The Persuasive Interview

Chapter 10

COMM 3420

5 Conditions for Persuasion

• Your proposal must create or address an urgent need or one or more desires or motives.

• Your proposal and you as persuader must be consistent with the interviewee’s beliefs, attitudes, and values.

5 Conditions for Persuasion

• Your proposal must be feasible, workable, practical, or affordable.

• Your proposal’s benefits must outweigh objections.

• No better course of action is available.

Analyzing the Interviewee

• Physical and Mental Characteristics–Carefully ask questions

–Avoid Stereotyping

Analyzing the Interviewee

• Socioeconomic Background–Consider memberships–Culture

• Values–Survival–Social–Success–Independence–Progress

Analyzing the Interviewee

– Beliefs• Values are the foundations of our belief

system

– Attitudes• Predictive power• Know what is possible, likely and

impossible (Social Judgment Theory)• Low credibility reduces persuasion• Similarities enhance interests and

attention

Traits and States

Reward

Slap on the Wrist

$500 Fine

5 years in prison

20 years in prison

Life with parole

Life without parole

Death

Death by torture

Latitude of Rejection

Non-commitment

XLatitude

of Acceptance

Lat. OfRejection

Latitude of Rejection

Non-commitment

Lat. OfRejection

X

Latitudeof Acceptance

Sylvia Paul

Researching the Issue

• Be the best informed, most authoritative person in each interview

• Investigate all aspects of the topic, including events that may contribute to the problem

Researching the Issue

• Types of Evidence–Examples: factual and hypothetical–Statistics on relevant areas–Statements from acknowledged

authorities… testimonials–Comparisons and contrasts

between situations

Planning the Interview

• Selecting strategies:– Identification Theory

• Consubstantiality• Mirroring

– Balance or Consistency Theory• Cognitive dissonance

– Inoculation Theory• Set up a straw man

– Induced Compliance Theory• Argue the negative—they argue the positive.• Foot in the door strategy

– Psychological Reactance Theory• Scarcity• Restrict their freedom to accept your

proposal

Planning the Interview

• Developing the Main points– Do not rely on a single reason or

point– Too many points may overload the

interviewee with information.– Do not go to your next point until

there is some kind of agreement.– Know the strength of each point and

introduce it strategically

Structuring the Interview

• Opening the Interview– Design your opening to gain attention, establish

rapport, and motivate the interviewee– Adapt the opening to each interviewee and

setting– Don’t rush, but don’t waste time.– Involve the interviewee from the start

so as to foster an active role throughout the interaction

• Not the sage on the stage but the guide on the side…

Structuring the Interview

• Body of the interview1.Create/discover a Need or

Desire• Develop one point at a

time.• Encourage interaction and

interviewee involvement

Structuring the Interview

2. Get information– Discover new information that will

help you determine what is best for the interviewee and how you can best persuade

Structuring the Interview

3. Presenting the Solution– Details and Evaluation– If there are more than one

solution, deal with them one at a time

– Help interviewees make decisions that are best for them at this time

Structuring the Interview

• Closing the Interview

– Summary– Elimination of objection– Either-or– Think it over– Sense of urgency– Price close

Conducting the Interview

• Types of Interviewees– The indecisive– Hostile

• Yes-but• Yes-Yes• Implicate approach

– Close-minded and Authoritarian• Facts are not enough

– Shopping-Around• Inoculation theory

– Intelligent and Educated• Least persuadable• Demand support for all ideas

Conducting the Interview

• Using Questions– Information-Gathering Questions

• Interviewee’s background, needs, values, beliefs, attitudes

– Verification Questions– Encouraging Interaction Questions– Attention and Interest Questions– Agreement Questions

• To obtain small agreements that will lead to larger ones

Conducting the Interview

• Handling Objections– Do not assume

there are no objections just because the interviewee does not raise questions

Conducting the Interview

–Some common objections to persuasive interviews are:•Procrastination•Money•Tradition•Uncertain future•Need

Conducting the Interview

• Minimize the Objection–Minimize the objection by restating it to seem less important or by comparing it to other weightier matters

–Provide evidence to lessen impact of objection

Conducting the Interview

• Capitalize on the Objection–Use the objection to clarify

your own points: –review the proposal’s

advantages, –offer more evidence, –isolate the motive behind the

objection

Conducting the Interview

• Deny the objection–Directly or

indirectly deny an objection by offering new and more accurate information.

Conducting the Interview

• Confirm the objection–Confirm the objection by agreeing with the interviewee