Parts of a Persuasive Speech
Introduction Paragraph:
1. Hook: This is a sentence to draw in the attention of your readers. This could be an
interesting fact, a grab at their emotions, a joke, etc. (Ex. Did you know that, in Canada,
over 600 million animals are killed for food each year?) **Remember your literary
devices – these work great to hook in the audience!
2. Link: A sentence that links your hook to your thesis statement. (Ex. This fact is what
inspired me to become vegan.)
3. Thesis: State your topic and your stance on it. (Ex. Veganism is the best way to reduce
our impact on our environment)
4. Blueprint: A brief description of your points (Ex. Not only does it reduce animal cruelty,
it also reduces deforestation and your carbon foot print.)
Body Paragraph (Main Point) x 3:
1. Transition: A link between your previous paragraph and this one. (Ex. Let’s go back to
my first fact about how many animals are killed for food each year.)
2. Main Point: A point to support your thesis. (Ex. The Canadian food industry is killing
thousands of animals every day, making it one of the largest contributors to animal
cruelty. One of the easiest steps you can take towards reducing this is to become vegan.)
3. Factual Argument: Hit us with some facts to really back up your point. (Ex. According to
a 2015 article published in the Daily Mail, carnivores eat approximately 7,000 animals in
their lifetime. That breaks down to 11 cows, 27 pigs, 2,400 chickens, 30 sheep, 80
turkeys, and 4,500 fish.)
4. Emotional Argument: Play to the audience’s feelings to make your point have a bigger
impact. This could be a personal anecdote, have a basis in research, etc. (Ex. Now, think
about these 7,000 animals and how they impact our environment. What if we suddenly
had no fish in our oceans? Without fish, all our aquatic ecosystems would die, causing
drastic changes to our oceans. This could affect the temperature on earth and how
toxins are filtered in the atmosphere, changing our environment forever. This could
mean no more snowy winters and scorching hot summers for everyone!) **Notice that
my arguments are not just one sentence. They include several sentences that relate
back to my point and provide details to help make the argument stronger. Your
factual and emotional arguments do not need to be equal – one may be stronger than
the other, however both need to be present.
5. Conclusion: Wrap up your paragraph in a sentence or two. (Ex. With this in mind, it’s
clear to see how the food industry impacts our environment. Becoming vegan can not
only reduce the harm we cause to animals, it can also reduce the harm we cause to our
environment.)
Conclusion Paragraph
1. Restate Thesis: State your topic and stance again in different words (Ex. When we think
about saving our environment, becoming a vegan is one of the easiest things we can do.)
2. Call To Action: What steps can the audience take to support this? (Ex. Transitioning to a
vegan lifestyle can be difficult for a lot of people, so instead of diving right in, I’d like to
challenge you to take the first step and try eating vegan just one day a week. Anything
we can do to reduce our impact on the environment counts and who knows, maybe
you’ll really like it!) **They don’t have to big steps!
3. Reflection: Refer to your opening, what lesson was learned? (Ex. Veganism has so many
positive side effects that are bigger than what you eat. It affects the lives of animals, the
delicate ecosystems they live in, and the atmosphere that makes our planet livable. So
why are you still eating meat?)