Council member Dee Jackson finds herself in a difficult position. She firmly believes that approving a casino project to move forward in her community will stimulate the economy of the district she represents and will provide the money that is needed to fund both their ailing public schools and several public works projects that are critically needed. Unfortunately, she has discovered that her constituents and the other members of the city council oppose the casino being located in their community. Synthesizing what you have learned in this chapter, what advice do you have for Ms. Jackson? What should she consider as she develops her proposal and presents her appeal to her audience?
Answer Key

Question

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The Answer is Ideal answers will identify that Dee is facing a hostile audience. Her job is going to be to bridge the gap between her position and the position of her opponents. She may do well to use the refutational design or comparative advantages pattern to organize her presentation. She must take special care to express goodwill to her audience, capitalizing on their shared concerns-improving educational opportunities as well as the capital improvements they all agree are warranted, but she should not need to prove that something needs to be done. She should take her audience's concerns seriously but should also refute their objections to her proposal and prove to them that other options that have been presented for solving the community's problems are not as strong as hers. She can accomplish this by emphasizing logic in overcoming the negative emotion they share.

Council Member Dee Jackson Finds Herself in a Difficult Position