Different messengers educate and motivate different audiences.

A variety of messengers can be helpful in raising awareness of the dangers of secondhand smoke. The public is most likely to be persuaded by respected scientists and doctors and by those in positions of authority, such as teachers; priests; nurses; doctors; professors of medicine; presidents of medical societies; directors of national cancer, heart, or lung disease institutes; and those who have been recognized for their scientific excellence, such as Nobel laureates and other award winners. The public can also be motivated by celebrities, sports figures, television and movie stars, (including actors who play doctors), musicians, and political figures.

Specific audiences will be motivated by different types of authorities. For example, parents are most likely to be persuaded by family physicians, obstetricians, midwives, pediatricians, nurses, teachers, and school health care providers. Children are most likely to be persuaded by their parents, grandparents, teachers, sports coaches, public health nurses, and celebrities.

Nonsmokers who suffer from diseases caused by coworkers' or family members' smoke can be powerful messengers on the devastating effects of secondhand smoke.