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Microsoft’s Big Decision

In early 2019, Microsoft found itself falling behind in artificial intelligence. Its internal tools couldn’t compete with emerging innovations from smaller players—especially a nonprofit lab called OpenAI. After testing OpenAI’s models and benchmarking them against in-house efforts, Microsoft made a bold decision. Rather than build or buy, they partnered.

They carefully evaluated four paths: keep building, acquire another company, partner with OpenAI, or do nothing. Using a structured analysis based on speed to market, strategic fit with Azure, technical capability, and risk, Microsoft chose to invest a whopping $1 billion in OpenAI in July 2019. Over the next four years, they deepened the partnership, ultimately investing over $10 billion by 2023.

This structured, careful decision paid off: Microsoft leapfrogged competitors, integrated GPT models into Office products, and saw its market cap soar.

In business, your message can inform, persuade, or recommend. But if you choose the wrong strategy, even great ideas won’t land. Knowing your purpose—and your audience’s needs—is the key to being clear, credible, and effective.

• Inform others clearly, concisely, and objectively
• Persuade others using trust, emotion, and logic
• Recommend credible business solutions based on evidence and structure

1. Inform: Communicate Clearly, Concisely, and Objectively

When your audience needs to understand something—data, updates, policies—you’re informing. Be neutral, factual, and specific. Avoid loaded language or framing that pushes an agenda.

• Use plain language and audience-focused explanations.
• Provide context ("To put that in perspective…").
• Simplify complex numbers with analogies. Ask AI to create a helpful analogy for your specific audience.

Stanford business professor and author Chip Heath, in his book Making Numbers Count, encourages communicators to “translate everything.” When sharing numbers, look for ways to say, “That means…” or “Think of it this way…” so your audience stays grounded in meaning, not math.

When You Deliver Bad News

Delivering bad news is one of the hardest tasks in professional communication. It’s uncomfortable. Employees often fear hurting someone’s feelings or sounding cold—and sometimes delay or sugarcoat the message so much that it causes more confusion or stress.

Here are some guidelines to help:

• Be direct—but respectful. Don’t hide the bad news behind vague language. Use a clear subject line or opening sentence.
• Use the right tone. Avoid over-apologizing or sounding overly casual. Aim for empathy and professionalism.
• Choose your medium wisely. Sensitive or high-impact news should not be delivered over Slack or text. Often, a short meeting or phone call is best.

To a customer: “We’re reaching out to let you know that your delivery, originally scheduled for Friday, will now arrive Monday due to unexpected supply chain disruptions. We understand this delay may cause inconvenience, and we’re working to ensure timely service going forward. Thank you for your patience.”

To a vendor: “After a thorough review of our vendor partnerships, we’ve decided not to renew our contract at the end of this quarter. We appreciate your partnership and thank you for your work with us this year. Please feel free to reach out if you need transition assistance.”

Bad news handled well builds trust and relationships—even when it’s difficult.

Like Microsoft did when evaluating OpenAI’s performance, informing begins with clearly presenting data, context, and comparisons–without pushing an agenda. The goal is clarity, not influence.

Once the audience understands the information, your next goal may be to move them toward an agreement or action. That’s where persuasion begins.

2. Persuade: Use Emotion, Credibility, and Logic

Just as Microsoft had to persuade internal stakeholders to pursue a bold new partnership, you’ll often need to win support for a single idea. To do that effectively, construct persuasive messages that rely on three tools: emotion, credibility, and logic.

To persuade effectively, use:

• Pathos (emotion): Connect through stories, tone, and visual design. Harvard researcher Jennifer S. Lerner and her colleagues demonstrated that although we think we make rational decisions, most of us evaluate alternatives with our gut and emotions.
• Ethos (credibility): Although audiences generally decide based on pathos, the persuasion becomes stronger with ethos, which uses trustworthy information to persuade.Show your own expertise and cite trustworthy sources.
• Logos (logic): Provide clear reasoning and relevant evidence to support your argument, but beware common logical fallacies.

Knowing the tools—emotion, credibility, and logic—isn’t enough. To persuade effectively, you need to use them together. Emotion grabs attention and motivates action. Credibility builds trust. Logic justifies the decision. On their own, each tool falls short—but combined, they reinforce one another. The most compelling messages don’t just appeal to the head or the heart—they do both, and they do it from a trustworthy source.

That balance matters because, in reality, we don’t make decisions the way we think we do.

We like to believe we’re logical creatures, carefully weighing facts and making reasoned choices. But research—and experience—tell a different story: our guts often make the call before our brains catch up. A persuasive message might include airtight reasoning, but if it doesn’t feel right—or come from someone we trust—it’s unlikely to land. The most effective communicators design their messages to resonate emotionally, hold up logically, and come from a credible place.

Use the examples below to see how persuasive messages work best when they blend emotion, credibility, and logic—not rely on just one. Notice how each element plays a different role in strengthening the message.

Scenario	Emotion (Pathos)	Credibility (Ethos)	Logic (Logos)	Why It Works
Convincing your team to adopt a new software tool	“We’ve all been frustrated by how long it takes to track project updates.”	“I’ve tested this tool for a month and reviewed peer feedback from other teams.”	“It cuts reporting time by 40% and integrates with our current systems.”	Opens with a relatable frustration, builds trust through experience, and ends with numbers that prove value.
Asking for approval to attend a professional conference	“I’ve been looking for ways to reenergize after a tough quarter—I think this could be a real boost.”	“It’s hosted by the industry’s top thought leaders and endorsed by our partners at Deloitte.”	“Sessions directly align with our team’s Q3 goals, and I can share takeaways in a lunch-and-learn.”	Emotion shows personal motivation, credibility adds weight, and logic ties to team outcomes.
Encouraging a client to renew their contract	“We’ve built something great together—it’s exciting to think about what’s next.”	“Our team delivered all milestones on time, and your customer satisfaction score is 98%.”	“Renewal locks in your current rate before the upcoming pricing update.”	Taps into positive emotion, backs it with facts, and offers a time-sensitive financial benefit.
Recommending a return-to-office plan	“Many team members have said they miss spontaneous hallway conversations and feeling more connected.”	“The proposed plan follows both CDC guidance and best practices from Fortune 500 companies.”	“A hybrid model balances flexibility with collaboration, and improves onboarding for new hires.”	Leverages emotion and credibility, and wraps up with logic that balances people and productivity.

Blending emotion, credibility, and logic makes persuasion powerful—but power comes with responsibility. The same tools that build trust and inspire action can also be misused to manipulate or mislead. A story can stir emotion without offering facts. A confident tone can fake credibility. A flawed argument can sound logical if dressed up with jargon or data. That’s why effective communicators don’t just use these tools—they also watch for misuse, in their own messages and others’.

Watch for manipulation: Persuasion isn’t about pressure—it’s about alignment.

To be truly persuasive—and ethical—you must recognize the difference between influence and manipulation. That starts with learning how to spot common logical fallacies and credibility tricks that make bad ideas sound good.

Persuasion helps your audience see and agree with your ideas. But persuasive messages typically present one proposed solution. When multiple viable options exist—and a decision must be made—recommendation becomes the better strategy. Recommendation guides your audience through a structured comparison and leads them to the best choice through structured analysis.

When persuading, avoid logical fallacies that can compromise your credibility with your audiences. A few common fallacies are listed below:

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