Behavioral assessment of persuasion: argumentative and rhetorical skills

The ability to persuade others is important for anyone in any position. This research is organized into two studies. Study 1 reviews relevant literature and specifies persuasion as argumentation and rhetoric. It then investigated the relationships among five components of these two skills assessed with a behavioral observation method to ascertain the convergent and discriminant validity of the measure. Responses of 214 men and women in a large steel company in Iran who were being screened into positions in expert non-managerial roles were analyzed. Results showed evidence that argumentation and rhetoric are distinguishable skills with no male/female differences and evidence of reliability and construct validity. Study 2 found that rhetoric, but not argumentation, was related to ratings of the current job performance of 54 male managers being considered for promotion. Implications of the results for the theory of persuasion, organizational practices, and future research are discussed.