Oration was a very important aspect of Greek democracy. Moreover, it continues to be an
essential part of democracy today. Without this important skill you will be left with two choices:


Have others speak for you (an unattractive choice)
Have NO voice in how your life is governed
o This idea is NOT limited to “politics” at the highest level. The art of persuasion is
a valuable skill/asset that WILL benefit you in many areas of your life; now and in
the future
Your task is simple; you will have 2-4 minutes to convince myself and your classmates through a
persuasive speech, that your position (opinion) one an issue of your choice is correct.
Essentially, “win our vote.”
The topics at your disposal are bountiful. However, a few guidelines are listed below to help
you make this crucial decision:




The topic must be debatable
o Controversial enough so as to allow debate (if it were allowed). For example, you
should NOT attempt to convince me that the earth is essentially a sphere
You should be interested in the topic
o It is very difficult to convince an audience to “see your point of view” if in fact it
is not your point of view
Remember your audience
o If you choose a topic that is/may be important to your classmates you are more
likely to grab their attention
Remember your time limit
o You have a maximum of four minutes to make your argument (point). Therefore,
choose a topic that requires limited explanation to your audience
o Something that is familiar enough as to shorten the amount of time you use
If you have any questions on your topic choices please see me for validation and acceptance of
your ideas.
A rubric and tips for a good persuasive speech are found below.
Remember, speeches are formal. Dress to impress!!
Persuasive Speech Tips
Steve Iman, College of Business, Cal Poly Pomona












Gain attention and interest. Try a quote? Try humor(see below)? Shock or startle?
("Before this speech is finish, 5 recent students will have lost jobs in the new
depression.") Try a direct question? ("What sort of internet addict are you?")
Stress a key word or symbol? (Get dialog going on the symbolic meaning of the
logo?)
Try humor, depending on the overall purpose of the presentation. Old editions of
Readers Digest are great sources since the material is clean and people will probably
have forgotten the jokes.
Establish your credibility early
Demonstrate audience analysis and understanding. Make relevant, direct contact
with audience - why does it matter?
Preview main points? (an arguments can be made that solutions shouldn't emerge
until at least half way through your speech in order to avoid having your position
pre-judged)
Create cognitive dissonance. Your audience must feel involved in the problem
before they'll be moved to accept a solution
Make effective transitions between ideas
Demonstrate enthusiasm and/or passion
Provoke thought through questions
Construct a logical case with evidence in support of what you're trying to sell
Avoid verbal fillers/disfluency
Close with a memorable summary, perhaps request a specific act or action from the
audience . Be declarative, maybe firm and demanding in your close.
What do we mean by persuasive speaking?
Persuasive speaking urges us to do something. Informative speaking, on the other hand,
reveals and clarifies options. Informative speakers teach. Persuasive speakers lead, evoke
emotions and ask for audience commitment. Sometimes persuasive speeches are aimed at
earning passive agreement, as in persuading an audience of the importance of some policy,
value, or service. At other times, persuasive speeches aim for personal action, as in getting
people to join an organization, buy a product or service, or support a cause.
Methods of Persuasion
People have been trying to influence one another for a long time. Maybe one of the most
articulate early speakers was the Greek Philosopher Aristotle. His ideas are as relevant
today as they were when he was teaching at the Lyceum around 300 B.C. He thought there
were basically three ways to influence people:

Credibility -- "ethos". Sometimes we believe something simply because we trust the
person telling us. You want to look like you know what you're talking about.


Emotional appeal -- "pathos". Sometimes we do things because of a "gut feeling" or
an appeal to our emotions, whether those of compassion or fear. Advertisers make
great headway tweaking our concerns about what others might think about us.
Rational appeal -- "logos". Providing good reasons is important. Providing evidence
and reasoning are a strong part of the persuasive process.
Appealing to logic may be the hardest of the three sources of influence for the speaker to
use. What's important here is the development of relevant "support material". Three types
of support material commonly used include examples, statistics, and testimony.
Examples are useful in clarifying, reinforcing, or personalizing ideas. These could involve
case studies or anecdotal examples &emdash; slices of life to prove the point. Ethically, you
should help your audience gauge the credibility of your sources, the representativeness of
examples and samples, etc. Using examples without other types of support material can
come across as weak evidence.
Statistics can help. Combing them with examples can be powerful. Using too many
statistics can be deadly. You should qualify the sample, translate the statistics that you use
so the audience can understand fairly. Relevant visual display of statistics can be a
powerful aid in making an argument.
Personal testimony can also provide dramatic support material. Testimony can give
emotional life to the issues you're focusing on. You should of course quote or paraphrase
accurately and fairly, identify and qualify the source's credentials.
A common pattern used in formulating persuasive speeches is called "Monroe's Motivated
Sequence". Though particularly appropriate when you're seeking a commitment to
personal action, the suggested sequence can provide good structural ideas for any sort of
persuasive presentation. The five parts identified in the sequence below include: Attention,
Need, Satisfaction, Visualization, Action; but only three main points. For fun, I'll illustrate
the points around an appeal for MHR students to join and support PIHRA.
ATTENTION
In the Introduction…
A. A scenario of a recent graduate who cannot get hired to a position in Human Resources
requiring "experience" and evidence of community involvement and leadership. Maybe in
the form of a letter or quote from the student?
NEED:
I. Students seeking careers in HR often have a problem.
A. Every year many jobs are available, but require appropriate internship experiences as a
bare minimum.
B. Only a small number of graduating seniors in MHR have career-oriented professional
experience.
SATISFACTION:
II. If more students had solid internship experiences, professional success of graduates
would be multiplied.
A. Involvement in PIHRA is a sound resume item in the eyes of employers.
B. PIHRA students meet monthly with regional professionals in order to develop networks
and identify opportunities.
VISUALIZATION:
III. With an internship you'll be able to launch one of the most exciting careers that a
young person in business can have.
A. Let's look again at the opening scenario and see if you can really afford to continue with
the non-professional employment you have.
B. Statistics show that MHR graduates who prepare well launch professional careers, and
that after about five years of on-the-job growth are prepared for major career steps.
ACTION:
In the conclusion…
Call to the audience to join PIHRA and share in helping to develop internship learning
opportunities for MHR students.