PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
Topic: Persuasive Speaking in Private and Public Institutions
Overview: In this module you will learn how to use persuasion in private and public
institutions to affect public policy and establish laws that citizens should follow
and obey. Be an advocate to influence the people to sway those in government,
or a way of expressing outrage and airing public grievances.
Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, you are expected to have:
1. gave a speech as an advocate for or against a public policy; and
2. appreciated the importance of persuasion in private and public institutions
Our Discussion
A persuasive speech is a specific type of speech in which the speaker has a goal of
convincing the audience to accept his or her point of view. The speech is arranged in such a
way as to hopefully cause the audience to accept all or part of the expressed view. Though the
overarching goal of a persuasive speech is to convince the audience to accept a perspective,
not all audiences can be convinced by a single speech and not all perspectives can persuade
the audience. The success of a persuasive speech is often measured by the audience’s
willingness to consider the speaker’s argument.
Components of a Persuasive Speech
While ethos is an essential part of a persuasive speech, pathos and logos are usually combined
to form the best possible argument.
While a speaker can attempt to establish ethos, or credibility, with an audience, it is ultimately
assigned to them based on the audience’s perception. If the audience does not perceive the
speaker as a credible source on the topic about which they are speaking, they will ultimately
have a hard time considering the speaker’s argument.
The logos in a speech, or logical appeals, are arguments that present a set of information and
show why a conclusion must rationally be true. For example, arguments heard in court are
logical arguments.
Pathos, emotional appeals, are appeals that seek to make the audience feel a certain way so
that they will accept a conclusion. Negative political ads, for example, often incorporate
emotional appeals by juxtaposing an opponent with a negative emotion such as fear.
How to Succeed
Using an attention grabbing device is a powerful way to begin a persuasive speech. If you can
make your audience laugh, think about a personal experience, or tell an anecdote that produces
emotion, they are more likely to listen to the content of your argument. Additionally, keeping a
speech within 6-8 minutes makes the audience less likely to let their mind wander away from
what you are saying.
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The effectiveness of a persuasive speech also depends on factors beyond the words of the
speech. The willingness of the audience to accept a new view, the body language of the
speaker, and the environment in which the speech is given all can affect the success of a
persuasive speech.
A successful speaker will do their best to establish strong ethos with their audience, and
combine pathos and logos to form the best possible argument. Audience analysis is an
important factor when giving a persuasive speech. For example, if a speaker is trying to
convince the audience not to tell their children about Santa Claus, using arguments that relate
and resonate with them, such as encouraging them to remember how they felt when they
discovered he wasn’t real, will be more successful than if the speaker shared a negative
personal experience of their own.
The Goals of a Persuasive Speech: Convincing, Actuation, and Stimulation
Persuasive speeches can be designed to convince, incite action, or enhance belief by the
audience.
6 Steps for Writing a Persuasive Speech
Writing a persuasive speech doesn’t have to be difficult, as long as you select your topic wisely
and properly prepare. If you’re ready to learn how to write a persuasive speech, follow these key
steps and you’ll be on your way.
Step 1: Select a Topic and Angle
Come up with a controversial topic, one that will spawn heated debates regardless of your
position. This could be just about anything, from abortion to human trafficking or even animal
rights. Assuming you are able to select your topic, choose one that you are passionate about.
If you’re a teen, explore persuasive speech topics for high school for topic ideas.
Adult speech writers can browse unique persuasive speech topics for inspiration.
To ensure your topic isn’t too broad, select a particular angle you will focus on. Research the
topic thoroughly, focusing on background, key facts and arguments for and against your angle.
Step 2: Define Your Persuasive Goal
Once you have chosen a topic, the next step is to decide exactly what your goal is with regards
to persuading the audience.
Are you trying to persuade them in favor of a certain position on an issue?
Are you hoping they’ll change a behavior or an opinion as a result of listening to your speech?
Do you want them to make a decision to purchase something or donate money to a cause?
Knowing what your goal is will help you make wise decisions about how to approach writing and
presenting your speech. Explore persuasive writing examples to see different goals in action.
Step 3: Analyze the Audience
Understanding the perspective of your audience is critical any time you are writing a speech.
This is especially true with a persuasive speech, because not only are you seeking to get them
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to listen to you, but you’re also hoping they’ll take a particular action after listening to your
presentation.
Consider who is in the audience (age, sex, other demographic characteristics, and why they are
there).
Consider how audience members are likely to perceive the topic you are speaking on so you
can better relate to them on the subject.
Grasp the obstacles audience members face or have with regards to the topic so you can build
appropriate persuasive arguments to eradicate the obstacles.
Step 4: Build an Effective Persuasive Argument
Once you have a clear goal, are knowledgeable about the topic and have insights regarding
your audience, you’ll be ready to build an effective persuasive argument to deliver in the form of
a speech. Follow the best practices for writing a memorable speech.
Persuasive Techniques
Start by deciding what persuasive techniques are most likely to help you accomplish your goal.
Would an emotional appeal help win attendees over to your way of thinking?
Should you use a rhetorical question to get audience members to reflect on possibilities?
Is there a good way to sway the audience with logic and appeals to reason?
Is it possible that a bandwagon appeal might be effective?
Step 5: Outline Your Speech
Once you know which persuasive strategies are most likely to be effective, your next step will be
to create a keyword outline to organize your main points and structure your persuasive speech
for maximum impact.
Start strong, letting your audience know what your topic is, why it matters and what you hope to
convince them to do as a result of your presentation.
List your main points, thoroughly covering each, being sure to build the argument for your
position and overcome opposing perspectives.
Conclude by appealing to audience members to act in a way that will indicate that you have
successfully persuaded them.
Since motivation is a big part of persuasion, the steps for writing a motivational speech can be
very helpful as you organize your speech.
Step 6: Deliver a Winning Speech
Of course, what you say is important, but how you say it is also critical. This includes your
overall presentation style and visual aids.
Select appropriate visual aids to share with your audience, such as charts, graphs, photos, or
illustrations that will help engage and persuade your audience.
Practice until you can deliver your speech confidently. Maintain eye contact, project your voice
and avoid ums, uhs and other forms of vocal interference.
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Let your passion about your subject shine through, as your enthusiasm may be just what it
takes to motivate audience members to see things your way.
Follow these tips for giving a great speech and you’ll be on your way to delivering a powerful
persuasive speech that’s sure to have winning results.
Build on Your Persuasive Speaking Skills
Whether you’re delivering a persuasive speech for a class assignment, a work-related
presentation or a social issue that you strongly support, following these steps can help you
prepare. Now that you’re familiar with the steps for writing a persuasive speech, further build on
your persuasive abilities by coming up with an elevator pitch about yourself. In essence, an
elevator pitch is really just a 30 to 60 second persuasive speech that can help you introduce
yourself quickly and effectively when you have an opportunity to build new connections.
Mary Gormandy White
Staff Writer
How to Write and Structure a Persuasive Speech
By Grace Fleming
The purpose of a persuasive speech is to convince your audience to agree with an idea or
opinion that you present. First, you'll need to choose a side on a controversial topic, then you
will write a speech to explain your position, and convince the audience to agree with you.
You can produce an effective persuasive speech if you structure your argument as a solution to
a problem. Your first job as a speaker is to convince your audience that a particular problem is
important to them, and then you must convince them that you have the solution to make things
better.
Note: You don't have to address a real problem. Any need can work as the problem. For
example, you could consider the lack of a pet, the need to wash one's hands, or the need to
pick a particular sport to play as the "problem."
As an example, let's imagine that you have chosen "Getting Up Early" as your persuasion topic.
Your goal will be to persuade classmates to get themselves out of bed an hour earlier every
morning. In this instance, the problem could be summed up as "morning chaos."
A standard speech format has an introduction with a great hook statement, three main points,
and a summary. Your persuasive speech will be a tailored version of this format.
Before you write the text of your speech, you should sketch an outline that includes your hook
statement and three main points.
Writing the Text
The introduction of your speech must be compelling because your audience will make up their
minds within a few minutes whether or not they are interested in your topic.
Before you write the full body you should come up with a greeting. Your greeting can be as
simple as "Good morning everyone. My name is Frank."
After your greeting, you will offer a hook to capture attention. A hook sentence for the "morning
chaos" speech could be a question:
How many times have you been late for school?
Does your day begin with shouts and arguments?
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Have you ever missed the bus?
Or your hook could be a statistic or surprising statement:
More than 50 percent of high school students skip breakfast because they just don't
have time to eat.
Tardy kids drop out of school more often than punctual kids.
Once you have the attention of your audience, follow through to define the topic/problem and
introduce your solution. Here's an example of what you might have so far:
Good afternoon, class. Some of you know me, but some of you may not. My name is Frank
Godfrey, and I have a question for you. Does your day begin with shouts and arguments? Do
you go to school in a bad mood because you've been yelled at, or because you argued with
your parent? The chaos you experience in the morning can bring you down and affect your
performance at school.
Add the solution:
You can improve your mood and your school performance by adding more time to your morning
schedule. You can accomplish this by setting your alarm clock to go off one hour earlier.
Your next task will be to write the body, which will contain the three main points you've come up
with to argue your position. Each point will be followed by supporting evidence or anecdotes,
and each body paragraph will need to end with a transition statement that leads to the next
segment. Here is a sample of three main statements:
Bad moods caused by morning chaos will affect your workday performance.
If you skip breakfast to buy time, you're making a harmful health decision.
(Ending on a cheerful note) You'll enjoy a boost to your self-esteem when you reduce
the morning chaos.
After you write three body paragraphs with strong transition statements that make your speech
flow, you are ready to work on your summary.
Your summary will re-emphasize your argument and restate your points in slightly different
language. This can be a little tricky. You don't want to sound repetitive but will need to repeat
what you have said. Find a way to reword the same main points.
Finally, you must make sure to write a clear final sentence or passage to keep yourself from
stammering at the end or fading off in an awkward moment. A few examples of graceful exits:
We all like to sleep. It's hard to get up some mornings, but rest assured that the reward
is well worth the effort.
If you follow these guidelines and make the effort to get up a little bit earlier every day,
you'll reap rewards in your home life and on your report card.
Tips for Writing Your Speech
Don't be confrontational in your argument. You don't need to put down the other side;
just convince your audience that your position is correct by using positive assertions.
Use simple statistics. Don't overwhelm your audience with confusing numbers.
Don't complicate your speech by going outside the standard "three points" format. While
it might seem simplistic, it is a tried and true method for presenting to an audience who
is listening as opposed to reading.
Activity 1: Everybody Listen!
Be able to write a persuasive essay with at least 5-8 paragraphs. You must persuade
your supposed audience about an issue you genuinely care about. Videotape yourself delivering
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the speech. Wear appropriate clothing, and practice what has been learned in the past modules.
The video will serve as your Final Exam. Choose from among the topics below.
1. depression
2. poverty
3. gender inequality
4. racism
5. climate change
6. terrorism
7. slut shaming
8. violence against women
Below are the links for the sample speeches about the aforementioned topics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps3Cefys0Kc&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GXfLY4-d8w&ab_channel=MulliganBrothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad2gJVrB_rk&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ROBCSSyTW4&ab_channel=GBHForumNetwork
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP4iY1TtS3s&ab_channel=RAREFACTS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtW2rrLHs08&ab_channel=NationalGeographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylT3N-Fri_s&ab_channel=TheNewYorkTimes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWVcyCyRs2Y&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU1i2IlkLbU&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
References:
1. Uychoco, Marikit Tara A. , Santos, Maria Lorena, Communication for Society Purposive Communication Rex
Books Store Inc., Nicanor Reyes Sr. St. Sampaloc, Manila
Online references:
https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/steps-for-writing-a-persuasive-speech.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-write-a-persuasive-speech-1857488
https://raindance.org/how-to-pitch-your-project/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps3Cefys0Kc&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GXfLY4-d8w&ab_channel=MulliganBrothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad2gJVrB_rk&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ROBCSSyTW4&ab_channel=GBHForumNetwork
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP4iY1TtS3s&ab_channel=RAREFACTS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtW2rrLHs08&ab_channel=NationalGeographic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylT3N-Fri_s&ab_channel=TheNewYorkTimes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWVcyCyRs2Y&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU1i2IlkLbU&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
