Write a rough draft of your Persuasive Message assignment, responding to the prompt below. At the top of your draft document, before your message headers, you should also include 1 – 2 sentences identifying the kinds of errors or issues you would like your reviewers to pay special attention to.
Solve a Problem at Work
Submit a short persuasive memo in which you propose a well-supported solution to a problem at a company or organization you work or volunteer for (or that you have worked or volunteered for in the past). Your message should be less than one page in length and should be addressed to someone with the ability to implement your solution.
Below are some suggested topics for your proposal. You could:
Propose a plan to decrease employee turnover
Convince your boss to adopt your plan to streamline / change a procedure
Persuade management to adopt your plan to boost employee / member morale
Argue for your plan to promote customer satisfaction
Justify a budget increase or suggest a cost-cutting measure
Promote an innovative business strategy or procedure
Convince management to start / continue with a worthwhile program
Assure the boss of the merits of a new venture or procedure they are dubious about
Your persuasive memo should:
Use standard memo formatting (meaning it should include To, From, Date, and Subject lines and exclude opening and concluding salutations)
Have an action-oriented subject line (that uses a polite question or command to either identify the reader’s problem / need or indicate the action you want the reader to take)
Follow class guidelines for persuasive messages (i.e. clearly identify a problem; state a solution; support that solution with logic and, if appropriate, additional persuasive appeals; and close with a call-to-action and tailored, personalized goodwill)
Reflect best practices for document design and, if appropriate, include graphics and/or data visualizations
Adhere to all four of the 4-C style guidelines
Also make sure that your memo is reader-focused. Use reader-focus to demonstrate your authority, motivate your reader to agree with your recommendation, and make next steps easy for your reader to take. You can accomplish these goals by:
Establishing specific, sincere common ground with your reader
Making your message easy to read and understand by organizing it to include specific headings and well-structured paragraphs
Connecting aspects of your recommendation to your reader’s priorities, thus showing how your ideas benefit your reader
Closing with a specific action step/call to action
Note: In addition to your memo, you may also include 2-4 sentences of background information on your problem, company / organization, and / or audience. This background information will not be graded nor will it count toward the one-page limit for this assignment.