Business communication – Persuasive Message

PREPARATION: For this assignment, you will write a persuasive letter to an audience and for a purpose of your choosing. Ideally, this will be a real-world situation for you. ASSIGNMENT: • Context paragraph: Since each person’s letter will be to a different audience for a different purpose, your letter must be prefaced by one paragraph (3-7 sentences) providing the context for your letter. Context will include a brief audience analysis, the purpose of your letter, and any relevant information that will help me better understand why you are writing and what you want to happen because of your message. This paragraph will be for my understanding, while your letter should be addressed and written for your intended audience. • Approach analysis paragraph: This paragraph (3-7 sentences) will demonstrate your ability to analyze your approach. Discuss critical factors like timeliness, audience preferences, and anticipated audience reaction. Be specific in discussing how these factors have affected your choices for this message. What approach (direct or indirect) did you use and why? Explain, using evidence from your message, what methods of influence and persuasive techniques you have integrated and why. • Outline: Create an alphanumeric outline to plan the organization of your message. • Letter: Write a professional letter to your chosen audience for your intended purpose. Write three to four well-developed, coherent paragraphs (a paragraph for this assignment is a minimum of three sentences); your letter should be a maximum of one page. • FAIR test: Write a one paragraph (3-7 sentences) analysis of your message to explain how it responds to the FAIR test (Figure 10.14) in BC. DIRECTIONS: • Choose a topic that requires your selected audience (an individual within an organization or company) to change an opinion, make a decision, or take action. • Brainstorm ideas for letter content and write an outline for your letter using the alphanumeric format. • Write your context paragraph (3-7 sentences each). • Write your analysis approach paragraph (3-7 sentences each). • Format your letter using the Block Style format (Figure 10.3 in BC only WITHOUT the “RE” line). Be sure to sign your letter. • Address the letter to a specific individual in an organization or company, and locate a mailing address for that individual. • Include a request for specific action in your courteous close. Your request for a response must be directed to your phone number or e-mail address. You may create a hypothetical e-mail or phone number for your privacy. Be professional in your choice of hypothetical e-mail address. • Write a one paragraph (3-7 sentences) analysis of your communication using the FAIR test. • Compose your letter in Word. Take advantage of spelling and grammar tools to identify and correct errors. Evaluate all suggestions and review your work separately because these tools cannot catch all errors. • Bring a hard-copy rough draft of your persuasive letter, context and approach analysis paragraphs, outline, and FAIR test analysis to class for peer review on June 7.