How can you use primacy and recency to persuade?

1 What is primacy and recency?

Primacy and recency are the tendencies of people to remember the first and last things they hear or see better than the middle ones. This means that the beginning and the end of your speech are the most important parts to capture your audience's attention, interest, and emotion. You can use these parts to make a strong impression, establish your credibility, and reinforce your main points.

2 How to use primacy in your speech?

To use primacy in your speech, you need to craft a powerful introduction that hooks your audience and sets the tone for your speech. You can do this by using a catchy statistic, a surprising fact, a relevant story, a provocative question, or a bold statement. You also need to state your thesis, or the main idea of your speech, and preview your main points, or the reasons why your audience should agree with you. This way, you can create a clear and coherent framework for your speech and signal to your audience what to expect and why they should listen.

3 How to use recency in your speech?

To use recency in your speech, you need to craft a memorable conclusion that summarizes your main points, restates your thesis, and calls your audience to action. You can do this by using a rhetorical device, such as a repetition, a quotation, a metaphor, a contrast, or a challenge. You also need to appeal to your audience's emotions, values, and needs, and show them how your message benefits them or solves their problem. This way, you can leave a lasting impression, reinforce your credibility, and motivate your audience to act on your message.

4 How to balance primacy and recency in your speech?

To balance primacy and recency in your speech, you need to pay attention to the length, the content, and the delivery of your introduction and conclusion. You should make them roughly equal in length, about 10-15% of your total speech time. You should also avoid introducing new information, arguments, or evidence in your conclusion, as this can confuse your audience and weaken your message. Instead, you should focus on reinforcing and synthesizing what you have already said. Finally, you should deliver your introduction and conclusion with confidence, enthusiasm, and clarity, and use vocal variety, eye contact, and gestures to engage your audience.

5 How to avoid common pitfalls of primacy and recency?

Misusing or ignoring primacy and recency in your speech can lead to several common pitfalls, such as starting or ending with a weak or controversial statement, a vague or clichéd one, or neglecting the middle part of your speech. To prevent this, practice your speech thoroughly, get feedback, and revise your introduction and conclusion until they are clear, compelling, and consistent with your message and audience. This way, you can ensure that your audience is engaged from start to finish.

6 How to apply primacy and recency to other contexts?

Primacy and recency are not only useful for speeches, but also for other contexts where you want to persuade someone, such as writing an essay, a report, a proposal, or a sales pitch. You can use the same principles of primacy and recency to structure your writing and make it more persuasive. You can also use primacy and recency to influence your own memory and motivation, such as by reviewing the most important information before and after a test, or by setting and celebrating short-term and long-term goals.

7 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?