Influence Test

 My thoughts about my score: I am not surprised by my score (I think I did well) because to me, all the answers seemed fairly obvious.

 

SCORE: 8/10

People are more likely to be persuaded by many weak arguments, rather than a few good arguments, when they are:

a) in a rush

b) not particularly interested in the topic

c) moderately concerned about the topic

d) both a & b

If you're attempting to sell a customer an item from your company's lineup of three models (the "economy," the "midrange," and the "luxury" model), research has demonstrated you will obtain higher sales figures by:

a) starting at the bottom and moving up the line;

b) starting at the top and moving down the line;

c) starting at the middle and then allowing customers to "own the decision" by moving up or down the line themselves.

Years of tracking political elections have revealed that the single most reliable predictor of who will win an election is the candidate who:

a) is the most physically attractive;

b) produces the greatest number of negative or "attack" ads against his opponent;

c) has the most active and committed volunteer base;

d) spends the most time focusing on the issues.

Research has shown the general relationship between self-esteem and persuadability to be:

a) people with low self-esteem are the most persuadable;WRONG

b) people with average self-esteem are the most persuadable; RIGHT

c) people with high self-esteem are the most persuadable.

 

Imagine you are the (unlucky) campaign manager of a political candidate who has recently lost the public's trust. Now imagine that the candidate wants to rebuild his reputation through profiling himself as a tough crime-fighter. Of the following choices, which would be the best way for your candidate to start his next ad?

a) "My opponent has not gone far enough in fighting crime . . ."

b) "Many have supported my ability and willingness to fight crime . . ." c) "Although my opponent has a good record of fighting crime, . . ."

 

Imagine you are a financial advisor, and you believe that a young client of yours is invested too conservatively. In order to persuade her to invest in riskier, high-return investments, you should concentrate on describing:

a) how others like her have made similar mistakes (appeal to consensus);

b) what she stands to gain if she invests in riskier options (appeal to greed);

c) what she stands to lose if she does not invest in riskier options (appeal to loss).

 

Research has demonstrated that jurors are most persuaded by:

a) an expert witness who uses easy-to-understand terms;

b) an expert witness who speaks in incomprehensible language; RIGHT

c) a witness who speaks with conviction. WRONG

 

If you have a new piece of information, when should you mention that it
is new?

a) before you present the information
b) in the middle of the presentation of the information
c) after the presentation of the information
d) you should not mention that it is new information.

Imagine you are presenting your case, and that you are coming to the part
of your presentation that contains good, strong arguments for your
position. How quickly should you speak?

a) you should speak very rapidly
b) you should speak somewhat rapidly
c) you should speak at a moderate rate
d) you should slow down

Which of the following excuses has been found to be the most effective way to get out of a traffic ticket in court?

a) Admission of guilt, followed by an apology, such as "I did change lanes without turning on my signal, and I apologize for that."
b) Apology with a denial of intent: "I'm sorry I changed lanes without turning on my signal--I didn't intend to break the law, it's just that I was changing lanes quickly to avoid another motorist."
c) Pointing out that the infraction was the result of the driving environment or another motorist: "Another driver abruptly cut me off and I had to move out of his way quickly. I didn't have time to put on my signal."
d) Citing lack of knowledge combined with giving consensus information: "I didn't realize that signals had to be used even when no other cars are following closely. Virtually nobody uses signals when changing lanes in light traffic."

Job Interview Q/A

This was the assignment that I missed from being in Bolivia.  To make up for missing the mock interview, you asked me to answer 9 interview questions instead of 3 and said I do not need to do the "Evaluating your mock interview" blog post.


Event Planner


1. Tell me about yourself:

I’m out going, definitely a people person and am self motivated.  I like being involved in extracurricular activities and I have been as long as I can remember including team activities like orchestra and soccer. I've continued my soccer career at Northwest University and am majoring in Organizational Communication with a Psychology Minor.

2. What do you take pride in?
I take pride in the fact that I was co-valedictorian of my graduation class.  Growing up I, like many others, was taught to "never give anything less than your best." Many people are given this advice and each person follows it to his or her own degree.  Ever since I was a little girl, I have taken this advice to heart. It was not easy, to say the least, juggling school, soccer, track, youth group, bible study, national honor society, work, and camerata & symphony orchestras, let alone trying to find time to socialize. Being able to keep my grades essentially what you could call perfect through all the ups and downs of life for 4 years (7 if you count middle school) is hard and fast evidence that displays my ability to prioritize, commit, organize, and be involved with at multiple things without sacrificing quality.


3. What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
I’ve been told I occasionally focus on details and miss the bigger picture, so I’ve been working on remembering what the ultimate goal is and making sure any action I take is benefiting the big picture.

I would say my greatest strength is my high and positive work ethic. I am committed to excel at whatever it is I am doing and commit to it until the job is complete in the best possible way.

4. When you are faced with a difficult decision, how do you go about making it? 
I weigh the pros and cons of the options and use that to determine which option would be the most beneficial in the long run. I realize that sometimes the best decision isn't always the easiest one, but progress involves risks; You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first.


5. Can you perform well under pressure? 
I would say that I thrive under pressure. 


6. How do you know this?
Because I’ve been involved with multiple activities my whole life I’ve learned how to effectively multitask, prioritize, and manage time.

7. Do you prefer to work by yourself or with others?
I prefer to work with others because I'm a people person and believe great ideas are created through interactions with one another.


8. If your previous co-workers were here, what would they say about you?
They would say I am a reliable, outgoing person with an excellent work ethic and that I am a creative problem-solver.


9. Do you have any questions for me?
Can I contact you about following up with the job?  Are there any benefits? What is the compensation?