Abolishment of Tobacco - Research Paper Example

Lecturer: Topic: Abolishment of tobacco and its products Persuasion campaign The persuasion campaign that I aim to take part in is directed at the population as a whole and is aimed to make them aware of the dangers that are associated with the use of tobacco and the products that are related to it and encourage the stakeholders that are in a position to abolish them through persuasion to enact legislation that will ultimately eliminate these products completely. For a long time, the manufacturers of cigarettes have had knowledge that the product that they deal with is hazardous to our health but they still did not care and they doubled their efforts so that they could be able to take the necessary steps that they needed to so that they could be able to continue maximising on their profits. The scientists that are in the industry were not surprised by the US Surgeon General’s report in 1964 which made it clear to the public the conclusions that the scientific fraternity had come to about tobacco and its related products and the tobacco manufacturers have always known about it. Statements that came from the tobacco executives and the public relations that work for them to the public were falsified, entwined, dipped and concocted almost to perfection (Michaels 3). According to some quarters regulation of tobacco and the products that are related to it should not be equal to prohibition and the adults are supposed to be able to make their own decisions whether they should consume them or not and that the government should continue to make the public aware of the dangers that are associated with the use of these products and ultimately discourage their consumption but should restrict the person’s ability to make the choices of whether to smoke or not (Redhead and Burrows 6). This should not be the case since in the long run the continued use of this products will result in the consumer developing health issues after making the decision to use the products, this can actually be equated to a person taking the life of a person as a result of decisions and choices that the individual has decides to make, this in accuracy is illegal and should not be allowed. Analysis Persuasion is the capability of prompt beliefs and values in other people by manipulating their thoughts and their actions through specific approaches and psychology in its most accurate definition is the study of the soul. The concept of persuasion can be better understood if it can be remembered that all human beings are motivated towards pleasure and away from pain (Hogan 20). In order to be successful in whatever field that involves the shaping of decisions and behaviour strong skills for persuading and influencing are needed and the normally work together complimenting each other. It will be easier to be able to persuade people when the reputation that a person has is built over time and is based on consistency, reliability, honesty and trustworthiness. Several other persuasion techniques will normally make it even easier to undertake this endeavour and this include reciprocity, likeability, scarcity and social proof so that someone can be moved from point A to point B by influencing the decision of people through your own personality and convincing them to do what you want through persuasive techniques that have been acquired (Kuhnke 15). The proper blend of persuasion and influence resembles the marriage of experiences, tools and skills that are needed in the building of a house where the foundation can be equated to the influence that is achieved through relationships that are solid which is as a result of intentions and the behaviours that build on trust, establish credibility and add value to the relationships that have been achieved. Persuasion can be viewed as the specific tool that is used in order to reach the results that are the best and it can also be perceived as a skill that will include talent and technique that has to be applied with charisma in an attempt to get thing done at that particular time and in that particular place. It is important to identify the three dimensions of language, understanding metaphors and other figures of speech as well as the non-verbal symbols so that we can easily be able to be receivers of persuasion. Many different tools can be used in the analysis of persuasion and therefore pay more attention to the more particular aspects of language symbols (Larson 155). In persuading people it is important to build trust so that it can be easier for them to believe what they are being persuaded about and this can be done by being as reliable as possible and making sure that what is promised is what is delivered and the accomplished that come out of these are made known to everyone that is associated with the campaign. The decisions that are made as the persuasion is on-going should always should not be made based on emotions but reason and therefore in the campaign I tried my best to as rational as possible. I had to be receptive so that I could understand the needs of the other people and their concern so that I can better give them information that I was using in the persuasion campaign, and in the process tried to deliver more than the people that I was persuading expected I would. In trying to get trust from a population that the persuasion campaign is aimed at, it is important to have a colleague that can be in a position to promote your reliability and this colleague should have a reputation that is trusted and reliable at all times. In the campaign, I tried to publicize the some third party testimonials about the effects of using tobacco and the products that are associated with it and it can be said that the Surgeon General’s report was a recognised expert’s contribution to the validation of the aims of the campaign. People are normally more resistant being changed than they are to change and therefore to be able to persuade them, it is imperative that the persuasion campaign be directed at appealing to the beliefs and the values that they possess. This is the approach that I took to make sure that the people will not look at the ideas that I was putting across as those that were threatening to the core values that they held and consequently become defensive and refuse to pay attention to the whole campaign. In the situations that the campaign goes against the interests of the parties that the campaign is targeted at, it is important to point out how the campaign is at odds with the beliefs and the values that they hold. People will normally change the behaviour that they have or the habits and notions that they have when they are meant to believe that the risks that they are bound to experience staying in the same situation are more than those that are associated with making changes, therefore in this campaign, I had to show the people what the benefits of not consuming the products that are derived from tobacco are and what are the ultimate consequences of using them so that they can be able to make a choice about it. People generally tend to believe the ideas that they think they own rather than those that have been imposed on them in one way or another and this strategy was used through asking questions so that the they can be able to discover themselves what is right by asking them what they thought could be the best course of action in a matter that will associated with the abolishment of tobacco and the products that come out of it. I had to be prepared for resistance since it is obvious that such a campaign can never please everyone especially those that do business in the sector that involves the tobacco products that the campaign aims to abolish. The people that will disagree also have points to make and it is important that they are listened to and the point of view that they have considered so that the objectives that they have can be understood which will eventually help in coming up with ways that can be used in addressing them. It is also imperative that I understand what motivates the audience that this campaign is targeted at since emotions are the greatest motivators of human beings and therefore I employed as strategy that was meant to change this motivator through making the people know how the choice to consume tobacco and the products that are related to it can lead to death. This is a reality and I made sure that I had given them the fact about it so that it cannot be viewed as part of my personal desires and beliefs. The emotional attachment to ideas also hinders the successful campaign to persuade people since the issues and strategy that works for one person does not necessarily work for the next person an therefore I had keep in mind that counter arguments were bound to come up and also feedback for the suggestions that I had would be directed my way. There might be cases that other solutions might be arrived at when other people will be involved in argument that are against my solutions and this does not make those solutions wrong. It can be said that the world would a totally different place without the individuals that have been able to perfect the art of persuasion and employed in the most effective that entailing the perception that people have towards certain beliefs and thought. Persuasion and influence can therefore be considered to be both a science and an art that are dependent on specific approaches that are taken and also on the emotions of the people that are supposed to be persuaded have (Kuhnke 16). Works cited Hogan, Kevin. “The psychology of persuasion.” Gretna: Pelican Pub. Co., 1996. Print. Kuhnke, Elizabeth. “Persuasion & influence for dummies.” Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley, 2012. Print. Larson, Charles. “Persuasion: reception and responsibility.” Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Pub. Co, 1973. Print. Michaels, David. “Doubt is their product.” New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print. Redhead, Stephen and Vanessa K Burrows. “FDA tobacco regulation.” Washington, D.C.: Congressional Information Service, Library of Congress, 2009. Print. Read More