In order to craft a well-formulated persuasive message, a practitioner must always keep all factors in mind throughout the formation and dissemination period of a campaign.
The eight factors of persuasive communication are:
1) Audience analysis, one must know not only the demographics of a message receiver, but their beliefs, attitudes, concerns and lifestyles, in other words, their values.
2) Source credibility, without credibility it is obvious that a message will not gain any real, or meaningful, traction.
3) Appeal to self- interest simply means that a message –if to carry clout, must appeal to an audiences economic or physiological needs.
4) Clarity of message, a clear and concise message is a must, people have to know what they’re being told in terms they understand.
5) Timing and context, a message has to be appropriate in the way it is formulated, and the delivery must be on par with the societal norms and current events, for example, after 9/11/2001, there was a rush to get any messages that may be deemed as incentive off the air.
6) Audience participation, is important in the age of crass-roots organizational movements, if a message can get a large following or active supporters, it is likely to help convey a strong message with –at least seemingly, large support.
7) Suggestions for action, much like audience participation, help mobilize change and support by means of a call to action.
8 ) Content and structure of messages lends itself to a broad set of techniques that can be used to persuade, be it drama, stats, examples, endorsements –or my personal favorite, the emotional appeal.
Two-way communication –in simplest form, is a dialogue between sender and reviser. It allows for messages to be adapted to the situation and reaction of the receiver, and allows for a relationship to form, as opposed to one-way communication in which the sender is blind to timely reactions.
