Teaching Social Influence Resources and PDF
Teaching Social Influence Resources and PDF
Teaching Social Influence Resources and PDF
Teaching Social Influence: Resources and Exercises from the Field of Communication
John S. Seiter
Department of Languages, Philosophy,
and Speech Communication
Utah State University
Logan, UT 84322-0720
(435) 797-0138
[email protected]
Robert H. Gass
Department of Human Communication Studies
California State University, Fullerton
Fullerton, CA 92834-6868
(714) 278-3269
[email protected]
Teaching Social Influence: 2
Abstract
Effective teachers know that when students are engaged in active learning, they learn
more, retain it longer, apply it better, and continue to learn (Weimer, 1993). One way to promote
such learning is through the use of innovative classroom activities that lead students to
understand, interpret, and/or apply information. In that spirit, educators in the field of
communication have developed an array of activities and demonstrations for promoting active
learning in students of social influence. To facilitate the use of such activities, this article uses an
teachers to help instructors, especially new instructors, teach their students persuasion principles
and practices including the Extended Parallel Process Model, Inoculation Theory, persuasive
Teaching Social Influence: Resources and Exercises from the Field of Communication
In nine of the last 10 years, we have directed a course at the annual meeting of the
National Communication Association called Teaching the Persuasion, Social Influence, and/or
Compliance Gaining Course at the University Level. Typically, those who attend our course
represent the diversity of approaches to teaching social influence in the field of communication.
Some, for instance, are preparing to teach persuasive speaking courses. Others are looking to
teach their first persuasion courses. Still others, who have taught from traditional rhetorical
perspectives, are looking to incorporate social scientific theories or newer research on influence
in interpersonal contexts into their courses. Whatever their goals or backgrounds, however, all
have something in common: they are all eager to get their hands on exercises and demonstrations
for teaching persuasion and for actively involving their students in the process of learning.
Unfortunately, such material is often difficult to access. With that in mind, the purpose of this
communication for teaching social influence. The article not only covers material that should
primarily interest those teaching persuasive public address (e.g., Monroe’s Motivated Sequence),
but principles and theories that apply to other persuasive contexts as well (e.g., the Extended
deception, audience analysis, and compliance gaining). To review the articles, we use an
* Roberto, A. J. (2004). Putting communication theory into practice: The Extended Parallel
The goal of this exercise is to illustrate components of the Extended Parallel Process Model
(EPPM)--which describes how fear appeals function persuasively—and to demonstrate how this
model can be used to guide health and disease prevention campaigns. After being introduced to
key concepts from the theory (e.g., perceived threat, fear and danger control, perceived efficacy),
students watch videos and read brochures on gun safety and hepatitis B. In addition to
identifying concepts from the model that appear in the stimulus materials, students analyze the
materials and discuss their effectiveness. Instructions for debriefing students and for obtaining
the stimulus videos and brochures are provided. (Time to complete: 20 to 45 minutes depending
This exercise is designed to teach students about elements of McGuire’s Inoculation Theory,
which suggests that forewarning listeners about an opponent’s future counterattacks increases
resistance to those attacks. The activity gets groups of students to engage in refutational
preemption by having them brainstorm about specific defenses and counterarguments they can
use to protect themselves from political commercials, advertisements, and editorials that are
presented by the instructor. Afterwards, the students realize they have cooperated in a persuasive
practice while simultaneously opposing it. The author suggests points for discussion. A potential
limitation of this exercise is that it doesn’t present students with a “pure” inoculation stimulus.
That is, students aren’t actually presented with a mild dose of an opposing message. Pfau &
Szabo (2004) indicate that threat is the trigger that motivates a person to increase his or her
defenses. At a conceptual level, then, having students pretend that their existing beliefs will be
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challenged may still illustrate the motivational effect of a perceived threat. (Time to complete:
Persuasive Language
The purpose of this exercise is to build awareness of powerful and powerless speech, to
demonstrate the impact of such speech on the evaluation of sources and effectiveness of
messages, and to eliminate the use of powerless speech from students’ communication. Students
listen to speakers using powerful and powerless language (e.g., language containing or not
containing hesitations, tag questions, hedges, and so forth) and rate dimensions of the speakers’
credibility. Afterwards, students are presented with empirical findings on the types and effects of
powerless language (a summary is provided in the article) and discuss their perceptions of the
speakers. Finally, students prepare presentations and are evaluated in terms of their own use of
The goal of this exercise is to help students recognize the power of figurative language and to
teach them how to create speeches using such language. The author provides a list of persuasive
forms of figurative speech (e.g., metaphor) for students to learn. Students then listen to clips of
speeches (e.g., Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” or John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address)
and try to identify specific uses of figurative language used by the speakers. Finally, students
create speeches of their own that include figurative language. In addition to providing advice for
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debriefing students, the author has created a brief quiz that tests students’ recognition of the
This exercise is designed to make students aware of the persuasive power of clear and precise
language. The author briefly discusses how speech becomes more powerful when ambiguity is
removed. Students learn the pitfalls of ambiguous language by completing the Abstraction
Language Questionnaire (provided in the article) and discussing it. The questionnaire asks
students to respond to ambiguous phrases such as “a good salary,” “an old book,” and “a long
illustrating the potential problems associated with using ambiguous language in persuasive
Monroe’s Motivated Sequence (MMS) (see McKerrow, Monroe, Ehninger, & Gronbeck,
2003) is a “blue print” for designing persuasive presentations and is a staple in public speaking
and persuasive speaking textbooks and courses in the field of communication. The sequence lists
five steps (attention, need, satisfaction, visualization, and action) and has applications not only in
public address, but also in sales and advertising (see Rogers, 2007).
Teacher, 7, 10-11.
The purpose of this exercise is to help students become familiar with the five steps of Monroe’s
Motivated Sequence (MMS) by giving them practice using it. The author describes an
assignment in which students are asked to develop Public Service Announcements on topics of
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the students’ choice (e.g., banning candy vending machines from public school property). In
preparing the announcements, students write one sentence for each of the five steps of the MMS.
The author describes a procedure for filming the presentations and for discussing them. (Time to
The goal of this exercise is to get students involved on an emotional and academic level by
having them apply Monroe’s Motivated Sequence (MMS) while trying to persuade an audience
to donate to a charitable organization. It also teaches students how to persuade listeners who
might have different agendas. Each student donates $3-$5 to a class pool. Then, applying MMS,
each student writes and delivers a persuasive speech that seeks a donation for a charity chosen by
the student. The class votes for the most convincing speech and the pool of money is donated to
the winner’s charity. The author provides debriefing questions and a favorable appraisal of how
the activity has worked for her in the past. (Time to complete: Approximately two class sessions
Teacher, 9, 13.
* Norris, K. (1992). The speech shopping channel. Speech Communication Teacher, 6, 16.
These two articles present similar activities with the goal of acquainting students with Monroe’s
Motivated Sequence (MMS) in fun and creative ways. In both activities, students attempt to sell
a product following the steps of MMS. While Norris brings to class a paper bag filled with small
items (e.g., crayon, sponge, candle), has students select an item from the bag and create a
commercial, Norris asks students to create their own product and take the role of host or hostess
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of “The Speech Shopping Channel” to sell their product. (Time to complete: Approximately one
The object of the project described in this article is to help students apply theoretical concepts
while developing a health campaign in one of several areas (e.g., life style wellness, preventing
substance abuse, promoting the practice of safe sex). After discussing relevant theories (e.g. fear
people to be healthy. The process requires students to define a problem and objectives, choose
appropriate influence channels, create materials and messages, implement plans, and evaluate the
campaigns. The author provides suggestions for accompanying written and oral assignments and
for debriefing. (Time required: Four weeks inside and outside of class)
The objectives of this project are to simulate real world experience in planning and executing a
in-depth audience analysis, and to engage students in production techniques involved in print,
audio, and audio-visual messages. Students form groups, which become campaign planning
agencies that market a product. The marketing consists of one print (e.g., posters, newspaper
advertisements, leaflets), one audio (e.g., radio spots or p.a. system announcements), and one
audio-visual message (e.g., commercials), each presented to student customers who award bogus
money to the best presentations. Grading is done on the basis of money earned. Based on
Teaching Social Influence: 9
feedback from student customers, groups adapt future presentations. The author suggests lecture
topics to accompany the simulation (e.g., market segmentation, the use of color and storyboards)
and offers a favorable appraisal of the project based on his experience. Instructors might want to
consider amending this exercise to include non-traditional forms of persuasion as well, such as
word-of-mouth (WOM) or “buzz” marketing, and on-line influence (email, blogs, banner ads,
* Miller, V. R. (2004). “Show and tell persuasion.” Communication Teacher, 18, 28-30.
The goal of this exercise is to show students how to formulate a persuasive argument, think
carefully about arguments before they are made, consider the basis of their opinions, select
compelling appeals, and consider possible counter-arguments. Students are placed into groups
and presented with the task of creating a 1-2 minute speech persuading network executives not to
cancel a favorite television show. The author provides step-by-step instructions necessary for
completing the assignment. For example, after stating three opinions in favor of their position,
students support each with two reasons and then identify which reasons appeal to “the mind” and
which appeal to emotion. Moreover, students select their strongest arguments and address
opposing opinions before presenting their speeches. The author provides tips for debriefing.
The author’s goal is to teach students the importance of using evidence and reasoning to support
persuasive claims. The exercise requires students to form opposing groups, choose a
controversial topic, write a proposition statement supporting their side, and research evidence.
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The teams then debate. The author provides guidelines for structuring and timing the debate.
The goal of this exercise is to teach students to use evidence, logical writing, audience analysis,
and the application of theory to argue persuasively. First, students are taught about Toulmin’s
principles of argument (e.g., claim, data/grounds, warrant) and about Aristotle’s specific types of
appeals (ethos, logos, pathos). Next, they are presented with a fictitious case involving a wrecked
car (provided in the article). Finally, they are asked to write letters challenging the insurance
company settlement while using Toulmin’s and Aristotle’s principles. The author offers
suggestions for debriefing. (Time required: One class period for lecture and one for discussion
of letters)
* Barton, M. H., & Turman, P. D. (2003). Image, public speaking, and the John Rocker
This exercise is designed to teach students about theories of Apologia (persuasive discourse
focusing on image repair) by having them participate in a simulated press conference. The
authors cite several readings on image repair that can serve as assigned readings. They also
provide parts of a real life interview with John Rocker, a major league pitcher who spat on fans
during a game. After studying the case, students form groups and act as public relations experts
for Rocker. Their task is to prepare a 3-4 minute presentation that they think would best repair
the image of the celebrity. The authors provide debriefing tips and offer a favorable evaluation of
the exercise based on their experiences. This exercise could be updated and/or expanded using
Teaching Social Influence:
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other public figures who require image restoration, such as Mel Gibson, Martha Stewart, Michael
The purpose of this exercise is to create an awareness of factors that improve or detract from a
person’s credibility. To participate, students play an in-class version of the television show “To
Tell the Truth.” Specifically, three-person teams create true and false stories that are presented to
other students, who act as interrogators. The discussion that follows focuses on verbal and
nonverbal cues that might lead us to suspect others are not being honest. (Time required: One
class session)
* The BBC Science Website (see link below) offers a useful interactive exercise that allows
students to practice their deception detection skills. This exercise can be used as a “need step”
before discussing nonverbal correlates of deception, or afterward to see if students can apply
what they’ve learned. On the Website, an observer is shown 20 images of people smiling. The
observer decides if each person is exhibiting a “genuine” or “fake” smile. At the end of the
exercise, the observer learns how accurate she or he was. The observer also can verify which
smiles were authentic and which were feigned. The exercise works well when completed as a
class because students can share their reasons for classifying each of the smiles. A limitation of
the exercise is that it involves only facial expressions and, based on the “sending capacity
hypothesis,” the face is not the best place to look to detect deception (Ekman & Friesen, 1974).
Speech
The purpose of the assignments presented in this article is to create awareness in students about
how to adapt persuasive messages to specific audiences. The author presents six assignments,
each requiring students to create messages with a particular audience in mind. Examples include
writing speeches for former presidents, reading to children, and so forth. (Time required:
Variable)
Teacher,
9, 10-11.
The goal of this exercise is to teach students to analyze audiences and to create messages in a
way to capture the interest of various audiences. In the activity, students view a commercial
targeted at a particular audience. Next, they rewrite the commercial with a different audience in
mind. The commercials are videotaped, viewed by the class, and critiqued. (Time required: Two
class sessions)
Teacher, 2, 1-2.
The goal of this activity is to acquaint students with the need for, the difficulty of, and the skills
necessary for analyzing and adapting to audiences. After having students select speech topics,
the instructor assigns students a hypothetical audience that would normally have no interest in
the topic. The author has several creative suggestions (e.g., persuading auto mechanics about the
Teaching Social Influence:
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importance of keeping one’s nails manicured, persuading nuns and priests to change a flat tire on
a bicycle). The author also provides guidelines for effective audience analysis in the article.
Students present speeches and are evaluated (Time required: Two class sessions)
This activity is designed not only to teach students the importance of audience analysis, but how
to conduct research on a target group in order to adapt more effectively. Students are required to
create a presentation with a specific audience in mind (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous, American
Cancer Society, Girl Scouts of America, Parents Without Partners). Students must then research
the group to figure out the best way to address it. Presentations may be given in class. (Time
required: Variable)
Communication Teacher, 4, 9.
students in a creative project. In small groups, students are assigned a specific target audience
(e.g., upper class Republicans who are members of the NRA) and are provided with an
assortment of pre-produced messages (e.g., magazine ads, photos, and so forth). From these
materials, students produce a magazine that they believe would appeal to their particular
15-16.
This exercise is designed to help students adapt to hostile audiences. The class identifies several
controversial topics (e.g., birth control ads on television, elimination of the tenure system, X-
Teaching Social Influence:
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rated cable television), and students are asked to construct speeches that support the minority
viewpoint. In the process, the students develop questionnaires to explore their classmates’
attitudes. During speeches, other students act as hecklers. Based on their analysis of the
audience, speakers respond to and are evaluated by the class. (Time required: Two class
sessions)
* Seiter, J. S., & Gass, R. H. (in press). Teaching students how to analyze and adapt to
The goals of the activities in this article are to teach students the importance of audience analysis
and adaptation, provide them opportunities to practice such skills, and demonstrate how much
more effective messages are when aimed at a particular audience. First, students are provided a
background on variables to consider when analyzing audiences (lecture references are provided).
Second, students are shown persuasive artifacts (e.g., magazine advertisements, television
commercials) and try to guess the target audience. Finally, the class selects some product or
service (e.g. home security systems, vacation packages, attorney services) and is divided into
groups. All but one group is secretly given a target audience (e.g., children, teens, disabled
persons, undocumented immigrants, sports fanatics) and designs a commercial that is aimed at
that audience. After commercials are presented, the rest of the class tries to guess the target
audience and comments on the potential effectiveness of the commercial. The authors note that,
typically, the group without the target audience is deemed least effective. Suggestions for
of their audience. Students form groups and pretend to be part of a recruiting committee whose
goal is to persuade potential students to enroll at a university. The groups receive two handouts
(provided in this article). The first lists activities, opportunities, and assistance offered by the
university. The second describes four hypothetical students with various social, financial, and
cultural backgrounds who are thinking about attending the university. The groups’ task is to use
the materials to develop persuasive messages to recruit students. Ideas for debriefing and an
appraisal of the activity are provided. (Time required: One class session)
* Brigance, L. C. (2002). Persuasion and protest music. Communication Teacher, 16, 7-9.
The goal of this activity is to teach students the functions of persuasive messages through case
studies of protest music. First, students are provided background on the nature and functions of
protest music (reading and lecture references are provided). Next, students give a presentation in
which they play and analyze a protest song. The author provides websites and materials where
students can locate songs. Ideas for debriefing and appraisal are provided. (Time to complete:
Although this book is aimed more at teaching interpersonal communication topics through the
use of film, it recommends several films that illustrate topics related to persuasion. For example,
compliance-gaining strategies (e.g., altruism, liking, debt) are illustrated in The Breakfast Club,
The Color Purple, Hannah and Her Sisters, Ordinary People, and Sex, Lies, and Videotape. The
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types of power (e.g., legitimate, referent, expert) are illustrated in Boys N’ the Hood, 12 Angry
Swing Kids is a film about how three friends cope when members of the Hitler Jugend try to
persuade them to join the Nazi cause. The author describes the ways in which the film
demonstrates principles from Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Social Judgment Theory, and the
Elaboration Likelihood Model. Classroom discussion questions are provided. (Time to complete:
* Meyer, G., & Roberto, A. J. (2005). Influence in action in Catch Me if You Can.
This article teaches students to identify Cialidini’s principles of compliance (e.g., scarcity, social
proof, liking) by showing them clips from the film Catch Me if You Can. (Time to complete: Two
class periods)
Although this book is aimed more at teaching interpersonal communication topics through the
use of film, it recommends several films that illustrate topics related to persuasion. For example,
principles of deception (e.g., consequences of) are illustrated in clips from Betrayal and Say
Anything. The types of power (e.g., legitimate, referent, expert) are illustrated in The Breakfast
Club, Breaking Away, Children of a Lesser God, and 12 Angry Men) (Time to complete:
Variable)
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* Proctor, R. F. (1993). Using feature films to teach critical thinking: Multiple morals to the
This article discusses how the films Twelve Angry Men and Roger and Me can be used to teach
social influence concepts. The author examines how the films might provoke class discussion
that either vindicates or indicts the persuasive tactics used by characters in the movies.
* Seiter, J. S., & Gass, R. H. (2005). Using Feature Films to Teach Courses in Persuasion.
This article discusses the advantages of using feature films to teach persuasion and then lists
several films (e.g., It Could Happen to You, Sophie’s Choice, Good Will Hunting, Big, Forrest
Gump, The Apartment, Schindler’s List) that can be used to teach a variety of concepts including
* Winegarden, A. D., Fuss-Reineck, M., & Charron, L. J. (1993). Using Star Trek: The
Next
This article discusses how scenes from the popular television show can be used to demonstrate
Instructor’s Manuals
These instructor’s manuals, written by communication professors, are full of exercises and tips
for teaching social influence. Both accompany texts and are in electronic form.
(Larson, 2007). Following is a sample of exercises and learning activities from some of the
For Chapter 1, Larson recommends that a student report on the national “Doublespeak”
award issued annually by the National Council of Teachers of English. For Chapter 3, Larson
suggests having students compile a scrapbook of various print ads, or a collection of videotaped
television commercials. For Chapter 4 which deals with symbol usage, Larson recommends that
instructors have students read the Newsweek feature called “buzzwords” to see what terms are in
popular use. For Chapter 5, Larson recommends having students rewrite ads for vacations and
travel. Students should focus on a particular aspect of Kenneth Burke’s pentad (act, scene,
agent, agency, purpose) when designing each ad. For Chapter 7, Larson advises having students
send for a transcript from a pubic affairs television show, such as Nightline, and analyze the
arguments according to the basic elements of the Toulmin model (claim, grounds, warrant). For
Chapter 8, Larson recommends showing re-runs of older popular family TV shows, such as
Leave It to Beaver, Ozzie and Harriet, or My Three Sons. The class can examine the cultural
premises and assumptions that applied at the time and compare them with cultural values found
in modern day family TV shows. For Chapter 12, Larson suggests having students interview
persons who were quoted in the newspaper, on the radio, or elsewhere and asked them if they
were quoted accurately, in context, and without bias. The manual also includes a bank of test
questions.
• Wright, P., Seiter, J. S., & Gass, R. H. (2007). Instructor's Manual to Accompany
Persuasion, Social Influence, and Compliance Gaining (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn
& Bacon/Longman.
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As its title indicates this manual is designed to accompany Gass & Seiter’s (2007) text, however
the exercises and learning activities could be incorporated into a class using another text. Below
is a brief sampling of some of the exercises and resources found in the instructor’s manual.
ethical issue related to persuasion. Students are asked to rate and discuss how ethical or
unethical they think each strategy is. For Chapter 3, the authors recommend illustrating
Cognitive Dissonance Theory by asking students to reflect on The Book of Questions by Gregory
Stock (New York, Workman Publishing, 1987). Although the examples are hypothetical, they
give students a sense of the psychological angst one experiences when holding contradictory
beliefs, or choosing between incompatible alternatives. Some examples of questions are “For
someone you loved deeply, would you move to a far away country with little chance of seeing
your family again?” “You discover your wonderful one-year old child is, because of a mix-up at
the hospital, not yours. Would you want to exchange the child to try to correct the mistake?”
Chapter 12 contains a variation on the “To Tell the Truth” Exercise mentioned earlier
(see Schumer, 1992). In this variation, four students are selected to lie or tell the truth about a
factual issue (what kind of car they drive) and an affective issue (an extremely embarrassing
moment). Two students are told to tell the truth, and two to lie. The remaining students, the
observers, must record who they think is lying, state why, and rate their confidence on each
In Chapter 13, which addresses fear appeals, the authors recommend having students
design a “blue-print” for a fear appeal or anxiety-arousing message centering on a specific public
health and/or safety issue. Examples of possible issues include wearing seat belts, practicing
safe sex, smoking prevention and/or cessation, appointing a designated driver, saying no to
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drugs, and so on. Students are asked to create a brief public service announcement containing a
exercise in which each student is told that she/he will have 3 minutes of class time “to make
other students in the class like you.” Little advice is offered as to how students should go about
doing this, which leads to more variation and creativity in their approaches (bringing cookies,
telling stories, juggling, etc.). After everyone has had a turn, the winner is decided via secret
ballot.
The instructors manual also contains several dozens useful links to persuasion-related
material on the Web. A few examples of the links include the U.S. National Archives & Records
Administration’s exhibit of propaganda posters used during World War II; a marketing expert’s
lists of a variety of slogans used in advertising; James McCroskey’s Source Credibility Scale; a
summary of eight techniques used by cults to gain psychological control over their members; an
overview of inoculation theory; a list of 60 ways kids can say no to drugs; and, related to Kim
Witte’s Extended Parallel Process Model, a link which shows three health communication fear
appeals that vary by threat and efficacy, and a 12-item scale to assess whether a particular fear
Ekman, P. & Friesen, W. V. (1974). Detecting deception from the body or face? Journal of
Gass, R. H., & Seiter, J. S. (2007). Persuasion, social influence, and compliance gaining (3rd
ed.).
Larson, C. U. (2007). Persuasion: Reception and responsibility (11th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Thomson/Wadsworth.
McKerrow, R., Monroe, A., Ehninger, & Gronbeck, B. (2003). Principles and types of Speech
Pfau, M., & Szabo, E. A. (2004). Inoculation and resistance to persuasion. In J.S. Seiter & R.H.
Gass, Perspectives on persuasion, social influence, and compliance gaining (pp. 265-
Rogers, W. (2007). Persuasion: Messages, receivers, and contexts. Lanham, MD: Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers.
Weimer, M. (1993). Improving your classroom teaching. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.