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THE SPEECH TO PERSUADE

As you prepare for the speech to persuade, study Ch.14 in your text. The persuasive planning sheet, this sheet, class discussion, and consultation with me will also help you be successful on this assignment.

Speeches are scheduled for the following days: November 25, December 2 and December 4.

Dates will be assigned and you are expected to deliver your speech on the assigned date. These speeches are delivered on the last 3 regular class days of the semester. Failure to deliver your speech on the date assigned may likely result in not being able to deliver the speech and receiving a grade of 0.

On the day of your speech, you must turn in the following to receive full credit for the assignment; no late submissions will be accepted:

· Your planning sheet, completed before you speak

· A bibliography of at least 5 sources you used in your research; APA or MLA format.

After your speech you will be expected to turn in your

· Your self-evaluation form.

Choosing a Topic

When selecting a topic for a speech to persuade, you should not assume that you have to choose a subject that is highly controversial or emotionally charged (“hot button” topics)—i.e. abortion, capital punishment, gun control, parking on campus, etc.) In fact, topics such as these are very difficult to do well in a six- to seven-minute speech, are two multi-faceted and complex, and “hot button” topics may not be used as topics for this assignment. Instead, you might consider a topic on a local issue, on a state or federal issue, or on a national or international issue—on which can be narrowed easily and supported well with specific evidence. Also, seemingly “ordinary” topics may be good choices—eg. eating a proper diet, volunteering in the community, learning CPR, recycling on campus, saving or investing money, etc. If you have any questions about the appropriateness of the topic you are considering, please consult with me.

· Local issues: ERAU campus issues, or issues specific to a college campus audience, or Daytona Beach area issues. Some examples would be getting involved in campus organizations and activities, binge drinking, a scarcity of a needed resource(s) for students (eg. need for a student union), local police policies toward spring breakers, driving on the beach.

Note: It may be difficult to obtain evidence on specific ERAU campus issues to

support your argument; you may have to rely heavily on interviews, and I can give

you guidance.

· State and federal issues: minimum wage policies, use of lottery funds, casino gambling, offshore drilling, restoring the Everglades, and light rail transportation. It should be easy to research topics such as these using the internet and our campus library.

· National and international issues: nuclear energy (or waste), U.S. presence in a foreign country, global warming (would have to narrow this), destruction of the rainforests, universal health care, political campaigns, etc. You will have no problem finding material as you do your research, but these topics are multi-faceted and complex. You will, first, have to read broadly on the topic, and then narrow your focus to an aspect of the topic that you can handle within the time limits of the assignment. Only a carefully narrowed topic can be given the proper coverage and depth it needs within seven minutes.

Taking a Position

In a speech to persuade, your goal is to convince or actuate, to alter beliefs or attitudes, or to alter behavior. To be persuasive, as opposed to informative, in purpose, you must take a position on your topic, as well as identify and acknowledge the opposition—counter arguments—to your position. If you cannot do this with the topic you have chosen, you may have selected a topic better suited to a speech to inform.

In persuasive speaking, your “position” is called a “proposition.”

Types of Persuasive Propositions, or Claims

· Propositions of Fact assert truth or falsity; they take a position about an issue that has two or more sides, both or all with conflicting evidence. Listeners must choose the truth for themselves. Often propositions of fact cannot be resolved with a “yes” or a “no,” or with objective, factual information; they are open to debate.

Examples: Rent control will—or will not—make housing more available for

tenants.

Tighter enforcement of the open container law will—or will not—

reduce drinking among college students during spring break.

· Propositions of Value take a position about the worth, goodness, or benefit of an idea, person, or thing. Most propositions of value cannot be argued effectively unless they are based in part on propositions of fact.

Examples: Magic Johnson is a good role model for African Americans.

Getting a college degree is worth what it costs.

· Propositions of Policy take a position about a specific course of action, and are often based on a proposition(s) of fact and/or value. Propositions of policy use “should” or “must.”

Examples: The government should—or should not—spend more money on space

exploration.

College athletes should—or should not—be paid for their

participation on college teams.

Discovering a Topic and a Proposition

A good way to discover a topic and a proposition is to complete the following sentence:

There are several reasons why I believe that…….

· driving on the beach is/is not detrimental to the environment (value).

· President _________will be judged among the top five best presidents in the last 100 years (value).

· the U.S. should/should develop green energy sources (policy).

· participation in ROTC develops one’s leadership skills (fact).

· going on a co-op or internship increases one’s chances of getting a job soon after graduation (fact).

Organization

You MUST use Monroe's Motivated Sequence for the organizational strategy. The steps are

Gain Attention

Show Need for a New Solution

Demonstrate How Your Solution Satisfies the Need

Visualization (Of benefits or show how the solution will work)

Call to Action

Checklist for Preparing a Speech to Persuade

1. Have you defined the problem clearly? Its nature? How it affects your audience?

Why they need to know about it?

2. Have you defined the solution(s)? Will it/they work? What are the advantage of your

solution(s)?

3. Have you determined the response you desire from your audience? Do you want to

convince or actuate? What can the audience do? Is it reasonable, “doable”? What are

the rewards/benefits of their response?

4. Have you determined, and written down, your specific purpose statement?

Remember that your specific purpose statement is not included in your actual speech.

Does your purpose statement meet the following criteria?

· It describes the results—i.e. the audience response—you are seeking?

· It is expressed in specific terms—i.e. would you be able to test, or measure, the response you expect from your audience?

· Is it realistic—i.e. attainable; can the audience respond the way you want them to?

· It stresses an outcome to convince (change belief or attitude) or actuate (change behavior)?

5. Have you determined, and written down, your persuasive proposition? This will be

the basis for your thesis statement, or central idea, for your speech. This will be

included in your speech. Your proposition will be one of fact, value, or policy; the

best persuasive speeches use a combination of two or all of these, but one will be the

dominant proposition.

6. Have you organized your persuasive speech content using a recognized organizational structure? (You must use Monroe’s Motivated Sequence.)

7. Have you thought about your audience and what you know about them? Their values?

How you will establish common ground?

8. Have you thought about how you will establish your personal credibility with your

Audience? What types of evidence will you use—facts, examples, authority, statistics,

personal experience, etc. What form of reasoning will you use—inductive, deductive,

causal?

Sample Speech: The sample speech at the end of Ch. 14 in your text is an excellent example of a persuasive speech. You should study this speech before beginning to prepare your own.