244 CHAPTER 17^ Persuasive Speaking
In summary, you must convince your audience that a problem exists and that it
affects a significant quantity of people and alters their quality of life. You then convince
them that it was caused by structures or attitudes that can either be eliminated or cir-
cumvented by your proposed plan. Give enough details so that listeners can understand
how the plan will work, and provide a cost–benefit analysis so they are convinced that it
is practical.
US citizens got a lesson in policy debating when the federal government enacted
health care reform called “Obamacare.”
• [Harm] Almost everyone agreed that problems existed in the status quo and affected
great numbers of people in ways that hurt their quality of life. Health costs were
high; insurance rates were skyrocketing; not everyone had access to the treatments
and medications they needed, and so on.
• [Blame] Congress pointed to structural causes including (depending on who you
asked) for-profit health insurance companies, too many malpractice lawsuits, the lack
of a single-payer government system, and so on. Attitudes also contribute. Too many
people demand unnecessary procedures from costly specialists.^26
• [Cure] Congress passed a giant plan that most members did not actually read. Critics
disputed details of the plan; some thought it went too far; others thought it didn’t
go far enough. When it actually rolled out in October 2013, several flaws showed up
that required adjustments to the plan.
• [Cost] The cost of the overhaul was hotly debated. Cost-saving benefits were touted
by supporters and disputed by detractors. Advantages and disadvantages are still
being weighed.
Time, energy, and money continue to go into the ongoing task of ensuring that the
structural changes in the law will eventually solve for the quantitative and qualitative
harms in the previous health care system.Persuasive Goal: To Actuate
When you want your audience to change their behaviors, your specific purpose is to
actuate. This requires you to consider their beliefs about your topic, their motivations,
and their opinions about whether or not they can and should act as you suggest. This
section discusses two theories that explain motivations to act: cognitive dissonance
theory and the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). It then provides an organizational
pattern commonly used to motivate behaviors.Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Often we behave in ways that are inconsistent with our beliefs or values. Leon Festinger^27
developed the cognitive dissonance theory to explain the resulting inconsistency or
dissonance we experience. He originally studied smokers who continued to smoke even
though they knew it harmed their bodies. In this theory, living organisms, including
humans, seek balance or equilibrium. When challenged with inconsistency, we try to
return to a balanced psychological state. Consequently, if our behaviors fail to match
our beliefs, we typically experience discomfort until we either alter our beliefs to match
our behaviors or alter our behaviors to match our beliefs.
Inconsistency between action and belief is one of the best motivators for change.
For example, it is easier to persuade you to consult an employment counselor if you are
stuck in a job you hate than if you love everything about your current workplace. If you
strongly support a political party’s ideas but do nothing, it’s easier to persuade you to
vote than if you care nothing about politics. In short, keep this theory in mind when
your audience’s behaviors don’t match up with their beliefs and ideals.actuate motivate the audi-
ence to do something
cognitive dissonance
theory humans seek stability
or equilibrium; when faced
with inconsistency they seek
psychological balance; this
may motivate them to change
in order to be consistent
dissonance inconsistency
or clash
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