What technique involves using a serious claim about negative outcomes to persuade an audience to take specific actions?

The technique that involves using a serious claim about negative outcomes to persuade an audience to take specific actions is the Appeal to Fear. This strategy leverages the audience's anxieties and concerns regarding potential dangers or negative consequences to motivate them toward a specific action or behavior. By highlighting possible threats or dire results, it seeks to elicit a sense of urgency and compel individuals to avoid the fear-inducing scenario.

In contrast, an Appeal to Practical Consequences primarily emphasizes tangible benefits or real-world impacts of a decision rather than instilling fear. The appeal is about practical outcomes rather than emotional responses. The Appeal to Pity relies on evoking sympathy or compassion to sway opinions, while the Appeal to Prestige seeks to convince an audience by referencing the authority or status of individuals or events, instead of focusing on fear of negative outcomes. Therefore, Appeal to Fear most accurately describes the technique that uses negative outcomes to persuade an audience towards action.