Persuasion

Larson Chapter 5 and Cialdini Chapters 1 and 2

Reflection Paper #2

Liz Horgan

September 24, 2009

COMM 612 Leanne Pupchek

 Thank goodness for the short cut. We love it when we find a new short cut that

helps us avoid rush hour traffic , we use prior experiences and knowledge to adapt to

the new world of being a graduate student, and we use simplistic monikers of “liberal”

or “conservative” to describe our political leanings at cocktail parties. In fact, we use

short cuts constantly in all facets of our lives. Why? We have to find ways to manage

our time and energy to handle all of the information and inputs that bombard us in a

complex, 24/7 world.

In Chapter 5 of Larson’s “Persuasion Reception and Responsibility” the metaphor

is identified as a key communication technique. Use of a metaphor with a tenor that is

broadly familiar and a vehicle that transmits complex meaning can actually simplify the

communication process. Use of a metaphor can create like-ness, and can improve

persuader credibility. Determining the conception or map of the object of your

metaphor also furthers the effectiveness of the metaphor. I’ll use Smart Grid as an

example.

Smart grid is a new interactive way of delivering electric power to customers,

enabling them to save energy, manage costs and have increased reliability. To

describe it is complex, it involves individual maps and it is something that typically

requires central, not peripheral mental processing. A metaphor is useful in this case:

The Smart Grid is like an Electricity Internet. Imagine the regular internet, with

all of the information available to the user. Now imagine that instead of

managing information, you can manage your electricity. The computer monitor

allows you to plug into the electricity internet where you can program your

washing machine to go on at 3 a.m. (when power is cheapest), you can set up to

 have your lights turn on and off with remote input to coincide with when you’ll

be coming and going in the evening (safety), you won’t even have to report a

power outage (easy – the Smart Grid automatically senses when the electricity

stops flowing to your home), you can turn the stove on and off so dinner will be

ready when you get home (time saving convenience), and you can manage your

home temperature remotely by turning on your air-conditioning at the precise

time so the house will be cool when you get home (manages the cost of the

electric bill and is more environmentally friendly/saves energy).

The metaphor uses discursive and presentational messaging. A simple mental

picture of an Internet for Electricity renders a complex idea understandable, and both a

logical (lower cost, time saving, more reliable) and an emotional (easy, cutting edge,

“green”) message is communicated.

In the case of Smart Grid, a new way of interacting with electric power is being

presented. Power companies want individuals to support the changes in how power is

managed. Persuasion is needed. In this case, the use of a metaphor can be seen as

taking advantage of the shortcuts human beings use.

Cialdini looks at a technique that also takes advantage of our need to use short

cuts, the Fixed Action Pattern. A trigger can create an automatic response that is pre-

programmed in us. By seeing a glowing coil on the stove (our trigger), we simply

know not to touch the stovetop. It’s hot and we will get burned. No complex thought

is involved, we just “don’t touch”!

The desire and ability to think in a controlled manner can override the

peripheral way of message processing and the use of a short cut. However, life today
seems to favor the persuader. With so much going on, with the complexity of inputs

facing us, we may have the desire to “think things through”, but may not have the

ability (the phone is ringing, the proposal deadline at work is due in an hour, you are

worrying about the results of a medical test, it’s hot, etc.). We grab onto shortcuts as

a way of coping in a world that requires multi-tasking and fast reaction times. We

need shortcuts. Yet this opens us up to influences that may or may not be good for

us.