Graciella is making a persuasive complaint at work. Which of these sentences will be most effective in achieving her goal?

Question

Graciella is making a persuasive complaint at work. Which of these sentences will be most effective in achieving her goal?

1. If you can’t be bothered with maintaining our equipment in good working order, how can I be confident that you care about your employees?
2. I can’t be bothered filing repeated repair requests either. I have put up with a broken fax in Workroom 223 for three weeks, and I am just fed up with this waste of my time. Repair the fax or else!
3. Did you realize that Bill has still not fixed the fax in Workroom 223 despite the work request I completed two weeks ago? Make Bill fix it soon.
4. For the past two weeks, fax machine No. 223-51 has been unavailable to complete essential business for 25 of our employees due to incomplete service. Please ensure our equipment is repaired by Friday.

Answer

The most effective sentence for Graciella to use in making a persuasive complaint at work is: “For the past two weeks, fax machine No. 223- 51 has been unavailable to complete essential business for 25 of our employees due to incomplete service. Please ensure our equipment is repaired by Friday.”

Explanation

This question requires analyzing the effectiveness of different persuasive sentences in a workplace context. The goal is to identify which sentence most effectively communicates a complaint while persuading the recipient to take action.

1. The first sentence uses a rhetorical question and a personal statement to express dissatisfaction. It indirectly accuses the recipient of not caring about their employees, which could be seen as confrontational or accusatory.

2. The second sentence expresses frustration and ends with an ultimatum (“or else!”). This approach may be perceived as aggressive and may not foster a cooperative response.

3. The third sentence states a fact about the uncompleted work and names a specific person (Bill) responsible for the delay. It requests action but might be seen as shifting blame, which could create a defensive response.

4. The fourth sentence professionally states the problem, its duration, and its impact on a significant number of employees. It ends with a clear, polite request for action by a specific deadline.

Effective Persuasive Communication in the workplace often involves stating facts clearly, acknowledging the impact of the problem, and making a polite, specific request for resolution. The fourth sentence best fits these criteria. It avoids personal accusations, aggressive language, and blame-shifting, focusing instead on the issue and its resolution in a professional manner.