Your textbook provides some excellent strategies to adapt your message to appeal to the

position of your audience. In a thorough, detailed essay, first identify the three types of
audiences.

Explain two strategies that are recommended to enhance persuasion for each type
of audience.
What will be an ideal response?

A receptive audience is one that is already basically in agreement with the speaker. The
speaker should identify with the audience and emphasize common interests. The
speaker should be very clear about his or her objectives, and ask for an immediate show
of support. As the audience is already receptive toward your topic, you can utilize
emotional appeals to move them to action.
A neutral audience is one that is largely indifferent to the topic. A speaker can ?hook?
the audience with an engaging introduction, refer to beliefs and concerns that are
important to the audience, and show how the topic affects the audience and the people
they care about. It is important that the speaker be realistic about what can be
accomplished with a neutral audience. Getting them to take action on something they
are initially blase´ about is probably unrealistic.
An unreceptive audience is one that is in disagreement with the speaker?s proposition.
In order not to prompt the audience to ?tune-out? the speaker, the speaker should not
explicitly state his or her purpose until a common ground has been achieved. The
speaker should use the primacy principle, presenting the strongest argument first. The
speaker should acknowledge opposing points of view, and then refute them or offer
additional information. Otherwise, the audience will be constantly thinking, ?Yeah, but
what about...?? Finally, the speaker should be realistic about his or her goals. Expecting
a major shift in attitudes is unrealistic. Getting the audience to consider one?s position as
a reasonable one might be a huge success.