408 17.5 Using PersUasive strategies
The best action step spells out precisely the action your audience should
take. Here, Heather tells her listeners what to do and what will happen next.
You can modify the motivated sequence to suit the needs of your topic and
your audience.
• For a receptive audience, you do not have to spend a great deal of time on the
need step. They already agree that the need is serious. However, they might
want to learn about some specific actions that they can take to implement
a solution to the problem. Therefore, you would be wise to emphasize the
satisfaction and action steps.
• For a hostile audience, you should spend considerable time on the need step.
Convince your listeners that the problem is significant and that they should
be concerned about the problem. You would probably not propose a lengthy,
detailed action.
• For a neutral or indifferent audience, spend time getting your listeners’ atten-
tion and inviting their interest in the problem. The attention and need steps
should be emphasized.
The motivated sequence is a guide, not an absolute formula. Use it and the
other suggestions about speech organization, reviewed in Table 17.2, to help you
achieve your specific objective. Be audience-centered; adapt your message to
your listeners.Table 17.2 Organizational Patterns for Persuasive Messages
Pattern Definition Example
Problem–solution Present the problem; then present the solution. I. The national debt is too high.
II. We need to raise taxes to lower the debt.
Refutation Anticipate your listeners’ key objections to your
proposal and then address them.I. Even though you may think we pay too much tax,
we are really undertaxed.
II. Even though you may think the national debt will
not go down, tax revenue will lower the deficit.
Cause and effect First present the cause of the problem; then note
how the problem affects the listeners. Or identify
a known effect; then document what causes the
effect.I. The high national debt is caused by too little tax
revenue and too much government spending.
II. The high national debt will increase both inflation
and unemployment.
Motivated
sequenceA five-step pattern of organizing a speech;
its steps are attention, need, satisfaction,
visualization, and action.I. Attention: Imagine a pile of $1,000 bills 67 miles
high. That’s our national debt.
II. Need: The increasing national debt will cause
hardships for our children and grandchildren.
III. Satisfaction: We need higher taxes to reduce our
debt.
IV. Visualization: Imagine our country in the year 2050;
it could have low inflation and full employment or be
stuck with a debt ten times our debt today.
V. Action: If you want to lower the debt by increasing
tax revenue, sign my petition that I will send to our
representatives.Copyrighted by Pearson education, Upper saddle river, nJ