Moving Your Audience Towards or Away

Elections offer a fascinating glimpse into how politicians use words and behavioral science to sway voters.

It’s a masterclass in persuasion, and one of the key psychological tactic they use is leveraging "towards" and "away" motivations.

The Power of "Towards" and "Away" Motivation

Take a recent example from Indian politics. The Congress party campaigned with a clear message:

"If BJP is voted into power, they’ll change the constitution." This was their "away" message, tapping into the fear of losing something valuable.

On the flip side, their "towards" motivation was: "If you vote for us, you’ll receive ?8,500 a month and other benefits." It’s a clear promise of gain.

BJP used a similar strategy.

Their "away" message warned: "If Congress wins, your income and savings will be drained by their policies."

Meanwhile, their "towards" message was about offering stability and growth.

Both parties essentially told voters: “Move away from what you fear” and “Move towards what you want.” It’s a powerful way to persuade, because people are naturally motivated by either avoiding loss or seeking gain.

Understanding Your Audience

Now you are not a politician. Instead you audience are may be team members, boss, clients and you want to persuade them to say YES.

And studies suggest that 60% or more of any given audience are more likely to take action when an "away" position is presented, while the remaining 40% respond better to a "towards" position.

This ratio can guide how you craft your message depending on your goals and audience.

Consider how you might use this in a non-political context, like promoting exercise.

• Away Position: "Lack of exercise invites health problems like obesity and stress. Start exercising today to avoid these issues."
• Towards Position: "Exercise leads to better health, fitness, and more energy. Start today to enjoy these benefits."

Both approaches can be effective, but knowing when to use each is crucial.

When to Use "Away" vs. "Towards"

Like politicians we need to be using both but my experience is many are trained to use "Towards" by articulating benefits, gains where as when it comes to articulating "Away", what people lose if they don't act many fail.

So, if you not getting YES to your ideas, proposals, a BIG part of the reason is, you are not making the case for "Away".

Here is way to persuade audience using the "Away" motivation.

"Away" messaging is required because, In any typical business settings, people are attached to things they are already doing. Whether it is the products they own, tools they are used or skilled in, beliefs they hold, the suppliers they work with or initiatives they support!

Your new ideas and solutions are in a battle with existing status quo. Inactions need to be taken off the table. With your "Away" message you are making inaction more costly, you create the battle more even !

Firstly, the new thing doesn't need to be twice as good as the old one! The upside (benefits or gains) just has to be twice as large as any downsides (i,e costs or losses).

Catalyzing change isn't just about making people more comfortable with new things!

It's about helping them let go of old ones. This is called the endowment effect and the longer they are holding onto something, it is harder to give up!

The best way to help them give up is to explain to them the cost of inaction and help them realize that inaction and status quo aren't as costless as they seem. Continuing the same means, they are in fact losing money! They are incurring a cost !

Here are two key factors to consider:

1. The Nature of Your Audience: If your audience is risk-averse or they are deeply embedded with their solutions, emphasize the "away" message. Highlight what they stand to lose if they don’t take action. Example if in insurance using away position works. If they’re more optimistic or ambitious, focus on the "towards" message, showing them the potential gains.
2. The Context of the Situation: In situations where the stakes are high and the potential loss is significant, an "away" message can be more compelling. However, in contexts where there’s excitement or the promise of improvement, a "towards" message might resonate more.

Crafting Your Message

Understanding whether to move your audience towards something desirable or away from something undesirable is a crucial aspect of effective persuasion.

This starts with truly understanding someone needs and values and determining whether a particular change is perceived gain or loss

For example, if the new car is perceived to have all the benefits of the old one, there is no loss, even if some of the attributes differ.

By tailoring your message to the motivations of your audience, you can influence their decisions more effectively—whether you’re running a political campaign, selling a product, or promoting healthy habits.

The next time you want to persuade someone, think about whether they’re more likely to respond to a promise of gain or a warning of loss.

Then craft your message accordingly by giving priority to the ones they are more likely to respond. You’ll be surprised at how much more powerful your influence becomes.

Want to become influence superpower and keen to use the proven influence methods to get more YES.. Type YES in the comment or message me! I will be happy to share case studies and we can even get on call over a cup of coffee!