The paper deals with the significance of persuasive communication skills in entrepreneurship in the contemporary business environment of Odisha. It examines the arenas where persuasive communication is considered most relevant for an entrepreneur. It also assesses the entrepreneurs’ comfort level in using English as a business language, and their perception of the relevance of alternative training modes for improving their persuasive communication skills. In this paper, a comparison is drawn between the perceptions of the entrepreneurs of Singapore and those of Odisha with regard to the importance of the persuasive communication skills in business.

Persuasion, in formal terms, is defined as a process of communication in which a communicator voluntarily forms, sustains, reinforces or changes the attitudes or behavior of the recipient in accordance with what the communicator intends by his or her message (Steinberg, 1999). Good persuasive communication skills enable, foster, and create the understanding and trust necessary to encourage others to follow a leader. In fact, no leader can succeed without mastering the art of persuasion. The entrepreneur as leader will need to cultivate a style that revolves around participation, collaboration and persuasion (Kao, 1989). The entrepreneur will need to be competent in persuading people to accept responsibility, counsel employees and recruit team members (Burch, 1986). Further, he will also need to negotiate and finalize deals. In all these and more, persuasive power is an asset (Funkhouser, 1986). As the organization grows, the entrepreneur plays a central role in a wide range of interpersonal situations where persuasive skills will be needed.

Soft Skills Journal, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), Persuasive Communication, Fledgling Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurs, economic landscape, essentially coming, Background of Odisha, Odisha.