Monroe's Motivated Sequence Used to Persuade an Audience

Originally posted 11/14/2007

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--Accomplished in the Introduction
Get the attention of your audience using a detailed story, shocking example, dramatic statistic, quotations, etc.

Need--Prove the Problem!
Show 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.

Satisfaction--Show What Others Plan on Doing or Have Done.
Show that this need can be satisfied. Provide specific solutions for the problem that the government and community can implement as a whole.

Visualization--Show Us What We Get
Tell the audience what will happen if the solution is implemented or does not take place. Be visual and detailed.

Action--Accomplished in the Clincher
Tell the audience what action they can take personally to solve the problem.
For Instance, a more generalized format may be;

Monroe’s Motivation Sequence

1. Attention: Hey! Listen to me, I have a PROBLEM!
2. Need: Let me EXPLAIN the problem.
3. Satisfaction: But, I have a SOLUTION!
4. Visualization: If we IMPLEMENT my solution, this is what will happen.
5. Action: You can help me in this specific way. Are YOU willing to help me?


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.