Speeches To Persuade

Section 1 What Is Persuasive Speaking? A persuasive speech asks your audience to “buy” something that you are selling, it can also be a product, or it can also be a belief, an attitude, or an idea. While the informative speech goes one step further and asks the audience to do something based on the information presented.

Section 1 Cont. It doesn’t matter whether you are speaking in a court of law, influencing some sort of public policy, or simply convincing your friends to see a particular movie, persuasive speaking demands that you effectively induce your audience to believe as you do and influence your audience in order to cause some sort of directed action to take place.

Consider the following situations: You want to convince your parents that you should be able to attend a local concert. You want to convince your teacher that more time is needed to complete a class project. You wish to show your friends that drinking and driving is not an intelligent way to have a good time.

In each of these situations, you would need to be persuasive speaker First of all, you would have to awaken a belief on the part of your listeners that what you are proposing is a good idea. Next you would have to show them that you have well thought out plan of action available. Finally, you would be able to convince your audience that your plan of action is realistic and the right thing to do.

Section 2 Analyzing Your Audience The supportive audience- Is friendly, its members like you and what you have to say. This is the easier audience to address because the members are ready to support and promote your ideas. Example: a meeting with friends to discuss party plans. Uncommitted audience- you have a good chance of persuading because its natural. Also called Unbiased- with an open mind; without prejudice If you present your position clearly and persuasively and support it with a solid information. Example: a Jury

Section 2 Cont. Indifferent Audience- an audience that is apathetic or disinterested in the speaker and his topic. This audience does not find the topic relevant to their personal situation Example: a salesman rings your doorbell and you accidentally answer it. Captive Audience- an audience that has been forced to be in attendance. This would be considered an indifferent audience type.

Section 2 Cont. Opposed audience- be ready to handle a potential confrontation. You are willing to make some concession on your position. A disclaimer tells to listeners what you are not saying or lets them know what you don’t consider your self an expert. Consider them that you know how they feel and believe their position has work. Avoid needless confrontation. Create a situation where there are not winners or losers.

Section 3 Appealing to Your Audience Logical appeal- as a persuasive speaker, you must definitely let others in on how your thoughts connect. Nothing can turn off listeners more quickly than a speech that has them scratching their heads in bewilderment. With logical appeal, you appeal to the intellect of your audience by offering a clearly defined speech that contains solid reasoning and valid evidence. One way to enhance your logical appeal is by presenting a well organized speech.

Section 3 Cont. Emotional appeal- is a major consideration in persuasive speaking. Indeed, it often has a stronger impact on people than logic or reasoning. This is also called Pathos. The most effective approach is the United Approach – using a combination of appeals to persuade your audience.

Section 3 Cont. Personal appeal-means that your listeners will buy what you are selling because they trust in you and your credibility – your believability. People are attracted to honesty. If you are honest, you tell the truth and exhibit personal integrity, or strong sense of right and wrong Competency mean capability. If you are a competent person, you can get the job done. You probably have a solid work ethic and you value being prepared.