The Basics of Speech

Chapter 14: Creating the Persuasive Speech

Overview

Whenever you try to convince an audience of certain beliefs or of the need to take certain actions, you are involved in persuasive speaking. To give an effective persuasive speech, you need to carefully select a topic and adapt it to the needs and beliefs of your audience. To make listeners believe in you, you should demonstrate your knowledge of, connection to, and interest in the topic. In addition, you need to develop arguments based on evidence and ethics.

There are three types of supportive reasoning: inductive, deductive, and cause-effect. Inductive reasoning involves using specific pieces of information to reach a general conclusion. Deductive reasoning involves using a general idea to reach conclusions about specific instances. Cause-effect reasoning suggests that one event produces a second event. You should create a strong case with accurate information, careful reasoning, and ethical strategies. The next step is to present your evidence and reasoning in an organized format. Finally, it is important to obtain critical reactions to your persuasive speech. Feedback can show you the strengths and weaknesses of your speech and suggest ways in which you can improve.