Persuasive
Speaking

The nature of persuasive speeches
• Persuasive Speeches attempt to influence audience members

Incorporating persuasive strategies:
Relate main and supporting points to your audience
• If you can relate your message to your listener’s various needs, you are more likely to persuade them.

The nature of a persuasive speech:
Fact, value, or policy claims

Organize your persuasive speech:
• Use a Causal pattern in which one main point causes another.
• Example:
– Thesis: Fast-food restaurants are a significant cause of health problems in the United States.

Organize your persuasive speech:
• Use a comparison pattern when you want to claim that two things are similar or different.
• Example:
– Thesis: There are significant differences between the two candidates for the legislature in our district.

Organize your persuasive speech:
• Use a categorical pattern when each main point reflects a different reason that you believe your fact claim is true.
• Example:
– Thesis: The earth is experiencing global warming.

Organize your persuasive speech:
• Use a criteriaapplication pattern when one point establishes standards for the value judgment you make and the next point applies it to your thesis.
• Example:
– Thesis: Community service is a valuable part of the college experience.

Organize your persuasive speech:
Value claims
• Use a categorical pattern when listeners understand each point’s relevance to the claim, making it unnecessary for you to explain how each main point supports your value judgment.
• Example:
– Thesis: Advanced driver-training courses are beneficial.

Organize your persuasive speech:
Policy claims
• Use a motivated sequence pattern that uses the following five steps:
– Attention
– Need
– Satisfaction
– Visualization
– Action

Organize your persuasive speech:
Policy claims
• Use a problemcause-solution pattern that consists of the following three points:
– Present the problem.
– Demonstrate how the existing organizational or institutional policies will not solve it.
– Present a solution to minimize the problem.

Organize your persuasive speech:
Policy claims
• Use a comparative advantage format to persuade listeners that your proposal would be better than the status quo, although a policy change is not urgent.
– The first point on your outline reveals your solution.
– Each subsequent point details an advantage of your solution.

Methods of persuasion

Methods of persuasion:
Introduction
• To influence your audience’s attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors, you should focus on three persuasive skills in your presentation:
• ethos (establishing her credibility as a speaker)
• logos (presenting sound reasoning behind her claims)
• pathos (using emotional appeals)

• Reasoning is faulty when link between claim and supporting material is weak.