Beyond experimentation, what criteria should you consider when choosing an organizational pattern? Depending on (1) the nature of your claims (whether of fact, value, or policy), (2) audience members’ attitudes toward the topic, and (3) the response you want to elicit from them, certain patterns can be more effective than others.

What Do the Claims and Evidence Suggest?

Some speech topics or claims clearly suggest a specific design. A speech that argues for limiting the sale of minimally nutritious, or “junk,” foods in school cafeterias, for example, implies that unrestricted sales of these foods represent a problem and that limiting them represents a solution. Thus one obvious way to arrange main points is with the problem-solution pattern (see Chapter 12). Many such claims of policy (i.e., claims that recommend a specific course of action) fit naturally into the problem-solution pattern. However, another pattern may be equally or more effective for this argument. Perhaps your research has uncovered several advantages associated with limiting junk food and a number of disadvantages associated with not doing so. In this event, the comparative advantage pattern of arrangement might serve you well.

Similarly, consider a speech in which you argue that religious freedom dictates that people should be legally free to practice polygamy, or to marry multiple partners. One potentially effective way of ordering this claim of value (i.e., a claim that addresses issues of judgment) is with the topical (also called categorical) pattern of arrangement. Here, the speaker arranges main points to reflect a series of reasons in support of the claim. (Recall that a topical pattern arranges information according to different subtopics or categories of relatively equal importance within a larger topic.)

Finally, consider the claim of fact (i.e., claims addressing whether something is or is not true or will or will not happen) that “Deficits are projected to rise again as more baby boomers begin drawing from Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.” The claim implies a cause-effect relationship in which a large aging population drawing on services (CAUSE) leads to rising deficits (EFFECT). Alternatively, you could argue this claim in a problem-solution or problem-cause-solution pattern, so that the first point establishes the problem (rising deficits) and subsequent points explain reasons for the problem (aging population/ need for more services) and provide a solution (raise taxes/lower benefits).

What Response Do You Seek?

All persuasive speeches seek to influence attitudes, but some speeches focus on passive agreement while others encourage action, such as donating to a cause or signing a petition. Thus yet another consideration in choosing how you will order speech points is your specific speech purpose—how you want your audience to react to your message. As noted below, one particularly effective pattern for getting people to act is Monroe’s motivated sequence—a pattern that explicitly calls for audience members to act on the speaker’s suggestions. (Remember that in any speech asking audience members to do something, be sure to include a call to action. Table 26.1 summarizes the patterns discussed in this chapter and in Chapter 12.

What Is the Attitude of the Audience?

As you can see, examining your claims can help to identify a pattern for your persuasive speech. Another consideration you might consider when selecting an organizational arrangement is where your target audience stands in relation to your topic (see Chapter 6). How receptive to or critical of your claims are they likely to be? Persuasion scholar Herbert Simon describes four types of potential audiences, including the hostile audience or one that strongly disagrees; the critical and conflicted audience; the sympathetic audience; and the uninformed, less educated, or apathetic audience. As demonstrated in Table 26.2, depending on the audience’s disposition, certain organizational patterns and persuasive strategies can be more effective than others.¹