Module 4 discussion
Battle of the Gurus
In Module 1 you looked at a video from leader/organizational
power guru Jeffrey Pfeffer. Part of your Module 4 materials are an article by
Robert Cialdini and a video for which he provides some narration. As you might
have guessed by now, Pfeffer and Cialdini are two of the most famous and
popular authorities on power, influence, and persuasion.
In addition to experiencing Cialdini’s presentation style
from his narration in the Background video, view some of his other videos on
YouTube. Find at least one that discusses persuasion. Post the link to the video
and share your thoughts.
After viewing at least one of Cialdini’s videos on
persuasion, discuss the following in your first post during the first week of
the class:
Who do you think is more persuasive given what you’ve read
about persuasion for this module—Pfeffer or Cialdini?
In what ways do you think these gurus are similar or
different?
Your second task for the discussion is to actually go out
and try to use some of Cialdini’s techniques from his videos or the background
readings. You can try them on a coworker, a family member, or even a salesperson
that you are trying to coax into giving you a better deal. Did it work? How did
these tactics work compared to what you tried for the Module 3 disussion? Would
you try this technique again? Share your story with your classmates sometime
during the second week of the module.
