Persuasion Persuasive Communication: Impression Management

Persuasion

Persuasive Communication: Impression Management and Active Listening

Achieving success in any aspect of life, whether it be professional, personal or social, is largely centered on the way that others perceive and respond to an individual. Namely, the impression that others possess of this individual will determine how effective he or she is in currying favor, commanding respect and even channeling authority. In all of these contexts, key features of the individual's communicative abilities will emerge as determinant with respect to the way that others respond. Whether in the act of persuasion or on the receiving end of an assertion, the individual in question must present himself in a way that appears as both receptive to messages being received and yet possessed in confidence in his own position that might be extended to those receiving the message in question.

Perhaps one of the most important communication strategies for functioning as a persuasive individual is the conscientious management of the way that others perceive you. Indeed, I have found in my own experiences as a communication professional that one must establish a firm basis of respect or at least of credibility such that message recipients feel accepting of messages that one has crafted and delivered. This denotes a strategy called impression management, which helps to create the groundwork for the ability to be seen as an authority on subjects, as one deserving of attention or respect and of one possessing a well-enough defined ethical compass so as to provide others with direction in this area.

According to that which we have learned to this point, impression management concerns the projection of an external self which in some manner is intended to represent an ideal self to others. This may or may not deviate from what one considers to be one's true self. More accurately, it can be described as a selective behavioral mode taken on in order to fit the expectations felt by those around us. It might be the instinctual self-preservation which inclines the individual toward codified behavior in the workplace or the social consideration of presenting one's self to a friend with politeness and empathy. Its phenomenological qualities extend from the often automatic inclination in individuals to self-govern for the purposes of social and relational management. With respect to using this in the formulation of a persuasive message, it becomes well-understood that the degree to which such impression management has been successful over the duration of a relationship or relationships will have a significant impact on the way that those relational partners receive such messages.

I can attest to the importance of this behavior from personal experience. Reflecting on my experiences in one workplace for instance, I can recall that it was my responsibility to uphold company policy as an assistant manager. This meant that the effectiveness of my efforts at persuasion would be a function of the degree to which my subordinates took me seriously. This is a status which I worked to achieve over time by approaching my authority with certain communicative tactics as a blueprint. For example, I found that it was of the utmost importance that I achieve a healthy balance between providing personnel with directives consistent with company policy and providing personnel with an access point to administration where any grievances or concerns might arise from these directives. Again, impression management is a skill that has allowed me to achieve this balance by appearing as one who is confident in the authority of company directives, even to the extent that this authority is not negatively impacted by a demonstrated receptiveness to personnel grievances. In other words, those to whom I intend to deliver a persuasive message must feel that I believe in the message that I am transmitting, but they must not feel that I have greater interest in the message then in their role as the recipient.

This can be a difficult balance to attain though. It proceeds from the view that persuasive communication is only partially defined by the delivery of a message. An equally significant part of this, at least when contextualized by interpersonal forms of communication, is the effectiveness with which one appears to have received communicated ideas and information from those who will receive the message in question. Indeed, the ability to establish trust through simultaneous communication and message reception is one of the most effective measurements of the success with which teams are built. Thus, trust earns a central role in our discussion regarding this process of actively listening. For participants on either the transmitting or receiving side, the establishment of trust through open, honest and direct communication will contribute to a positive pattern of active listening. For me personally, this is the most important part of working on my skills as an active listener.

A crucial technique is establishing trust by facilitating a relationship with a communicational partner -- whether it be a friend, an instructor or an acquaintance in future professional dealings -- where I am comfortable with the individual's entitlement to be in communication of the specific information offered. This is to note that active listening rests with my capacity to demonstrate that I appreciate trustworthy characteristics in those with whom I may engage communicatively and to reflect the same. Where these characteristics may be observed, my discursive partner is likely to emerge from initiation of engagement -- in the short-term of a one-time interaction or in the long-term of sustained partnership or friendship -- with a sense that I am qualified to offer valuable insight, information, data, concept, input or even validation. The belief of the presence of such virtues will promote an assumed value or veracity in communicated messages that bears direct correlation to the extent to which active listening becomes an instinctual approach to engagement.