Students working in groups of three are each assigned to a role. One person is the influencer, one will be influenced, and one is the observer. These roles can be randomly determined.
To begin, students create a deck of cards for the seven tactics to be used in the exercise. These are legitimacy, rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, consultation, exchange, ingratiation, and pressure (defined in the chapter). Only the influencer draws cards from the set, and no one else may see what has been drawn.
The influencer draws a card and quickly formulates and acts out a strategy to use this tactic on the party being influenced. The person being influenced reacts realisti- cally in a back-and-forth exchange over a brief period and states whether or not the tactic was effective. The observer attempts to determine which tactic is being used and which power base (coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, or refer- ent) would reinforce this tactic. The influencer confirms or denies the approach used.
Change the roles and cards throughout the rounds.
Afterward, the class discusses:
Was there a good match between the tactics drawn and the specific role each person took? In other words, was the tactic useful for the influencer given his or her base of power relative to the person being influenced?