Target Listeners’ Needs

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Audience members are motivated to act on the basis of their needs; thus, one way to persuade listeners is to point to some need they want fulfilled and then give them a way to fulfill it. According to psychologist Abraham Maslow’s classic hierarchy of needs (see Figure 24.1), each of us has a set of basic needs ranging from essential, life-sustaining ones to less critical, self-improvement ones. Our needs at the lower, essential levels (physiological and safety needs) must be fulfilled before the higher levels (social, self-esteem, and self-actualization needs) become important and motivating. Using Maslow’s hierarchy to persuade your listeners to wear seat belts, for example, you would appeal to their need for safety. Critics of this approach suggest that we may be driven as much by wants as by needs; nevertheless, the theory points to the fact that successful appeals depend on understanding what motivates the audience.6 Following are Maslow’s five basic needs, along with suggested actions a speaker can take to appeal to them.

FIGURE 24.1 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
NEED SPEECH ACTION
Physiological needs (to have access to basic sustenance, including food, water, and air)
  • Plan for and accommodate the audience’s physiological needs—are they likely to be hot, cold, hungry, or thirsty?
Safety needs (to feel protected and secure)
  • Appeal to safety benefits—how wearing seat belts or voting for a bill to stop pollution will remove a threat or protect the audience members from harm.
Social needs (to find acceptance; to have lasting, meaningful relationships)
  • Appeal to social benefits—if you want teenagers to quit smoking, stress that if they quit they will appear more physically fit and attractive to their peers.
Self-esteem needs (to feel good about ourselves; self-worth)
  • Appeal to emotional benefits—stress that the proposed change will make listeners feel better about themselves.
Self-actualization needs (to achieve goals; to reach our highest potential)
  • Appeal to your listeners’ need to fulfill their potential—stress how adopting your position will help them “be all that they can be.”

Quick Tip

Show Them the Reward

In order for change to endure, listeners must be convinced they will be rewarded in some way. For example, to persuade people to lose weight and keep it off, you must make them believe that they will be healthier and happier if they do so. Skillful persuaders motivate their listeners to help themselves.