Kathy Kellerman & Tim Cole’s Compliance-Gaining Messages Explained with examples

I’ve added sandwich-related examples to Kellerman & Cole’s seminal Compliance Gaining Strategies paper from 1994.
Because sandwiches make everything much easier to understand.

3rd Party Authority: Your boss asked that you make me a sandwich
Activate 3rd Party: I need you to go ahead and ask Johnny to make me a sandwich.
Altercast (negative): Only a crappy person would say no to making me a sandwich.
Altercast (positive): An awesome person would make me a sandwich.
Appeal to Altruism: Can you please do me a huge favor and make me a sandwich? I really need it.
Assertion: Make me a sandwich, now.
Audience-use: You know, everyone has been saying you should make me a sandwich.
Authority Appeal: Make me a sandwich, because I am your boss
Aversive Simulation: I’m going to annoy the shit out of you until you make me a sandwich
Bad Reputation: If you don’t make me a sandwich, others will think you’re a jerk
Bargaining: I’ll make you a coffee if you make me a sandwich.
Benefit of Others: If you make me a sandwich, everyone benefits because I’ll stop asking everyone to make me a sandwich
Benefit to Them: Make me a sandwich. It’ll make you feel great!
Challenge: I bet you can’t make me a sandwich
Compliment: I was going to make myself a sandwich, but you’re so much better at it. Please make me a sandwich
Compromise: Please make me a sandwich. You don’t even have to bring it on a plate
Concern for Others: When I’m hangry, people get hurt. If you care about the wellbeing of your colleagues, you better make me a sandwich
Cooperation: Let’s make me a sandwich, together.
Criticize: You know, you really stink at making sandwiches. How about you practice it by making me one?
Debase them: Listen, moron, stop doing stupid worthless things and make me a sandwich.
Debt: Remember that time I made you a coffee? You owe me a favor. So make me a sandwich.
Deceit: Make me a sandwich. I’ll make it worth it for you (not).
Direct Request: Please make me a sandwich.
Disclaimer (norms/rules): Yeah, making a sandwich is tough. But you can do it, I believe in you.
Disclaimer (other): No one can make me a sandwich as good as you can. Please make me a sandwich
Disclaimer (self): Listen, I wouldn’t normally ask you to do this, but right now I have no other choice.
Disclaimer (target): I know you’re busy and don’t feel like making me a sandwich. Honestly I wouldn’t want to either. But I need you to make me a sandwich.
Disclaimer (task): Making me a sandwich shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes. And it’s going to be fun.
Disclaimer (time): Make me a sandwich, and then you can send out the emails you want.
Duty: Part of your job is to make me a sandwich when I ask you.
Equity: It’s only fair that you make me a sandwich. Everyone has boring responsibilities, and this is just part of the job.
Esteem by Actor (negative): If you don’t make me a sandwich, I’m not going to be angry. I’ll just be very disappointed.
Get an ETA: When do you expect that sandwich will be ready for me?
Good Consequences: Make me a sandwich, and wonderful things will happen to you.
Good Reputation: If you make me a sandwich, everyone will think you’re so cool
Hinting: I’m starving. If only I could eat something right now, like a yummy yummy sandwich
Hit Close to Home: I’m your best friend. Make me a sandwich.
I want: I want you to make me a sandwich. Make me a sandwich.
Invoke Norm: Make me a sandwich. Everyone has made one for me at one point or another.
It’s Up to You: You can either make me a sandwich, or let me starve to death. It’s up to you.
It’s about Them: How about you make me a sandwich? I just want you to be happy, and I know cooking is something you love doing
Logical-Empirical: I need you to go ahead and make me a sandwich. It’s the right thing to do, because
Moral Appeal: Make me a sandwich. Remember, do unto others what you want others to do unto you
My Benefit: Make me a sandwich because I’m very hungry
My Esteem (positive): If you make me a sandwich I’ll definitely have a lot of respect for you.
Nature of Situation: The sandwich isn’t going to prepare itself. You’ll need to go ahead and make it
Nature of Situation: We’re all busy and a sandwich has to be made for me. So go make it.
Persistence: Make me a sandwich. Make me a sandwich. Make me a sandwich. Make me a sandwich.
Personal Expertise: As a sandwich-making expert, I think you are at a level where it’s time that you start making sandwiches
Positive Affect: You’re the best person around at making sandwiches. Please make me one of your outstanding sandwiches
Pre-Giving: Hey, I made you a coffee. Please make me a sandwich
Promise: Hey, if you make me a sandwich I’ll make you a coffee!
Promote Task: Please make me a sandwich. I’m so much more productive & efficient after I have a sandwich, and I also get so much nicer.
Self-Debasement: I’m so miserable and pitiful. Look at me, i’m starving. Please make me a sandwich.
Self-Feeling (negative): If you refuse to make me a sandwich you’re going to feel like a crappy person for the rest of the day.
Self-Feeling (positive): Think how great you’ll feel about yourself after you make me a sandwich.
Suggest: You know, a sandwich would be perfect right now.
Surveillance: I’m going to follow-up on you about that sandwich every 10 minutes
Take Responsibility: Make me a sandwich. Here, I’ll even take out the lettuce for you.
The way things Are: You need to make me a sandwich. I’m sorry, but this is just how things are. That’s simply the policy around here.
Thought Manipulation: Hey, so remember how you mentioned you want to make me a sandwich?
Value Appeal: Because you’re such a truly caring person, I think you should make me a sandwich,
Warn/Threaten with Consequences: Make me a sandwich, or you’re fired
Why Not: There’s really no excuse for you to not make me a sandwich.
Your Concern for Me: If you really care about my happiness, you should make me a sandwich