Sometimes the most powerful way to make a difference is to

change people’s minds.

Persuasive Speech

An issue is something about which people have opposing opinions. Choose an issue about which you feel strongly. To find an issue,

• watch television news shows for information about current issues

• brainstorm with classmates about issues that affect your school or community

• Refer to assignment sheet for websites [End of

Section]

Software for sharing personal files across the internet should remain legal.

Write a focused opinion statement that names the issue and states your position on it.

Persuasive SpeechPrewriting: State Your Position

Issue

Position

[End of Section]

Persuasive SpeechPrewriting: Consider Your Purpose and Audience

Purpose

To convince others to share your opinion or to take the action you recommend

Give strong reasons to support your opinion statement. Include these rhetorical devices also called persuasive techniques.

Persuasive SpeechPrewriting: Support Your Opinion

Rhetorical Devices

Logical Appeals appeal to reason and speak to readers’ common sense

Emotional Appeals speak to readers’ emotions, such as sympathy, fear, and hope

Ethical Appeals appeal to readers’ ethics, or moral values

Ethical appeals rely on commonly accepted beliefs or values. For example, honesty and fairness are values that most people accept as worthwhile.

• Writers often use ethical appeals to establish that they are credible, or trustworthy.

Writing a Persuasive SpeechPrewriting: Support Your Opinion

Provide evidence to support your reasons.

Persuasive SpeechPrewriting: Support Your Opinion

Kinds of Evidence

Facts information that can be proven true; some facts are in the form of statistics, or numerical information

Examples specific instances of an idea or situation

Expert opinions

statements (either quotations or paraphrases) by people who are considered experts on the issue

Persuasive SpeechPrewriting: Support Your Opinion

Kinds of Evidence

Analogies comparisons that show the similarities between two otherwise unrelated facts or ideas

Case studies

examples from scientific studies

Anecdotes brief, personal stories that illustrate a point

Gathering evidence

Persuasive SpeechPrewriting: Support Your Opinion

Make sure all of your evidence has the three R’s. It should be

• relevant—closely tied to your issue

• reliable—from trustworthy sources

• representative—not all from one or two sources

“Motivated Sequence Pattern”

Attention – “Pay attention. This is important to you.”

Need – “Something is wrong and something must be done about it.”

Satisfaction – “What I have to offer is the way to solve the problem.”

Visualization – “This is how my plan will work to solve the problem; and if you accept my solution, things will be much better.”

Action – “Take action!”

Persuasive Speech Outline

I. Begin with an Attention Step that is an - Opening statement of interest (use one or more of the following):

A rhetorical question A startling statement A quotation An illustration or story A reference to the subject A reference to the occasion

- Motivate audience interest in your subject by alluding to: (use one or more of the following):

The practical value of the information for your audience

A reason to listen The audience’s sense of curiosity Establish your credibility by: Alluding to any first-hand experience you may

have had Alluding to sources of information you have

consulted

 II. Show there is a need To urge a change-point out what’s wrong with present

conditions To demand preservation of present conditions-point out the danger of a change   The Need Step is developed by:

Illustration: Tell of one or more incidents to illustrate the need

Ramifications: Employ as many additional facts, examples, and  quotations as are required to make the  need convincingly impressive.

Pointing: Show its importance to the individuals in the audience.

III. Present a solutionThe Solution is developed by: (use one or more of the following):

Statement of solution: a brief statement of the attitude, belief, or action you wish the audience to adopt. Explanation: Make sure that your proposal is understood. Theoretical demonstration: show how the solution logically and adequately meets the need pointed out in the need step, point-by-point! Practical experience: actual examples showing where this proposal has worked effectively or where the belief has proven correct. Meeting objections: forestall opposition by showing how your proposal overcomes any objections which might be raised.

IV. Help your audience visualize the future

The visualization step must stand the test of reality. The conditions you describe must be at least realistic. The more vividly you make the situation seem, the stronger will be the reaction of the audience.

There are three methods of visualizing the future (use one or more of the following):  Positive: Describe the conditions if your solution is actually carried out. Picture the listeners in that situation actually enjoying the safety, pleasure, or pride that your proposal will produce.

Negative: Describe conditions if your solution is not carried out. Picture the audience feeling the bad effects or unpleasantness that the failure to effect your solution will produce.

Contrast: Combination of 1 and 2. Begin with the negative method (undesirable situation) and conclude with the positive method (desirable solution).

V. Conclude with the Action Step 

developed by (use one or more of the following):

•Restatement of main idea and summary of main points. •Statement of specific action or attitude change you want from the audience. •A statement of your personal intent to take the course of action or attitude recommended. •A concluding statement to recapture interest (a reason to remember).

General Presentation Skills

• Avoid colloquialisms (“sort of” or “kinda”)• Try to avoid erms and ums• You want your audience to respect you, not

like you.• Try to speak more slowly than you would

normally. • Use pauses for emphasis (as opposed to

raising your voice)• Don’t let your voice fade away at the end of

sentences.

Finding the right register:Getting the right balance between formality and informality in a presentation is very tricky.

General Presentation Skills

Reduce Anxiety

The easiest way to reduce anxiety is to have a well prepared and well rehearsed presentation.

However, if nerves are still a problem, try the following…• Visualisation: Imagine yourself giving a brilliant presentation.• Breath deeply.• Relax muscles / Release tension.• Take a script which you can read if all else fails.• Do something else really stressful just before…(drastic, but works!)

General Presentation Skills

Know your audience:

Ensure you tailor your presentation appropriately, depending on the audience makeup. Do they know a lot or a little about the issue, do they generally support or oppose the issue.

A good general rule is that it pays to keep things simple.

Practice

• Practice giving the presentation to a friendly audience and ask them for honest and constructive criticism.

• Finishing on time is very important, and requires practice.

• So practice out loud on your own with a clock.

Some general tips

• Make eye contact.

• Talk clearly to the back of the audience.

• Don’t mumble the ends of sentences.

• Be enthusiastic (or pretend…)

• Ask someone in the audience to warn you when you have two minutes left or wear a watch and pay attention to the time.

• The only way it gets better is to give more talks.

Tips for handling questions

• Repeat questions for the benefit of the audience (and to give yourself extra thinking time).

• Be honest when answering questions, especially if you have no idea of the answer.

• Don’t be afraid to ask the questioner to be clearer.

• Don’t be afraid or ashamed to let someone else in the room answer the question.

Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

Stephen Covey

History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.

Martin Luther King, Jr.