How to Justify Persuasive Speech Topics

Choosing a persuasive speech topic is sometimes the easy part, while justifying that topic is a little harder. When you give the speech, you’re required to get the audience to understand your position and persuade them into thinking or feeling differently. This means using the right kind of information to back up your topic, and articulating your thoughts clearly. The best way to justify a persuasive speech topic is to pick a topic you’re passionate about and use factual supporting information.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Choose a topic that you’re passionate about, be it saving the rain forest or lowering food costs. The more interested you are in a topic, the easier it will be for you to justify your position.

2. Be as specific as possible. If you want to convince the audience that a pothole on the corner of 8th and Lexington needs fixed, tell them about that problem rather than problems in other parts of town.

3. Use supporting information to back up your ideas. You can talk until you’re blue in the face trying to justify your speech, but unless you can provide proof of your opinions, no one will listen.

4. Show the value of your opinion. Let the audience know why the problem is so important to you by giving them an example from your own life. This will justify your persuasive speech by helping the audience understand your position.

5. Tell the audience what needs to be done. Give them a specific solution to the problem, to help justify your speech.

Tips & Warnings

• Bring supporting documentation or visual aids. You can better justify your speech by showing the audience the problem as well as telling them about it.
• Don’t be afraid to show some emotion! This shows others that you are passionate about the topic at hand.