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Audience members have needs—objects they desire and feelings that must be satisfied. Human needs powerfully affect how we behave and how we respond to one another’s ideas. As we note in chapter 5, your message is more likely to succeed when it is relevant to the audience—that is, when it answers their question, “What’s in it for me?”¹¹ Experts from previous eras, such as psychologist Abraham Maslow¹² and social critic Vance Packard,¹³ have identified specific sets of needs, which continue to be emphasized in many persuasive appeals.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs explains how people’s most basic needs must be met before they will focus on less essential ones. The most basic human needs are physiological: we require food, drink, health, and shelter to survive. Once we’ve had these needs met, we attend to safety needs, which include economic security and protection from danger. If our physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, we seek to satisfy social needs, including love and friendship. From there, we strive for self-esteem, the feeling that comes from being respected and valued as a contributing member of society. Finally, to satisfy what Maslow called self-actualization needs, we seek opportunities for creativity, personal growth, and self-fulfillment.

It is important to consider this hierarchy when analyzing your audience. If most audience members are struggling to pay their rent, it will be difficult to persuade them to donate to a political campaign, eat organic food, or sign up for an elective class in pottery. These activities may be worthy, but they will not help students who are dealing with late fees or the threat of eviction. Ideas that cost money are likely to fall outside these audience members’ latitude of acceptance, potentially resulting in a boomerang effect.

By focusing on needs that are of concern to audience members, your speech will be more likely to persuade. For example, let’s say you want to give a speech convincing your classmates to exercise more often. Exercise fulfills a number of different needs: it can improve people’s health, help them perform better at work and in school, increase their self-esteem, mitigate the dangers that come with obesity, and (if done in a social setting) provide opportunities to forge friendships and meet romantic partners. You should determine which of these needs are most important to your audience and then emphasize them in your main points and subpoints.