I have attached all documents for the completion of the assignment. it includes the assignment info, grading rubric, and CIALDINI’S SIX PRINCIPLES OF PERSUASION.

Assignment: Critical Thinking and Ethical Decision Making

The following Course Outcomes are assessed in this Assignment:

GEL-6.02: Incorporate outside research into an original work appropriately.

GEL-1.02: Demonstrate college-level communication through the composition of original materials in Standard English.

In order to prepare for this Assignment, read about the decision-making steps and carefully review Cialdini’s “Six Principles of Persuasion” in Chapter 2 of Rogers (2015) located in your Reading area. Then complete the Learning Activity concerning “Ethical Approaches.”

Read the scenario and respond to the Checklist items in a persuasive memo.

Scenario: Your team leader has gathered your team of six to discuss the newest frozen food product line called “Supreme Nutrition” that the company is introducing in the next 12 months. He explains that while some of the dried vegetables and fruits used in the product are not necessarily free from scrutiny by health enthusiasts, there still is no definitive proof according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that these dried fruits and vegetables do not have some actual nutrition. In fact, many top competitors use some of these dried fruits and vegetables themselves.

Upon leaving the meeting, you are concerned with the name of the product line and the actual ingredients. So, on your own time, you speak with several of the food scientists examining these dried fruits and vegetables wo corroborate your concerns, and then you research advertising laws. You decide that you are going to write a persuasive memo to upper management to convince them that they should change the name of the product line. Using Cialdini’s persuasive principles, write a minimum of a 400–500-word persuasive memo to upper management.

Checklist:

• Persuade your audience using at least two (2) or three (3) of Cialdini’s six principles of persuasion directly quoting or paraphrasing his principles and including the in-text and reference citations using APA style.
• Clearly state and sustain your viewpoint and purpose throughout your memo by supporting it with outside research from reliable sources.
• Determine ethical considerations you will want to address based on the Learning Activity.
• Cite at least one advertising law using your choice of either paraphrasing or direct quote using APA formatting and citation style.
• Provide an additional reference page, double space your memo, and use standard paragraph formatting.
• Use Standard English grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Your writing should be well ordered, logical, and unified, as well as original and insightful.

CIALDINI’S SIX PRINCIPLES OF PERSUASION

We can’t discuss persuasion and mental patterns without first talking about Robert Cialdini and his six principles of persuasion. His work is so important to the understanding of persuasion that I sometimes call him the “Ben Franklin of the Affirmative.” Cialdini, now regents’ professor emeritus at Arizona State University, wrote Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion in 1984. (It later was published as a textbook under the title Influence: Science and Practice.) The original book stemmed from Cialdini’s literature review of almost 50 years of scientific research regarding persuasion, plus his own ethnographic studies. Cialdini is so highly respected in the field that he was a part of a “dream team” of behavioral scientists who helped create

Persuasive approaches for President Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential reelection campaign. Regardless of your political leanings, Cialdini’s additions were subtle and brilliant. “We know you’ve voted in the past . . .” was a subtle prompt known as “consistency” that convinced those who voted in 2008 to vote for Obama again in 2012. Cialdini also helped teach campaign volunteers to address rumors that Obama was a Muslim by reframing them: “Obama is not a Muslim” actually repeated the claim and reinforced it in the electorate’s collective mind. “Obama is a Christian,” on the other hand, reframed and refocused the discussion.

Cialdini created something akin to a “Unified Field Theory of Persuasion” by categorizing almost every persuasion approach into one of six primary principles: reciprocity, scarcity, consistency, liking, authority, and social proof. Cialdini’s principles are great examples of heuristics, meaning that when we humans follow them, we typically have a good result. (There are always exceptions.) The other interesting aspect of Cialdini’s principles is that they are largely social, prompted by or intensified by human interaction. Let’s take a look at each principle in turn.

Reciprocity

As noted in Chapter 1, reciprocity involves the give-and-take of human exchange. People repay others in kind. Every culture in the world teaches this principle in one way or another. When someone does something for you, it’s almost embedded in your DNA to want to return that favor in kind. Reciprocity can range from the simple and instantaneous to something much more involved and complex. Examples can be found in day-to-day life on an individual level, such as helping a coworker prepare for a presentation after he helped you prepare for yours. On a departmental level, the sales team might assist the marketing staff with some unusual but critical

Market data, and then marketing reciprocates by providing extraordinary support for sales. Reciprocity can even occur between competing companies: Apple and IBM announced a wideranging partnership in 2014 to develop business software together. If you stop to think about it, reciprocity helps societies evolve. People inherently realize that when they do something for somebody else, they are not simply giving of their time, energy, and financial resources; they eventually will receive something in return. The best way to leverage reciprocity is to enter every situation by asking yourself, “Who here can I genuinely help?”

Scarcity

Call it the Rule of the Rare, the Fact of the Few, or the Coefficient of the Insufficient. People want more of what they perceive to be a dwindling supply. This, too, may have derived from a survival trait. Countless examples exist of how individuals have responded to a dwindling supply of something. One of my favorite reactions

is the panic caused when Hostess Brands, the 82-year-old maker of Twinkies and other snacks, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2012. Shoppers began stockpiling Twinkies, fearing they’d find no alternative for their sugar fixes. News outlets reported that at least one person tried to capitalize on the scare by offering a single Twinkie on eBay for $8,000! To truly leverage the principle of scarcity, the scarcity must truly be real. There really needs to be “Only three days left!” or “Limited inventory!” Anything else, and lack of ethics comes into play. And if you think people are worried about what they might be missing, they’re even more concerned about losing what they already have. That’s why “loss language” (forfeit, surrender, forgo) is always preferable to “gain language” (acquire, obtain, secure) when playing the persuasion game.

Consistency

What do you call someone who says one thing, yet does another? Hypocrite. Liar. Flip-flopper. Politician. Teenager. Most of these aren’t exactly glowing terms of endearment. We like, trust, and want to interact with people who follow through on what they say. When a coworker tells you he’ll hand in a report by the close of business, you think highly of him when he does just that. If he doesn’t, that colleague’s credibility drops a

notch. Similarly, when company management promises to make a change to a problematic tuition reimbursement policy that never comes, the culture in that organization shifts to the negative.

The good news is that these occurrences aren’t likely to happen. Why? Once most people make a decision or take a position, especially publicly, they strive to act in accordance with that publicly stated notion. This has been proven time and time again.

Liking

Another key found in Cialdini’s work is the principle of liking. We like those who like us (and state it publicly), as well as those who are like us. Whether they have similar political views or hobbies, hail from the same part of the world, or indulge in the identical, less-than-healthy habit of smoking cigarettes, individuals with commonalities feel an affinity for one another. I’ve heard the argument that respecting somebody is more important than liking somebody. Fair enough, but if you actually like that person, you’re more willing to consider her arguments more carefully, give her more time to communicate, and be more receptive to her messages. Again, this is human nature; you just can’t help it. So what is the takeaway here? Be approachable, seek similarities, and don’t be afraid to pay someone a compliment every once in a while.

Authority

We defer to experts. Whether you’re a scientist, a medical doctor, a Ph.D., or a professor, if you have a level of expertise—and your target is aware of that expertise—you automatically become more persuasive. It’s that simple.

Simple Conversation Starters

Take a page from bestselling author Jim Collins: Start with the question, “May I ask, where are you from?” You’ll receive a host of responses, upon which you can build the rest of the conversation. Individuals may respond by mentioning a locale (“I’m from Pennsylvania.”), a company (“I work at Microsoft.”), an industry (“I work in the tech sector.”), or even a discipline (“I’m in finance.”).

Then ask an intriguing follow-up question: “How did someone from Pennsylvania end up all the way out here in California?” “What’s the best aspect of life at Microsoft?” “Have you ever worked in any other industry?” “What’s the most common misconception about working in the finance world?” You’ll more than likely receive an engaged response, which is fantastic. Because although you’re asking someone to talk about himself, your line of questioning will make you seem more interesting, too. If you have a title, credential, or significant certification, make it known in subtle, yet powerful, ways. Put that distinguishing credential in your email signature or post your diploma in your office. (I know a professional who once attended a prestigious

executive education program, but rather than tell everyone he attended, he simply showed up at meetings with a coffee cup from that university!)

Social Proof

And, finally, we come to Cialdini’s last principle: social proof. People follow the lead of similar others, and people’s tendency in this regard intensifies whenever a situation is uncertain (Sales are down. What should we do?) or comparable (All the other computer companies offer package deals.). The most powerful example of this is peer pressure among teenagers. Studies show that teens with two friends who smoke tobacco products are 1,000 percent more likely to smoke; those with three or more tobacco-toting friends are 2,400 percent more likely to smoke. Social proof holds sway in the office, too. If you notice coworkers signing up for the United Way HomeWalk, you will be more inclined to do so. If you see that others are working late at the office, you more than likely will start setting aside a few evenings to stick around as well. If everyone appears to be on board with the new marketing direction, you will probably be on board, too —even if you’re not a fan of the new marketing direction. We are social creatures. The absolute best way to leverage social proof in a business setting is through the use of testimonials and referrals, which demonstrate that others have benefited from knowing and working with you. And now your target will, too. In Chapter 10, “Yes Success,” I’ll show you how to specifically make these requests. For now, just understand the power of social proof. As they use other heuristics, people often use Cialdini’s six principles, individually or in combinations, to make decisions. Now

that you know them, so can you. Next, let’s set our sights on understanding the most prominent biases—and learning how to navigate each of these human tendencies in turn.

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