Assignment Overview
For this assignment, take a close look at both the required readings and videos on general concepts of persuasion, such as the Six Principles of Persuasion by Cialdini (2013) or in Section 14.2 of McLean (2012). Then take a look at the Art of Persuasion by Burg (2011) and see which one of them is the most useful for you.
write a 4-page paper addressing the following issues:
Which of these readings or tutorials was the most convincing or presented the most useful information? Explain your reasoning as to why you found this source more convincing that the others.
Based on the ideas about persuasion that you read about in the background readings, write a memo (at least one page) to your employees trying to persuade them to cancel their weekend plans and volunteer to work next weekend. This memo shouldn’t be an “order” that they need to work on the weekend, but rather an attempt to persuade them to do so. Make sure to use the general concepts from Cialdini (2013), McLean (2012), or Burg (2011) as well as some of the practical persuasion guides to help you craft your memo.
Conclude your paper with a discussion of how your memo applied the concepts from the background materials. Be specific as to what sources you used and what sections of your memo were influenced by which source.
Required Reading
McLean, S. (2012). Chapter 14: Presentations to persuade. Communication for Business Success. Lardbucket.org
Cialdini, R. B. (2013). The six principles of persuasion.
