How to Make an Effective Persuasive Speech
Anyone who has seen "The King's Speech" surely remembers the climactic moment where the king, plagued from childhood by stuttering, forces himself to do a radio broadcast explaining to his countrymen why England must go to war against the Nazis. That broadcast was a perfect illustration of a persuasive speech, a type of speech that both informs audience members and moves them to take some type of action. This action may be as minor as signing a petition or as major as enlisting in the army to fight a war. An effective persuasive speech contains several components.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Writing the Speech
-
1
Pick your topic. Organizations often give invited speakers very few parameters. You may have been told to talk about stem cell research or about helping stray cats. It is up to you to narrow the vague topic to a concrete topic that does not exceed the time allotted for your speech.
-
2
Develop a thesis statement, the point you want to get across to your listeners. If you are speaking about feral cats, for instance, your thesis might be that a catch-and-release spay and neuter program is the best way to decrease their number. Alternatively, your thesis might be that feral cats can become tame and loving pets or that feral cats are a danger to humans and should be euthanized.
-
-
3
Write your introduction. Your introduction has several purposes. First, it must "hook" or engage your listeners. It must also explain the credentials that allow you to talk knowledgeably about the subject at hand. Finally, the introduction is where you present your thesis.
-
4
Support your thesis with facts and figures. In a persuasive speech, you will be building support for the idea that there is a problem with the status quo, and the participation of the audience will help make the problem better.
-
5
Conclude with a call to action. Persuasive speakers often forget to "close the deal" by telling audience members what the speaker wants them to do. Ask the audience explicitly to contribute to the Humane Society, open their homes to fostering a feral cat, vote to oust a local judge who is soft on animal cruelty cases or perform any other kind of action that will help solve the problem you have presented.
Delivering the Speech
-
6
Practice your speech several times in front of a mirror. The more practice you have, the better you'll know the words and the more confident you will sound when you get in front of an audience.
-
7
Dress and groom appropriately. You should always be dressed as well as or just a little bit better than your listeners. For instance, if your audience is wearing shorts and T-shirts, you could appropriately show up in slacks and a business jacket.
-
8
Involve the audience. While most people enjoy being talked to, not very many like being talked at. Interact with your audience in small ways, even if it's just with eye contact and a smile. Speakers may also ask the audience questions, having audience members raise their hands in response. At the end of the speech, try to leave time for a question and answer period which allows for audience participation.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
In most cases, it's very appropriate to use humor to engage the audience during your introduction.
If you don't write well, check into hiring a professional speech writer. You supply the information, and the speech writer supplies the words.
Never try to persuade an audience to do anything dangerous or illegal--if someone in the audience takes you at your word, you could face civil and criminal liability for that person's behavior.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
