Monroes motivated sequence is most useful for speeches that seek immediate action.

A five-step speech outline that aims to inspire or persuade the audience to take action

What is Monroe’s Motivated Sequence?

Developed by American psychologist Alan Monroe at Purdue University in the mid-1930s, Monroe’s Motivated Sequence is a five-step speech outline that aims to inspire or persuade the audience to take action.

Monroe’s Motivated Sequence is a simple sequence of steps, with a clear structure, that makes it an effective method to organize and deliver persuasive speeches, influencing audiences to take action.

Monroes motivated sequence is most useful for speeches that seek immediate action.

You can follow the technique when giving a speech at work, a conference, or any networking event. It will also work well when giving a sales pitch to a group of people.

Steps in Monroe’s Motivated Sequence

Here are the five steps that comprise Monroe’s Motivated Sequence:

#1 Attention

One of the key values of a good speaker is credibility. If you’re not credible enough, how can you get the people’s attention? One way to establish credibility is your reputation. If the people know that you’re an expert in your field or an authority in the topic, they will most likely be interested in what you’re going to say.

How can you make sure that you can hold on to their attention? You can start telling a joke, quote, trivia, an anecdote, or inspiring story that will stir their interest. This is your opportunity to make them listen and know that there is a need or a problem. If you lose it, it will be challenging to recover the situation.

#2 Need

Once you get your audience’s attention, the next step is to explain the problem and to convince them that the problem needs to be fixed.

Prepare a clear statement of the need or problem, then include practical examples to convey that the problem is real. You can also use references or figures to aid comprehension and to demonstrate how the problem directly affects the listeners.

#3 Satisfaction

Satisfying the need means introducing a solution that takes care of the problem. Communicate In detail what your proposed solution is and what you want your audience to do. You can also include data or examples to support your proposal and show that it has worked before.

#4 Visualization

The visualization step entails some creativity, as you need to move the listeners to see your proposed solution as the right one to meet their needs. Explain the consequences – what would happen if the solution is implemented and if, alternatively, the listeners don’t take action.

#5 Action

Tell the listeners what they can do to be part of the solution. Offer several options so they can choose the best one based on their situation and capability. Provide specific steps and examples.

Lastly, end your speech in a memorable way. Deliver a strong statement, a punchline, or a quote that supports your call to action.

Additional Resources

Thank you for reading CFI’s guide to Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. CFI is the official provider of the Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA)® certification program, designed to transform anyone into a world-class financial analyst.

To keep learning and developing your knowledge of financial analysis, we highly recommend the additional resources below:

  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Networking and Building Relationships
  • Public Speaking Weakness
  • Upward Inflection

Chapter 16 and 17 Review QuestionsChapter 161.What is the difference between an informative speech and a persuasive speech?Why is speaking to persuade more challenging than speaking to inform?

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2.What does it mean to say that audiences engage in a mental dialogue with thespeaker as they listen to a speech? What implications does this mental give-and-take hold for effective persuasive speaking?

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3.What is the target audience for a persuasive speech?

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4.What are questions of fact? How does a persuasive speech on a question of factdiffer from an informative speech? Give an example of a specific purposestatement for a persuasive speech on a question of fact.

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5.What are questions of value? Give an example of a specific purpose statementfor a persuasive speech on a question of value.

What is Monroe's Motivated Sequence used for?

Monroe's Motivated Sequence is a five-step progressive method of persuasion, developed by Alan Monroe in the mid-1930s. This method is used to encourage people to take action and prime your audience to make immediate change.

Why is the motivated sequence especially useful in speeches that seek immediate action from listeners?

Why is the motivated sequence especially useful in speeches that seek immediate action from listeners? Because it follows the process if human thinking. and leads the listener step by step to the desired action and it is more detailed.

When a speaker uses Monroe's Motivated Sequence the need step?

When a speaker uses monroes motivated sequence, the need step is usually presented in the introduction. the final step in monroes motivated sequence is to visualize how much better things will be if the speakers plan is adopted.

Is the fourth step in Monroe's Motivated Sequence It is a very important step?

The sequence contains five distinct steps: (1) Attention (get the attention of your audience), (2) Need (describe the problem, demonstrate a need for change), (3) Satisfaction (present a practical, and concise solution), (4) Visualization (allow your audience to picture the results), (5) Action (request immediate ...