Answer to Question 1
Answer: Many persuasive messages follow some variation of the indirect approach. One of the most commonly used variations is called the AIDA model, which organizes your message into four phases. Your first objective is to encourage your audience to want to hear about your problem, idea, or new productwhatever your main idea is. Provide additional details that prompt audience members to imagine how the solution might benefit them. Help audience members embrace your idea by explaining how the change will benefit them and answering potential objections. Suggest the specific action you want your audience to take. Include a deadline, when applicable. The AIDA model is tailor-made for using the indirect approach, allowing you to save your main idea for the action phase. However, it can also work with the direct approach, in which case you use your main idea as an attention-getter, build interest with your argument, create desire with your evidence, and emphasize your main idea in the action phase with the specific action you want your audience to take. AIDA is a unidirectional method that essentially talks at audiences, not with them. AIDA is built around a single event, such as asking an audience for a decision, rather than on building a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship.
Answer to Question 2
Answer: TRUE
Explanation: Your first objective when developing the attention step of the AIDA plan is to encourage your audience to want to hear about your problem, idea, or new productwhatever your main idea is. Be sure to find some common ground on which to build your case.