Compliance‐gaining strategies, communication satisfaction, and willingness to comply

Research on compliance‐gaining strategies has focused more on communication sources than on receivers’ willingness to comply with messages. In this study, targets’ satisfaction with and willingness to comply with 12 strategy types, under conditions varying in level of intimacy, were investigated. Results indicate that strategies employing negative sanctions were least likely to produce willingness to comply and were also the least preferred by receivers. Moreover, these strategies also produced the least receiver satisfaction. A significant relationship was found between communication satisfaction and receivers’ willingness to comply. Perceptions of relational distance between source and receiver did not effect satisfaction with or willingness to comply with messages. Implications for future research are suggested.

Notes

Jo Anna Grant (M.S., Texas Christian University, 1990) is a doctoral candidate in Speech Communication at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Paul E. King (Ph.D., University of North Texas, 1985) is Chair and Associate Professor, and Ralph R. Behnke (Ph.D., University of Kansas, 1966) is Professor in the Department of Speech Communication at Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX.