How to Give a Convincing Speech

Before you give a speech, practice in front of your family members and friends.

A convincing speech offers inspirational words suitable for a business presentation, church congregation or even a public speaking class. When speaking persuasively, you can convince your listeners through emotions, credibility and logic. If you pay attention to your rate of speech, you can increase your chances of convincing your audience as well. A 2011 University of Michigan study found that those who spoke at a rate of approximately 3.5 words per second were more successful at convincing others than those who spoke more slowly.

Instructions

1. Choose a topic that interests you. If you select a topic that you aren't passionate about, you may not be convincing to your audience. Select a topic that you have knowledge about, or one you don't mind researching.

2. Gain your audience's attention by starting your speech with a shocking fact or statistic. For example, if you are trying to convince your audience not to smoke, you can say that approximately 443,000 people die each year from smoking. Another way to gain your audience's interest is to ask a question to get them thinking. For example, if you want to convince others to eat healthy, ask them if they consumed junk food in the last week.

3. Explain your argument in three to five main points. If you want to convince your audience to eat healthy, your main points may consist of benefits of eating healthy, consequences of not eating healthy and ways to improve a diet. Throughout your speech, you must support your claims with reputable sources. If you use a statistic or fact that most people don't know, cite your source within the speech.

4. Use visual aids. Showing your audience pictures or videos that relate to your topic can help them visualize your point. For example, if you are trying to convince your audience not to sunbathe, show pictures of people whose skin is damaged from frequent sun exposure.

5. End your speech with a call to action. Tell your audience how they can help the cause you are arguing for. For example, if you want to convince your audience to recycle, say, "I stated earlier how much recycling can help the environment. Now it's up to all of you to improve the environment by recycling your items."

References

• California State Polytechnic University; Persuasive Speech Tips; Steve Iman
• Centers For Disease Control and Prevention: Tobacco Use
• University of North Carolina: Speeches
• University of Michigan: Persuasive speech: The way we, um, talk sways our listeners