Monroe's Motivated Sequence

Writing Specific Purpose Statements & Central Ideas

Specific Purpose Statements

1. We change from "To inform..." to "To persuade..."

To persuade my audience...

2. We persuade our audience to take action in a Monroe's speech. Therefore, we add

the word, "to" and then include the ultimate action we are going to ask in step 5 of the

Monroe's speech.

•

To persuade my audience to…[action]

Samples:

To persuade my audience to make a $20 donation to Make-A-Wish Foundation

To persuade my audience to eliminate fast food from their diet for one week

•

To persuade my audience to walk 5 miles next week

 

Central Ideas

1. We maintain a clear, single thesis sentence. However, this one should be easier to write. Everyone must include their problem (need: step 2) and their satisfaction (plan: step 3).

This can be done in any order.

The problem of __________ can be solved by _________.

Or

Implementing the solution of ___________ can solve the problem of ___________.

Samples:

•The lowered spirits of terminally ill children could be brightened if more people would contribute to making their dreams come true.

•

 

The problem of obesity in this country would be alleviated if fast food was such a viable meal option.

•The increase of heart disease in middle-aged adults would be stifled if exercise became a stronger part of people’s lifestyle.