Persuasion TwFs

This set of TwFs (Tasks with Feedback) is for learning persuasion

1. What is persuasion?

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   Persuasion is the process of getting a person or group to believe something, do something, or change their identity.

2. Give three or more examples of persuasion as applied to getting someone to change their beliefs

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   1. Persuader convinces the target to change their beliefs about which political party is best for the country.

   2. Persuader convinces the target to change their beliefs about the efficacy and risks of vaccines.

   3. Persuader convinces the target to value moral and professional ethics rather than viewing them as situational.

   4. Persuader convinces the target that deeply learning the material in chemistry and statistics is more important than just earning an A.

   5. Persuader convinces the target that climate change is real and primarily driven by human activity, shifting their belief from skepticism to concern.

   6. Persuader convinces the target that addiction is a health condition—not a moral failing—prompting greater empathy and support for recovery-based approaches.

   7. Persuader convinces the target to see failure as a necessary part of growth, changing their belief that mistakes are signs of incompetence.

   8. Persuader convinces the target to believe that their vote matters, countering a previously held belief that individual political action is meaningless.

   9. Persuader convinces target that they can and should start taking small steps to improve their physical and emotional wellbeing.

   Harmful Persuasion Examples

   1. Persuader convinces the target that opioid drugs are safe and worthwhile—as long as you “know what you’re doing”—downplaying the risks of addiction and misuse.

   2. Persuader convinces the target that a charismatic leader holds absolute truth, and that anyone who disagrees is misled or dangerous.

   3. Persuader convinces the target that a fraudulent investment scheme is safe and guaranteed, leading them to ignore warning signs and lose money.

3. Give three or more examples of persuasion as applied to getting someone to take an action.

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   1. Persuader convinces their target to exercise.

   2. Persuader convinces their boss to run better meetings.

   3. Persuader convinces team members to consistently come to meetings on time and prepared.

   4. Persuader convinces their city to improve the safety near a dangerous intersection.

   5. Persuader crafts a web site that gets many people to sign up for a paid service.

   6. Persuader gets their love one to stop smoking.

   7. Persuader gets an abundance of people to volunteer for helping to provide food to those in need.

   8. Persuader gets a patient to follow the advice of their doctor.

   9. Persuader gets students to read before coming to class.

   10. Persuader convinces the target to change their beliefs about the efficacy and risks of vaccines.

   11. Persuader convinces the target to value moral and professional ethics rather than viewing them as situational.

   12. Persuader convinces the target that deeply learning the material in chemistry and statistics is more important than just earning an A.

   13. Persuader convinces the target that climate change is real and primarily driven by human activity, shifting their belief from skepticism to concern.

   14. Persuader convinces the target that addiction is a health condition—not a moral failing—prompting greater empathy and support for recovery-based approaches.

   15. Persuader convinces the target to see failure as a necessary part of growth, changing their belief that mistakes are signs of incompetence.

   16. Persuader convinces the target to believe that their vote matters, countering a previously held belief that individual political action is meaningless.

   17. Persuader convinces target that they can and should start taking small steps to improve their physical and emotional wellbeing.

   Harmful Persuasion Examples

   1. Persuader convinces the target that opioid drugs are safe and worthwhile—as long as you “know what you’re doing”—downplaying the risks of addiction and misuse.

   2. Persuader convinces the target that a charismatic leader holds absolute truth, and that anyone who disagrees is misled or dangerous.

   3. Persuader convinces the target that a fraudulent investment scheme is safe and guaranteed, leading them to ignore warning signs and lose money.

4. Give three or more examples of persuasion as applied to getting someone to change their identity.

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   1. Persuader convinces a student who sees themselves as “bad at math” to adopt the identity of a capable problem solver.

   2. Persuader helps a reluctant leader begin to see themselves as someone who can and should take charge and inspire others.

   3. Persuader guides a person who views themselves as a smoker to identify as someone who lives a healthy, smoke-free lifestyle.

   4. Persuader helps a new employee stop thinking of themselves as “just the new guy” and start embracing their role as a valued team member.

   5. Persuader influences a shy teen to begin seeing themselves as someone who can speak up and contribute in group settings.

5. Why learn persuasion?

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   1. To influence ethically and effectively
      Learning persuasion helps you guide others to take actions that are in their own best interest. This is especially important if you have responsibility for others—as a parent, teacher, manager, leader, doctor, nurse, accountant, lawyer, and so on.

   2. To protect yourself and others from manipulation
      Manipulation is a common form of unethical persuasion. Skilled manipulators often succeed because their targets don’t realize what’s happening. When you understand how persuasion works, you can spot manipulation and respond in the best ways.

6. What is ethical persuasion?

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   Persuasion is the process of getting a person or group to believe something, do something, or change their identity.

   Persuasion is ethical when two criteria are met:

   1. Acting in the target’s best interest
      Your goal is to help the person or group, not exploit them.

   2. Using transparent and acceptable methods
      You use methods that most people would consider fair and acceptable—even if they knew those methods were being used on them.

7. What are the two main roles in persuasion?

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   1. Persuader: The person or group who is trying to persuade.

   2. Target: The person or group the persuader is trying to influence.

8. What is manipulation?

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   Manipulation (unethical persuasion) occurs when two criteria are met.

   1. The persuader is acting in their own best interest without regard for the target’s best interest.

   2. The persuader is using methods that most people would consider unacceptable if they knew those methods were being used on them.

   Three common methods used by manipulators are

   1. Using flawed information.
   2. Using coercion; force, threats, unjustified fear, and so on.
   3. Using psychological tricks that work on many people.

9. Can a skilled persuader get themself to act in their own best interests?

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   Yes—but it’s not easy. While most people think that willpower and self-control are the keys to acting in their own best interests, research and experience suggest otherwise.

   What actually works are methods like:

   • Environmental design – changing your surroundings to make good actions easier and bad ones harder.
   • Reframing – changing how you think about a situation to shift motivation.
   • Identity shifting – aligning choices with who you want to be.
   • Habit shaping – building automatic behaviors that serve your long-term goals.

   A skilled persuader can succeed by combining persuasive reasoning (“This is in my best interest because…”) with behavioral tools like those above. The real skill is in using persuasion not just to convince—but to create conditions that make follow-through likely.

10. Why do some actors (people or groups) manipulate others?

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    Some actors manipulate others to get what they want—resources, approval, obedience, or advantage.

    They choose manipulation because it works: it can bypass resistance, speed up compliance, and deliver results.

    But this comes at a cost: it violates trust, autonomy, and fairness. Manipulators are willing to accept those costs—usually for self-interest, power, or control—even if it harms others.

    To avoid guilt or self-reproach, manipulators often hide the manipulation from themselves using psychological shields like:

    • rationalization (“Everyone does it.”)
    • minimization (“It’s not a big deal.”)
    • blame-shifting (“They made me do it.”)

    These defenses let them see themselves as good, even while manipulating others.