Using Persuasive Communication to Build Consensus

I began this assignment by asking each person to think about what they would rather do. Have a high paying job that was not very desirable or have a job that one was very passionate about but had a less desirable salary.

My mom (a kinesthetic person) and I agreed. We would rather have a job that we were passionate about with a less desirable salary because one needs to feel satisfied going to work each day. One can budget in order to do the things they desire and enjoy doing.

My husband a visual person felt a job that pays more was better even if it was less desirable. He believes that a person can make a job fun. I then explained that not everyone could do that. Many people let their circumstances dictate their feelings. I then reminded him about this show he watches called “Dirty Jobs.” He then mentioned that it would really depend on the job.

My sister an auditory person felt that it is important to have a job that paid well even if you didn’t like it. She said that it is good from people to feel passionate about their job and it was their decision to have a lower paying job. I asked my sister to hear me out. I began describing some less glamorous jobs that are high paying. She then agreed that it would be better to have a job that you were passionate about than one of those jobs. My sister is very concerned about the way things look and what people outside her circle will see when they look at her. She only decided because the jobs I describes would not agree with her social standing.

My Co-worker Sarah is a kinesthetic person. I asked her what she would rather have and she stated that it would be better to have a job that you were passionate about and less money. She stated that money doesn’t buy happiness and if you have a job that you don’t like you are not going to want to go to work each day. You will end up calling in sick and or quitting the job. I didn’t have to persuade Sarah.

Overall, I found my husband to be very persuasive. I do feel that a person can make most jobs fun. I have been reading The Seven Steps to Highly Effective People. In this book the author talks about a man that was in the concentration camps in Germany for many years. He was able to find hope and strength from within. He loved to teach and was a previous professor. While in this concentration camp each day he would take some time to escape into his mind and teach a class of students. This allowed this man to find hope and happiness while in dire circumstances.

I found the most difficult person to persuade was my sister. Part of that could have been because she was my sister. I also know some of her thinking and because she tends to be more material, I was able to use this material thinking in order to persuade her to my reasoning. I found this very interesting.