Giving an Argumentative Speech How to persuade the listener!

The 3 Ps to delivering a persuasive speech Preparing Determine the goals Organize your thoughts into 1-3 major ideas Presenting Start out strong Stick to major points Close strong Practicing Speak in front of a mirror Do it many times aloud Deliver the speech P P P

What do you want to accomplish in a persuasive speech? Convince the audience to view an issue as you do To achieve goals with the support of others

Consider the Audience and your goals Answer the following questions Who is your audience, and what are you trying to convince them to do? What is the importance of what you are trying to convince them to do? What will they gain? (WIIFM? – What’s in it for me/them?) What might make them reluctant to commit or be convinced? What can you say to alleviate their concerns? What will make them feel better about it? What “take away” pieces of information do you want them to have when they leave after hearing your speech?

Organize thoughts into 1-3 major themes (ideas) The length of the presentation will depend on how many themes you will present. Speeches between 3-10 minutes should not have too many points. Over 10 minutes – prioritize the strongest points to avoid losing the audiences attention

Three parts of every good speech Opening Summarize what you plan on saying Body Cover your main ideas Conclusion Summarize what you just said Make a final, specific appeal

Pacing your speech Opening Body Close 5 Minutes 10 Minutes 30 sec – 1 minute 1 minute Body 1 minute for each point 1-3 minutes each Close

Opening your speech Start Strong Three ways to open that work First 30 seconds – capture the audience’s attention and support Three ways to open that work The goals/issues/summary opening The question/answer opening The start with a story opening

The goals/issues/summary opening For example: There are two reasons I believe that we need to do A; they are B and C In a clinical situation where depression is a key symptom, exercise is the best, non-invasive intervention I am running for office for only one purpose, to do X

The question-answer opening Set up argument by rhetorically asking and answering a question about why they should support you. Why select me for your group leader? There are three reasons. First…. Why should you support the hand-washing initiative? Because it is …. What are the options that stand before you today?

The start with a story opening Involves telling a story that illuminates (points out) your argument Great way to stir the audience’s imagination Keep it short – Less that a minute

The Body of your Speech Stick to your major themes (2-3 themes) Support your ideas with relevant details At least two

Conclusion End Strong Final chance to leave your audience with: A positive impression A summary review A specific reauest

Three successful conclusion ways Summarize the main points Restate the main idea in a single “take away” sentence Answer the question of why audiences should care Summarize what larger vision will happen if the audience is persuaded

How to present a great speech PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE Even excellent public speakers have symptoms of nervousness: Dry mouth Elevated heart rate Shaky voice Shaky knees

How to present a great speech Steps to improve your speech Accept that you are nervous about public speaking Practice in front of a mirror, or video yourself – May find it painful, but it helps immensely Note what you are doing well and areas of improvement

How to present a great speech Steps to improve your speech 3. Work on only a few improvements at a time. Slow down Don’t say “um” Stop fidgeting Fix pronunciation of specific words

How to present a great speech Steps to improve your speech 4. Practice in front of friends and/or family Ask for specific feedback on specific aspects of your speech or delivery Ask one person to look for one aspect while another pays attention to a different one If you don’t ask for specific feedback, you will get responses like “sounds fine” or “okay” This will not help you

How to present a great speech Steps to improve your speech 5. Memorize your opening and closing statements – You will be able to give them eye contact at the important parts

Common Presentation Mistakes Speaking too quickly People tend to speed up when speaking publically Write “Slow” and “Breathe” on your notes to give you a time to take a breath or look at the audience Time your speech and watch how long it has been Have someone in the back signal you

Common Presentation Mistakes Getting lost in your speech Use notes and place markers on the notes like OPENING FIRST THEME CLOSING If you get lost and can’t find it, summarize that point and go on to the next one.

Common Presentation Mistakes Overwhelming your audience with too much information. Audiences can only remember 3 things in the course of a presentation Don’t include every reason, just the strongest ones.

Common Presentation Mistakes Using filler words or verbal tics “Um” or “Like” – used when trying to figure out what to say next Either have someone listen and count how many times you do this or record yourself Be silent instead of using these words when you need to think Gives the listener time to digest what you just said

Common Presentation Mistakes Twitching, fidgeting, hair twirling, or other non- verbal nervous tics Watch a video or have friends tell you if you do this. Distracting to the listener Use your nervous energy productively Emphasize points by counting 1-2-3 with fingers If appropriate, wave hands to invite the audience in

Common Presentation Mistakes Not ending confidently/trailing off/mumbling endings Don’t mumble –emphasize Forcefully say the final word in your sentence When finished with speech, don’t just end, say “Thank you for your attention” “I would welcome any questions” Stop talking and smile

Common Presentation Mistakes Pronunciation Issues If you don’t know how to pronounce a word or have trouble Write out phonetically (fo-net-tic-lee) Bold those words Highlight the words Read text at slightly slower speed Continue and make eye contact

Common Presentation Mistakes Not making eye contact Think of a favorite color Make a point throughout presentation to look out and find that color Don’t look at faces/just color Keeps you on track – don’t get distracted by faces Look close to face – like top button of colored shirt Audience will not know it is not their eyes

Common Presentation Mistakes Getting psyched out by another speaker Don’t worry about the other speakers Do the best you can Make it compelling Allow the audience to make the decision, not you!