Want to know a secret?
For someone to act on the change you’re suggesting—whether it’s a shift in idea, approach, strategy, or behavior—they need to be motivated. Sounds obvious, right? But here’s where it gets interesting:
We’re never neutral about the things we’re not neutral about.
Yes, yes, I know that’s another obvious idea.
When you combine that with a perennial question in persuasion, influence, and change communication—“How do I get people engaged enough to start the process of change?”—an unexpectedly obvious answer emerges:
Remove the neutral position.
If that made you pause, you’re not alone.
Let me explain.
Market researchers use this principle when they want to uncover what someone truly thinks about a topic they care about. Have you ever seen a survey with a scale from 1 to 5, where the middle option is something like “neutral” or “neither agree nor disagree”? Research shows that when this neutral option is available, even people who care about the topic might default to it.
To get a more accurate result, researchers remove the neutral option—changing the scale to 1 through 4. This forces respondents to pick a side and reveal what they truly feel.
So, how does this apply to you?
When it comes to messaging, removing the neutral position means anchoring your message in something your audience can’t be neutral about—something they actively care about.
At the Message Design Institute, we call this the Core Question: the most urgent and important question your ideal audience is asking themselves. It’s the foundation of any effective message and half of what we refer to as your Core Claim.
Here’s how you can identify your audience’s core question:
- Find what feels necessary. What is your audience actively and urgently seeking? It has to be something they care about deeply, not something they could shrug off.
- Check Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Position your question as low on the pyramid as you ethically and accurately can. For example, instead of asking, “How can I be my best self in high-stakes situations?” (important but higher up the pyramid), try framing it as, “How can I have the mental energy I need to succeed?” Everything higher on the pyramid depends on fulfilling that need first.
The next time you’re crafting a message—or wondering why your current one isn’t resonating—ask yourself this:
Have I removed the neutral position?
When you anchor your message in something your audience actively, knowingly, and urgently wants, you’ll have their attention—and their motivation to act.