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Institution

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Persuasion in Films

Effective and Ethical communication

The Pursuit of Happyness is a movie about a man by the name Chris Gardner who goes out of his way to make sure his family is taken care of and that he makes ends meet. The story begins with this character using all the family savings to purchase bone density machines to sell for profit. Although he does not succeed in the business and the machines do not sell too well, this chosen activity required him to employ effective communication techniques and master the art of persuasion. The business, as mentioned, does not go well, and he ends up losing his wife and everything he owns. However, his interpersonal skills, including communication, help him navigate his hard life until he eventually manages a lucrative job. Chris Gardner is appropriate for the analysis in this paper because he is the story’s protagonist and requires the use of effective communication to navigate the hardships he encounters.

Watching Chris Gardner, the critical role of effective communication is brought into perspective. There are various scenes in the movie that show effective and ineffective communication. Ineffective communication happens during interchanges between Chris and his wife. Ineffective communication, especially in intimate relationships such as marriage, happens when one party uses specific “you” language. Chris’ wife is also using words like “you should,” “You are not,” “you have to,” which are directive statements that pass judgment or command a person in a manner that makes them feel small and inadequate (Martin, 2017). When such words are used, the feelings of resentment are evoked, and the other person becomes defensive. Chris, however, is a patient man that appears to accept that he needs to do better for his family despite doing a lot. He only takes offense on a few instances and lashes out. Chris is likely prompted to use the “no” because of the nature of language his wife uses, but instead, he remains cool, and conflict arises only on few occasions.

Chris, on his part, looks to better his life, meet his obligations as a family man and take care of his wife and child. Living without goals is like flying a kite that is not attached to a string. Although the betterment of his life and that of his family takes precedent even if he does not mention it, Chris is initially focused on succeeding as a sale person. He committing all his savings to the purchase of these machines indicates his hopes in the venture. Eventually, he realizes that the venture was a mistake, and his goals take a new shape. Chris cannot be termed a poor communicator, but the type of sales method he picks appears somewhat outdated and does not help him improve his currents situation. Rather it was sending his down the path of failure. It is obvious that Chris has no immediate plan to augment his failing business, but when he encounters Jay Twistle, the rich stockbroker, he immediately sets his mind to living kike he does. Before that, he sees all these people rushing through the streets wearing official clothing and appearing that they have little financial concerns. He is not aware then what these people do and when he meets Twistle is when he understands that most of them were brokers. His focus now is succeeding in this new path no matter what it takes, including starting from the bottom as an intern. Linda does not understand how becoming an intern is not a downgrade from a sales venture. He believes in his brilliant mind and interpersonal skills to succeed in this new field.

His work as an independent salesman requires him to employ excellent communication skills to persuade his customers, who are mostly doctors. He needs to be extra persuasive because the merchandise he is selling is expensive and not primarily important for the doctors because they already have cheaper alternatives such as x-ray machines. His sales plan fails not because he is not able to present himself and his idea but because the commodity he is selling is rather expensive and unnecessary. The failure of his business can only be traced to the beginning, where he chose the wrong kind of venture or invested in the wrong commodity in terms of demand.

Chris has no trouble speaking. He is eloquent and effectively describes his machine to the client, avoiding confusion considering the commodity is new, and not many are familiar with it. Also, he understands the usefulness of nonverbal communication. He usually shakes the hands of his clients as a form of greeting, and every time he is parting ways with them. Shaking the hands of his clients and the likes of Twitle firmly and in a formal manner is part of the acceptable communication principles that align with the professional code of conduct or code of ethics (Wood, 2015). He manages to hold himself together and manages a smile even when things are falling apart, and his only hope is in selling one of the machines.

In all areas of Chris’s professional life, from a salesperson to a stoke broker requires him to engage in optimal person-to-person interactions so that his goals can be achieved. His communication is ethical as it is based on clear business values such as honesty, conciseness, and responsibility for words and actions that result from these words. When Chris is late for his interview at the brokerage firm and is not dressed in an appropriate manner, he explains himself truthfully and with confidence that the panel allows him to participate in their recruitment process. Chris understands that his thoughts must be conveyed and expressed in an effective manner because the consequences that may potentially arise are based on the way the information is communicated.

Honesty is the main principle of ethical communication (Pearson, 2017). Chris presents information in a manner that is reliable and as factual as possible. Considering that he is not a health professional, he does an excellent job explaining his machine to his clients. It is evident that the doctors are not yet familiar with the machine, which from the way Chris does his presentation and how the doctors respond, suggests that it might be a novel idea. Although there may be a chance to exaggerate and make sales as most salespeople do, Chris remains transparent and open. As mentioned, truthfulness and honesty are the core of ethical communication.

However, the scene at Mr. Twitles houses shows Chris trying to fit in with the wealthy man when he talks about going together to the game with both their cars. Although Chris does not say it himself that he has a car, he does not correct Twitle when he suggests they go together in both their cars. According to the principles of ethical communication, speaking the 99 percent of truth in a matter while even a simple fact is left out, the communication cannot be considered ethical. Intentionally omitting a certain detail as Chris does may change how the listener, Mr. Twitle, perceives him and may create doubt in his mind when he talks about things that are 100 percent factual and honest. Ethical communication, in this case, works to eliminate misunderstandings or cases of miscommunication. So, Chris fails by supporting misunderstandings by creating the impression that he has a car when he does not.

However, virtue ethical theory explains why the audience will not be quick to judge the action of Chris as unethical in this case. The theory suggests that a person is judged by his/her character and not by an action that makes him deviate from this character (Filip et al. 2016). Chris needs the opportunity Mr. Twittle offers, and when he assumes, Chris has a car, the morals, reputation, and motivation for withholding this information is taken into account before judging him for unethical behavior. In this case, Chris is motivated by his desire to get Twitle to have him on his team. His intentions somewhat justify his means, and his reputation through the film as an honorable man makes the scene humorous as Christopher Jr., his son, openly corrects that they do not have a car. Instead of the audience passing judgment on Chris, they wish Christopher Jr. would keep his mouth shut lest he ruins his father’s chances of a great opportunity. Although this theory does not take into consideration the change in a person’s moral character, the issue concern does not apply to Chris’s case because he remains the decent man he is from the beginning.

Verbal and nonverbal communication are important elements of an individual’s life, as it is the core component of meaningful interactions. Communication plays an important role in The Pursuit of Happyness as Chris Gardner; the salesman requires it to make sales and present his case as a good intern for a brokerage firm. In addition to being an effective communicator that knows how to employ both verbal and non-verbal elements of communication correctly, Chris Gardner is an ethical man. He has every attribute of ethical communication, most importantly, honesty, transparency, and conciseness. When it happens that he deviates from the principles of ethical communication, his intentions are backed by the virtue ethical theory.

References

Filip, I., Saheba, N., Wick, B., & Amir Radfar, M. D. (2016). Morality and ethical theories in the context of human behavior. Ethics & Medicine, 32(2), 83.

Martin, J. (2017). Ethical communication in a retail banking call center sales position. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 22(S7), 1.

Pearson, R. (2017). Business ethics as communication ethics: Public relations practice and the idea of dialogue. In Public relations theory (pp. 111-131). Routledge.

Wood, J. T. (2015). Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters. Nelson Education.