Everyday Persuasive Techniques
using I.M.T.
A student has a paper due in two days. He skipped a day and thought he would do it on the penultimate day. He started on the next day but fell asleep while writing the paper, but fortunately, it was almost finished. He did , however, miss his class and reached 10 minutes late. Now the professor doesn’t accept late submissions.
How will he answer when his professor asks him why he wasn’t in class to turn in his paper?
A: “I am so sorry professor. I overslept.”
B: “My roommate didn’t pay the electric bill so our power got cut off and my alarm clock didn’t go off.”
C: “I’ve just had a really bad week. My girlfriend broke up with me and the power was disconnected because I didn’t pay the bill.”
D: “I really need a good grade in this class. Honestly, my paper was already done I just overslept” said while rolling eyes and looking disgusted.
Persuasion by omitting information, telling untruths, going off the subject and confusing the other person, using excuses and being economical with the truth — these are the four ways of covertly violating the principles that govern conversational exchange, based on the Information Manipulation Theory.
