1 Which of these words describe the man in the picture and his ideal customer?
| crafty credulous cunning devious gullible ingenious naive shrewd trusting unsuspecting |
Possible answers
The man in the picture: ingenious (p), shrewd (p), crafty (n), cunning (n), devious (n) The customer: gullible (n), naive (n), trusting (p), unsuspecting (n), credulous (n)
2 3.2 Listen to some experts discussing techniques for persuading people. Make notes about what each involves.
1 ‘Yes questions’
2 The scarcity principle
3 Framing
4 Reciprocation
5 Social proof
Answers
Students’ own answers
'Yes questions' is asking a series of questions where the answer is intended to be 'Yes' to encourage the customer to agree with the salesperson. 'The scarcity principle' is a way of making the customer believe that there is not enough of a product allowing salespeople to sell it more quickly, for a higher price, or both. 'Framing' involves the sales person putting the customer in a particular context, such as imagining they are happy in a new home. Then they are selling both a home and happiness. 'Reciprocation' is when each side gives the other something, such as giving a potential customer a gift is more likely to make them want to buy as they feel they have something already. 'Social proof' is when a product seems more attractive because many other people are buying it, too.
3 3.2 Study Active Listening. Then listen again and choose the correct answers.
1 What is Lama’s attitude towards the salesperson described by the interviewer?
a horrified b admiring c smart
2 How did Adnan describe the salesperson’s techniques?
a ethical b effortless c devious
3 How did the interviewer feel about her brother when they were young?
a envious b bewildered c loving
4 What is the interviewer’s reaction to learning about the impact of leaving sweets with the bill?
a livid b unsurprised c taken aback
5 What does Adnan imply about the interviewer and her orange coat?
a She made a mistake.
b She was a bit naive.
c She didn’t want it.
Answers
1 c 2 c 3 a 4 c 5 b
|
ACTIVE LISTENING| Inferring meaning, opinion and attitude An inference is an idea or a conclusion based on evidence. While listening, consider: • the words the speaker uses: do they have a positive or a negative connotation? • what you already know about the topic and about the speaker’s attitude. |
4 All the words and phrases in the box are synonyms for the verb persuade. Answer the questions below. Use a dictionary if necessary.
| cajole coax coerce convince entice incite pressure sway urge |
1 Divide the words into three categories:
a strong persuasion without much choice
b persuading by being extra nice
c neutral
2 Which word has the sense of tempting someone to do something?
3 Which word has the sense of persuading people to choose between two things?
4 Which word has the sense of persuading someone to do something violent or unpleasant?
5 Divide the words into three categories according to their possible verb patterns.
a............................someone to do something and.....................someone into doing something
b............................someone to do something
c............................someone into doing something
Answers
1
a strong persuasion without much choice: coerce, incite, pressure, urge
b persuading by being extra nice: cajole, coax, entice
c neutral: convince, sway
2 entice
3 sway
4 incite
5
a coax, entice, pressure, urge someone to do something / someone into doing something
b convince, entice, incite, urge someone to do something
c cajole, coerce, pressure, sway someone into doing something
5 Complete the second sentence using the word in bold so that it means the same as the fi rst one. Then, in pairs, discuss any difference in meaning.
1 She convinced the child to clean her teeth.
COAX
She.........................................
2 The company encouraged her to leave her job with promises of a better salary.
ENTICE
They.........................................
3 She persuaded us to work late.
CAJOLE
She..........................................
4 She pressured the team into taking responsibility.
URGE
She...........................................
5 He tried to coerce his brother into doing it.
INCITE
He.........................................
Answers
1 She coaxed the child to clean/into cleaning her teeth.
2 They enticed her away from/to leave/into leaving her job with promises of a better salary.
3 She cajoled us into working late.
4 She urged the team to take/into taking responsibility.
5 He tried to incite his brother to do it.
