Teaching the Art of Persuasion in Speech Writing
People use the tactics of persuasion every day. Whether begging their mothers to let them go out on Friday night, or trying to get friends to join them in a project, students are especially adept at this technique. Aristotle explained the elements of logos, pathos and ethos, which are imperative to the art of persuasion. Although students may have never heard the terms, they utilize appeals to reason, emotion and credibility each day. You can teach the art of persuasion easily by building on what the students already know.
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Persuasion in Advertisement
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Students can bring in magazine advertisements or printed ads from the Internet to understand persuasion. They can create a chart to explain what is being sold, how it is being sold, and what is implied through the advertisement. Teaching students about typical types of persuasion, such as testimonial, bandwagon, plain folks, and glittering generality, can by done by analyzing these advertisements and having a class discussion.
Appeals to Emotion
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Emotional appeal, known as pathos, uses emotional stories, vivid imagery, and senses to cause audience members to feel emotions like pity, sorrow or anger so they will be persuaded to do whatever the speaker asks. Students can practice this appeal through drama. They can pick a slip of paper listing an emotion, and then create a short scene to try to elicit that emotion in their classmates. For instance, if the emotion was "sadness," the student could act out a beloved pet dying. Practicing in this way will make it easier to include appeals to emotion when students actually write the persuasive speech.
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Appeals to Reason
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Students can appeal to the audience's logic, or logos, by presenting solid, factual evidence. This is the section of the speech where the speaker cites facts, statistics and logical arguments, using both inductive and deductive reasoning. Students can tackle this part of the speech by researching to find evidence that supports their thesis. The evidence must be logical, and should come from credible sources. Evaluating credible sources involves finding sources with current website dates, and using sources that come from colleges or institutions that are well-known. In general, .gov and .edu websites are more valid. A credible source also would have an author and all the links would be working.
Other Appeals to Credibility
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Much of the credibility of the speech comes from the way the speaker carries himself. Little elements such as making eye contact and standing tall will build credibility with the audience. Students can practice this by doing thirty second impromptu speeches. Students draw a topic such as "My family pet" or "My favorite sport" and they need to perform a 30-second speech right on the spot. Focusing on standing still and straight, making direct eye contact, and speaking loudly and clearly will help the speaker gain credibility. They could also do it with a partner instead of the whole class for further practice.
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