Case study-Leadership Communication
Action Assignment: Post your letter to the forum WHIRLPOOL (Case Study 6-2: Whirlpool Corporation). Give feedback to at least one group member.
Details: After reading case study 6-2 (An invitation to wellness at Whirlpool Corporation), assume the role of the Employee Communication Manager at Whirlpool. Write a personal letter to each employee (use a fictitious name and address) for Ms. Dana Donnley's signature. The letter (see template of block format on page 385) should address the issues regarding the acceptance of wellness programs.
Dana Donnley, Director of Employee Communication for Whirlpool Corporation, mentions the main benefits and objections of participating in the program; but, of course, if you can think of additional, relevant issues, include them in your letter.
You must use block format (use the template of Appendix C).
Regarding the number of paragraphs and/or words in your letter, I won't restrict you. However, you'll need to write concisely, omit irrelevant issues, and include relevant details. And, of course, you'll need to include the necessary persuasive elements (see below). Also think of your audience's attention span.
Concerning content, you'll need to write a persuasive letter, which means, you'll need to consider the following persuasive strategies and concepts to persuade your audience to take action.
The basic elements of persuasion are (1) building credibility, (2) establishing a problem, need, or opportunity, (3) focusing on benefits, (4) constructing logical arguments, (5) appealing to emotions, (6) anticipating concerns and objections, (7) calling to action.
Before you start, think about the audience, purpose, and main idea of your letter. Also, what impact and outcome should your letter have? Will you have to address ethical issues?
Who is your audience? Whirlpool employees? Explain to them the purposes of the program, the reasons for their participation, and the benefits you expect them to derive from doing so. Take into account the diversity of the employees but address each employee directly.
Start with an attention-getter to motivate the audience to read further. Then emphasize why the program is beneficial and what kinds of benefits the audience can expect.
In your arguments, appeal to logic (but avoid faulty logic!).
Appeal to emotions and values (use techniques like social proof and reciprocity).
Anticipate concerns. You can go beyond what Ms. Donnley mentioned.
Try to visualize the outcomes.
In your last paragraph, call to action (encourage the audience to take an immediate step such as registering, etc.).
You can use details of the case, the discussion questions, and external sources as a guide for your letter. I encourage you to develop clear, concise, and substantive (but not wordy) paragraphs.