revised 12.13.15
Persuasive Speech Unit
Nunes
TURNING AN ESSAY INTO A SPEECH
You will be speaking for 6-8 minutes in front of your peers and teacher. Your speech should not be
conversational, but professional and clear. This means avoiding words you are uncomfortable using but
including language that is appropriate to your topic.
Additionally, the speech gives you room to be Extemporaneous—which means that you can say what is on
your mind and go “off-script”, just as long as you remain on topic.
Remember: you are speaking to the audience, and not hiding behind your note cards or looking at the floor.
Ignoring the audience in this manner will result in a reduction of points.
What you may have with you during the speech:
Dress
You are required to wear respectable clothes for your speech. This is a formal speech, so appearance is
important, too. Think about what you would wear to a job interview or a special occasion you’re your
family.—Collared, button-up shirts (a tie if you wish!), dress slacks or pressed khaki’s, dress shoes (no
sneakers, flip flops, etc), skirts/dresses should be knee-length.
Notecards
! You may use up to 10 note cards for your speech (3x5 or 4x6)
! Shrinking down your paper, pasting it to your note cards, and reading your paper to the class will
result in a full grade penalty on your speech!
! Include notes on your body movements throughout your speech; if you want to emphasize a
point, perhaps use hand gestures along with strong wording.
A Visual Aid—THIS IS OPTIONAL, AND NOT REQUIRED!
If you chose to use a visual aid, please make sure it is something that will be removed from the audience’s
view after you are done using it so that it does not become a distraction to the audience during the rest of
your speech.
! If you are bringing a **PowerPoint presentation, make sure that you bring your laptop/device to
class the day before and make sure you have the correct adaptor to connect to the LCD projector,
and that everything is working smoothly.
o **If you show a graphic to the audience that came from your research, then make sure you
cite the source on the graphic.
! The safest method for using a visual aid is to print the slides from your presentation and display them
under the Elmo projector. It eliminates the need to bring an expensive laptop to school!
The Survey
You will also be responsible for handing out a short survey to your classmates that will let you know if anyone
has changed their stance on your topic. 10 points for doing this survey will be awarded separate from the
total speech grade, and the audience will be responsible to participate in it.
Converting Your Paper Into a Speech
Using the following outline, turn the main ideas and points of your Persuasive Essay into a
Persuasive Speech.
! The biggest difference between your paper and speech is that you should be mentioning the
opposing point-of-view more often.
! If all parts are present, your speech will typically run between 6-8 minutes. You have a total
of 10 minutes to set up, deliver your speech, and collect your class surveys.
! Practice your speech in front of people whose opinion you highly value! The more you
practice, the easier your final speech will be. Guaranteed.
When transforming your essay, make sure to note the following:
Introduction
! The “Hook”
! 2-3 Statements introducing topic
! State your Proposition with the three points that you will be supporting in the speech
Body of Speech—The use of Logos, Ethos and Pathos will help enhance your speech! Use your list
of Rhetorical Devices to give you an idea of how to enhance this section:
Reason 1
Statistics/Research/Interesting facts
Supporting and Opposing Point-Of-View
Transitional sentence
Reason 2
Statistics/Research/Interesting facts
Supporting and Opposing Point-Of-View
Transitional sentence
Reason 3
Statistics/Research/Interesting facts
Supporting and Opposing Point-Of-View
Transitional sentence/Words signaling conclusion
Conclusion:
Restatement of supporting points
Restatement of Proposition
The Call to Action