Persuasion
The process of creating, reinforcing, or
changing people's beliefs or actions.
For persuasion to occur,
TWO OR MORE usually
opposing viewpoints must
exist
Ethics and Persuasion
 Make sure your goals are ethically
sound
 Use ethical methods to
communicate your ideas
Degrees of Persuasion
Strongly
Opposed
Moderately
Opposed
Slightly
Opposed
Neutral
Slightly
in Favor
Moderately
in Favor
Persuasion involves any movement
by a listener from left to right or
right to left
Strongly
in Favor
Target Audience
The portion of the whole audience that the
speaker most wants to persuade.
TYPES OF PERSUASIVE SPEECHES
(overview)
On a Question of FACT
(to change ideas about what is/isn’t true)
On a Question of VALUE
(to judge the worth, rightness, morality, etc. of a position)
On a Question of POLICY
(advocates whether a course of action
should or should not be taken)
Persuasive Speech on a
Question of Fact
Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that an
earthquake of 9.0 or above on
the Richter scale could hit
California in the next ten years.
Main Points:
I. California is long overdue for a major earthquake.
II. Many geological signs indicate that a major
earthquake may happen soon.
III. Experts agree that a major earthquake could hit
California any day.
Persuasive Speech on a
Question of Value
Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that
capital punishment is morally
and legally wrong.
Main Points:
I. Capital punishment violates the biblical
commandment “Thou shalt not kill.”
II. Capital punishment violates the constitutional ban
on “cruel and unusual punishment.”
Persuasive Speech on a
Question of Policy
Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that
Sierra College should allow the
student representative on the Board
of Trustees to vote
Main Points:
I. The student trustee on the Board has no vote, and
thus has no real voice or power.
II. Since students are the ones most affected by
college policies, the student representative should
be allowed to vote.
Types of Persuasive
Speeches
 Speeches to gain passive agreement

Goal is to convince the audience something is
desirable or undesirable, without encouraging
the audience to take direct action
 Speeches to gain immediate action

Goal is to convince the audience to take direct
action (to do something)
Specific Purposes for Speeches to
Gain Passive Agreement
To persuade my audience that there should
be stricter safety standard on amusementpark rides.
To persuade my audience that there is an
obesity epidemic among children in the
U.S.
Specific Purposes for Speeches
to Gain Immediate Action
To persuade my audience to donate
time to become literacy tutors.
To persuade my audience to vote in
the next presidential election.
Basic Issues of Persuasive
Speeches
 Need

Is there a problem or need that requires a
change from the way things are?
 Plan

If there is a problem or need, does the speaker
have a plan to solve or address it?
 Practicality


Will the speaker’s plan solve the problem?
Will the speaker’s plan create new and more
serious problems?
Organizing Persuasive
Speeches
(overview)
 Problem-solution order
 Problem-cause-solution order
 Comparative advantages order
 Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
Problem-Solution Order
Main point I: Documents the existence
of a problem.
Main point II: Presents a solution to
the problem.
Problem-Cause-Solution
Order
Main point I: Documents the existence
of a problem.
Main point II: Analyzes the causes of
the problem.
Main point III: Presents a solution to
the problem.
I. [problem] Students can’t get classes they need and
want at NCC
II. [results] Students must go to Rocklin or other
colleges to take classes
III. [solution] Convince Administration to offer better
variety of classes at NCC
I. [problem] The rate of traffic accidents in Nevada County
is increasing
II. [cause] Arrest statistics show that more people are
driving drunk
III. [solution] Increase the penalties for drunk driving
Comparative Advantages
Order
Each main point explains why a
speaker's solution to a problem
is preferable to other potential
solutions.
I. [problem]
Percentage of
eligible voters who vote is less
than 50%
II. [possible solutions, incl.
advantage & disadvantage of
each]
A. Make voting a requirement of
citizenship
B. Allow online voting
C. Provide more voter education in
schools and to the public
Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
A five-step sequence that follows the
psychology of persuasion, designed
especially for organizing persuasive
speeches that seek immediate action.
 Gain the audience’s attention
 Show that there is a need for change
 Show how to satisfy the need for
change
 Help the audience visualize the results
of the change
 Call for action