I need a discussion for week 7 and a response to 2 Classmates for my Business Communication Class

 

Winning Buy-in

Scenario: You are a budding entrepreneur with a great idea, and you want to pitch it on the TV show “Shark Tank.” Your product or service should be something the Sharks want to sink their teeth into.

• Create a 1-2 minute pitch of your idea, using the approaches described in the Weekly Materials. For this section, you may either write out your pitch or record it on video. Make sure your pitch includes:

  An introduction to yourself and/or your company
  A hook
  A brief, non-confidential description of your product or service
  Any differentiating advantages your product or service offers
  Financial information, such as how much your product or service sells for (for purposes of this scenario, you can make this information up)
  An explanation of how you will use the Sharks’ money (e.g., building your product, hiring more employees)
  A call to action

• Considering the course materials for this week, discuss the persuasive approach(es) you used and why you chose them. For example, how did you incorporate ethos, logos, and pathos into your pitch?

NOTE: For those who have not watched “Shark Tank,” check it out below.

Post your initial response by Wednesday, midnight of your time zone, and reply to at least 2 of your classmates’ initial posts by Sunday, midnight of your time zone.

1st response

 Maria Reyes RE: Week 7 Discussion

COLLAPSE

Winning Buy-In

Introduction

Good morning,

First of all, thank you for giving me this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Allan James Smith. I am basically from California but currently staying at Maryland. I graduated from ABC University, Washington, with a Bachelors degree in Commerce, and currently, I am pursuing my master’s degree at CITADEL university. I have come here today to present my business idea for a chance to secure an investment from one, some, or all of you. My goal is to get this business idea and make it successful over the years but with significant financial support and expert advice from you.

Hook 

When I was in university, I gained significant interest in business, particularly entrepreneurship. I heard stories of people who had started as minor business people, who later became the leading players in major industries. For this reason, I decided to act on my entrepreneurship interests by coming up and presenting this business idea.

Product/Service Description

The SafetyMonitor is a phone application that allows people to notify their friends and family whenever they are in an emergency, such as a car failure, robbery, or a kidnapping, among other threatening circumstances. The application can be put to commercial use to combat the increasing kidnapping and insecurity cases across certain places. The application’s physical characteristics include a menu that allows the person to access their profile, shaking capability that sends alerts to phone contacts, and its voice-activation feature. The application is blue in color and has multiple privacy features.

Differentiating Features

Many applications help people alert their family, close friends, and authorities in case people are in detrimental situations. However, the SafetyMonitor app is unique because It is sensitive to movements and shaking. Phone movements will activate the application, which sends an SOS alert to selected contacts by the user. Additionally, the voice activation feature makes the application unique because not many safety alert applications have the feature. Therefore, the application comes with several unique features over other similar safety applications.

Financial Information

The SafetyMonitor application cost depends on several factors, including development costs, presentation, and other significant factors. The application took six months to develop before I tested it, which cost around $130,000.

How I will Use the Shark’s Money

My core objective is to use the money as an investment that will expand my business idea and ensure it comes with profits as soon as under a year. For this reason, I plan to use the money for major purposes such as marketing. Since it’s a new application, marketing will be a good start to let customers know about the application. Additionally, the money will be used to add more improvements to the application regularly to avoid getting left behind.  

The Persuasive Approach

I applied the three elements, ethos, logos, and pathos in my pitch based on a persuasive approach. First, I displayed the use of ethos by establishing my authority to present the business idea to the members on the desks. Secondly, I represented the logos element by ensuring that I made a rational argument for my business idea. Lastly, pathos is evident in my effort to convince the members of Shark Tank emotionally to invest in my business idea.

2nd response

 RE: Week 7 DiscussionCOLLAPSE

Prof. Leighton-Lucas and Leaders,

Intro: 

My name is Chuck Chadwick, and my company is Helix Innovations, maker of On! Nicotine Pouches.  I have leveraged my 15 years of experience in big tobacco to develop an oral tobacco-derived nicotine product that addresses adult tobacco consumers’ central pain points.

The Hook:

• Among adult tobacco consumers 21+, their largest unmet requirement is reduced social friction.
• Social friction occurs when adult tobacco consumers feel uncomfortable using their products around others.
• Our research indicates approximately 6 million consumers are interested in oral tobacco-derived nicotine products.

Product description:

The On! Nicotine Pouch provides a satisfying nicotine experience complimented by the following attributes:

• Tobacco leaf-free, white nicotine pouch – Variety of appealing flavors
• Variety of nicotine strengths- Manageable & Convenient Experience
• Nicotine satisfaction without smoke, spit, ash, or odor
• Place the pouch under your upper lip.  Enjoy for up to 20 minutes.

Differentiating advantages:

• Experience nicotine satisfaction anytime, anywhere, including occasions where you cannot smoke or dip
• Differentiating packaging with disposal compartment

Financials:

Cost – $1.99

SRP $4.99

Margin – 40%

How will I use your investment:

In retail outlets, sales space is at a premium.  I plan to use your investment to secure highly visible space at retail for the core On! product portfolio through flexible merchandising options.  Countertop merchandisers will be the best way to ensure that all retail outlets have a solution to merchandise On!. I will also dedicate a portion of your investment to fund an incentive program for retailers to have the ability to offer a temporary trial offer to help generate consumer trial and not lose margin in doing so.  Retailers will essentially be paid to reduce their retail selling price for an introductory period.

Call to action:

As I mentioned earlier, approximately 6 million consumers are interested in oral tobacco-derived nicotine products.  As more and more legislation comes down restricting traditional tobacco products, conversion to innovative alternative products such as On! Nicotine Pouches will generate a stable revenue stream for the future.  Partner with me, and let’s make history!
In my intro, I tried to both hook the audience and establish ethos.  Leading with my big tobacco experience was my credibility builder, and “addressing tobacco consumers’ central pain point” was the hook.  Ethos is the most difficult to achieve, so I followed up with several relevant consumer insights (1).  My use of consumer insights also serves to persuade the audience that my position is sensible – logos.  Pathos or an emotional connection was not needed with this pitch.  

References

1. JWI. Week 7. Lecture Notes. The Art of Persuasion

JWI505: Business Communications and Executive Presence

Week 7 Lecture Notes

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JWI 505 – Lecture Notes (1206) Page 1 of 7

The Art of Persuasion

What It Means

Have you ever worked in sales? If so, you know there is more to the job than just showing
people your product and asking them for money. You have to convince people your product
will improve their lives. You need to demonstrate that your product is better than any other
product in your market. You must also prove that you have your customers’ best interests in
mind. How do you accomplish all of this?

Even if you do not work in sales, your ability to sell your ideas is critical to your success as a
leader. If you develop a new product or service, you have to persuade your colleagues to
undertake the venture with you. If you are responding to a customer service complaint, you
have to persuade that customer to try your solution. If you want a raise or a promotion, you
have to persuade your boss that you have earned it. People use persuasive tactics all the
time at work and in life in general. Whether they use them successfully is another matter.

In this lecture, you will learn how to hone your persuasive abilities. We will discuss the
rhetorical appeals that make up a strong persuasive argument. We will also consider how to
engage your listeners through storytelling and other attention-grabbing techniques.

Why It Matters

• You need your colleagues’ full emotional investment to execute your biggest ideas.

• Your pitches will be ineffective if you cannot craft narratives around them.

• Audiences will not respond to your messages if you do not show them that you care.

“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be
credible we must be truthful.”

Edward R. Murrow

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Week 7 Lecture Notes

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JWI 505 – Lecture Notes (1206) Page 2 of 7

Communicating Creatively

There is a reason we refer to persuasion as an art. Think about your favorite film, book, or song.
Do you like it because it is well-written? It may be, but the real reason you like it is because it
stirs powerful feelings inside of you. It reduces you to tears, it makes you laugh uproariously, or
it evokes a sense of nostalgia. Like a great work of art, a strong persuasive communication will
draw a powerful emotional response from your listeners. They should be moved deeply enough
to act on your message – to change their minds, to fulfill a task, or to buy what you are selling.

Last week, we discussed the four communication styles you use depending on what your
objective is. Of those styles, you know that Sell is the best way to inspire your listeners to a
cause. It is also the style that relies most heavily on engaging others’ emotions. If you are using
Tell, you are just imparting information or giving orders. There is no emotional involvement
required from your listeners. The same can be said of Consult and Join. Using either of these
styles will allow your listeners to offer input and help you arrive at a decision. But the successful
use of Sell involves some artistry on your part. You have to create a vivid pitch that illustrates
why your message is important and why your listeners must do something.

Rhetorical Appeals

There is no set formula for crafting an artful persuasive communication. The tactics you use will
vary based on both your audience and what you are persuading them to do. However, there
must always be three critical components to your message. These components can be traced
back to Aristotle’s Rhetoric, written twenty-five centuries ago. They are ethos, logos, and
pathos. Let us delve into each one.

Ethos

Take a look at your email inbox from the last week. Of the people who sent messages to you,
how many included their full job title in their signatures? If they have any special degrees or
licenses, such as CPA, SPHR, or MBA, did they include those? Those details are there to
enhance the subjects’ ethos, or their credibility. Your correspondents want you, their listener, to
trust them. You have to believe they know what they are talking about.

JWI 505: Business Communications and Executive Presence
Week 7 Lecture Notes

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JWI 505 – Lecture Notes (1206) Page 3 of 7

Of the three appeals, ethos is the most difficult to establish immediately. It often requires your
listeners to know who you are before you even begin your message. This is why celebrity
endorsements are such powerful marketing tools. If you watch an athlete like Stephen Curry
playing basketball while wearing a certain pair of shoes, you think those shoes must be high
quality. In an email, you can list your title and credentials. That is not necessarily something you
can do in a speech or a one-on-one conversation.

You can build your ethos throughout your message in other ways. For instance, if your message
contains information from outside sources, such as newspapers or think tanks, cite those
sources. Your listeners will trust you if they can tell you have done your research. Additionally,
use language your audience understands. If there is a certain terminology they are familiar with,
use it. This demonstrates that you know how to deliver your message in a way your listeners
can relate to. And always take your message and your audience seriously. Do not tell jokes if it
is not appropriate for the topic.

On July 12, 2013, 16-year-old activist Malala Yousafzai gave a speech to the United Nations
advocating for increased educational opportunities around the world. To establish her ethos,
Yousafzai talked about the suffering she had personally experienced as she pursued her
education. She invoked leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela, saying, “This is
the legacy of change that I have inherited.”1 She struck a tone that was serious, but also
inspirational. Even though she was only a teenager, Yousafzai demonstrated that she was a
credible figure.

Logos

Especially in election years, you have heard countless politicians talk about the “big plans” they
have for their constituents. How many times have you listened to these plans and thought, “How
did they arrive at that conclusion?” Those politicians may be credible figures, but they did not
inject enough logos into their communications. As the word implies, a subject’s logos is their
appeal to logic. A subject is arguing on behalf of a cause. They must establish that their
argument is sound and sensible.

Assuming you have established that you are trustworthy and have ethos, you are now in a

1 ABC News, “Girl Shot in Head by Taliban, Speaks at UN: Malala Yousafzai United Nations Speech 2013,”
YouTube, July 12, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRh_30C8l6Y.

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JWI 505 – Lecture Notes (1206) Page 4 of 7

position to state your case to your audience. For your listeners to buy into your case, your
argument must have a clear and logical flow. Each of your key points must be bolstered with
evidence. If you leave your listeners with doubts or questions, your logos is not strong enough.

To use logos effectively, consider the main points of your message. Ask yourself what you need
to prove so that your listeners will agree with you. Ideally, you should be able to condense each
of your main points into two sentences, a claim and a warrant. Your claim is the position you are
trying to argue. Your warrant links evidence to your claim. For example, let us say you are
advocating for a bigger HR department at your company. Your claim could be, “Our HR
department is far too small.” A good warrant would be, “Our company has a thousand
employees, which is too big for an HR department of three people.” It helps if you add details
and data to your points, especially if they are very specific. You could say, “We are buying too
much printer paper,” but you will sound more persuasive if you say, “According to our
accounting department, we are buying 3.5 times as much printer paper as we need.”
Remember, if you are introducing data or facts that are not common knowledge, make sure you
cite your source of information. Furthermore, if you are giving a presentation, it is helpful to
include charts or graphs to illustrate your evidence.

In 1872, Susan B. Anthony was arrested for voting illegally in that year’s presidential election.
Shortly afterward, Anthony embarked on a speaking tour throughout Monroe County, New York.
In her speech, titled “Is It a Crime for a U.S. Citizen to Vote?” she established her logos by using
language from the U.S. Constitution. She argued the Constitution said, “we, the people,” not
“we, the white male citizens.” She quoted historical figures as well as contemporary politicians
from different parties arguing for the rights of all citizens. Anthony even briefly acknowledged
the opposing argument that states should decide who can vote; she logically refuted this idea,
referring to both national legislation and presidential statements.2 Anthony’s rational appeal
bolstered her conclusion that women should be free to vote.

Pathos

Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than
intellect.” Your audience will respect your message if you are credible. They will listen to your
message if it is logical and intelligent. But they will act on your message if they genuinely care

2 “The Trial of Susan B. Anthony,” Federal Judicial Center, 2005,
https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/trials/susanbanthony .

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JWI 505 – Lecture Notes (1206) Page 5 of 7

about it. This is why you must infuse your persuasive communications with pathos, or emotional
appeal.

Pathos requires you to be your most empathetic self. You and your listeners must experience
the same feelings, whether they are positive or negative. You remember from Winning that a
leader must be passionate about what they do. A strong sense of pathos will demonstrate your
passion and instill passion in your audience, too.

To be clear, using pathos does not necessarily mean reducing your listeners to tears. It only
means evoking an emotional response, which you can accomplish through a number of tactics.
Think carefully about your choice of words in your message. Telling someone that sales are
“going up” sounds good. But telling them that sales are “skyrocketing” sounds way more
impressive. If you are delivering a presentation with visuals, use images to your advantage. The
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals does this extremely effectively in its
TV commercials. Instead of just telling you about how many animals are abused in the U.S., the
commercials show pictures of those animals. Conversely, if your topic is light enough, feel free
to use humor. An audience that can laugh with you will be relaxed and receptive to your
message.

In 1999, political activist Elie Wiesel gave a speech in Washington, DC titled “The Perils of
Indifference.” His speech was meant to encourage his listeners to reject apathy and act when
they see injustice. To accomplish this, Wiesel told stories about his time in the Auschwitz and
Buchenwald concentration camps. He used phrases that were memorable and emotionally
driven, such as, “So much violence; so much indifference.” He also used vivid imagery and
powerful rhetorical questions: “When adults wage war, children perish. We see their faces, their
eyes. Do we hear their pleas? Do we feel their pain, their agony?”3 These rhetorical choices
touched his audience and urged them never to be indifferent to suffering.

Hooking Your Audience

Have you ever spoken to someone and noticed them getting easily distracted? Perhaps they
broke eye contact with you, fidgeted, or yawned. While these actions come across as rude, as a
business leader and professional, you cannot blame your listener for being distracted – you did

3 AmericanRhetoric.com, “Elie Wiesel – The Perils of Indifference,” YouTube, March 17, 2016,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpXmRiGst4k&t=175s.

JWI 505: Business Communications and Executive Presence
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JWI 505 – Lecture Notes (1206) Page 6 of 7

not properly grab their attention.

Your listeners’ time is valuable. If their curiosity is not piqued at the very beginning of your
message, they will be bored. Worse, they will resent you for wasting their time. Hooking the
listeners’ attention right away is critical to keeping them receptive to your entire message.

Think about a great presentation you watched. Did the presenter begin by saying, “This is my
topic?” Probably not. They found a better way to get your attention early. Hooking your audience
is easy if you use the right tactic. For example, surprise your listener with an unexpected fact or
a startling statistic. If the topic of your message is appropriate, you can begin with a joke or even
a pop culture reference. Always make sure that your hook is relevant to your topic. The hook
should not be too long, either. You should be able to grab your listeners’ attention in five
sentences, or about thirty seconds of a presentation.

Persuading by Storytelling

Listeners like jokes, and hearing a mind-boggling fact will make them eager to learn more. But
the strongest way to win your audience’s attention is to create a narrative. This is an illustrative,
detailed story that exemplifies your points or arguments. It demonstrates why your topic is so
important and relevant to your listeners. When an audience hears a well-crafted narrative, they
should be able to insert themselves into the story.

A strong narrative has three key components:

• Subject: someone listeners can identify with and support

• Action: what the subject does, or what happens to the subject that changes their status
quo

• Result: what happens now that the status quo is different

Stories can be hypothetical or even fictional. So many commercials tell these kinds of stories –
a character tries a new product and they are instantaneously happier. The best narratives for
your messages, however, are real-life stories. Telling your listener about an actual person
whose life changed humanizes your topic. It reminds audiences that people just like them are

JWI 505: Business Communications and Executive Presence
Week 7 Lecture Notes

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copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.

JWI 505 – Lecture Notes (1206) Page 7 of 7

affected by a policy, trend, or idea. One of the reasons Malala Yousafzai and Elie Wiesel’s
persuasive appeals were so powerful was because they told anecdotes about themselves. They
gave detailed accounts of events that happened to them. Listeners cannot just dismiss their
topics and say, “This does not matter.” Not only did they tell stories, the two linked those stories
back to their main arguments. Yousafzai talked about the adversity she faced on her
educational journey, and then talked about how children all over the world face similar struggles.
Wiesel told stories from his own life, and used them to remind his listeners what happens when
they are indifferent. By the end of your message, listeners must empathize with you. Listeners
should also know exactly what you need them to do in response to your message.

Looking Ahead

In this lecture, we discussed the artistry behind powerful persuasive communication. We
analyzed three rhetorical appeals, as well as how to illustrate your message with hooks and
narratives. Persuading listeners means reaching them on an emotional level. It also means
convincing them their response is essential to achieving a shared goal. They must know what to
do and how to do it.

In the next lecture, you will learn how to give powerful presentations. We will discuss how to
create visual aids and slides that communicate information effectively. We will also explore how
to deliver presentations in ways that impact your audiences.