Preparing and Delivering Persuasive Speeches

To prepare and deliver persuasive speeches, students should:

undertake an audience analysis
conduct any research necessary
create an introduction, main body, and conclusion for the talk
consider an organizational pattern for the talk
create an outline from which to speak
rehearse alone and in front of others
work to overcome their fear of speaking
establish contact with the audience when they deliver their speeches
Establish their presence as a speaker from the time they are introduced.
Note: Persuasive speaking is an area in which students should pay particular attention to ethical
considerations. Persuasion can be selfserving !e.g., persuasive sales techni"ues#. $ometimes speakers
%ustify the use of unethical methods by convincing themselves they are right and know better than the
audience. &hen a speaker asks audience members to alter their beliefs, opinions, or behavior, the
speaker must be sure he or she is using facts and sound logic rather than unethical methods.
Purposes
$tudents are probably unaware of all the times they use persuasive speaking in the course of a day.
$peaking to convince friends to watch one television program over another is an e'ample of
persuasive speaking. $ometimes people are frustrated by their inability to e'press themselves in
order to convince others, even though they feel they have good reasons and sound arguments. This
module will encourage students to become more confident in putting forward their points of view.
$tudents are e'posed to the persuasive speaking of others on a daily basis as well !e.g., a television
commercial in which a famous athlete tries to convince them to use a particular brand of shampoo#.
Politicians, spiritual leaders, sales people, and activists all use persuasive speaking as part of their
daily communication activities.
This module will encourage students to develop their persuasive speaking abilities within ethical
conte'ts. Through the e'ploration of persuasive techni"ues, they will also learn to be effective
listeners and decision makers in response to the persuasive speaking of others.
Bringing About Change
Persuasive speakers plan to secure behavioral changes in their listeners by influencing thinking and
motivating action. Persuasive speakers attempt to modify their listeners( attitudes and values, and
alter their listeners( beliefs. )ttitudes, values, and beliefs are interconnected, but differ in their
meanings.
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Organizing for Persuasive Speaking
Choosing a Topic
$tudents should keep the following three guidelines in mind when they are selecting a topic for their
persuasive speech. +ood topics are:
controversial
clear
$upported by evidence.
Stating the Proposition
,our proposition must be in the form of a declarative sentence which states a claim. There are four
general types of propositions: propositions of fact, value, policy, and definition.
) fact claim is a statement about how things were in the past, how they are in the present, or how
they will be in the future. ) fact claim is not a fact- it only claims to be a fact. &hat makes it
arguable is that the speaker has no direct way of establishing the truth of the claim. .or e'ample,
/The Earth is round/ is a proven fact. /0n our righthanded world, lefthanded people are
discriminated against/ is a fact claim. ) persuasive speaker must provide arguments which build a
case in favor of the claim, showing that the claim is probably true, or at least is more likely true than
false.
Value claims are arguable statements concerning the relative merits of something which is measured
sub%ectively !e.g., /1ictoria is a better place to go for summer vacation than 2algary/#. &hat makes
a value claim arguable is that different people may disagree on the criteria used to evaluate
something !e.g., weather, live entertainment, water sports#. 3iffering value claims may be used to
argue the value of a variety of topics !e.g., movies, styles of living, community organizations#.
3efending a value claim involves offering a set of criteria for consideration, defending the set of
criteria as legitimate, and showing how applying the criteria %ustifies the claim.
) polic claim is a statement regarding the merits of one course of action as opposed to other
courses of action. &hat makes a policy claim arguable is that, even though people and institutions
may not be totally certain about the proper course of action to take, they still must act. To argue in
defense of a policy claim is to state that, given the knowledge we have at the present time, it is best
to act in the manner proposed rather than in some alternative way.
) definition claim is a statement telling how a particular word or phrase should be defined in a
certain conte't. ) definition claim is arguable because different people use the same word in
contradictory ways. Therefore, the claims made by different people may also be contradictory, when
these claims are based on their own special interpretations of word usage and meaning.
Principles of Persuasion
$tudents should keep the following principles in mind when they are preparing persuasive speeches:
People are more likely to change their behavior if the proposition asks for a small change
rather than a large change in their lives !e.g., trying one vegetarian meal rather than
becoming total vegetarians#.
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People are more likely to consider changing their behavior if the change will benefit them
more than it will cost them. 2onsider the costs to the audience in terms of money, time
commitment, energy, and skill.
People are more likely to change their behavior if the change meets their needs. Needs vary
in different communities, in different schools, and in different individuals.
People are more likely to change their behavior if suggested change is approached gradually
in the talk. 5ove from arguments which the audience will find most acceptable to those
which the audience will find more difficult to accept.
!sing Persuasive Strategies
Three basic strategies used in persuasion are appeal to reason, appeal to audience emotion, and
appeal to audience needs. $peakers should remember their ethical responsibilities and not use
dishonest or misleading persuasive appeals.
"istening Criticall to Persuasive Speaking
The critical listener raises certain "uestions concerning the meaning of what is said and the intention
of the speaker. The critical listener analyzes the persuasive speech, yet withholds %udgment until
there is enough data for drawing conclusions. $ome "uestions the critical listener might ask include:
&hat is this speaker(s goal6
0s the problem as important as this speaker says it is6
0s there enough evidence presented to %ustify an acceptance of the speaker(s claim6
)re there pieces of evidence or arguments which have not been introduced6
7as the speaker provided sources for the data which is presented6
3oes the speaker cover up the main issue through the use of less important e'amples or
details6
0s the speaker sincere6
)re the speaker(s arguments logical6
7as the speaker tried to manipulate me by appealing to certain emotions or needs that 0 have6
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