• Your audience does things now a particular way, probably because they like doing things that way. To get them to make a change, it's generally useful to begin by pointing out that their current behavior either is already causing or is likely to begin causing some problem unless a change is made.

• Be careful not to be offensive! "Your current behavior is stupid and, unless changed, will probably kill you" is likely to cause the audience to tune you out.

• Consider establishing the existence of a problem by using statistics or an anecdote.

• Don't ask the audience to do A and B -- it's hard enough to motivate a single behavioral change, and even harder to motivate multiple changes.

• Don't give the audience a choice between doing A or B. Your job is to come out in favor of one and only one course of action.

• Make sure the audience knows how to do what you're asking them to do. If they don't know how to make the change, they won't.

• Paint the audience a word picture of the better tomorrow they'll experience if they do things your way.

• Remember the power of inertia. The audience doesn't want to change, and will fight to preserve its status quo.

• If you can anticipate several objections and deal with them before the audience even has the chance to raise them, they're likely to realize that you've done your homework and stop coming up with objections.

• Similarly, if you can anticipate several possible alternate solutions and deal with them before the audience even has the chance to raise them, they're likely to realize that you've done your homework and stop coming up with other possibilities.

• This is the equivalent of your speech's conclusion, so keep it short.

• Remember the "Law of Recency," which suggests that audiences will remember best whatever they hear last. So finish with a strong reminder of what exactly it is that you want from them!