“In a speech of approximately 8-10 minutes, persuade your audience about a topic

“In a speech of approximately 8-10 minutes, persuade your audience about a topic that addresses their needs, concerns or interests. Ideas must be substantiated by at least three college-appropriate and relevant sources, which must be verbally cited in your speech. College databases such as CQ Researcher and Issues and Controversies will be especially helpful since they present both sides and the shades of gray.
Persuasive speaking has three general goals (DeVito 259 – 260), depending on your aims and how your listeners perceive the topic:
To strengthen or weaken attitudes, beliefs or values
To change attitudes, beliefs or values
To motivate to action (Remember, ask for reasonable amounts of changed
An effective persuasive speech primarily uses a balanced combination of logical, emotional and credibility appeals. While these are covered in “Methods of Persuasive Speaking,” here is a concise explanation:Logical appeals: persuading audience with logical arguments – focusing on facts and evidence. This type of appeal is largely derived through research.
Emotional appeals: persuading audience by addressing their feelings, needs, desires and wants. This type of appeal uses real life examples and targets certain physiological and emotional needs and wants of your audience such as those of safety, status, self-esteem, belonging and self-actualization (See Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” below). The use of personal experience or real-life examples can kindle the emotions of your audience by enabling them to connect with the topic on a human level.
Credibility appeals: DeVito describes this as “the degree to which your audience regards you as a believable spokesperson. If your listeners see you as competent and knowledgeable, of good character, and charismatic or dynamic, they will find you credible” (275). Your handling of sources, your preparedness, and your display of confidence will help to shape how your listeners perceive you. Also, your connection to the topic and the persona that you have developed in previous speeches greatly contribute to your speaker credibility.
Reminders: You might want to use an inductive, rather than a deductive, arrangement of ideas. This is when you introduce examples and evidence before stating your thesis, which should be your position towards the topic.
A balanced presentation usually gives some attention to the counter-argument., opposing viewpoints and any resistance to the topic.
If your purpose is to motivate your audience to alter their behavior or take action, ask for small changes or relatively easy to perform acts.
Work Cited DeVito, Joseph A. The Essential Elements of Public Speaking, Third Ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2008.