Persuasion is more than just credibility and reasoning. Appealing to your listeners’ emotions and encouraging them to experience strong feelings about your issue make it more likely that they will agree with you and follow your suggestions.

Imagine that you’re watching your favorite show when a commercial for Save the Children comes on. There’s a photo of an emaciated young girl, and a narrator says, “Only seven years old, Rokia lives a life of poverty and malnourishment in Mali, Africa. She isn’t likely to see her 12th birthday. But you can be the difference in Rokia’s life. Your contribution to Save the Children, an organization that helps children like Rokia, will ensure that she is well fed, is educated, and receives proper medical care.” How persuasive would you find that argument? What about this one: imagine that there was no picture of Rokia, and the narrator said nothing about her life, only that “there are millions of African children who are victims of food shortage and disease.” Which of the two announcements would be more likely to compel you to send money to Save the Children?

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In a research study, participants who were given Rokia’s personal story, along with her photograph, donated more money than those who had only received general information about what Save the Children does in Africa (Small, Loewenstein, & Slovic, 2007). What explains the difference? Simply put, it’s easier to feel a sense of personal connection when you hear and see the specific struggles of a single person. Broad appeals and abstract language (“millions of African children need your help”) often fail to make people feel the same kind of emotional connection and, as a result, are less persuasive.

Well-reasoned claims get your audience thinking about your message, but you also want them feeling something about your topic. Do you want them to experience compassion? Concern about their future well-being? A sense of urgency about solving a problem? During the composing step of your speech preparation, consider the needs of your listeners and the emotions you want them to experience. Then develop motivational appeals—explicit statements (examples, testimony, stories) that speak to these needs and feelings. Using motivational appeals in your speech encourages your audience to connect personally with your topic. As discussed earlier in this chapter, such appeals are what Aristotle called pathos.

Although motivational appeals enhance your persuasive message, remember to combine them with logical reasons for supporting your position. If your listeners think you’re playing too heavily on their emotions, they may feel they’re being manipulated, and you could lose credibility.