Aids to Audience Decision Making 155Information relevant to the audience’s current goals and intentions is attention getting as well.^100For example, information about food is attention getting to audiences who are hungry, and infor-
mation about entertainment is attention getting to audiences who are bored.^101
Concrete Words
The use of concrete words aids attention and makes the message more memorable. A study
comparing abstract to concrete wording (e.g., familiarization period vs. practice time ) tested read-
ers’ ability to recall four texts that described either a familiar or an unfamiliar topic and that
were written either in a concrete or an abstract style. Each of the four texts contained the same
number of sentences with the same sentence lengths and scored the same when rated for cohe-
sion and readability. Readers recalled texts about familiar topics better when they were written
in a concrete as opposed to an abstract style. What’s more, readers recalled texts about unfamiliar
topics written in a concrete style just as well as they recalled texts about familiar topics written
in an abstract style.^102
Sentences using concrete words are easy to visualize. In a test of the impact of high-imageryconcrete verbs on students’ recall, Time/Life editors revised a section of a history textbook,
replacing less vivid verbs such as increased with high-imagery attention-getting verbs such as
skyrocketed. The editors also added high-imagery anecdotes and quotations from other sources.
Students’ recall of the information in the textbook jumped by 40%.^103 Concrete wording, with
its high-imagery value, is more memorable than abstract wording because it permits pictorial
as well as verbal coding of the words in the text.^104 Moreover, audiences can read high-imagery
sentences 30% faster on average^105 and can comprehend them more easily as well.^106
Explicit Language
Explicit language is specifi c, detailed, clearly stated, and leaves little or nothing to the imagination.
Like concrete wording, explicit language captures the audience’s attention and aids their compre-
hension. Explicit language is also more persuasive than vague language. Recruitment literature
using explicit language not only helps job seekers better comprehend their fi t with an organization,
it positively affects their intention to apply.^107
Recently, explicit language has emerged as an important factor in warning effectiveness.^108For example, the following two warnings both contain information about a health hazard, its
consequence, and instructions for avoiding it. But which warning would be more effective in
preventing a factory’s employees from inhaling vapors that could lead to severe and permanent
lung damage?
Warning A Warning B
Hazardous Environment Toxic Chemical Vapors
Potential Health Effects Can Result in Severe Lung Damage
Use Appropriate Precautions Always Wear a Respirator in This Area
Warning A is vague and generic. It is not explicit about what the specifi c safety problem is, itsconsequences, or what to do about it. Warning B, on the other hand, clearly specifi es the hazard,
the consequence, and the appropriate action to take.