PROF. COMM. - Ch. 8 Key Terms

Persuasive Message

A message to convince the reader to take a certain course of action.

Confirmation Message

A message written to confirm a verbal agreement made with a customer, client, or colleague.

Courtesy Response

A message written to confirm that a message was received and action was taken.

Advertisement

A nonpersonal sales message that is paid for by a sponsor.

Press Release

A sales message telling a story about and by a company.

AIDA

An acronym that stands for attention, interest, desire, and action.

Request

Asks the reader for some type of action or response.

Marketing

Consists of persuasive activities that identify, anticipate, and satisfy customer needs.

Transmittal Message

Routine communication accompanying documents or other materials attached to emails or sent by a delivery service.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Provides answers to common customer questions.

Propaganda

Purpose is to influence the audience with biased information; typically uses emotion rather than logic to persuade audience to take action.

Special Requests

Requests that are more complex and require explanation.

Routine Requests

Requests that are regularly sent by the sender and are expected by the receiver.

Instructions

Steps that must be followed in sequence in order to accomplish a task.

Directions

Steps to get from point A to point B.

Diplomacy

The tactful handling of a situation to avoid offending the reader or arousing hostility.

Persuade

To convince someone to take the course of action you propose.

Sales Message

Used to persuade the reader to spend money for a product or service, either immediately or later.