Persuasive Strategies for Different Audiences

A concept that I would like to discuss from chapter 13 of the text are the different types of audiences and what persuasive strategies should be used with each.

A negative audience or “hostile audience” is one that is informed about your topic, but has a negative or unfavorable attitude towards it. In approaching this type of audience, there are five persuasive strategies that you would use. First you want to establish your credibility. Next you want to take a “common-ground” approach to the topic, which means that you will identify areas of agreement with the audience, then cover areas of disagreement. After this you will help your audience visualize your topic in positive ways, prepare for your audience’s negative reactions to your topic, and lastly you should keep your persuasive objectives within reason.

A positive audience or “sympathetic audience” is informed about your topic and has a positive or favorable attitude towards it. In approaching this type of audience you should use engaging evidence to reinforce your audience’s commitment to the topic. Next you should use vivid language and images to keep your audience excited and enthusiastic. Then you should use narratives to elaborate on your points, and lastly call your audience members to action.

A divided audience is informed on your topic, but have differing opinions on it.  There are four strategies for approaching this type of audience. First, you want to demonstrate that you recognize and understand the arguments for or against the issue. Next you establish your credibility. Then you establish common ground among all of the audience members. Lastly you will integrate strategies representing both the negative and positive audience’s point of views.

An uninformed audience is one that is uninformed about your topic and doesn’t maintain an opinion on it. For this type of audience you must first show the relevance of your topic to the audience. Next you should demonstrate your expertise and show fairness in regard to all perspectives on the issue. Then you use repetition and redundancy to reinforce your points. Lastly you must try and keep your persuasion subtle.

An apathetic audience is an audience that is informed about your topic, but is uninterested in it. When approaching this type of audience you should begin by getting their attention and peaking their interest. Next you should demonstrate how the topic affects them personally. Then represent the importance of your topic by being energetic and dynamic, and take a one-sided approach on the subject. Lastly you should incorporate presentation media to hold your audience’s attention and help with visualization.