Urgency or Call to Action

Definition:

To suggest that swift action is necessary and anyone who doesn’t act could miss out; persuasion through desperation.

Examples:

“If you call in the next 10 minutes …” (often accompanied by a graphic of a digital countdown in the corner of the TV screen)

“If we let this go unchecked, who knows what may happen next!”

“In the time it takes me to read this sentence, another five children across America will die from abuse.”

“Don’t go another day with that heavy, frustrating vacuum cleaner.”

1. What do the urgency device and the technique of triggering fear in order to persuade have in common?

2. You are asked to write a newspaper editorial against dropping German and French from the school’s electives. What urgency technique could you use?

3. Is the technique of using urgency too transparent and easy to ignore? Defend your answer.

4. Many people find the urgency device to be annoying. If it is so annoying, how does it work?

5. Have you ever used urgency against your parents in a persuasive argument? What was the topic? Did it work?

Download a PDF file of the student handout, Urgency or Call to Action.