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.
Case Assignment
When you have finished carefully reading these materials, 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.
Assignment Expectations
- Case Assignments are to be prepared in Microsoft Word and should be 4 to 5 pages in length, in addition to a cover page (course name and number, module number, session name, student name, and date prepared) and a reference list. The paper should be double-spaced, using 12 pt. type in the Times New Roman font. It should consist of a 2- or 3-sentence introduction, a body, and a 2- or 3-sentence conclusion and use Trident University International’s cover page. The reference list page must be in APA format.
- Assignment content should include a brief introduction to the assignment, background information about the organization being studied, and discussion in terms of the concepts or theories being applied in the assignment.
- Use headings and subheadings to improve presentation values.
- Include both a References page and in-text citations.
