Monroe: Set the need

2. Set the need

After you have told your audience that there is a problem and got them to pay attention to you, you certainly have the define this problem. You might have to really convince them that it is a problem that they should be bothered about. This is a time when many activists fail to convince other people because what may seem so obvious to you is either not so obvious to your audience or not so relevant as it is to you. So you need to convince the audience that this problem is real, and relevant to them, and not just to you and that the problem needs to be solved. But remember, this is not when you speak about the solution. Here you just want to get the audience restless. Actually, if you manage to get your audience restless, you have almost succeeded in your speech.

There are a few strategies that you can use to get your audience restless about this problem.

• Use statistics to back up your statements.
• Talk about the consequences of maintaining the status quo and not making changes.
• Show your audience how the problem directly affects them

Obviously, sometimes people can understand very easily how they can be affected by a problem but do not be shy to express that clearly at this stage.