IMPORTANT NOTE--PLEASE READ: Please take a look at the following persuasive speech manuscript to help you understand how to put Monroe's Motivated Sequence together. It is important to note the use of pronouns in this speech. Although "I", "me", "mine", and "you" may be appropriate for a speech, USING THESE IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR A FORMAL MLA RESEARCH PAPER. Avoid using these pronouns in your paper which should be more expository in nature.
An example of Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
A Friend in Need
Sandy Hefty
Paragraph 1--Loretta Olson sometimes gets confused and does some pretty bizarre things. For instance, sometimes she puts her ice cream in the refrigerator instead of the freezer, and sometimes she feeds her cat chocolate chips instead of cat food. You see, Loretta is an 85-year-old woman who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. She was preceded in death by her husband and only child and now is trying to live on her own the best that she can. You may be wondering how somebody as confused as Loretta could possibly keep living on her own, but she does.
Paragraph 2--During my freshman year, I volunteered six hours a week to help Loretta remain independent in her home. Due to the forgetfulness associated with Alzheimer’s disease, my main duty as a volunteer was to help Loretta with her cooking and house cleaning, which she often forgot to finish on her own.
Paragraph 3-- Since I started volunteering time with Loretta, I’ve learned that there are millions of elderly Americans who need help to remain independent in their homes. According to the United States Census Bureau, our elderly population is the fastest growing segment in the nation. This trend is even seen in my class survey, in which all but two of you said you have living grandparents and seven of you said you have grandparents living alone.
Paragraph 4-- Although the elderly are no longer the poorest segment of American society, according to the Poverty and Wealth Branch of the United States Census Bureau, 1.8 million Americans in the 75-plus age group fall below the poverty line. One point eight million—that’s roughly the populations of Seattle, Indianapolis, and Boston combined.
Paragraph 5-- Today, I would like to persuade each of you to help solve the problems facing more advanced and less fortunate elderly Americans by volunteering time to help them remain independent in their homes. Let’s begin by addressing the problems that can occur among this group of people.
Paragraph 6-- There are two problems that can occur when elderly people living alone do not get the companionship and care they need. The first problem is that elderly people may not be able to meet all of their physical needs. Before I met Loretta, I was a caregiver for an 87-year-old woman who suffered from arthritis. This woman often needed help buttoning her blouse and tying her shoes, as well as needing help cutting vegetables for meals and doing light house cleaning. This is not unusual for many people of advanced age. Like Loretta, they can continue living at home, but need help with certain physical tasks such as house cleaning, food preparation, and transportation.
Paragraph 7-- Not only is there the problem of elderly people not meeting all of their physical needs, but there is a second, more tragic problem that can occur. That second problem is suicide. According to the National Center for Vital Statistics, persons age 75 and older have the highest rate of suicide compared to all other age groups. Anthony Boxwell, author of the article entitled “Geriatric Suicide: The Preventable Death,” says that suicide among the elderly stems from three main causes—helplessness, hopelessness and haplessness. Helplessness describes the feelings of impotence some elderly people feel after retirement or upon realizing they’re losing their physical and mental vigor. Hopelessness is associated with depression caused by the realization of the onset of old age. And haplessness refers to a series of repeated losses, such as loss of earnings, friends, and family.
Paragraph 8-- Now that we have talked about the two major problems facing elderly people who do not get the companionship and care they need, let’s talk about what we can do to help solve these problems.
Paragraph 9--We as individuals can’t do everything, of course. Some responsibility lies with families, government, and charitable agencies. But there is something we can do, and that is get involved with a volunteer program that assists elderly people who need help living at home. Here in Wisconsin, we have a Community Options Program, which is an individually tailored financial assistance method to help keep the elderly and people with disabilities out of nursing homes. Right here in Madison, Independent Living has a Friendly Visiting Program in which volunteers provide companionship and household assistance for elderly people who live at home. You can contact Independent Living by calling the number on this handout, which I will be giving you after my speech.
Paragraph 1o-- Now I’m sure you have some questions about this kind of work. For instance, how much time does it take? It takes as much time as you want to put into it. You can volunteer as little as one to two hours a week or as many as forty hours a week. You decide how much time you want to volunteer based on your own schedule. But no matter how much time you spend, you will certainly experience great personal gratification. I know I have. I have been a volunteer for six years, and volunteering time with people who are less fortunate than I makes me feel good about myself. Volunteering time with the elderly has also taught me unique ethnic traditions, as well as American history.
Paragraph 11--You should also know that this kind of volunteer work can have benefits for you beyond feelings of personal gratification. Some volunteer organizations such as the state-run Community Options Program and the federally funded Title 19 Program offer financial assistance to people who participate. This can run from reimbursement of your travel expenses to an actual salary for certain kinds of work.
Paragraph 12-- In closing, I am urging you to volunteer time to help needy elderly people remain independent in their homes. Remember that spending time with elderly people living alone can help them meet their physical and emotional needs. You can adjust the time spent to fit your needs, you can get great personal gratification, and you can even receive monetary benefits as well. But most important, Loretta Olson—and millions like her—will be forever thankful for your efforts.
A Friend in Need by Sandy Hefty
Commentary
“A Friend in Need” is a persuasive speech on a question of policy. In addition to illustrating many of the methods of persuasion discussed in the textbook, it provides a helpful model of how students can use Monroe’s motivated sequence to organize persuasive speeches that seek immediate action. Here is a synopsis of it.
Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience to volunteer time to help needy elderly people remain independent in their homes.
Central Idea: By participating in a volunteer program, college students can help needy elderly people continue to live independently in their homes.
Method of Organization: Monroe’s motivated sequence
Introduction: The introduction consists of paragraphs 1-5. The opening story about Loretta Olson gets the audience’s attention and also contains a gentle trace of humor. When the speech was delivered in class, several members of the audience chuckled as they identified Loretta Olson’s forgetfulness with the memory lapses experienced by some of their elderly relatives. In paragraph 2 the speaker explains her personal involvement with the topic and, at the same time, establishes her credibility and good will.
In paragraphs 3 and 4 the speaker uses statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau to establish the importance of the topic. Her comparison, in paragraph 4, between the 1.8 million Americans in the 75-plus age group who fall below the poverty line and the combined populations of Seattle, Boston, and Indianapolis is an excellent illustration of how speakers can translate large numbers into figures that are more meaningful to the audience. It is also worth noting how, in paragraph 3, the speaker relates the topic to her audience by mentioning the results of her class survey, which showed that almost all of her classmates had living grandparents. Paragraph 5 ends the introduction by stating the speaker’s central idea and providing a clear lead-in to the body of the speech.
Body: After getting the attention of her audience in the introduction, the speaker begins the body of her speech in paragraphs 6 and 7 with the second step in Monroe’s motivated sequence—showing the need for a new course of action. In paragraph 6 the speaker explains that many elderly people cannot meet all of their physical needs, and she illustrates the point with an example of an 87-year-old woman whom she helped as a caregiver. Had she had more time, she could have provided more support for this point, but, as in most classroom speeches, she had to develop her points crisply and concisely.
In paragraph 7 the speaker continues with the need step of Monroe’s motivated sequence by discussing the tragic problem of suicide among the elderly. After presenting figures from the National Center for Vital Statistics showing that persons age 75 and older have the highest suicide rate in the U.S., she provides testimony from Anthony Boxwell about the causes of suicide among the elderly. As in other parts of the speech, the speaker uses credible evidence and identifies her sources for the audience.
After an excellent transition in paragraph 8, the speaker moves to the satisfaction step of the motivated sequence by explaining, in paragraph 9, how students can participate in volunteer programs to help the elderly. Rather than talking in abstract terms, the speaker relates her plan to her classmates at the University of Wisconsin by focusing on state and local programs in which they can get involved. After the speech, she provided her audience a handout identifying volunteer agencies they could contact.
Of course, getting an audience to agree that something should be done and getting an audience to do something are two different matters. In paragraphs 10 and 11, therefore, the speaker turns to the visualization step of the motivated sequence by showing the audience the practicality of getting involved in a volunteer program to help the elderly. She explains that students can readily adapt their volunteer work to their personal schedules, that they will experience substantial personal gratification from volunteering, and even that they might be able to receive financial assistance for their efforts. Had the speaker failed to address these issues, her speech would have been much less effective.
Conclusion: The speaker concludes with the final step in Monroe’s motivated sequence—an appeal to the audience to take action. After quickly summarizing her main points, she closes with the poignant statement that “Loretta Olson—and millions like her—will be forever thankful for your efforts.” The emotional appeal of this line, in combination with the sense of psychological unity gained by referring back to the opening example, closes the speech on a strong note.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Using Monroe's Motivated Sequence to Persuade: Detailed Model
* IF YOU'RE HAVING PROBLEMS, READ ALL THE WAY DOWN.
**You will need to use this time-tested organizational pattern to organize your persuasive speech. This matches the sample outline that was sent to you on Monday 02/18/2007.
***You need a Work's Cited page. I need to hear a minimum of FIVE different sources TAGGED in your speech.
****To be eligible, you will need a pre-speaking block, complete sentence outline, a scripted & labeled introduction, a scripted & labeled conclusion, a visual aid that is a chart, graph, etc. that contributes to us understanding some aspect of your speech.
PRE-SPEAKING BLOCK: Give us a MLA Heading, a title, a GP, a SP and an AAS. Still confusing? It should be in your notes. But, it's also here on the blog.
ATTENTION STEP: Get the attention or your audience as we've done all term. This can be done with a detailed story, shocking example, dramatic statistic, quote, etc. This is part or your introduction (in addition to stating your thesis, giving a preview of your main points, mentioning your credibility, and telling your audience why the topic is of concern to them).
I. PROBLEM/NEEDS STEP: Show the problem exists, that it is a significant problem, and that it won't go away by itself. Document your statements with statistics, examples, etc.
A. First problem related to your topic that is proved (remember, "PROVE IT") with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
B. Second problem related to your topic that is proved (remember, "PROVE IT") with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
C. Third problem related to your topic that is proved (remember, "PROVE IT") with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
II. SATISFACTION/SOLUTION STEP: Offer solutions for the problem you have shown exists in the Need Step. These are solutions that the government or society as a whole can implement. You must satisfy the need.
A. A possible solution to the first problem that you proved in I.A. This directly relates to that problem. Your solution needs to be specific and related to that problem. Don't reinvent the wheel...do some research to see what others are doing, have done or are planning on doing. Remember, you need to "PROVE IT" will solve a problem with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
B. A possible solution to the second problem that you proved in I.B. This directly relates to that problem. Your solution needs to be specific and related to that problem. Don't reinvent the wheel...do some research to see what others are doing, have done or are planning on doing. Remember, you need to "PROVE IT" will solve a problem with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
C. A possible solution to the third problem that you proved in I.C. This directly relates to that problem. Your solution needs to be specific and related to that problem. Don't reinvent the wheel...do some research to see what others are doing, have done or are planning on doing. Remember, you need to "PROVE IT" will solve a problem with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
III. BENEFITS/VISUALIZATION STEP: Tell us what will happen if we don't do something about the problem. Be graphic.
A. Explain the benefits that I will receieve from the solution that you proposed in II.A. The benefit should be something that I can apply to my life and see as personally beneficial. Don't reinvent the wheel...do some research to see what others have discovered about benefits to them, their group, organization or cause. Remember, you need to "PROVE IT" will solve a problem with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
B. Explain the benefits that I will receieve from the solution that you proposed in II.B. The benefit should be something that I can apply to my life and see as personally beneficial. Don't reinvent the wheel...do some research to see what others have discovered about benefits to them, their group, organization or cause. Remember, you need to "PROVE IT" will solve a problem with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
C. Explain the benefits that I will receieve from the solution that you proposed in II.C. The benefit should be something that I can apply to my life and see as personally beneficial. Don't reinvent the wheel...do some research to see what others have discovered about benefits to them, their group, organization or cause. Remember, you need to "PROVE IT" will solve a problem with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
CONCLUSION: Motivate us to get out and do something! Wrap up loose ends by giving a review of points and restating your thesis, and then conclude the speech.
V. ACTION STEP: Offer alternatives to your audience that they can do personally to help solve the problem you have shown exists. Again, be very specific and very realistic.
Another View of Monroe's Motivated Sequence
Monroe's motivated sequence is a technique for organizing persuasive speeches that inspire people to take action. It was developed in the mid-1930s by Alan H. Monroe. It consists of five steps:
Attention
Get the attention of your audience using a detailed story, shocking example, dramatic statistic, quotations, etc.
Problem/NeedShow that the problem about which you are speaking exists, that it is significant, and that it won't go away by itself. Use statistics, examples, etc. Convince your audience that there is a need for action to be taken.
Solution/Satisfaction
Show that this need can be satisfied. Provide specific solutions for the problem that the government and community can implement as a whole.
Benefits/Visualization
Tell the audience what will happen if the solution is implemented or does not take place. Be visual and detailed.
Action
Tell the audience what action they can take personally to solve the problem.
The advantage of Motivated Sequence is that it emphasizes what the audience can do. Too often the audience feels like a situation is hopeless; Monroe's motivated sequence emphasizes the action the audience can take.
Monroe's Motivated Sequence (another explanation)
In the mid-1930s, Alan H. Monroe developed a pattern for persuasive messages that has become something of a standard because of its effectiveness. It is both logically and psychologically sound. It is known as the motivated sequence. I highly recommend it for your next speech, since it is explicitly designed to move an audience to action.
Attention: This step is designed to gain the interest of the listeners. One of the biggest problems here is assuming you have the audience's attention. In fact, assuming the step as given causes problems throughout the entire speech. You cannot persuade someone unless you have his or her attention. This step is very similar to the traditional introduction.
Need: The need step is used for developing or describing some problem or for demonstrating that the audience has a need for the speech you are giving. You want them to say to themselves, "I need to hear this," or "Something needs to be done about this!" Again, don't assume the need is obvious. Remember that this step involves need from the standpoint of the audience member. The door-to-door salesperson who says "I need one more sale so I can go to Hawaii" is being ineffective; he should address the prospect's need.
Satisfaction: Next, present a solution to the problem you presented in the Need step. Show how to satisfy the need. Scratch the itch. The Need step and the Satisfaction step appeal primarily to left-brained, logical thinking (although you always need some appeal to the right-brain thinking as well, especially in terms of clarifying information). In this step, you want the audience to think, "That will work!"
Visualization: This is where we get into true persuasion. The purpose of this step is to develop within your audience an image of the consequences of their choices. If you want them to do something, you have to help them create in their minds an image of the good things that will happen if they do what you want them to do. Or, help them imagine the bad consequences of not adopting the policy.
In this step you are appealing more to right-brain thinking; you want to get them emotionally as well as logically involved, and you want them to feel those consequences on a gut level. In the Satisfaction step, you wanted them to think, "That will work." In the Visualization step, you want them to think, "That will work for me. I can do that. I can see myself doing that."
Action: The action step should move your audience to actually do something about your speech. To do this, you need to have some clear and specific action for them to take. "Somebody should do something" only frustrates them, because they have no direction. Even "give some money to this cause" lacks motivation. Tell them, "I want each of you to give just $10 to this. If you can do more, fine. But don't you agree that $10 is within reach of all of us?" Or whatever it is you want them to do. You should know from the beginning of your speech what exact action you are going to ask them to take.
**You will need to use this time-tested organizational pattern to organize your persuasive speech. This matches the sample outline that was sent to you on Monday 02/18/2007.
***You need a Work's Cited page. I need to hear a minimum of FIVE different sources TAGGED in your speech.
****To be eligible, you will need a pre-speaking block, complete sentence outline, a scripted & labeled introduction, a scripted & labeled conclusion, a visual aid that is a chart, graph, etc. that contributes to us understanding some aspect of your speech.
PRE-SPEAKING BLOCK: Give us a MLA Heading, a title, a GP, a SP and an AAS. Still confusing? It should be in your notes. But, it's also here on the blog.
ATTENTION STEP: Get the attention or your audience as we've done all term. This can be done with a detailed story, shocking example, dramatic statistic, quote, etc. This is part or your introduction (in addition to stating your thesis, giving a preview of your main points, mentioning your credibility, and telling your audience why the topic is of concern to them).
I. PROBLEM/NEEDS STEP: Show the problem exists, that it is a significant problem, and that it won't go away by itself. Document your statements with statistics, examples, etc.
A. First problem related to your topic that is proved (remember, "PROVE IT") with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
B. Second problem related to your topic that is proved (remember, "PROVE IT") with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
C. Third problem related to your topic that is proved (remember, "PROVE IT") with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
II. SATISFACTION/SOLUTION STEP: Offer solutions for the problem you have shown exists in the Need Step. These are solutions that the government or society as a whole can implement. You must satisfy the need.
A. A possible solution to the first problem that you proved in I.A. This directly relates to that problem. Your solution needs to be specific and related to that problem. Don't reinvent the wheel...do some research to see what others are doing, have done or are planning on doing. Remember, you need to "PROVE IT" will solve a problem with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
B. A possible solution to the second problem that you proved in I.B. This directly relates to that problem. Your solution needs to be specific and related to that problem. Don't reinvent the wheel...do some research to see what others are doing, have done or are planning on doing. Remember, you need to "PROVE IT" will solve a problem with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
C. A possible solution to the third problem that you proved in I.C. This directly relates to that problem. Your solution needs to be specific and related to that problem. Don't reinvent the wheel...do some research to see what others are doing, have done or are planning on doing. Remember, you need to "PROVE IT" will solve a problem with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
III. BENEFITS/VISUALIZATION STEP: Tell us what will happen if we don't do something about the problem. Be graphic.
A. Explain the benefits that I will receieve from the solution that you proposed in II.A. The benefit should be something that I can apply to my life and see as personally beneficial. Don't reinvent the wheel...do some research to see what others have discovered about benefits to them, their group, organization or cause. Remember, you need to "PROVE IT" will solve a problem with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
B. Explain the benefits that I will receieve from the solution that you proposed in II.B. The benefit should be something that I can apply to my life and see as personally beneficial. Don't reinvent the wheel...do some research to see what others have discovered about benefits to them, their group, organization or cause. Remember, you need to "PROVE IT" will solve a problem with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
C. Explain the benefits that I will receieve from the solution that you proposed in II.C. The benefit should be something that I can apply to my life and see as personally beneficial. Don't reinvent the wheel...do some research to see what others have discovered about benefits to them, their group, organization or cause. Remember, you need to "PROVE IT" will solve a problem with multiple pieces of evidence (story, personal reference, illustration, statistic, comparison, expert opinion, etc.)
CONCLUSION: Motivate us to get out and do something! Wrap up loose ends by giving a review of points and restating your thesis, and then conclude the speech.
V. ACTION STEP: Offer alternatives to your audience that they can do personally to help solve the problem you have shown exists. Again, be very specific and very realistic.
Another View of Monroe's Motivated Sequence
Monroe's motivated sequence is a technique for organizing persuasive speeches that inspire people to take action. It was developed in the mid-1930s by Alan H. Monroe. It consists of five steps:
Attention
Get the attention of your audience using a detailed story, shocking example, dramatic statistic, quotations, etc.
Problem/NeedShow that the problem about which you are speaking exists, that it is significant, and that it won't go away by itself. Use statistics, examples, etc. Convince your audience that there is a need for action to be taken.
Solution/Satisfaction
Show that this need can be satisfied. Provide specific solutions for the problem that the government and community can implement as a whole.
Benefits/Visualization
Tell the audience what will happen if the solution is implemented or does not take place. Be visual and detailed.
Action
Tell the audience what action they can take personally to solve the problem.
The advantage of Motivated Sequence is that it emphasizes what the audience can do. Too often the audience feels like a situation is hopeless; Monroe's motivated sequence emphasizes the action the audience can take.
Monroe's Motivated Sequence (another explanation)
In the mid-1930s, Alan H. Monroe developed a pattern for persuasive messages that has become something of a standard because of its effectiveness. It is both logically and psychologically sound. It is known as the motivated sequence. I highly recommend it for your next speech, since it is explicitly designed to move an audience to action.
Attention: This step is designed to gain the interest of the listeners. One of the biggest problems here is assuming you have the audience's attention. In fact, assuming the step as given causes problems throughout the entire speech. You cannot persuade someone unless you have his or her attention. This step is very similar to the traditional introduction.
Need: The need step is used for developing or describing some problem or for demonstrating that the audience has a need for the speech you are giving. You want them to say to themselves, "I need to hear this," or "Something needs to be done about this!" Again, don't assume the need is obvious. Remember that this step involves need from the standpoint of the audience member. The door-to-door salesperson who says "I need one more sale so I can go to Hawaii" is being ineffective; he should address the prospect's need.
Satisfaction: Next, present a solution to the problem you presented in the Need step. Show how to satisfy the need. Scratch the itch. The Need step and the Satisfaction step appeal primarily to left-brained, logical thinking (although you always need some appeal to the right-brain thinking as well, especially in terms of clarifying information). In this step, you want the audience to think, "That will work!"
Visualization: This is where we get into true persuasion. The purpose of this step is to develop within your audience an image of the consequences of their choices. If you want them to do something, you have to help them create in their minds an image of the good things that will happen if they do what you want them to do. Or, help them imagine the bad consequences of not adopting the policy.
In this step you are appealing more to right-brain thinking; you want to get them emotionally as well as logically involved, and you want them to feel those consequences on a gut level. In the Satisfaction step, you wanted them to think, "That will work." In the Visualization step, you want them to think, "That will work for me. I can do that. I can see myself doing that."
Action: The action step should move your audience to actually do something about your speech. To do this, you need to have some clear and specific action for them to take. "Somebody should do something" only frustrates them, because they have no direction. Even "give some money to this cause" lacks motivation. Tell them, "I want each of you to give just $10 to this. If you can do more, fine. But don't you agree that $10 is within reach of all of us?" Or whatever it is you want them to do. You should know from the beginning of your speech what exact action you are going to ask them to take.
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