The Power to Encourage Action

Even if your listeners share an identity, they still may not be ready to act. What might stand in their way? For one thing, they may not be convinced of the soundness of your proposal. They may not trust you, or they may not think that they can do anything about a problem. Action requires energy, commitment, and risk.
Your words must convince listeners that action is necessary, that your ideas are sound and well motivated, and that success is a realistic hope. Anna Aley, whose speech is printed in Chapter 13, wanted her audience to help improve off-campus housing conditions for students at Kansas State University. In her speech, she painted vivid word-pictures of deplorable and dangerous off-campus housing, supported by both factual materials and personal experience. She also reminded listeners of their group membership— they were all students, responsible for one another’s welfare:
What can one student do to change the practices of numerous Manhattan landlords? Nothing, if that student is alone. But just think of what we could accomplish if we got all 13,600 off-campus students involved in this issue! Think what we could accomplish if we got even a fraction of those students involved!
Anna then offered specific proposals that her listeners might support— proposals that did not call for great energy or risk on their part; in short, she made commitment as easy as possible. Finally, she concluded her speech with an appeal to action:
Kansas State students have been putting up with substandard living conditions for too long. It’s time we finally got together to do something about this problem. join the Off-Campus Association. Sign my petition. Let’s send a message to these slumlords that we’re not going to put up with this any more. We don’t have to live in slums.
Anna’s words expressed both her indignation and the urgency of the problem. Her references to time—”too long” and “it’s time”—called for immediate action. Her final appeals to join the association and sign the petition were expressed in short sentences that packed a lot of punch and encouraged the impulse to action. Her repetition of “slumlords” and “slums” motivated her listeners to transform their indignation into action.
Anna also illustrated another strategy that is important to the language of action. You must be able to depict real-life dramas that reveal what is at stake and challenge listeners to take on certain roles. Such scenarios draw clear lines between right and wrong. In the words of an early union organizing song, the audience may be asked, “Which side are you on?”9 Be careful, however, not to go overboard with such techniques. Ethical communication requires that you maintain respect for all those involved in any conflict. As both speaker and listener, be wary of melodramas that offer stark contrasts between good and evil. Such depictions usually distort reality.
The power of language is great, ranging from shaping perceptions to inciting action. How can you harness this power in ways that are both ethical and elevating? We have already pointed out some of the ways as we illustrated the power of words. Now we cover these special techniques in more detail.