A study on the persuasive message types of Korean college students

Lee, Hee-young

Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communication

The Graduate School of Hanyang University

The purpose of this research is to testify the relevance and adaptability of the compliance-gaining model in the Korean context, which has been developed in the area of interpersonal persuasive communication in USA.

This research assumes that interpersonal communication in Korea would be different that in USA, because of gaps of socio-cultural backgrounds.

It will explore three areas of inquiry. The first is to explore a wide range of types of persuasive message which Korea college student use. The second is to identify the ways in which Korea college students select persuasive message, depending upon the social status, intimacy and the size of request. The third is concerned with interactive effects out of these variables.

The research findings demonstrate that there are twelve types of persuasive message. that is to say, an intimate atmosphere, general and specific reasons of request, understanding of the target, the accept of the target's capability, reducing a burden on a target, reward, excuse, gratitude, repetition, emphasis, direct and indirect request.

Korea college students tend to select persuasive message strategies, considering the social status of a target. They seem to offer various reasons of request, if the social status of a target is high. They are less likely to make an intimate atmosphere, if the social status of a target is equal to an agent. With reference to intimacy, they attempt to make more intimate atmosphere and to often offer general reasons of request, if they are distanced. Korean students use persuasive message types such as emphasis and repetition, if the size of request is high. In contrast, they are inclined to use strategies of reducing a burden on a target and general reasons of request, if the size of request is low.

Following the preceding analysis on Korean students' persuasive message strategies, we can draw some implications '. Fist of all, it can be said that the difference of interpersonal communication is mainly attributed to socio-cultural one. Secondly, Korean students tend to take into consideration the circumstance of a target, while Americans seem to communicate with a target, relying on the exchange relation. Finally, it is suggested that both the intimacy and the social status are quite significant factors in the process of interpersonal communication in Korea.