01. Monroe's Motivated Sequence

 

What it is: A proven persuasive process that has worked since the 1930s. 5 simple steps to persuading your audience.

 

Why it works: It forms a “yes-ladder” of positive persuasive momentum. It focuses on the problem before the proposed solution, so the solution makes more sense. It empowers the audience by focusing on personal action.

 

When to use it: When you want to persuade, motivate, or influence an audience. When you want to make a sales pitch. When you want to use a gentle, proven method of persuasion.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Attention: “Hey! Listen to me, you 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. Or, if we don't implement my solution, this is what will happen.”

5. Action: “You can help me in this specific way. Will you help me?”

 

This is one of my favorites.

 

Here’s why:

 

It’s been studied, stress-tested, and proven to work.

 

Additionally:

 

It emphasizes three things: the problem, the solution, and the audience action.

 

Here’s why this is insanely powerful:

 

It makes your audience feel like they have power over the situation…

 

...like their personal actions can influence the outcomes.

 

...let’s say…

 

...buying a $20,000 product…

 

...nobody will do it.

 

Unless, perhaps, you use this next persuasive speech structure:

 

02. Objection Prediction Model  

 

What it is: Predicting the reasons your audience might object to your offer. Then, structuring your speech around relieving those objections.

 

Why it works: It removes all the reasons your audience wouldn’t accept your call to action. It clears the most common barriers to sale. It leaves your audience no logical reason to say no.

 

When to use it: When you have to persuade an audience. When you have to make a sales pitch. When you predict opposition to your proposal.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Discovery Phase: Discover the most common, probable objections to your proposal.

2. Invalidation Phase: Invalidate the objections.

3. Construction Phase: Construct your speech around the reasons why those objections are invalid.

4. Presentation Phase: Present a speech constructed around invalidating the objections you've discovered.

 

I love how it all comes together at the end.

 

This one is so cool. Why? Because it gets rid of all the reasons your audience won’t do what you want.

 

Let me explain:

 

When you are persuading someone, you will be met with persuasion resistance.

 

“Really…?” you ask, forlorn and dismayed. Yes. Almost always.

 

Persuasion resistance often takes the form of specific objections to your offer, idea, or proposal.

 

Here are some common examples:

 

• I don’t want to give anything up for it. (Loss Aversion: It costs too much. Spending feels like a loss).

• I don’t believe it can work.

• I don’t think it can work for me.

• I can wait.

• I think it’s too difficult.

• I don’t understand it.

• I don’t understand why I need it. 

• I don’t believe it will do what is promised.

• I don’t know if it fits into my life.

• I don’t trust the speaker.

 

And with this speech structure, you quickly remove all the audience objections.

 

Here's some bonus guidelines:

 

1. Counter each objection at the exact moment your audience might be thinking it.

2. Counter the right objections: don’t counter objections that people don’t have. If you are a trustworthy authority, then trusting you isn’t a common objection. In this case, don’t talk about your credentials over and over. You would be countering an objection that doesn’t exist.

3. DO NOT SAY THE OBJECTIONS. Only say your counters. Don’t say “Now you might be thinking it costs too much… but it’s $3,000 less than our competitors.” Instead, just say “It’s $3,000 less than our competitors.” Why? Saying the objection puts it in their heads if they weren’t thinking about it.

 

This structure is 4 steps. What do they do? They remove all barriers your audience has to accepting your offer. Easy, simple, straightforward, right?

 

Definitely. But not as easy as this next structure:

 

03. Path-Contrast

 

What it is: Structuring your speech by contrasting 2 different possible paths. Contrasting a “good” proposed path, and a “bad” alternative.

 

Why it works: It frames the contrast between the 2 paths allows you to control the narrative. It uses contrast persuasion, one of the most effective persuasive methods. It lets you make your proposed path seem like the obvious choice.

 

When to use it: When you want to persuade, motivate, or inspire your audience to take one path instead of another. When there is uncertainty about how to proceed. When the future is unclear and you want to lead they way.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Good Path: "Here's the good path we should take."

2. Good Outcome: "Here are the good things that will happen if we do."

3. Alternative Path: "Or, here's a bad alternative path we could take."

4. Alternative Outcome: "And here are the bad oucomes that will happen if we do."

5. Back-and-Forth: Jump back and forth between describing the good path and the alternative path.

 

Let me tell you a secret:

 

Persuasion is more powerful when it has contrast. (I call it “contrast persuasion”).

 

In other words:

 

If you want people to take a path, don’t only talk about the benefits of that path. Contrast the “good” path with an alternative “bad” path.

 

So instead of saying: “Imagine our lives when we take [good path]. We will [insert benefit 1], [insert benefit 2], and [insert benefit 3].”

 

You must also say: 

 

“Imagine our lives when we take [bad path]. We will [insert consequence 1], [insert consequence 2], and [insert consequence 3].”

 

And then jump back and forth between them. Hit the contrast button over and over again. Make it a glaring, obvious, clear answer that they should take the good path.

 

How? By contrasting it with a bad one.

 

Why is this such a powerful strategy? 

 

• The contrast between the “good” and “bad” outcome is more persuasive than either of them alone.

• Presenting a “good” option that you want, and a “bad” alternative, makes doing what you want the obvious action.

• Making it seem like a contrast between two options allows you to control the narrative.

 

Another persuasive speech structure that uses contrast persuasion is up next:

 

04. Past, Present, Means  

 

What it is: Presenting the problems of your difficult past, shifting to the easy, successful present, and explaining how you made the transition. 

 

Why it works: It builds audience relatability by resonating emotionally. It shows the contrast between having unsolved problems and solved problems. It makes the “how” extremely desirable.

 

When to use it: When you want to influence or persuade your audience to do something (whatever your “how” is). When your proposed action worked personally for you in your life. When your life before taking the proposed action matches the lives of your audience now.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Past: “Here’s how my life was difficult in the past. Here were my unsolved problems. I was suffering in the ways you are suffering.”

2. Present: “Here’s how my life is successful now. Here’s what it’s like to have the problems solved. Here’s how I’m no longer suffering, and life is easy.”

3. Means: “Here’s the exact solution I personally used to get from the difficult past to the successful present.”

 

This speech structure is so damn powerful.

 

The entire time you’re in the past and present stages…

 

...your audience is going crazy…

 

...wondering: 

 

“How did you do it? How did you solve the problem? Help me! Can you PLEASE show me the solution? I need this in my life! I want to do what you did!”

 

And then BAM:

 

You hit them with that solution. 

 

And at this point:

 

There’s almost nothing that can stop them from taking it. (Whether it’s something they buy, or something they simply do).

 

The curiosity, suspense, and intrigue built up during the 2 phases of your personal story (past and present) are too strong.

 

Here are the crucial principles:

 

• Humility: yes, you solved the problem they are struggling with. Yes, you still have to be humble about it.

• Honesty: don’t you dare make your past and present seem like ANYTHING other than what they are.

• Relatability: is your past really similar to the current lives of your audience members?

• Emotional resonance: can you accurately depict the emotions you felt during the difficult past? Can you convey them to your audience?

 

And some important guidelines:

 

• Don’t present the solution until step 3: don’t let step 2 and 3 blend.

• In step 2, only explain the relief from the problem. Don’t explain how it happened. This builds curiosity and suspense.

• Show vulnerability in step 1: be open, honest, and willing to expose parts of your past.

• In step 3, describe the solution at length. Emphasize how it worked for you. Imply that if it worked for you, it can work for them.

 

05. Problem-Solution   

 

What it is: Presenting a clear problem your audience has, and then presenting a solution to that problem.

 

Why it works: It ensures that your audience understands why your solution matters. It educates your audience and provides value. It points out a problem which your audience might not have known about.

 

When to use it: When you want to persuade your audience to solve a problem. When they might not be aware of the problem, or how serious it is. When you are selling a solution.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Problem presentation: "Here's a problem you didn't know you had."

2. Problem consequences: "Here's why this problem is worse than you think."

3. Solution presentation: "But there's a solution."

4. Solution outcome: "Here's what it will feel like when you solve the problem."

 

This persuasive speech structure is so simple.

 

But so powerful.

 

Here's why:

 

Most people make the mistake of only talking about their solution.

 

Which is bad, because a solution only makes sense in the context of a problem.

 

In other words:

 

Why do so many people talk about their solutions without first explaining the problem it solves?

 

Because they haven't read this article. But you have. :)

 

Time for number 6: a structure very similer to this one. Here it is:

 

06. Diagnose-Problem-Solution

 

What it is: Diagnosing a problem which people know they have but don’t understand, then providing a solution.

 

Why it works: It implies you know how to solve the problem you diagnosed. It uses contrast persuasion (problem versus solution). It gives you authority as the “diagnoser.” 

 

When to use it: When you want to persuade your audience to solve a problem. When they are aware of the problem, but don’t understand it. When you know why a problem exists, but your audience doesn't.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Diagnose: "You already know you have this problem. But here's exactly WHY you have this problem. Here's what causes it."

2. Problem: "Here's why this problem is worse than you think."

3. Solution: "Now that I've diagnosed this problem, let me tell you how to solve it."

 

If you're wondering how this is different from the Problem-Solution structure:

 

• The problems-solution structure is for audiences who aren't aware of a problem.

• The diagnose-problem-solution structure is for audiences who are aware of a problem, but not why it exists.

 

Why diagnose the problem at all?

 

Here's why:

 

It builds trust and authority.

 

The audience thinks that the person who understands WHY a problem exists...

 

...is the one best equipped to fix it.

 

And the person who is best equipped to fix a problem...

 

...is probably the best person to buy a solution from. Get it?

 

07. Criteria Matching

 

What it is: Presenting the criteria which define the best option, and then proving that your proposal meets them.

 

Why it works: It focuses on establishing agreement first. It builds speaker to audience rapport. It builds a 2-step "yes-ladder" by first agreeing on criteria and then presenting an option.

 

When to use it: When you want to persuade your audience to choose your option out of many options. When there are agreed-upon criteria for judging what makes a type of thing the best. When you know why a problem exists, but your audience doesn't.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Criteria establishment: "Here's what makes this type of thing good. Can we agree on that?"

2. Checklist establishment: "Based on the criteria of what makes this type of thing good, we can build this simple checklist. All agree so far?"

3. Checklist application: "As you can see, my proposed option fills the checklist."

4. Criteria satisfaction: "Thus, my proposed option satisfies the criteria, and so it's the best."

 

Like many of these persuasive speech structures, this one is a yes-ladder.

 

Here's what that means:

 

Instead of getting right into the hard-sell, it slowly builds up to it.

 

Along the way, it gets a series of "yes" responses.

 

• "Yes, those are definitely the criteria I'm looking to fill."

• "Yes, that checklist seems reasonable."

• "Yes, I guess your option does fill the checklist."

• "Yes, that means your option fills the criteria."

• "Yes, that means your option is the best."

• "Yes, since it is the best, I should buy it."

 

Due to the principle of persuasive consistency (people want to be consistent with their previous actions), here's what happens:

 

With every additional "yes," the chances of hearing a "no," decrease. In other words, you gain "yes-momentum."

 

Compare that to jumping straight to it:

 

• "No, I don't think your option is the best. What are the criteria you're using to judge that? I bet you have none."

• "No, since it's not the best, I won't take it. Go away. Shoe fly."

 

Now I love this next one, number 8. Why? It's like a slightly more aggressive version of nthe Criteria Matching structure.

 

Here it is:

 

08. Criteria Matching & Dematching

 

What it is: Presenting the criteria which define the best option. Proving that all other options don't meet them (criteria dematching). Proving that your option does (criteria matching).

 

Why it works: It has all the benefits of criteria matching. It adds another persuasive layer: it turns "mine is good," to "mine is good, the others aren't." It makes your audience think twice about considering another option.

 

When to use it: When Criteria Matching fits. When there are multiple options in fierce competition. When you aren't concerned about discrediting an opponent.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Criteria establishment: "Here's what makes this type of thing good. Can we agree on that?"

2. Checklist establishment: "Based on the criteria of what makes this type of thing good, we can build this simple checklist. All agree so far?"

3. Negative checklist application: "As you can see, the other options clearly don't fit the checklist."

4. Criteria dissatisfaction: "Thus, the other options aren't the best."

5. Positive checklist application: "As you can see, my option does fit the checklist."

6. Criteria satisfaction: "Thus, it is the best."

 

Fun stuff.

 

But enough about criteria, checklists, and all that.

 

Time for some sales:

 

09. The 6-Point-Punch

 

What it is: A quick, assertive, hard-sell approach for fast sales pitches.

 

Why it works: It is designed to pack the most persuasion into the smallest amount of time. It is designed to convince people as quickly as possible. It is brief, but psychologically persuasive.

 

When to use it: When you don't have a lot of time. When you aren't trying to pitch a big commitment. When you are trying to persuade an audience to buy (instead of another action).

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Unique Value Proposition & Headline Statement: "Here's why this product offers unique value to you. Here's why you should pay attention."

2. Supporting Statement: "Normally, this type of product causes [insert pain point or inconvenience]. But this model offers [repeat unique value] without [insert pain point or inconvenience]."

3. Physical Description: "Here's what it looks like. Here's what it feels like."

4. Benefit Statements: "It will [insert benefit 1], [insert benefit 2], [insert benefit 3]."

5. Call-to-Action: "Do this to get it."

6. Trust Indicators / Social Proof: "These people bought it too, and here's what they have to say about it."

 

Humans have a central processing route and a peripheral processing route.

 

Here they are:

 

• Peripheral route: mental processes dictating impulsive, emotional decisions.

• Central route: mental processes dictating big commitments. Careful, slow, and logical.

 

The 6-point-punch targets the peripheral route.

 

This next structure is for selling people on big commitments. It targets the central route:

 

10. Economic Values Structure

 

What it is: presenting a product, and then showing how it satisfies the 9 economic values.

 

Why it works: It is designed to give potential customers as much information as possible. It is designed to convince people to make big commitments. It is designed to make your audience trust you.

 

When to use it: When you are selling a complex, expensive product. When you are trying to get people to make a big financial commitment. When you are selling via the central processing route.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Product presentation: "Here's what it is, what it does, and how it does it."

2. Efficacy: "Here's how well it does what it's supposed to do.

3. Speed: "Here's how quickly you'll get results."

4. Reliability: "Here's how reliable it is."

5. Ease of Use: "Here's how easy it is to use."

6. Flexibility: "Here's how many things it can do."

7. Status: "Here's how it will make others see you."

8. Aesthetic Appeal: "Here's how aesthetically pleasing it is."

9. Emotion: "Here's how it makes you feel."

10. Cost: "Here's how much it costs."

 

This speech structure is perfect for selling big, expensive things.

 

Why?

 

• Because it builds trust.

• Because it is education-based selling (teaching about a product rather than trying to sell it).

• Because it speaks in terms of the economic values people use to evaluate products.

 

And if you're thinking...

 

..."it seems a little too long"...

 

...guess what?

 

• You can leave out certain economic values.

• You can reorder them to put the important ones first.

 

Alright. Enough selling! Time for ordinary persuasion.

 

This next one is the oldest, most time-tested structure in this guide:

 

11. Short-Form Rhetorical 3-Point-Punch

   

What it is: Structuring a speech by making one claim, and supporting that claim with an emotional subpoint, an evidence-driven subpoint, and a logical subpoint.

 

Why it works: Because it uses the 3 proven rhetorical methods. Because it is memorable. Because it is flexible.

 

When to use it: When you want to give a brief persuasive speech. When you want to change someone's point-of-view. When you are persuading, but not selling.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Main claim: "X should Y because [emotional reason], [logical reason], and [evidence-driven reason].

2. Emotional reason: "X should Y because it hurts people."

3. Logical reason: "X should Y because it is inherently self-contradictory."

4. Evidence-driven reason: "X should Y because 9/10 doctors say so."

 

Let me explain why this is so awesome:

 

Centuries ago, Aristotle boiled down all of persuasion to 3 things:

 

1. Emotion (Pathos)

2. Logic (Logos)

3. Evidence (Ethos)

 

And now you're using each of them to support a main claim.

 

If you have to give a brief persuasive speech, just answer these questions:

 

• What do I want to persuade people of?

• What's an emotional reason they should agree with me?

• What's a logical reason they should agree with me?

• What's the evidence that should make them agree with me?

 

And once you do that, you have your brief persuasive speech!

 

But let's say you want to give a longer persuasive speech using these principles. For that, we have this next structure:

 

12. Long Form Rhetorical 3-Point-Punch

 

What it is: Structuring a speech by making one claim, and supporting that claim with 3 sub-points, each of which have ethos, pathos, and logos within them.

 

Why it works: It extends the short-form rhetorical 3-point-punch. It is more substantial. It uses 3 times as much emotion, 3 times as much logic, and 3 times as much evidence as the short-form version.

 

When to use it: When you want to give a longer persuasive speech. When you want to change someone's point-of-view, but they are particularly entrenched. When you need extra persuasive power.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Main claim: "X should Y because [reason 1], [reason 2], and [reason 3].

2. Reason 1: "[Reason 1] [emotional details], [logical details], [evidence]."

3. Reason 2: "[Reason 2] [emotional details], [logical details], [evidence]."

4. Reason 3: " [Reason 3] [emotional details], [logical details], [evidence]."

 

I know exactly what you're thinking:

 

"What's the difference between this and the last one?"

 

Let me tell you:

 

The short-form version is essentialy just one part of the long-form version. The long-form version is basically 3 of the short-form versions stacked together, in support of one broader claim.

 

13. Gain-Logic-Fear Trifecta

 

What it is: Structuring a persuasive speech around an audience gain, logical justifications of the gain, and then fear of missing the gain.

 

Why it works: It uses tantalizing benefits to get audience attention. It plays on the "fear of missing out." It combines gain and fear with logic, to seem more reasonable.

 

When to use it: When you want to persuade the audience to do something that will help them. When the thing that the audience gains from also helps you. When your offer expires soon, or there is a time limit.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Present subject: "Here's what I want you to do."

2. Create gain: "Here are all the benefits you'll gain from doing it."

3. Justify with logic: "Here's the logical proof of the gain."

4. Instill fear: "But act fast! The offer expires in 24 hours. Then, you won't be able to gain anything!"

 

FEAR.

 

It is so so SO powerful. People have risen to positions of world leadership...

 

...with fear persuasion. And almost nothing else.

 

ANYWAY:

 

The gain-logic-fear trifecta can convince almost anyone of anything.

 

It is so powerful because of that final step, when you make people fear missing out.

 

Why? Because of loss aversion:

 

People HATE losing things.

 

And when you use this structure, here's what your audience will be thinking:

 

"I would hate to figure out later that I really needed this. I don't want to miss this opportunity to take action now. I'm afraid I'll pass the offer, and then regret it.

 

14. Tension-Desire-Action Trifecta

 

What it is: Structuring a persuasive speech around creating tension in the audience's minds, building desire through tension, and then giving an action to escape tension.

 

Why it works: It uses cognitive dissonance in the audience to get action. It uses aspirational persuasion. It captures attention through tension.

 

When to use it: When your audience has a clear unfilfilled area of improvement. When your audience isn't living in the best way. When you have a solution for the previous 2 problems.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Create tension: "You aren't living your best life. Here's what you want to be. [Insert aspirations]. Do your actions line up with who you want to be? No. You could be better."

2. Build desire: "Imagine what it would feel like to finally be on the path you want to be on. Imagine how relaxed you would feel."

3. Propose action: "Here's a way you can be on that path."

 

Here's what this structure is basically doing:

 

Creating cognitive dissonance: "the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change."

 

In other words:

 

You're pointing out the haps between who your audience wants to be, or even thinks they are...

 

...and who they actually are.

 

At this point, because of the tension created by the cognitive dissonance, the desire is huge. They crave a way to close the gap you just pointed out between:

 

• "Who I want to be or who I think I already am."

• "Who I actually am."

 

They probably want an easy, quick, simple way to close the gap. And that's exatly what you'll give them in the action step.

 

Very cool! See why this is so powerful now?

 

Time for an even more powerful structure. Are you ready? Here it is:

 

15. Persuasion Stack

 

What it is: Structuring a persuasive speech around Robert Cialdini's 6 proven principles of psychological persuasion.

 

Why it works: It uses proven, scientific methods of persuasion. It uses all 6 of the persuasive principles in sequence. It is flexible.

 

When to use it: When you want to make your audience like you. When you want to use a gentle, subtle form of persuasion. When you want to give a conversational speech.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Use likeability: "I am trying to [insert common goal with your audience]. You guys are [insert compliment]. I also [insert similarity]."

2. Use reciprocity: "Normally I don't do this, but here's this free report that covers more than I can cover in this speech. People usually pay $60 for it, but it's free for you guys."

3. Use authority: "Here's why I'm an expert on this subject. Here's why you should trust me. Here are my credentials."

4. Use consensus: "Not a lot of people used to agree with me. Now, 86% of people do."

5. Use scarcity: "But time is running out. We have to take action fast, or else we won't be able to."

6. Use consistency: "Do you all agree with [small claim]? What about [slightly larger claim]? Maybe also [medium claim]? Do you also agree with [large, primary claim]?"

 

Let's break it down a little:

 

People like those who have common goals as them, who compliment them, and who are similar to them. And if your audience likes you, they are more likely to accept your persuasion.

 

You are more likely to persuade your audience if you give them something. Why? They feel the need to reciprocate that action.

 

You are more likely to persuade people if they see you as an authority. This is also psychologically programed.

 

People follow those around them. They look to others to decide how to act. So when you tell them that "86% of people believe this," they are more likely to believe them to. This is consensus.

 

We talked about scarcity already. Remember? The "fear of missing out" in the Tension-Desire-Action structure.

 

Last but not least:

 

If you get people to agree to smaller claims, that "yes momentum" will carry over to larger claims. Why? People want to be consistent with their actions.

 

16. Last-Method

 

What it is: Structuring a persuasive speech around discrediting all other methods, and then presenting one final "remaining" method.

 

Why it works: It waits to propose a solution, which builds trust. It makes your proposal seem like the only possible option. It makes the audience think twice about doing anything other than what you want.

 

When to use it: When you want to persuade your audience to take a specific action. When there are multiple options to choose from. When the other options have problems that your option doesn't have.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Option presentation: "Here's another option we could take."

2. Option invalidation: "Here's what's wrong with that option."

3. Repetition: Repeat steps 1 and 2 for all other options.

4. Last method presentation: "Here's the final remaining method."

5. Last method validation: "Here's why the final method works."

 

Fun stuff, right?

 

Here are some guidelines:

 

• Don't be too mean to the other options. That makes it seem personal.

• Try your best to seem objective and logical. This is an objective and logical structure, isn't it?

• Go through all the other options, if possible. If not? The most popular ones.

• Don't present your method until you've invalidated all the other options.

• Try to make your method seem good in the ways that the others are bad. This is contrast persuasion.

 

I love this structure. But, honestly, I like this next one more:

 

17. Past-Present-Future

 

What it is: Structuring a persuasive speech around the past, present, and future. Showing how a solution works not only in the present, but the past and future too.

 

Why it works: It makes your proposed solution seem timeless. It builds belief in your solution. It removes the common objection: "it won't work in the future," and the common objection: "it hasn't worked in the past."

 

When to use it: When you want to persuade your audience to accept a solution. When there is history related to your solution. When the solution will be used for a long time.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Solution presentation: "Here's what we should do."

2. The past: "Here's how this solution worked in the past, OR here's how this solution would have been better than what was done."

3. The present: "Here's why this solution is the best right now."

4. The future: "Here's why this solution will continue to work in the future."

 

Here's what you're basically doing with this:

 

Asserting yourself over 3 dimensions of time.

 

Many speakers make a common mistake:

 

Only speaking in terms of the present. Only answering the question "why does this solution work now?"

 

With this structure, you are answering these 3 questions:

 

• "Why does this solution work now?"

• "Has this solution worked in the past?"

• "Will this solution work in the future?"

 

And here's the truth:

 

If you can conclusively assert your ideas in the past, present, and future, you will be a lot more persuasive.

 

18. Desire-Dissonance-Decision Trifecta

 

What it is: Structuring a persuasive speech around an unfilfilled desire. Showing your audience how they can fill the desire.

 

Why it works: It puts people in a state of cognitive dissonance, and they will do anything to close the gap. It hits the pain points of the audience over and over, and then provides an action to those pain points. It uses emotion, a powerful motivator.

 

When to use it: When you want to persuade your audience to make a certain decision. When your proposed action fills a desire. When your audience has an unfilled desire.

 

The step-by-step process:

 

1. Desire: "Don't you want to [insert desire]?"

2. Dissonance: "Right now, [insert desire] isn't real. You're missing it."

3. Decision "Here's what you have to do to fulfill that desire."

 

Alright. Time to answer a million dollar question:

 

What do people want?

 

You need to know this so that you can present the unfulfilled desire.

 

And here's the answer:

 

1. Survival, enjoyment of life, life extension

2. Enjoyment of food and beverages

3. Freedom from fear, pain, and danger

4. Sexual companionship

5. Comfortable living conditions

6. To be superior, winning, keeping up with the Joneses

7. Care and protection of loved ones

8. Social approval

 

Those are our core, evolutionary, psychological desires. They are innate. They are wired into us.

 

We also have learned-desires:

 

1. To be informed

2. Satisfying curiosity

3. Cleanliness of body and surroundings

4. Efficiency

5. Convenience

6. Dependability/quality

7. Expression of beauty and style

8. Economy/profit 

9. Bargains

 

And 6 core drivers in our search for meaning:

 

1. Drive to acquire

2. Drive to bond

3. Drive to learn

4. Drive to defend

5. Drive to feel

6. Drive to improve

 

Do you understand the magnitude of what I just gave you?

 

23 proven psychological buttons you can push in your audience to get what you want.

 

You're welcome.

 

That's it! This was the last of 18 proven persuasive speech structures.

 

Before we move on, can I just tell you something?

 

The "public speaking advice" space is saturated with trite, useless advice.

 

You deserve better.

 

It's filled with people pushing hundred dollar coaching packages.

 

I repeat: you deserve better. That's why I'm committed to teaching you everything I know for free, with guides like this.

 

That's all! Thanks for indulging me. Time for 15 insanely captivating informational speech structures.

 

Are you ready? Let's go!