues on the idea that Avon needed
a makeover before company salespersons could sell
more Avon products. What are the characteristics of a
good salesperson?

2. Women have made dramatic gains in serving as corpo-
‘ rate CEOs and in other top leadership roles; yet they
continue to face challenges. What factors contribute to
these challenges?

3. What needs to change for more women to serve in top
leadership roles?

Your general communication purpose influences how
you present your message. In this chapter, we discuss
communicating for the two most common business pur-
poses: to inform and to persuade. In addition to informing
and persuading, there are special occasions when you will
be called on to say a few remarks. These special occasions
can be informative, such as when you introduce someone
before he or she speaks; more often they will be ceremo-
nial, such as when, you. are presenting or receiving an
award, giving.a toast, or giving a short speech of thanks or
congratulations. Throughout the discussion of informa-
tive, persuasive, and special occasion speaking, keep in
mind the five communication principles for leadership.

13.1: Informing Others
13.1 Describe some of the strategies to enhance the

effectiveness of a persuasive message.

Think of the best teacher you ever had. He or she was
probably a great lecturer with a special talent for making

information clear, interesting, and memorable. As a leas
you no doubt will be called on in your professional life
present information to others. To inform is to share in
mation with others to enhance their knowledge or unc
standing of the information, concepts, or ideas present
When you inform someone, you assume the role c
teacher by defining, illustrating, clarifying, or elaborai
on a topic. In a professional context, briefs, reports,
tures, and training presentations are typical formats
informing others.

Skilled leaders are also expected to be skilled edt
tors. However, speaking to inform others can b
challenging task. The information you communicate
someone else is rarely, if,ever, understood exactly as
intend it: Simply _presenting information does not m
that communication has occurred. Communication h
pens when listeners make sense of the information t
receive. What do effective leaders/educators do to a
municate information to others? They simplify so lister
understand the message, pace the information to av
information overload, directly address the needs and pi
lems of their listeners, and “reinforce their messages r
verbally or visually.

Leauers GO~~M~~~~a~ «~~dng
0 Work

Sometimes You need to Inform
and Sometimes You need to
Persuade
Knowing whether your audience expects you to inform or
suade is. important. For example, Roman Stanek, CE(
GoodData, doesn’t like it when people just bring him infoi
tion. He wants to know what the pieces of information m
he is looking for the “So what?” of what ha hears. Stanek
wants to be persuaded, not just informed: “A manager is r
messenger. I don’t like my managers essentially talking to
people without being able to express their opinion and pos
what they’re discussing:’3

Of course, not everyone wants a persuasive mes:

from you. It’s important to know your audience, even if it’

audience of one (especially if that single audience memb
your boss) to determine whether you are expected to prc
that audience with information or to also take a position or
information that you share, in order to persuade.

Whether informing or persuading, be aware that s
audiences don’t like or have time to process long messa
Stanek, for example, candidly admits, “People know that I
long a-mails and that all of the a-mails they send me, w
few exceptions, should always be short enough to fit or
screen of my_ iPhone. If you send me an e-mail, and I nee
scroll down to read it all, you’ve lost me.”

M,
ue,
Id-

to

he

111

190 Chapter 13

Again, not all of the people you communicate with will like
bite-size messages; some will want more detail. What’s impor-
tant is to remember that some people have very specific
expectations about. the messages they receive. As we’ve said
throughout this book, assess your audience to determine the
goal of your message as well as the best format for communk
cating it.

USE SIMPLE IDEAS Mark Twain told a story about a
Missouri farmer who ran for the state legislature five times
but lost each election. He didn’t lose because he didn’t
practice his campaign speeches; he gave his speeches to his
cows each morning. The problem was, according to Twain,
that he used “high-falutin”‘ words when he should have
used shorter terms. He described his audience as “my
enlightened constituents” and suggested he was trying to
“obtain a mandate” for his “legislative mission.” During
one of his morning rehearsals, one of his cows knocked out
his front teeth in such a way that the farmer could only use
one-syllable words. The result: He won every election in
his career from that day on.4

When you inform others, your job is to get your ideas
across to your audience, not to see how much information
you can cram in. The simpler your ideas and phrases, the
greater the chance that your audience will remember them.
We don’t mean you should. talk down to your audience.
Listeners can sense a speaker’s superior know-it-all atti-
tude, and they won’t like it. Simplify your message, but
don’t be condescending.

PACE INFORMATION FLOW Organize your talk so that
you present an even stream of information, rather than
bunch up a number of significant details around one point.
If you present too much new information too quickly, you
may overwhelm your audience, and your listeners’ ability
to understand may falter.

USE ADULT LEARNING STRATEGIES If your audience
consists of adult listeners, you will need to ensure that you
deliver your message in the way that adults learn best.
Adult learners prefer .-5

• To be given information they can use immediately

• To be actively involved in the learning process

• To connect their life experiences with the new informa-
tion they learn

• To know how the new information is relevant to their
busy lives

• To know how the information will solve a problem

• To receive information that is relevant to their needs

Most people who work in business have in-baskets on
their desks to hold work that must be done. Similarly, each
of us has a kind of mental in-basket: an agenda of what we

want or need from a presentation. Remember the chara,
teristics of adult learners and the importance of adaptin
your message to others. You will hold your audience
interest, and also have more success in informing them,
you tailor your information to address what is in yoi
audience’s literal or metaphorical in basket.

REINFORCE IDEAS NONVERBALLY Gestures serve tl
purpose of accenting or emphasizing key phrases, as itali
do in written communication..A well-placed pause cE
emphasize or reinforce a point. Raising or lowering yoi
voice can also reinforce a key idea. Movement can he
emphasize major ideas. Moving from behind the lectern
tell a personal anecdote can signal that something sped
and more intimate is about to .be said. Finally, photo
images, charts, and other visual information may be jL
what your listeners need to better understand your k
ideas, rather than you piling on more words.

13.1.1: Presenting Briefings
Abriefing ( or a brief), as you might guess from the name.
a short talk that provides information to an audience.
briefing can focus on what has happened in the past, wl
is currently happening on a given project or topic, or wl
may happen in the future. The military, public saf(
organizations (police departments, security departmen
medical organizations, and other organizations that nE
clear, short summaries of information almost exclusiv,
rely on briefings to ensure the exchange of information

Briefings are short (from 5 to 15 minutes), so they ty
cally don’t have an extended or formal introduction.
should still be mindful of catching your listeners’ attenti
but not with a lengthy story or illustration. Just get to yl
points after a very short overview. Listeners expect a b:
to be quick.

Because several briefs are often presented one a:
another, the first brief may provide a longer introdutitioi
introduce the briefings that will follow. For examplE
you’re giving a briefing about the income-and-loss st
ment for the past quarter and you’re part of a four-per
team, each of whom is sharing information, provide a sl
overview of your message, present your key ideas, sum
rize them, link to what the next person will say, and sit do

The organizational pattern for briefings is usually t
cal or chronological. It’s still appropriate to use transi
phases and signposts .(‘7 have three points to make. First:.
but the transitional phrases are shorter and less pronour
than in a more extended informative presentation.

Some briefings can be quite formal, and listeners i
expect a no-nonsense delivery style with little use of hu
and lots of information.. In other organizational cults
however, a briefing is expected to be informal and ca:
It’s important to be aware of your audience as you n
decisions on how to customize your briefing content.

13.1.2: Presenting Reports
A report is a summary of what has been accomplished in
the past or an update on a project. In contrast to a briefing,
a report is often a longer, more detailed summary of a past,
present, or future event. For example, a briefing could pro-
vide a summary of reactions to the new employee-training
program; a report on the same topic could include infor-
mation about the rationale for the new training, a sum-
mary of the training content, and a review of methods of
assessing the training. Briefs are brief; reports are longer.
Some organizations, however, use the terms report and
briefing interchangeably. You may be asked to report on
how to increase sales in the next quarter or to present-the
findings of a market survey your division has conducted in
the past several months. Whatever the specific objective
of the report, the general purpose is to communicate infor-
mation or policy; some reports include a persuasive appeal
to try some new course of action. Consider the following
when preparing a report:

• ADAPT TO YOUR AUDIENCE. When you are pre-
senting your report, keep in mind that your audience
is there to hear you address a particular need or prob-
lem. Begin by briefly acknowledging.that situation..

• PRESENT CONCLUSIONS, THEN EXPLAIN HOW
YOU REACHED THEM.. If you are reporting on a
particular project or study, first discuss what your
research group decided to do to explore the problem.
Then explain how you gathered the information.

• END A REPORT WITH SOLUTIONS OR IDENTIFY
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. Most listeners want to know
what the bottom line is. The most important part of
some reports is a summary of new courses of action or
changes in present policy. When your report proposes
changes, tell your audience what’s in it for them—
what benefits will accrue to them directly as a result of
the new proposal. One business consultant suggests
this report technique:

‘rune your audience into radio station WIIFM—What’s
In It For Me: Tell your listeners where the benefits are for
them, and they’ll listen to everything you have to say.6

In addition to listening to a report, audience members
usually expect to receive a hard copy or email version of
the report, or at least a summary of the report’s key
conclusions.

13.1.3: Presenting Public Relations
Presentations
In a public relations presentation, the speaker is specifically
providing information to promote a positive public image
for the person or organization the speaker is represerlting..
People who work for professional associations, hospitals,

utility companies, government agencies, universities, reli-
gious organizations, or charitable institutions, as well as
those employed by commercial enterprises, are often
called on to speak to an audience about what their organi-
zation does or about a special project the’organization has
taken on. Although the purpose of many public relations
(PR) speeches is to present information, there is often a
persuasive edge to public relations messages, too. The
speaker may be trying to maintain a positive general
impression of the organization, or, because a particular
program or situation has raised some questions or
concerns, to convince listeners of the positive features of
the organization.

Here are some suggestions for developing PR
presentations:

• NOTE HOW THE COMPANY, ORGANIZATION, OR
POLICY HAS SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS FOR THE
LISTENER. Often a PR speech describes the virtues of
the policy or program the. speaker is promoting.

• IF A SPECIFIC PROBLEM OR ISSUE HAS
PROMPTED THE SPEECH, IDENTIFY AND
ACKNOWLEDGE THE. CONCERNS. Then go on to
explain how the company or organization can meet
the need, solve the problem, or why there really is
no problem.

• ANTICIPATE CRITICISM AND OBJECTIONS.
Especially if the primary purpose of your speech is to
change opinions or address a controversial issue, be
sure to acknowledge the listeners’ points of view.
Then, counter potential problems or objections with
your explanation of how the company or organization
has carefully worked through potential pitfalls and
drawbacks. Demonstrate that what may look like a
problem actually can easily be addressed.

13.1.4: Presenting Training Sessions
and professional organizations invest billions of
dollars each year in training their employees .7 Training is a
special type of informative speaking through which the
trainer seeks to develop specific skills in listeners to help
them perform a specific job or task more effectively.s Many
organizations have extensive training departments whose
function is to orient new employees to the organization
and teach specific job skills, including communication
skills. The goal of a training session is for listeners not only
to be. able to recall information but also to perform specific
tasks. Compared to traditional classroom education, train-
ing focuses more on behavioral learning, whereas educa-
tion emphasizes the cognitive. domain. Broadly speaking,
training emphasizes doing, and education emphasizes
knowing. Since the goal of training is to implement behav-
ior change, training presentations also seek to persuade or

192 Chapter 13

motivate listeners to perform the skill or task being taught r
as well as to provide them with information.

. Presenting training is similar. to any presentation; it’s
essential to focus on the needs, interests, and backgrounds
of your listeners. Training that does not address a trainee’s
needs or specific job functions is not effective training.
Because the primary purpose of any training program is to
respond to the learning needs of the trainee, Figure 13.1
presents a needs-centered model.

Figure 13.1: A Needs-Centered Training Model

. Drawing on adult learning theory, a trainer should
view himself or herself less as a lecturer and more as a
facilitator. Adult learners bring their own experiences to
the training session; they want to focus on real problems
that are in their literal or metaphorical in-baskets or on
their to do lists. A trainer follows the steps in Figure 13.1 in
order to draw on those experiences. and equip trainees to
address problems.

ANALYZE ORGANIZATIONAL AND TRAINEE NEEDS.
You may notice that Figure 13.1 closely resembles the audi-
ence-centered model of presentations that we introduced
in Chapter 11. At the center of the model in Figure 13.1–m-
and the first and crucial ongoing step in any training=is
the process of identifying the needs of the organization
and those of the specific trainees who will attend the. train-
ing session: the audience. Every other aspect of designing
and delivering a training presentation depends on the needs of
the trainees.

The process of identifying trainee needs is quite simi-
lar to analyzing your audience when delivering a

presentation. For example, many trainers determine their
audience’s needs by asking them—using surveys, ques=
tionnaires, or interviews—what they need. In addition to
analyzing the. needs of individuals, it’s also important to
consider the needs of the organization. What does it need
employees or volunteers to do?

ANALYZE THE TRAINING TASK Viewing the model in
Figure 13.1 as a clock, begin at the top and work your way
.around clockwise to explore the steps of designing and
delivering a training presentation. After you’ve figured
out what trainees need (for example, skill in listening or
conflict management), an early critical step in designing a
training program is to thoroughly analyze the specific
task you want the trainees to perform. You conduct a task
analysis. A task analysis is a detailed, step-by-step descrip-
tion of precisely what a trainee should do and know in
order to perform a particular skill. As the trainer, if you
are going to teach someone how to prepare and deliver a
sales presentation, you first need to know what the steps
in that process are before you teach them to others. Most
likely, you will have only limited time to teach a skill, so
you may have to focus only on the most critical steps. A
task analysis lets you discover what the essential ele-
ments of a task are. (Our needs-centered training model is
itself a simplified task analysis of how to train someone.
Each piece of the model represents an essential step in
the process.)

DEVELOP TRAINING OBJECTIVES After you have fig-
ured out the steps in teaching a particular skill, it’s impor-
tant to develop objectives or learning outcomes that you
want your trainees to achieve. It’s important to specify the
precise behavior you want trainees to perform at the end of
the training. We begin each chapter in this book with a list
of learning objectives. Reviewing those objectives will give
you an idea of the format and style for training objectives.
Training objectives are also similar to the specific purpose
statement for a presentation, discussed in Chapter 11.
Training objectives specify what you want trainees to be
able to do following the training presentation.

ORGANIZE TRAINING CONTENT Once you have your.
precise training objectives in hand, you can begin drafting
the information that trainees need to know and describing
in more detail the behaviors that they will be expected to
perform.. The most typical organizational patterns for
training content include (1) chronological (a .step-by-step
sequence of what someone does first, second, and so on),
(2) by complexity (from simplest or easiest to learn to more
complex or more detailed information), and (3) topical
(identifying the natural divisions in a topic).

DETERMINE TRAINING METHODS To train someone,
you don’t just talk to them. Adult learners are not inter-
ested in hearing a three- or four-hour lecture; that’s not

good training. So you’ll need to develop effective methods
of presenting information to your trainees. You may decide
that, rather than presenting a lecture, it would -be better to
have trainees participate in role-playing situations, discuss
a case study, or brainstorm solutions to a problem that you
pose. A typical training session may involve a mix of meth-
ods, including the following.

Training Session Methods

A trainer’s job is to facilitate rather than to lecture. Demonstrating a
skill and then having trainees practice performing it is much more
effective than merely describing the skill.

SELECT TRAINING RESOURCES Perhaps you’ve dis-
covered an excellent video that masterfully illustrates the
skill you want to teach in the training session. Or, maybe
you’ve decided to use a small-group method and you want
trainees to respond to discussion questions. Whether it’s a
video, a list of discussion questions, PowerPoint presenta-
tion slides, or some other type of resource, you’ll need to
decide what materials you’ll need to prepare for the train-
ing presentation.

COMPLETE TRAINING PLANS After you’ve developed
your objectives and settled on the content of the training, .
the methods you will use to present your message, and the
resources you need, it is important to develop a compre-
hensive written plan that describes how you will present
your session: a training plan (sometimes called a lessor. plait
in educational settings). There are many different formats.

Some training plans are simply detailed outlines of ttie
training content and methods. Other plans offer a complete
narrative transcript of the training lesson. Most training
plans include a description of the objectives, methods,
training content, and training resources needed, along with
an estimate of how much time each part of the training
will take.

DELIVER TRAINING After developing a well-crafted
plan, you are now ready to, bring the training presenta-
tion to life. You deliver your training not only by present-
ing lectures, videos, and activities but also by asking
good questions to facilitate class discussion. An effective
training presentation.should be much more interactive
than a speech, although the elements of effective speech
delivery (such as eye contact, good posture, effective ges-
tures, and varied vocal inflection) are essential when
training others.

ASSESS THE TRAINING PROCESS When the training
session is over, a trainer’s job is not- complete. Effective
trainers evaluate how their training was received (Did
trainees like it?) and even more important, whether train-
ees learned what they needed W. The ultimate test of a
training session is whether trainees ‘can’use the new skills
on the job. Did the training make a difference?

Each piece of the needs-centered model of training
reflects an essential element of what a trainer. does. Train-
ers first and foremost focus on the needs of learriers and
then carefully develop a training program that meets those
needs. Training others well involves more than just talking
to them.. Effective training develops a specific skill by hav-
ing trainees practice and receive feedback to master the
skills being taught:

#Technology and
Communication @ Work
Communicating via the Web
Contemporary technology is making it easier to share mes-
sages with others who are separated in space and time. Here
are a few of the technology-based methods of connecting with
an audience that you are likely to use an alternative to face-to-
face business presentation8:9

op Web. 2.0. Web 2.0 is a general term that describes the
second generation of presenting and gathering infor-
mation on the Internet. Web 1.0, the first generation
of: Internet technology, was “read-focused”: The pri-
mary function was to present messages that were only
designed to be read by someone. Web. 2.0 is a “read-
write” technology. In addition to sharing information, the
receiver of the message can easily respond by writing
back to the message sender. Facebook is an example

194 Chapter 13

of a read-write Web 2.0 technology that permits com-
municators to interact with one another with seamless
ease, including sharing photos, videos, web links, and
instant-messaging capabilities.

Wikis. Wikis are collaborative web-based sites that permit
many people to ‘share information with one another. The
distinctive feature of wikis is the open-editing function
that permits all users to develop a resource collabora-
tively. Well-known sites, such as the encyclopedia Wike-
pedia, the travel guide Wiki Travel, and the how-to
manuals WikiHow, are places on the web where you not
only can share information with others but also can con-
tribute to the information presented. Of course, when
retrieving information from a Wiki source, consider the
source. Although evidence indicates that the self.-policing
of the content helps keep the information current and
accurate, there is always the potential for misinformation
to be posted on a wiki site.

Internet Video. If you’ve used Skype, FaceTiime, or a host
of other Internet video software programs and apps, you
know how easy it is to hold a video conversation with
someone who is miles or continents away from you. The
software or apps you need are often free, and the
video cameras and microphones required for video con-
versations come built-in to most computers and all
smart phones.

Podcast. A podcast is a radio broadcast that uses the
technology of an iPod through iTunes to share a mes-
sage with others. Originally, podcasts were audio mes-
sages, but through vodcasts it’s now relatively easy to
share video .and audio messages. You don’t need to
travel to India, China, or even San Francisco; you can
present your report to your superiors with a podcast
or vocicast.

Regardless of the technology used to solve problems
and share information, it’s people that make communication
possible, an important point to keep in mind in all your work-
place interactions. Malcolm Gladwell, in noting the impor-
tance of the human element in communicating with others,
said this:

Technology does not and cannot change the underlying dynam-
ics of “human” problems; it doesn’t make it easier to love or mo-
tivate or dream or convince.10

13.2: Persuading Others
13.2 Describe how developing leadership skills are

important to developing persuasion skills.

Peruse the management and leadership section of Amazon
or any brick-and-mortar bookstore, and you’ll find books
about how to influence others. The best-selling business
management book of all time is Dale Carnegie’s classic How
to Win Friends and Influence People. At the heart of influen-
t – -=L~-~ — 1—inv able to persuade them. To persuade

someone is to change or reinforce the person’s attitudes
(likes and dislikes), beliefs (what is perceived to be true or
false), values (what is considered good or bad), or behavior.
As we discuss later in this chapter, sales presentation is a
type of persuasive presentation you’ll commonly encounter
in a professional setting.

Informative and persuasive speaking are related pro-
cesses. When you interview for a job, you’re doing more
than simply presenting information …