Johann Von Goethe said, “Oral delivery aims at persuasion and making the listener believe they are converted. Few persons are capable of being convinced; the majority allow themselves to be persuaded.” From this perspective, one can deduce it is essential to master speaking skills in order to persuade and communicate a powerful message. In today’s world, where television and the Internet instantaneously relay information, image can strengthen or destroy a message. Mastering the art of verbal and nonverbal communication is a challenge that we all need to learn, politicians especially.
In her article “Nonverbal communication as a persuasion tool: Current status and future directions,” Maria Kopacz (2006) hypothesizes non-verbal communication plays a role more important than previously estimated in voters’ decision-making during political campaigns. She points to the significance television takes in relaying information and portraying candidates, whose image and personality weight now as much as political issues in the public’s perception. This tendency seems particularly relevant in uninformed or disinterested voters.
In light of this hypothesis, Maria Kopacz (2006) explains that research on the subject will provide insight to a new generation of political candidates, especially female and minority candidates. She adds that television is, until now, the primary media used by the public, and as such, exerts great power on other media.
Theories relating to nonverbal behavior and electoral choice suggest that an individual’s support for a specific candidate is influenced by the candidate’s media exposure, the individual’s affective relationship and identification to the candidate, and the individual perception of the candidate’s dominance (Maria Kopacz, 2006). Referring to the Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion (ELM) framework, the author proposes that information can be processed via a central route, where the individual perceives the argument and forms a judgment on the politician. She also suggests that information can be processed peripherally, with senses and cues determining the perception of a candidate’s status, his credibility, ultimately shaping the choice of candidate.
Maria Kopacz (2006) relates her framework to other theories conceptualizing that facial expression, physical appearance, paralanguage, visual focus or gaze of a candidate may impact a voter’s decision based on affective process. Kopacz later points to potential future research experiments involving voter’s attitudes towards specific verbal and non-verbal stimuli, or the information processing of preconceived arguments. Kopacz concludes that her theory sought to complement previous research.
Maria Kopacz states that nonverbal behaviors, such as a speaker’s elocution or physical appearance, may influence an individual’s perception toward competence and trustworthiness. When I previously worked in a sleep disorders clinic, I noticed patients were impressed by the physician’s tenure, his authority and expertise expressed through his voice and body posture. As a result, patients view the physician as extremely competent and felt they would be well cared for.
I agree with Maria Kopacz who mentions that unfamiliar or unmotivated voters may turn to the candidate’s appeal to make their choice. This proved very true in the 2001 and 2004 presidential campaign during which Al Gore’s and John Kerry’s controlled postures did not convince voters as much as George Busch’s jovial tenure. I disagree with the fact that women’s physical appearance and vocal pitch may create bias assessments, which in turn, influence the competence and leadership ratings of female candidates. Karen Breslau reports in Newsweek’s current issue that “new research shows that voters give female governors significantly higher marks than their male counterparts on such qualities as honesty, cooperation and caring—as well as toughness.” (2007, p. 66)
Maria Kopacz’s article brought to my attention that judgment and attitude formation can come from a central route where the individual evaluates and processes information, or from a peripheral route where emotions affect the person’s attitude. I define persuasion as the art of encoding and delivering a similar message from a peripheral and direct route in order to influence an individual’s behavior and create a response. Since nonverbal communication accounts for more than 70 % of the message, I consider peripheral cues as a determinant factor in convincing an individual of an argument or actuate a specific action. In that respect, my definition quantifies the importance of nonverbal communication in the persuasion.
In my previous work setting, the employees seemed to respond to the information-integration theory. For example, the company was concerned with achieving the best quality care in sleep medicine, but some employees maintained unorganized and untidy work areas. Our manager explained to them, in a serious and attentive manner, that an excellent first impression was important in pursuing excellence. He, himself, set an example by cleaning up his office, and as a result of his argument and behavior, employees were more diligent in straightening up their office.
In the future, I will use my voice and body posture to reinforce the persuasive message so that I am more effective in communicating and achieving desired outcomes. I will also determine if the information delivered supports or refutes previous beliefs in my audience and how much critical thinking goes into my audience’s perception of my message.
To be a successful leader in the 21st century, I realize projecting a powerful image is very important. Persuading an audience is not just about a message but the way it is transmitted. I also think it is important to analyze how an audience perceives a message and to realize that new media, such as YouTube, will soon have an enormous impact.
References
Breslau, K. (2007, October 15). Now this is woman’s work. Newsweek, 66.
Kopacz, M. (2006). Nonverbal communication as a persuasion tool: Current status and future directions. Rocky Mountain Communication Review, 3(1), 1-19.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Managing and motivating: a balancing act!
Motivation is considered a key element in achieving success. When combined with abilities in a stimulating environment, motivation can propel a person to attain professional goals. In a company, motivation is essential to effective productivity and competitiveness. A recent article (Ken Shah & Param Shah, n.d.) describes motivation as inspiring people to work and generate the best possible results. The authors consider motivation as the most important mission for managers who must adopt a certain set of attitude to positively influence their employees’ behavior.
Motivation can be categorized according to the following criteria: achievement, affiliation, competence, power, attitude, incentive, and fear (Ken Shah & Param Shah, n.d.). The authors state that motivation differs from satisfaction, inspiration, and manipulation. They also acknowledge various motivational theories and address, for some, their limits. Among others: Jeremy Bentham’s “carrot and stick” based on reward and punishment might lead to defensive and unproductive behavior; Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, based on physiological, security, social, esteem, and self-actualization (achieving one’s potential and self-fulfillment) has not been proven; Douglas McGregor’s X theory –employees dislike work, avoid responsibilities, and respond to authority—and Y theory –employees engage in work, have self control and self-direction, and participate— has been criticized; Frederick Herzberg’s motivation and hygiene theory –satisfaction is essential to motivation--; Elton Mayo’s need theory with the “Hawthorne Experiments”– group belonging, recognition, and influence--; David McClelland’s need theory –power, affiliation, and achievement--.
Ken Shah and Param Shah conclude with some management recommendations: be friendly to employees, think like a winner, understand employees’ different mindsets, and set achievable goals.
Ken Shah and Param Shah assert “to motivate others is the most important of management tasks.” In my previous work experience, our manager considered excellence a strategic component to differentiate the company from its competitors. As a result, he encouraged employees to perform to the best of their ability and to show a commitment to providing excellent service. By empowering employees, our manager gave them the drive to make the company successful.
The authors portray motivation as a will to inspire others to perform and achieve the best possible results (Shah & Shah, n.d.). This concept seems quite relevant. American culture is based on this concept. It values achievement and success as essential elements in the search for happiness and self-fulfillment. This is achieved through motivation. From early on, American children are encouraged to foster their strengths, all the way to upper education, and later in the workplace. This translates into a confident and driven society, ready to take on major challenges throughout the world.
I disagree with the concept advanced by Ken Shah and Param Shah that “motivation is a personal trait”. In some situations, the environment might also be important in determining the motivational level. For example, if an employee is in a conducive workplace, where financial or promotional rewards are used as incentives, he or she will be inspired to better perform.
This article enlightened me on the fact that there are several types of motivation based on the following criteria: achievement, affiliation, competence, power, attitude, incentive and fear. This helped me to refine my definition of motivation. I consider motivation a combination of self -determination and external drive to achieve a result. The internal component is based on the person’s genuine character and features and the assimilation of past experiences that have shaped his/her approach to being motivated. The external drive refers to the environment surrounding the motivational event and its impact on the person. I also differentiate between short and long term motivation.
In my previous work setting, the manager used the need for self-actualization conceptualized by Abraham Mallow, presented in Ken Shah & Param Shah’s article. My manager felt that employees were committed to achieve self-fulfillment. He also used achievement and competence methods of motivation. These methods were generally well received, because upon hiring, my manager would seek candidates who were receptive to those methods. The company organizational model was based on a mix of traditional and human resources.
I will now consider motivation as a key element into determining and implementing a successful communication strategy. If I were still working in my previous company, I would for example emphasize even more participation and feedback from the employees and encourage informal communication. In the future, I will determine the type of organizational model the company utilizes and how employees receive and perceive information. I will then access which factors motivate them to act and communicate accordingly.
It is important to correlate rapidity, efficiency, and motivation to be a successful leader in the 21st century and stay competitive in a global market. Multiunit organizations made of separate businesses or virtual organizations composed of various teams have to rely on effective motivation through opened and participative communication. The challenge for a communication leader is to correctly motivate in a high technology context where employees might never meet each other.
Global and multi-cultural organizations have to take into account how a culture will react to a particular motivational style. For example, the traditional achievement motivation model found in Japanese companies might not prove as successful in African countries. Therefore, to be an effective global leader and motivate, one has to foresee employees’ perceptions and its implication on the company’s success. This is especially important when relying on the fear motivation approach. It might ultimately alienate employees instead of motivate them.
Although I consider fear motivation detrimental if overused as the primary approach, the protection motivation theory (Welbourne, 1995) might prove necessary in certain situations. For example, health and safety issues or rapid unfolding events need a swift and profound reaction. To provoke action and reaction, fear motivation might be needed. This type of motivational approach should, however, be carefully weight to meet the needs of the environment and workplace culture.
References
Shah, K. & Shaw, P. (n.d.) Motivation. Retrieved October 2, 2007, from http://www.laynetworks.com/Motivation.html
Welboune. T. (1995). Fear: The misunderstood component of organizational transformation. Human Resource Planning, 18(1), 30-37
Motivation can be categorized according to the following criteria: achievement, affiliation, competence, power, attitude, incentive, and fear (Ken Shah & Param Shah, n.d.). The authors state that motivation differs from satisfaction, inspiration, and manipulation. They also acknowledge various motivational theories and address, for some, their limits. Among others: Jeremy Bentham’s “carrot and stick” based on reward and punishment might lead to defensive and unproductive behavior; Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, based on physiological, security, social, esteem, and self-actualization (achieving one’s potential and self-fulfillment) has not been proven; Douglas McGregor’s X theory –employees dislike work, avoid responsibilities, and respond to authority—and Y theory –employees engage in work, have self control and self-direction, and participate— has been criticized; Frederick Herzberg’s motivation and hygiene theory –satisfaction is essential to motivation--; Elton Mayo’s need theory with the “Hawthorne Experiments”– group belonging, recognition, and influence--; David McClelland’s need theory –power, affiliation, and achievement--.
Ken Shah and Param Shah conclude with some management recommendations: be friendly to employees, think like a winner, understand employees’ different mindsets, and set achievable goals.
Ken Shah and Param Shah assert “to motivate others is the most important of management tasks.” In my previous work experience, our manager considered excellence a strategic component to differentiate the company from its competitors. As a result, he encouraged employees to perform to the best of their ability and to show a commitment to providing excellent service. By empowering employees, our manager gave them the drive to make the company successful.
The authors portray motivation as a will to inspire others to perform and achieve the best possible results (Shah & Shah, n.d.). This concept seems quite relevant. American culture is based on this concept. It values achievement and success as essential elements in the search for happiness and self-fulfillment. This is achieved through motivation. From early on, American children are encouraged to foster their strengths, all the way to upper education, and later in the workplace. This translates into a confident and driven society, ready to take on major challenges throughout the world.
I disagree with the concept advanced by Ken Shah and Param Shah that “motivation is a personal trait”. In some situations, the environment might also be important in determining the motivational level. For example, if an employee is in a conducive workplace, where financial or promotional rewards are used as incentives, he or she will be inspired to better perform.
This article enlightened me on the fact that there are several types of motivation based on the following criteria: achievement, affiliation, competence, power, attitude, incentive and fear. This helped me to refine my definition of motivation. I consider motivation a combination of self -determination and external drive to achieve a result. The internal component is based on the person’s genuine character and features and the assimilation of past experiences that have shaped his/her approach to being motivated. The external drive refers to the environment surrounding the motivational event and its impact on the person. I also differentiate between short and long term motivation.
In my previous work setting, the manager used the need for self-actualization conceptualized by Abraham Mallow, presented in Ken Shah & Param Shah’s article. My manager felt that employees were committed to achieve self-fulfillment. He also used achievement and competence methods of motivation. These methods were generally well received, because upon hiring, my manager would seek candidates who were receptive to those methods. The company organizational model was based on a mix of traditional and human resources.
I will now consider motivation as a key element into determining and implementing a successful communication strategy. If I were still working in my previous company, I would for example emphasize even more participation and feedback from the employees and encourage informal communication. In the future, I will determine the type of organizational model the company utilizes and how employees receive and perceive information. I will then access which factors motivate them to act and communicate accordingly.
It is important to correlate rapidity, efficiency, and motivation to be a successful leader in the 21st century and stay competitive in a global market. Multiunit organizations made of separate businesses or virtual organizations composed of various teams have to rely on effective motivation through opened and participative communication. The challenge for a communication leader is to correctly motivate in a high technology context where employees might never meet each other.
Global and multi-cultural organizations have to take into account how a culture will react to a particular motivational style. For example, the traditional achievement motivation model found in Japanese companies might not prove as successful in African countries. Therefore, to be an effective global leader and motivate, one has to foresee employees’ perceptions and its implication on the company’s success. This is especially important when relying on the fear motivation approach. It might ultimately alienate employees instead of motivate them.
Although I consider fear motivation detrimental if overused as the primary approach, the protection motivation theory (Welbourne, 1995) might prove necessary in certain situations. For example, health and safety issues or rapid unfolding events need a swift and profound reaction. To provoke action and reaction, fear motivation might be needed. This type of motivational approach should, however, be carefully weight to meet the needs of the environment and workplace culture.
References
Shah, K. & Shaw, P. (n.d.) Motivation. Retrieved October 2, 2007, from http://www.laynetworks.com/Motivation.html
Welboune. T. (1995). Fear: The misunderstood component of organizational transformation. Human Resource Planning, 18(1), 30-37
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