Peter B. Ultimate

Canada is often described as a multicultural nation. But what does that mean? Simply stated, it means that Canadians are not of any one cultural background, race or heritage. Instead, Canadians today reflect a vast diversity of cultural heritages and racial groups. This multicultural diversity is a result of centuries of immigration.

All Canadians, including the Native People, can trace their origins to an immigrant past. This does not mean that the majority of Canadians are immigrants. Far from it. Only about 16% of today’s Canadian citizens were born outside Canada. Nor does this mean that anyone who wants to immigrate to Canada may do so. Immigration to Canada is a privilege, not a right. Canada remains selective about who may enter and, equally important, who may not.

Over the years, attitudes toward immigration and the development of immigration policies have evolved, reflecting economic, political and social issues in our country. Recently, the federal government has announced changes that will both decrease the number of immigrants allowed into Canada and make it more difficult for people in Canada, Canadian born and immigrants alike, to bring family to Canada from abroad.

It’s has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. If you’re trying to make a case to a potential client or possible investor, you need to deliver the message in a way that the audience will quickly understand it, believe in it and act upon it in the way you intended. It’s important to illustrate your concept as a visual picture, which is one of the best persuasive techniques you can use. This method of communicating with your clients can be called “persuasive communications,” and it is one of the most powerful and effective ways to move someone from point A to point B.

The first step in the “equation of persuasion” is making sure your listening audience retains the information you want them to walk away with. Studies show that retention rates are much higher when you combine the audio and visual components together as one unit. Let’s assume you’re an entrepreneur making a presentation to a group of prospective capital investors. As an entrepreneur, you’re a born risk-taker; don’t take a risk, though, when you have a limited amount of time and attention with your prospective capital investors. Instead, take a calculated risk by preparing a compelling visual story that is simple but clear and, most of all, persuasive.

You must be confident and ready to lead them into a story they will never forget and will therefore have no doubts or hesitation about providing the capital backing you seek to pursue your dreams.

Being persuasive takes talent and creative forethought. It must involve complete integrity and respect toward the audience you’re reaching out to as well as the factual information to which you’re applying persuasive information design.