How can you use the elaboration likelihood model to motivate your audience?

1 What is ELM?

ELM is a psychological theory that explains how people are influenced by persuasive messages. It proposes that there are two routes of persuasion: the central route and the peripheral route. The central route involves careful and logical thinking about the message, while the peripheral route relies on superficial cues, such as the speaker's credibility, attractiveness, or emotions. The route that people take depends on their motivation and ability to elaborate, or think deeply, about the message.

2 Why is ELM important?

ELM is important because it helps you tailor your motivational speech to your audience's needs and preferences. Depending on the situation, you may want to use either the central or the peripheral route, or a combination of both, to achieve your desired outcome. For example, if your audience is highly interested and knowledgeable about your topic, you may want to use the central route and provide strong arguments and evidence to support your claim. On the other hand, if your audience is distracted, bored, or unfamiliar with your topic, you may want to use the peripheral route and appeal to their emotions, values, or social norms.

3 How to use the central route?

To use the central route, you need to make sure that your audience has both the motivation and the ability to elaborate on your message. This means that you need to capture their attention, make your topic relevant to them, and stimulate their curiosity. You also need to present your message clearly, logically, and convincingly, using facts, statistics, examples, and testimonials. You need to address any potential objections or counterarguments that your audience may have, and show them how your message benefits them personally.

4 How to use the peripheral route?

To use the peripheral route, you need to make your message appealing and memorable, without requiring too much cognitive effort from your audience. This means that you need to use rhetorical devices, such as stories, metaphors, analogies, and humor, to illustrate your point and engage your audience's emotions. You also need to establish your credibility, charisma, and likability, by using verbal and nonverbal cues, such as tone, gestures, eye contact, and facial expressions. You need to create a sense of urgency, scarcity, or social proof, by showing your audience that your message is timely, valuable, or popular.

5 How to combine both routes?

Sometimes, you may want to combine both the central and the peripheral route, especially if your audience is mixed or uncertain. This means that you need to balance your message with both rational and emotional appeals, and use both facts and stories to persuade your audience. You need to adapt your message to the different segments of your audience, and use different techniques to connect with them. You need to reinforce your message with repetition, summaries, and calls to action, and invite your audience to ask questions, share feedback, or take action.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?