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Considering the Context of Your Argument

An argument can be as short as a sentence or as long as a multivolume report. It can take many forms, including oral communication. And it can discuss almost any kind of issue. Here are some examples:

Before you can develop an effective argument, you must understand your audience’s broader goals and your own constraints.

When you analyze your audience, consider the values that motivate them. Most people are concerned about their own welfare and interests within the company, but they also want their company and their colleagues to prosper. If your document is intended for the public, as opposed to the employees in an organization, consider your audience’s personal goals—their desire for health and well-being, for example, or their need to feel safe. Your argument is most likely to be effective if it responds to four goals that most people share: security, recognition, growth, and connectedness.

Security People resist controversial actions that might hurt their own interests. Those who might lose their jobs will likely oppose an argument that their division be eliminated, even if there are many valid reasons to support the argument. Another aspect of security is workload; most people resist an argument that calls for them to work more. People also want security outside the workplace—for instance, in their health care, finances, and personal safety. If you are drafting a press release about the addition of bicycle lanes to a town’s already-congested streets, you need to assure residents that the town’s civil engineers took the proper steps to ensure that the bike lanes were designed safely.

Recognition People like to be praised for their hard work and their successes. Where appropriate, be generous in your praise. Similarly, people hate being humiliated. Therefore, allow people to save face. Avoid criticizing their actions or positions and speculating about their motivations. Instead, present your argument as a response to the company’s or other stakeholders’ present and future needs. Look ahead, not back, and be diplomatic. A persuasive advertisement for a hospital’s weight-loss support group will not criticize potential members for their lack of exercise or poor diet; rather, it will recognize that they have already been working hard to maintain their health.

One type of workplace document that is used to recognize professional success is a newsletter. A newsletter, a short newspaper published by an organization, can help the organization foster a sense of community within its membership, both internal and external, including customers, employees, investors, and the general public. Newsletters often include descriptions of new activities undertaken by the organization; major investments by the organization in new equipment or facilities; announcements for upcoming events and summaries of previous events, such as presentations, performances, or lectures given by organization members; notices of jobs available in the organization; profiles of new members, officers, or administrators; and important changes in relevant laws or regulations. Figure 8.1 shows an excerpt from a U.S. Department of Labor newsletter.

Growth People want to develop and grow. They want to learn new skills and assume new duties. People also want to work for an organization that is developing and growing. Your argument will be more persuasive if you can show how the recommended action will help an organization improve the quality of its products or services, branch out into new areas, or serve new customers and stakeholders. A brochure advertising a CPR certification course might emphasize the sense of empowerment that comes with the ability to assist loved ones in danger.

Connectedness People like to be part of communities, whether at work or at home. In the workplace, connectedness can take many forms, from working with others on project teams to participating in company sports leagues to helping improve the community. Organizations that encourage employees to connect with their peers through social media such as wikis, blogs, and discussion boards help satisfy this human need for community. A new trend in the working world is to encourage employees to spend weeks or even months of company time working on community educational or environmental projects. These projects not only improve the organization’s image but also help employees feel connected to the community.

Figure 8.2 shows an example of a program that takes advantage of people’s need for connectedness. Citizens Connect is a Boston-based initiative that enables city residents to download an app that lets them report infrastructure problems, such as graffiti or broken street lights.

In planning a persuasive document, you need to work within the constraints that shape your environment on the job. As a student, you routinely work within constraints: the amount of information you can gather for a paper, the required length and format, the due date, and so forth. On the job, you will face similar constraints, which fall into eight categories: ethical, legal, political, informational, personnel, financial, time, and format and tone.

Ethical Constraints Your greatest responsibility is to your own sense of what constitutes ethical behavior. Being asked to lie or mislead challenges your ethical standards directly, but in most cases you have options. Some organizations and professional communities have a published code of conduct. In addition, many large companies have ombudspersons: ethics officers who use mediation to help employees resolve ethical conflicts.

Legal Constraints You must abide by all applicable laws on labor practices, environmental issues, fair trade, consumer rights, and so forth. If you think you have been asked to do something that might be illegal, meet with your organization’s legal counsel and, if necessary, with attorneys outside the organization.

Political Constraints Don’t spend all your energy and credibility on a losing cause. If you know that your proposal would help the company but that management disagrees with you or that the company can’t afford to approve it, either consider what you might achieve through some other means or scale back the idea. Two big exceptions to this rule are matters of ethics and matters of safety. As discussed in Chapter 2, ethical and legal constraints might mean compromise is unacceptable.

Informational Constraints The most common informational constraint you might face is that you cannot get the information you need. You might want your organization to buy a piece of equipment, for example, but be unable to find unbiased evidence that would convince a skeptical reader.

What do you do? You tell the truth. Explain the situation, weighing the available evidence and carefully noting what is missing. If you unintentionally suggest that your evidence is better than it really is, you will lose your most important credential: your credibility.

Personnel Constraints The most typical personnel constraint you might face is a lack of access to as many collaborators as you need. In such cases, present a persuasive proposal to hire the personnel you need. However, don’t be surprised if you have to make do with fewer people than you want.

Financial Constraints Financial constraints are related to personnel constraints: if you had unlimited funds, you could hire all the personnel you need. But financial constraints can also affect other kinds of resources: you might not be able to print as many copies of a document as you want, or you might need to settle for black and white instead of full color.

Time Constraints Start by determining the document’s deadline. (Sometimes a document will have several intermediate deadlines.) Then create a schedule. Keep in mind that tasks almost always take longer than estimated. And when you collaborate, the number of potential problems increases, because when one person is delayed, others may lack the necessary information to proceed, causing a logjam.

Format and Tone Constraints You will also be expected to work within constraints on format and tone.