Understanding Principles of Persuasive Speaking Chapter 23 Understanding Principles of Persuasive Speaking

Principles of Persuasive Speaking Persuasion Defined The process of changing or reinforcing… Attitudes - Learned predisposition to respond favorably/unfavorably about something About lawyers, School, Work – Least difficult to change Beliefs - Something you understand to be true or false (Often based on experience) Your Faith, fire is hot, - More difficult to change than attitudes Values – An enduring concept of Right/Wrong, Good/Bad (Instilled early in life) Religious values, Family values, Most difficult to change Behaviors - Usually determined by one of the above predispositions Why do you think values are the most difficult to change?

Persuasive Speaking Choosing a persuasive topic As you choose your topic, here are some things to keep in mind First – consider the persuasive goal of your speech Ask yourself what does my audience (think /feel/do) now What do I want them to (Think/feel/do) after my speech Some topics could have multiple goals Legalizing Marijuana Belief, behavior, etc. No medicinal value, Vote against it, what other angles does it have?

Persuasive Speaking Second – Make sure your persuasive goal is feasible Can the audience make the change you are requesting Persuading a person struggling financially to take an expensive trip Convincing people with recent tattoos or underweight to donate blood (they are automatically excluded by the red cross) You may be able to convince them of the idea but they can’t follow through Third – Large controversial topics Very difficult to change people on these Require audience to re-evaluate belief system Religion, Politics, Abortion, Death Penalty, etc A brief speech won’t change positions so look for a smaller change

Principles of Persuasive Speaking How Persuasion Works 2 ways of persuasion Persuaded by logic, reasoning, arguments and evidence presented You do research on something and are convinced that you need it Have you bought anything recently? Have you seen any movies recently? Indirect persuasion Based on the feeling you get from the presentation Music, Trustworthy salesperson Emotional charge Which of these would be best for persuading others? Does It depends on your audience?

Principles of Persuasive Speaking How to motivate listeners Use Dissonance Feeling when you hear something against your attitudes, beliefs, values You’re a smoker, speaker says smoking is harmful Example A student decides to cheat on an assignment A classmate gets caught cheating and fails the course The student feels uncomfortable about their desire to cheat Changes their attitude about cheating (Now feels that it isn’t worth the risk)

Principles of Persuasive Speaking How listeners cope with dissonance Listeners may discredit source To deal with the discomfort, audiences may find a reason to question your credibility (Bias, Personal motives, etc) Reinterpret the message (Hear what they want to hear) Focus on what they agree with & ignore what they don’t

Principles of Persuasive Speaking How listeners cope with dissonance Listeners may seek new information May do additional research Listeners may stop listening Selective Exposure – seek information matching views Audience may tune you out if they feel your content will upset them Listeners may change attitudes, beliefs, values, or behavior In order to balance the discomfort, audience may decide to change

Principles of Persuasive Speaking How to motivate listeners Use listener needs Physiological needs The most basic needs for all people (Food, Water, Air, Shelter, etc) Safety Needs Need to feel safe, secure, protected Seatbelts, smoking health, exercising, etc If physiological need are met you can persuade audience about safety

Principles of Persuasive Speaking How to motivate listeners Use listener needs Social Needs Need to feel loved, valued, friends, etc Self-Esteem Needs Need to think well of ourselves (often the base of persuasive messages) Self-Actualization Needs Persuading listener to achieve their highest level of needs

Principles of Persuasive Speaking How to develop your persuasive speech Consider the audience Your audience will determine methods you use to develop persuasive content and presentation Select & Narrow Your persuasive topic Don’t just pick a random topic, Find an interested or passion you have Consider your audience Controversial Topics – make excellent persuasive presentations Be careful with these Media/internet resources – Use these to stay on top of important issues Laws, Policies, News stories, Etc

Principles of Persuasive Speaking How to develop your persuasive speech Determine your persuasive purpose It’s hard to change a person after one short speech Set goals Opening audience mind to the possibility of change Getting audience to think more about my topic Develop central idea and main points Central Idea Once sentence summary of your speech A proposition is often used in for this (Fact, Value, Policy) What would it take to convince you to change an attitude, value, or belief? Example from “A time to kill” (Know your audience and what it would take)

Principles of Persuasive Speaking Review Persuasive Speech Handout Discuss possible Topics Questions about persuasive speeches Choosing Your Persuasive Topic Excluded topics Abortion, Death Penalty, Gun Control, Global Warming Topic must have a logical opposition or present a problem “I will persuade my audience not to drink & Drive” (Not Acceptable) “Drunk driving is becoming a problem in our community” (Acceptable)

Principles of Persuasive Speaking Persuasive will be the last Major speech Focus on developing a strong speech argument Include your sources in outline and speech This hurt some on the informative speeches There will be no opportunity for make-up If you miss for ANY reason (other than arrangements with me) you will get a zero No Outline/No Speech!!! Next – Chapter 24 Using Persuasive Strategies