Revising Speeches Year 11

Persuasive speeches Learning Objectives To revise our knowledge of persuasive techniques To develop our understanding of audience To refine our appreciation of word count To analyse the process of speech writing

President Obama Your homework was to look at Obama’s inauguration speech and use it as a classic piece of persuasive speaking. What persuasive techniques did he use? On the next slide we will see the text – say what you see.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. (Sustained cheers, applause.) Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward. (Cheers, applause.) It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family, and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people. (Cheers, applause.) Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.

(Cheers, applause.) I want to thank every American who participated in this election. (Cheers, applause.) Whether you voted for the very first time (cheers) or waited in line for a very long time (cheers) – by the way, we have to fix that – (cheers, applause) – whether you pounded the pavement or picked up the phone (cheers, applause), whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a difference. (Cheers, applause.) I just spoke with Governor Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign. (Cheers, applause.) We may have battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service. And that is a legacy that we honour and applaud tonight. (Cheers, applause.) In the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Governor Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward.

Effective speeches Effective speeches acknowledge their audience. They don’t just speak to anyone; they speak to specific people. They try and charm, outrage, upset, inspire the specific people in their presence. And to do that they use the full gamut of techniques showcased on the wall with the added injections of imagery and anecdote – a personal story that makes a speech original.

Your task On your desk, you will receive a single page information sheet about Largs, the little town where I come from. I want you to write a persuasive speech to be given to an assembled group of potential holiday-makers explaining why they must visit Largs. There is a lot not included in the information so feel free to develop your own ideas but it must be based on what you have read. You are only allowed 200 words maximum. Count how many words you do per line then how many lines you can write before you reach 200 words. Place a mark on your page so you always have your ballpark figure.

Further Advice First in pairs, you have 5 minutes to read the sheet and underline/highlight what you think should be the key points you wish to discuss. Throw every kind of persuasive technique in that you can think of. Leave none unused – this is a practice. Remember your audience – nothing is more important than that – remember they are an audience of families looking for somewhere to visit with the kids. You have been to Largs and you are passionate (PASSIONATE, I SAY) about the place.

Plenary Check spelling and punctuation of your partner. Be brutual. I mean be horrible. Pick up on every single misplaced comma and apostrophe. Let them away with nothing. We are at the business end now so we need to be honest with each other.

Homework You have already written a persuasive speech on this topic. Now I want you to write a dialogue about it. Rather than a speech, you are someone who has just returned from Largs on holiday and you are persuading your best friend to go too. Make it a two-way conversation but be sure that the level of persuasion is as constant – the best friend figure should set up questions or opposition that is broken down by your persuasion.