Tips to Write a Persuasive Message - Assignment Overview

Assignment Overview:

The purpose of this assignment is to write a persuasive message. Communicating persuasively is something that you likely do in a number of contexts throughout your day. In business communication, knowing your audience and framing your point of view in a way that not only wins them over, but also motivates them to take some sort of action, is the ultimate goal of persuasive communication.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

• Create digitally-written professional communications for readability, coherence, clarity, conciseness, and tone

• Apply research tools to enhance communication

Ensure you are aware of the College policies on Academic Honesty and also Plagiarism. Academic dishonesty and plagiarism are taken very seriously at the College even if the dishonesty or plagiarism is unintentional. Please also know that taking credit for work you did not contribute to as it is also considered Academic Dishonesty and will be reported.

It is highly recommended that you use the Turnitin tool to make improvements to your paper before you submit the final version. Be aware of the due date for the assignment. Submit your first draft long before the deadline and allow yourself time to make changes. Then, submit your final version by the deadline.

Learners find the Turnitin report useful for editing papers. The report will include incorrect use of referencing, too many quotes, and paraphrases. If the Turnitin report, for your first draft, shows a high percentage of matching text, this will give you an opportunity to review and edit your assignment for proper citations and more original analysis. Once you make your edits, it is possible to submit your work to Turnitin again. Turnitin will know not to match the text in your second draft with text in your first draft, and so on. It is advisable to wait at least 24 hours before you submit the second draft.
Faculty find Turnitin useful as a tool to teach learners proper citation practices and highlight the need for more learner originality. Faculty can also use Turnitin as a tool to detect possible instances of plagiarism and academic dishonesty.

Assignment Overview:

The purpose of this assignment is to write a persuasive message. Communicating persuasively is something that you likely do in a number of contexts throughout your day. In business communication, knowing your audience and framing your point of view in a way that not only wins them over, but also motivates them to take some sort of action, is the ultimate goal of persuasive communication.

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:
• Create digitally-written professional communications for readability, coherence, clarity, conciseness, and tone
• Apply research tools to enhance communication

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism

Ensure you are aware of the College policies on Academic Honesty and also Plagiarism. Academic dishonesty and plagiarism are taken very seriously at the College even if the dishonesty or plagiarism is unintentional. Please also know that taking credit for work you did not contribute to as it is also considered Academic Dishonesty and will be reported.
When you submit your assignment, it will go through Turnitin. Turnitin is a web-based service that checks the assignment against its database of materials that contain other learners’ work as well as electronic academic materials.

It is highly recommended that you use the Turnitin tool to make improvements to your paper before you submit the final version. Be aware of the due date for the assignment. Submit your first draft long before the deadline and allow yourself time to make changes. Then, submit your final version by the deadline.

Learners find the Turnitin report useful for editing papers. The report will include incorrect use of referencing, too many quotes, and paraphrases. If the Turnitin report, for your first draft, shows a high percentage of matching text, this will give you an opportunity to review and edit your assignment for proper citations and more original analysis. Once you make your edits, it is possible to submit your work to Turnitin again. Turnitin will know not to match the text in your second draft with text in your first draft, and so on. It is advisable to wait at least 24 hours before you submit the second draft.
Faculty find Turnitin useful as a tool to teach learners proper citation practices and highlight the need for more learner originality. Faculty can also use Turnitin as a tool to detect possible instances of plagiarism and academic dishonesty.

You have been inspired by the City of Calgary’s “3 Things for Calgary Initiative,” and want to pass on that enthusiasm to your friends and family.
1. Read the background information provided.
2. Read the rubric.
3. Using the AIDA model, compose a four paragraph persuasive message letter to your “friends and family” identifying three things for Calgary you are excited to share. Support your recommendations with additional research.
4. Address your letter to “Friends and Family.” You are addressing the entire group in a single letter. You are not writing to an individual from your community.

Background Information:

As the 36th mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi is known for being an approachable, genuine leader with a passion for making this city extraordinary. His efforts have not gone unnoticed. He’s received numerous awards for his leadership, including being named the World Mayor in 2014 by the City Mayors Foundation. (As a city, we don’t mean to brag, but he was the first Canadian mayor to receive the honour.) In his letter, Nenshi challenges all Calgarians to do what they can to make Calgary even better and, most importantly, to do it now.

My advice on leadership: don’t wait. Don’t wait to be asked. Don’t wait for some unspecified “better time.” Don’t wait for someone else to do it.

The great secret to the success of our city is that it is a true meritocracy—if you have a good idea and you’re smart and hard-working enough to make it happen, you’ll find success here. Unlike other communities that have a burden of history and intolerance, Calgary has always celebrated those who take the initiative.

This advice is not for a select few in downtown Calgary, nor is it limited to the realm of business. I believe that all citizens have the ability to make a meaningful impact in their respective communities and that every action to improve our communities is an act of leadership. It is an act of citizenship. The challenge is for all of us to “set the table” for others—to create the right environment for people to take those actions and not wait to be asked or told what to do.

That’s one reason we created the 3 Thing for Calgary movement. It encourages every Calgarian to do at least three things for the community each year; to consider their passions and skills and apply those to making their community better. In other words, we’re challenging people to not wait.

So, what are your three things, and how will you take this chance to build a community of opportunity for all? What actions can you take, great or small that will make your street, your neighbourhood or your city better? If you can answer that question, you are a leader in this city, and we are all better for it.