1. Persuasive Speech

2. Objectives Recognize specific features of a persuasive speech
Analyze your audience before speaking
Adapt your speech to match your audience
Understand and implement logical, emotional, and personal appeals in your speech

3. Do you want to convince your parents that:
you should have a later curfew?
you should be able to borrow the car
they should lend you money
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you better know how to speak persuasively.

4. Persuasive speaking demands two things:
You must effectively induce your audience to believe as you do
You must influence your audience in order to cause some sort of directed action to take place

5. Consider this:
You want to convince your parents to let you go to a local concert.
You want to convince your teacher to extend the deadline of a major paper.
You want to show your friends that drinking and driving is not an intelligent way to have a good time.

6. You have to: Propose a good idea
Show that you have a well thought out plan
Prove that your plan is realistic and the right thing to do
People act and react based on what they WANT, how they THINK, and how they FEEL.

7. First, Analyze your Audience
Age
Economic status
Gender
Political views
Religious views
How many in attendance?
In favor or against your position?

8. The mood or temperament of your parents
when asking if you can go to a local concert
would be much different from…
the mood or temperament of your neighbors if
proposing an extensive local clean-up campaign

9. The Supportive Audience
Easiest to address
Ready to support & promote your ideas
You reinforce & strengthen your ties w/ them
Political candidate after a big win
A school team asking for support at a pep-rally

10. The Uncommitted Audience
Neutral, not for or against you
Needs information to make up their minds
“Ok, let’s hear what you have to say. Convince me.”
Employers conducting job interviews
Juries in courts of law

11. The Indifferent Audience
Difficult to reach them
They don’t believe what you are saying is relevant to them
Apathetic, not opposed to you
Show them how your message is applicable to & how it can have a direct impact on their lives.
Apathetic students > the importance of school > big house & fancy car

12. The Opposed Audience Hostile to you &/or your proposal
Your objective: get a fair hearing
Show them you see merit in their arguments
Don’t consider yourself the expert
Success if:
You know how they feel & their position has worth
Avoid confrontation
No winners & losers

13. Give your own examples of:
Supportive Audience
Uncommitted audience
Indifferent audience
Opposed audience
How would your style & tone change in a speech to a supportive audience vs. an opposed audience?

14. Appeals An “Appeal” is: An urgent request
What is attractive or interesting about someone or something
Persuasive speakers must have appeal!

15. Aristotle Greek scientist & philosopher
Persuasive speakers must use 3 appeals:
Logical Appeal: reasoning
Emotional Appeal: stirs emotions
Personal Appeal: the speaker’s character

16. LOGICAL APPEAL LOGOS Appeals to the intellect of your audience
Solid reasoning
Valid evidence
Organization: thesis & 3 reasons
Give proof & offer the truth
Facts

17. EMOTIONAL APPEAL PATHOS Let your feelings show Aim for the heart
Aim at people’s emotions: love, anger, disgust, fear, compassion, patriotism, laughter, sympathy, outrage, remorse, optimism, hopes, dreams…
Show the audience the emotion you wish them to feel by feeling it yourself

18. PERSONAL APPEAL ETHOS Be honest & sincere “Practice what you preach”
Be competent & show expertise
Show composure
“Never let ‘em see you sweat!

19. Avoid Fallacy Flawed arguments Errors in reasoning Mistaken beliefs
Weakens your credibility

20. anticipate your opponent’s response.
Fallacy
EXAMPLE:
Hasty Generalization: faulty argument because
your research is too small; conclusions are
flawed.
Aliens land in Antarctica…therefore Earth is…
Explore all angles &
anticipate your opponent’s response.

21. Questions to Discuss
After picking a topic, word your thesis in the form of a question.
Consider:
Fact
Value
Policy

22. Questions of Fact Does a situation exist? How is it defined?
Is the United States’ use of nuclear power on the decline?
Does drinking milk really sooth the burn after eating hot peppers?

23. Questions of Value
Examines the worth of the object, person, or situation
Is this good/bad; desirable/undesirable; promising/hopeless
Is ethanol production a good use of our corn resources?
Is the two-party system the best political system for the United States?

24. Questions of Policy Requires physical or mental action
What should or should not be done?
Often includes the word “should”
Should restaurants be forced to remove menu items that contain trans-fats?
Should Congress end the practice of deficit spending?