Persuading others is a crucial thing in business
communicative skill. Mastering that skill means being able to create successful
persuasive messages as well as effective and ethical business messages. A lot
of people have already known what persuasion is, and what the purpose is.
However, only a few people know what the effective persuasion techniques are:
establishing credibility, making a reasonable and precise request, tying facts
to benefits, recognizing the power of loss, expecting and overcoming
resistance, and sharing solutions and compromise.
In making successful persuasive messages, being aware of
your own culture is no less important. You are insisted to interact with many
countries with different cultural background. This means you need to be
persuasive in both high-context cultures and low-context cultures, in order to
avoid confusion and miscommunication.
Based on figure 3.2 Comparing Low- and High-Context Cultures , it can be seen that low context and high context culture have their own tendency.
Therefore, there are several important aspects that you need to note in order to be persuasive in both contexts.
What aspects do you need to be persuasive in high-context culture?
- Indirectness
Use of indirect expressions, such as perhaps, probably, somewhat; use of preference for softened words (e.g would appreciate rather than must or expect).
- Politeness
Expressions of politeness, use of honorifics, wishful requests (e.g we hope).
- Soft-sell approach
Use of simple facts without superlatives.
- Relationship appeal
Attempts to build a long-term relationship.
- Collectivist view
Use of we and our rather than "you" view
How about being persuasive in low-context culture? What aspects do you have to notice?
- Directness
Precision in expression is preferred.
- Superlatives
Use of superlatives, such as the lowest price, highest quality.
- Hard-sell approach
Agressive promotions, incentives, testimonials, deadlines, and product advantages using explicit comparisons with competitors.
- Short-term goal
Little attempt to establish long-term relationship.
- "You" view
Emphasis on benefits to individual, not on group perspectives.
By mastering these aspects, you will be able to make successful persuasive messages since you pay attention to the tendency of people with different cultural backgrounds, categorized into high-context culture and low-context culture.