The task herein includes a two-part essay of a recruitment letter composition, and commentary. The perspective aligns from a recruiting officer of the Caucus for the Abolition of Free Clothing attire (CAFC), designed for IDC students to join and support the unpopular agenda. Forbidden are incentives, bribes, free offers and such in effort of seeking to eliminate distractions in college classrooms by the requirement of wearing IDC uniforms. Six different strategies will exclude deception and balance theory, but include: (1) perceptual contrast, (2) door in the face [DITH], (3) foot in the door [FITD], (4) attractiveness, (5) liking, and (6) reciprocity. Each of the six persuasive strategies hopefully will cogently engage in the service of encouraging, by argument, that students join the CAFC organization, or at least begin to mentally/philosophically endorse its cause and principles. The commentary section will elaborate on each strategic theory.
Recruiting Letter
Dear Students,
We would like to direct you, as citizens of the IDC student body, to an invitation to participate in the membership of the Caucus for the Abolition of Free Clothing Attire, or CAFC. At the outset, let me say and reiterate that this is an open call for all to participate, and is neither limited to only men or women. 1As you are all quite aware each and every IDC student comes from a different socio-economic background, and the make-up of all IDC in our organization is quite diverse. While some are able to pay out-of-pocket for college expenses, others must depend on grants or federally funded loans in order to pay for college. These differences and contrasts are greatly felt, and highlighted, when wealthier students drive and park their later-model luxury cars in the parking lot, while other IDC students need to drive borrowed cars, take the bus, or walk to class. Should this same pattern persist, soon a deep prejudice will develop of rich hating poor, and poor feeling a great deal of animosity. We hear of horrible campus shootings, and young college student deathly violence. Sometimes it happens over just seeing someone wearing a $400 pair of sneakers, or $5,000 watch. How tragic it would be if our environment ended up that way?
Thus, when you join and support the CAFC proposed agenda of wearing on IDC-approved uniforms for all, you can feel proud that each has contributed to eliminate distractions in our college classrooms. School work is hard enough without additional elements to disturb and interrupt your studies. 2Or as an alternative, we might opt to simply mandate that all IDC students in our organization simply endorse a dress code, that requires a ban on all clothing attire which are either purchased at designer clothing stores, or Walmart, then designate that every single college attender must purchase their school attire from Target only – and bring the receipts to prove it. Of course, this is likely to put a frown on each of your faces, and stir up anger against all of the administration, including myself. This would be an unpleasant outcome for us all. The more reasonable request, which I am hoping all of you will see and agree upon, is that the socially responsible position of joining and endorsing the CAFC protocol holds an easy and livable solution by mandating the wearing requirement of IDC uniforms. In this way, the wealthier will not distract the others with flashy clothing and attire, while the lower socioeconomic students will not feel as intimidate. Thus, everyone can better focus on the academic work at hand.
3We might just try to approach how great and valuable the CAFC solution may be by taking baby steps. Think about it. I ask each of you to consider the following. How painful would it be to simply all convert, and commit, to wearing navy blue leather lace-up athletic sneakers, by the same brand of Nike? Of course the men’s and women’s version would show only a slight difference, and in this way, you can get the feel of how the elimination of less distractions can be a boost to your concentration level, and classroom focus. Since head-to-toe overall attire can create a blended look among students, and all college attendees at their institution, we might simultaneously require just a tiny change in head gear. It would work like thus. No baseball caps or other hats of any kind would be allowed. So, along with the navy-blue leather sports sneaker-shoes, everyone could wear a raspberry beret. Surely, we all are familiar with the factor of the recent passing of the legendary and influential musician Prince, whose famous song about the ‘raspberry beret’ would make the experience really fun, and with the freedom of wearing all your own chosen wardrobe, you as members and endorsers of the newly forming CAFC would at least look uniform from the perspective of your ‘tops’ and ‘shoe-bottoms’ – so to speak. 4Think about how awesome, and handsome or beautiful you all will look wearing your little raspberry berets, and blue-leather sneakers! This could really be the start of something huge! I would not be surprised if other campuses started to catch the spirit, after seeing how great you all look.
While it is true that not everybody can, or will be friends with everyone, we can certainly learn to give one another the greatest of respect. 5As the key officer in the CAFC recruitment effort, I am happy to have learned from a survey that most of you really like me. My request for you to get on board the CAFC agenda is not something I myself, am unwilling to participate in. Yes, I say unto you, I will also be donning the raspberry beret with the appropriate shoe attire, in a show of common support and our belief in the importance of reduction and elimination of college classroom distractions. Going the extra mile by making sure my own appearance is especially appealing, while complying along with all of you. 6I commit, you commit, and together by implementation of the CAFC protocol adoption program we all will actually feel more bonded, which gives us a common sense of purpose to be the best individuals we can while developing what is being learned in the classrooms without distractions. It is not a matter of simply dictating to IDC students what to wear or forcing any kind of agenda to stifle the creativity of your wonderfully bright, youthful spirits, because I am well aware of how bright you all are and your contributions to the overall organization.
Finally, it is no secret we are all living and co-existing in a new era, a new world. Today we each have both an opportunity, and responsibility, to push forward towards a better future by first and foremost to realize we are all on this planet together. Reaching to be the best we can possibly be, while thriving, improving, sharing, and learning how to negotiate the destiny of our futures – collectively and individually – can and will make a big difference in all our lives. Therefore, I ask you to consider the supporting the ideals of the Caucus for the Abolition of Free Clothing Attire, in the spirit of a new dawn, and organically flowing cooperation which will be an encouragement and benefit to all of you, by reducing unnecessary distractions in college classrooms. Uniforms, as discussed herein this memorandum, can actually be a fun, hassle-free, and attractively unifying element which holds the seeds of success so vibrant, that others will soon be inspired to emulate.
I look forward to hearing from you, and seeing you at the presentation in the auditorium at the back of the Science Library next Tuesday, near the Bell Tower.
Commentary
Throughout the above letter from the perspective of the Recruiting Officer of the Caucus for the Abolition of Free Clothing Attire, or CAFC, markers in bolded numbers from one to six have permeated the letter to identify where each persuasive argument style is located. In this manner, the reader can easily and readily pinpoint the different approaches in the evaluation of each named strategy. Obviously, each persuasive strategy in the CAFC recruitment letter had been introduced at the beginning of this essay, and actually put into action during the course of the argument’s persuasion in the letter. The first persuasion strategy of the perceptual contrast, marked as #1, demonstrates playing upon how our senses work when we are evaluating decisions or choices requiring judgments. The purpose of the use of this strategy in the letter was to draw attention to the wide contrast between how richer and poorer student attire can be compared as extremes, from one view or the other.
In the second persuasive technique, which was deemed #2 and named as the door in the face (DITF) technique demonstrated a theory that would make a huge request, seemingly too much to bear for people, to make the target audience more receptive to the lesser of extremes, or ‘Plan B’ – so to speak. In other words, we can see how this was used by suggestion of a proof-of-purchase mandate for all attire to be purchased from the Target brand store. Clearly this would be a repulsive thought for college classroom attenders, thus it eases the argument into a more acceptable partial mandate for wearing the blue-leather sneakers for everyone, adding the element of the compliance of wearing the raspberry berets. This leads and blends smoothly into the #3 persuasive strategy theory of the foot in the door technique (FITD) in which you ask them for a tiny concession of cooperation to the agenda, then they are more willing to comply with more. For example, this was classically illustrated by the request for wearing only the blue-leather shoes for everyone, at first, then it eased into a seemingly innocuous add-on request for wearing the raspberry berets.
The process of persuasion utilized an element of fun along with attractiveness, which formed strategy #4. Attractiveness was used as a persuasive technique to communicate the influence of physical attractiveness. In a way, by mention of the very handsome and ingenious songwriter/musician of Prince in connection to the raspberry beret, even may have deepened the persuasion on an unconscious level – although this factor cannot be scientifically proven. The attractiveness of the rock star’s persona, and cool music boosted the principle. If the observer will note, in the letter the Recruit Officer of the unpopular CAFC agenda managed to mention how attractiveness could be a positive characteristic. Most young people, particularly at the college-age stage of their lives and especially when they are interacting with other peers do make efforts to concentrate on the importance of attractiveness. In the number five position, #5 used the strategy of reciprocity, or showing the reciprocal behavior of the principle that dictated: Do something for me, and I will do something for you. This is a key persuasive tactic in politics, and all sorts of negotiations like police conduct in hostage situations. Its powers cannot be easily misunderstood or underestimated, especially in really sticky situations. The only problem that can occur, or at least one main problem, with this approach is when one of the parties – namely the one trying to persuade the other – reneges on his or her promise.
However, mainly, reciprocity and gaining reciprocal concessions can be quite an effective tool for persuasion in the right situations. This even-handed exchange might be thought of as giving one gift for another, in return. As previously hinted at, the one downfall of this particular theoretic persuasion strategy is when the requester, or creator of the reciprocal idea fails to keep his or her word. We frequently see this happen in political candidate campaigns. Once the victor gets in office, suddenly amnesia sets in and all the previous promises of reciprocal negotiations go unfulfilled because they lie. Nevertheless, learning various tools of persuasive communication can be useful in life.
Works Cited
DeHaven, Brett. “Principles of Persuasion for Nonprofit Fundraisers.” MA Diss. University of Akron, 2010. Print. *Online link below: {https://etd.ohiolink.edu/rws_etd/document/get/akron1289836279/inline}
