COM217 Communication in Organizations

January 15, 2021

Homework No. 4, Fall 2020

In class we watched a short video summarizing the ‘science of persuasion’ available on YouTube. This video summarized work by Robert Cialdini highlighting the six universal principles of persuasion. Obviously this has a lot to do with power and influence in organizations.

Your homework assignment is to choose 3 of the 5 principles of persuasion and describe a fictitious scenario in an organization showing how they could be used.

Use this word doc (single space, 12 pt. font, same margins, etc.) as a template for your assignment. Like all the writing assignments in this class, you should provide a short introduction paragraph. Also include a brief conclusion paragraph. Be sure to include the specific elements of good writing we discussed in class earlier in the semester.

There is no set length for this assignment—just follow the instructions.

Grading Rubric for COM217 Communication in Organizations Homework

Your essay will be graded based on the following rubric:

Category	Unacceptable (0-1)	Needs Improvement (2-3)	Good (4)	Excellent (5)	Total Possible Points

	There is no apparent organization to the essay. It shows some coherence but ideas lack unity.	There is some level of organization though digressions, ambiguities, irrelevance are too many. Transition evident but not used throughout essay.	Essay is coherent and logically organized with transitions used between ideas and paragraphs to create coherence. Overall unity of ideas is present.	Essay shows high degree of attention to logic and reasoning of points. Unity clearly leads the reader to the conclusion and stirs thought regarding the topic.	15
Content (x3)	Essay lacks evidence of critical thinking. Uses superficial, simplistic, or irrelevant reasons and unjustifiable claims. Makes illogical, inconsistent inference.	Essay is primarily opinion without valid support. Little critical thinking is evident. Follows existing evidence to obtain conclusions.	Ideas are logical and reasoned, but demonstrate lesser degree of originality. Follows evidence and reason lead to obtain justifiable, logical conclusion.	Writer develops logical and reasoned independent ideas that go beyond predictable outcomes or the conclusions of researched materials. Follows where evidence and reason lead in order to obtain defensible, thoughtful, logical conclusions or solutions.	15
Grammar & Mechanics(x2)	Sentences are unclear and many grammatical errors in structure make essay virtually unreadable. Spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and vocabulary usage contain major flaws that impede readability.	Most spelling, punctuation, and grammar correct allowing reader to progress through essay. Some errors remain.	Essay has few spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors allowing reader to follow ideas clearly. Very few fragments or run-ons.	Essay is free of distracting spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors; absent of fragments, comma splices, and run-ons.	5