PERSUASIVE SPEECH ASSIGNMENT

PERSUASIVE SPEECH ASSIGNMENT The purpose of this speech is to persuade, not simply to argue. You might be able to develop a perfectly logical argument that is wholly unpersuasive to an audience. Persuading audience members that disagree with you requires that you think about why they disagree with you, identify areas where these audience members can be moved, and speak to those areas in a way that highlights your shared interests. It is doubtful that you will be able to cover some or all the oppositional members in your audience in a 5-7 minute span, but you can begin to weaken their commitment to their original position and better understand and sympathize with your position. Remember that your credibility plays an important role in persuading audiences; as such, you must deal with oppositional arguments in a fair and convincing way. Good persuaders do not ignore the opposition, nor do they simply attack the opposition, they engage opposition s arguments in an even-handed way. REQUIREMENTS 1. Time: 5-7 minutes in length. Speech is NOT to exceed 7 minutes. 2. Dress: Business Attire (I expect you to present your speech in attire fit for a professional experience; something you would go to a job interview in). 3. 3x5 Index Cards: You may as many 3x5 index cards as you would like. 4. Sources: Minimum of 5 (three) different scholarly sources required (three of which must be heard within the given speech and all must be in the Works Cited). Scholarly sources are considered experts regarding the information. You MUST use MLA format for citing. Websites are acceptable. 5. Rough Draft Outline: You will be required to turn in a rough draft outline complete with works cited page on Monday 5/15. 6. Full Sentence Final Draft Outline: You will be required to turn in a full-sentence final draft outline complete with works cited page on the final day of class. 7. Visual Aid: You may use a slideshow to assist you in your presentation. 8. Delivery Order: Pre-Determined. 9. Delivery: I expect each student to practice their speech several times, to several people to ensure an enthusiastic, polished delivery. I expect you to memorize (and know) at least 90% of your speech. Use note cards only if you have an, Oh, dangit! moment. 10. Critique: As an audience member, you will also be required to critique several fellow classmates speeches. 1

PERSUASIVE SPEECH ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERNS This worksheet is meant to be a simple guide to helping you prepare your presentation (written) outline for your speech. Keep in mind, the contents will differ from student to student, depending on your topic/organizational pattern but the parts or the sections should be very similar. I expect ALL parts to be included in your final draft, typed out and checked for grammar/spelling/punctuation. Organizational Patterns: You may choose one of these different types of organizational patterns to present your information. Please use the one that will allow your information to flow best. 1. Problem/Solution: With this, you organize your speech points to demonstrate the nature and significance of a problem and then provide justification for a proposed solution. Blood Donation Main Points: Problem: lack of blood available to patients in need. Solution: Go out and donate blood. 2. Problem/Cause/Solution: With this, you organize your speech points to demonstrate the nature and significance of a problem. In addition, you also identify the cause(s) of that problem and provide justification for a proposed solution. Air Pollution Main Points: Problem: Too much air pollution. Cause: Automobiles. Solution: Ride a bike. 3. Monroe s Motivated Sequence: A five step process (Attention step, Need Step, Satisfaction Step, Visualization Step and Action Step) that begins with rousing attention and then ends with a specific call to action. Health Care Reform Policy Change 4. Comparative Advantages: Speech points are arranged to show how your viewpoint or proposal is superior to one or more alternatives. Anti-Smoking Main Points: Problem: Smoking is bad for one s health. Option 1: Use a nicotine patch. Option 2: Use nicotine gum. 5. Topical: Follows a topic based speech, in which each of the main points acts as its own mini-topic/subtopic. Benefits of playing a musical instrument Main Points: Brain activity, creativity and use of body. Claims: You will also need to construct your arguments into one of three types of claims: Fact, Value or Policy. 1. Fact: Claim that something is true/untrue, exists or doesn t exist. 2. Value: Claim that something is better/worse, good/bad, right/wrong. 3. Policy: Claim that a rule/regulation or policy should be changed/altered/modified. 2

Sample Outline Title of Your Speech General Purpose: To Persuade Specific Purpose: This statement should include what specifically you plan to persuade your audience about. Organizational Pattern: Please identify which organizational pattern you used for this speech. I. INTRODUCTION (All capital letters) A. Attention Getter: This represents the first words out of your mouth! So make sure it GRABS the audience in. Make sure it is relevant/appropriate to your topic. Some devices you can use for the attention getter are: Joke/Humor (Make sure it is appropriate/in good taste!) Narrative/Story (Be brief) Shocking Statement Fact/Statistic Poem Quote Question Visual Aid/Activity B. Purpose Statement (thesis): This statement should clarify to the audience what you are going to persuade them about and introduce/reveal your topic. Answer the questions, Why am I here and what will I be persuading the audience on? C. Identification of Opposition Statement (Fair Hearing): This statement should call attention to those arguments that audience members may have against your position/topic. It should basically call the audience members to give you a fair hearing. D. Significance: This statement should let the audience know why it is relevant and/or important to them. E. Credibility: (optional, but will help create ethos with your audience) If you have a particular credibility with a topic (i.e. if you have diabetes and your speech is on diabetes) then reveal this in a credibility statement. This will help create trust between you and your audience and demonstrate that you know what you are discussing. F. Preview Statement: This statement should reveal ALL of your main points in one simple sentence and give the audience a clear picture of what is to come in your speech. Be sure to use parallel words (i.e. first, second, third) to be simple and concise and allow the audience to hear how many points they will hear within your speech. MAJOR TRANSITION: This statement allows the audience to hear that you are moving from the introduction to the body and can be relatively brief. Now that we know what we are going to discuss, let us first look at. II. BODY (All capital letters) A. Main Point: Provide a general opening sentence which previews information and evidence to come in the sub-points below. (*Note: Keep sub-points in pairs at minimum). 1. Sub-point: Related to the main point, but provides more specific information and may include evidence to support. (*Note: keep sentences simple and make sure the information is in clear groupings ). 2. Sub-point: Related to the main point, but provides more specific information and may include evidence to support. Minor Transition: This sentence shows movement from point A to point B. 3

B. Main Point: Provide a general opening sentence which previews information and evidence to come in the sub-points below. (*Note: Keep sub-points in pairs at minimum). 1. Sub-point: Related to the main point, but provides more specific information and may include evidence to support. (*Note: keep sentences simple and make sure the information is in clear groupings ). 2. Sub-point: Related to the main point, but provides more specific information and may include evidence to support. Minor Transition: This sentence shows movement from point B to point C. C. Main Point: Provide a general opening sentence which previews information and evidence to come in the sub-points below. (*Note: Keep sub-points in pairs at minimum). 1. Sub-point: Related to the main point, but provides more specific information and may include evidence to support. (*Note: keep sentences simple and make sure the information is in clear groupings ). 2. Sub-point: Related to the main point, but provides more specific information and may include evidence to support. MAJOR TRANSITION: This sentence should move the audience from your body into your conclusion. III. CONCLUSION (All capital letters) A. Summary Statement: This statement should reiterate your points again to summarize what your audience learned about in your speech. Make sure to include all points. B. Call to Action: (Make sure you are giving your audience a CLEAR, SIMPLE and ACTIONABLE direction that they can immediately follow through with your solution) C. Final Thought: This sentence(s) leave your audience with a great last impression of you and your speech/information. Like the attention getter, you can use devices such as a quote, question, story, joke, etc. to create a lasting memory. WORKS CITED Your works cited should represent ONLY the information/evidence you use within your speech as opposed to all of the information you researched. Make sure to put citations in MLA format and listed in alphabetical order according to last name of authors. 4

Hints on Doing Well Select a topic that allows you to persuade: Students may try to speak on a topic that is not genuinely controversial. I am reminded of a speaker who made a wonderful argument against cyanide fishing (which is exactly what it sounds like using cyanide to fish). The problem was that she didn t really have to persuade her audience to support efforts to halt cyanide fishing because we already agreed. No one was out there making principled arguments for cyanide fishing; there weren t two reasonable parties that disputed this issue. You need to select a topic that people actually dispute right now. Also, you need to think ahead a bit. Can you still speak on this topic in a few weeks for the advocacy speech? During the presidential election, I had people who wanted to do persuasive speeches on who to vote for. This would normally be a fine topic, but the elections were over by the time they spoke. Barring the invention of a time machine, trying to persuade us to take an action that we already took is irrelevant. Speak to persuade: Despite my protestations, I regularly see speeches that are simply self-defensive arguments (e.g. This is why I believe what I believe and you are simply wrong if you think otherwise! ). Television conditions us to make these types of arguments, but it is unhealthy and unproductive in interpersonal settings. No one is going to agree with the person who just spent 4-6 minutes making fun of or attacking his or her beliefs. You must think about introducing new evidence that maybe we hadn t thought about or reframing the issue in terms of a shared value. Use logos, pathos, and ethos: Students tend to get lost in their research and regurgitate every factoid they found. This is not helpful. We are persuaded by facts and statistics, but we are also persuaded by examples that show the human impact of your argument. Of course, you have to deploy such examples carefully and honestly. If an audience feels that you are milking an example, they will probably discount the example and much else of what you say. Also, use ethos. Make sure we know that you know what you re talking about. Finally, explain how what you are arguing for is in our best interests as an audience. Make savvy language choices: Please avoid the words, my opposition. You are trying to get the audience to understand your position and its benefits; you want to emphasize that you are on the same side. Use language that grants their position legitimacy, encourages agreement and negation. This is why persuading is harder than arguing. Arguing simply requires you to spout off; persuading requires you to constantly think about how you will be heard and understood. Get off the cards: This holds true for all speeches, but I ve had the most problems with card reading in the persuasive speech. It is probably because you have more evidence in your persuasive speech than in others. Regardless, you need to engage us as an audience of listeners and generate the words at the moment of speaking. There may be a few phrases that you have to get just right, but cards should be used minimally. Cards are often a crutch. You can easily remember the main parts of your speech (you are mentally equipped to remember this amount of information). However, you need to practice this speech many times before you give it for a grade. A good rule of thumb is 10 full run throughs before the speech itself. 5

MONROES MOTIVATED SEQUENCE Alan Monroe (1969) stated that Although individuals vary to some extent, research has shown that most people seek consistency or balance among their conditions. When confronted with a problem that disturbs their normal orientation, they look for a solution; when they feel a want or need, they search for a way to satisfy it. In short, when anything throws them into a condition of disorganization, or dissonance, they are motivated to adjust their cognitions or values to alter their behavior so as to achieve a new state of balance (p. 42). The Motivation Sequence derives its name from the fact that by following the normal process of human thinking, it motivates the audience to respond affirmatively to the speaker s purpose. This pattern is ideal for policy speeches that seek immediate action. The Motivated Sequence Pattern is used by people who make their living off persuasion especially advertisers. Many TV commercials/infomercials use this sequence. The sequence contains five distinct steps: 1. Attention Step (get the attention of your audience. 2. Need Step (describe the problem, demonstrate the need for change. 3. Satisfaction Step (present a practical, and concise solution. 4. Visualization Step (allow your audience to see the picture of your results) 5. Action Step (request immediate action from your audience). I. ATTENTION STEP First, you need to gain the attention of your audience. You must make them feel the need for change. In order to gain favorable attention, one or more of the following are recommended (most of these are also techniques you use in informative speeches). A. Using a visual aid E. Arousing curiosity or suspense B. Using a quotation relevant to topic F. Telling a dramatic story C. Startling statements G. Humorous anecdote D. Arousing curiosity or suspense H. Posing a question II. NEED STEP Now that you have the interest and the attention of your audience, you must make them feel the need for change. You need to show your audience that there is a serious problem with the current situation. It is important to state the need clearly and to illustrate it with strong supporting materials. One or more of the following are recommended: A. Give a clear, concise statement or description of the problem. B. One or more detailed examples to illustrate the need. C. Statistical data (don t overwhelm them with numbers and keep them relatable). D. Testimony and other form of support to show the extent of the need. III. SATISFACTION STEP Having aroused a sense of need, you satisfy it by providing the solution to your problem. Now you present YOUR PLAN/SOLUTION and show your audience exactly how it will work. Make sure to give enough detail so that the plan is clearly understood. This leads the audience to ask, This seems practical, but how will it work in action? which leads to the next step. The following techniques are recommended: A. Briefly state the action or change you wish the audience to adopt. B. A complete concise explanation of your plan. C. A theoretical demonstration shows how this action logically meets the problem. D. Give actual examples showing that this plan has worked effectively, and it s a practical solution. E. Use facts, figures, and testimony of experts supporting your claim/plan. IV. VISUALIZATION STEP Now that you have given the plan/solution you will intensify your audience s desire for your plan by helping them visualize your plan. You want to project your audience into the future and picture the potential benefits of your plan. Use vivid imagery (picture words) to show your listeners how they will 6

benefit from your proposal. Make them understand how the world will be a better place once your conditions are adopted. You can satisfy the visualization by developing one of the following techniques: A. Positive Method by describing conditions as they will be in the future. Select some situation which you are quite sure will arise in the future and picture your audience actually enjoying the conditions of acceptance if you plan was adopted. B. Negative Method by describing the adverse conditions that will prevail in the future if your plan is NOT carried out. Select from the Need Step the most undesirable aspects of the present situation and show how these conditions will continue if your plan is not carried out. C. Contrast Method by combining elements of the positive and negative methods. Use the negative method first by visualizing the bad effects if the audience fails to adopt your plan and then the positive method visualizing the good effects of adopting your plan. V. ACTION STEP The function of the action step is to translate the desire created in the Visualization Step into action. Tell your audience exactly what you want them to do NOW and provide steps that tell how to do it. For example, tell them where on campus they can go to today to donate blood. Remember to keep this step simple and feasible. Do not give them directions for something they don t have the time or resources to carry out. You must conclude now with a final stirring appeal that reinforces your audience s commitment to ACT NOW! The following can be achieved by one of the following techniques: A. A challenge or appeal B. A quotation C. An illustration D. A statement of personal intentions The above material is based on excerpts and thoughts taken from: D. Ehninger, A.H. Monroe and B.E. Gronbeck s (1978) Principles and Types of Speech Communication, 8 th Ed. And S.E. Lucas (1995) The Art of Public Speaking, 5 th Ed. 7

SAMPLE PERSUASIVE SPEECH TOPICS (these are just samples, please feel free to consider your own topic) Do magazines marketed for teenagers send the wrong message? Are grades important? Discuss whether grades are necessary in order to keep students on track with learning. Is homework necessary? America could start using year round school People should have green burial Non-essential plastic surgery should be illegal for children under 18 It has been said that America's biggest export is pop culture. Is Hollywood a good ambassador for America? Should public schools provide more classes and internship programs for students who choose not to go to college? Are college entrance exams like the SAT or ACT good indicators of university success? Would a voucher system that allowed for more school choice be a positive change for the American education system? Should parents be allowed to submit their teens to drug testing? Would single-sex public schools be more effective than co-ed? Doctor-assisted suicide should (or should not) be legal. Every automobile driver should (or should not) be required to take a new driver s test every three years. Every student should (or should not) be required to learn a foreign language. Solar power is (or is not) a viable alternate energy source. Drug addicts should (or should not) be put in hospitals for medical treatment instead of in prison for punishment. American workers should (or should not) be guaranteed a three-day weekend by law. Assault weapons should (or should not) be outlawed. All owners of firearms should (or should not) be required to register their weapons with the police. A two-week waiting period should (or should not) be required for anyone attempting to purchase a firearm. The death penalty for murderers should (or should not) be abolished. The death penalty should (or should not) be imposed on juveniles. State and local governments should (or should not) operate lotteries and gambling casinos. Immigrations into the U.S. should (or should not) be restricted. Churches should (or should not) be required to pay taxes. Federal funding for the arts should (or should not) be provided. Everyone should (or should not) be required to pass a competency exam before being allowed to graduate from high schools. Billboards should (or should not) be outlawed on interstate highways. Regardless of income, all Americans should (or should not) be guaranteed basic medical care under a national health insurance program. Scientific experimentation on animals should (or should not) be outlawed. The minimum wage should (or should not) be waived for adolescent and young adult workers. Police should (or should not) be allowed to set up roadblocks to isolate and arrest impaired drivers. Athletes should (or should not) be allowed to use steroids. Every person should stipulate that in the event of death, he or she is willing to donate organs. Dog and cat owners should have their pets spayed and neutered. Riders of bicycles and motorcycles should always wear helmets. Everyone should take classes in CPR and first aid techniques. Women should be drafted along with men Should schools offer free public Wi-Fi? Should teachers have to pass a basic skills test every ten years to renew their certification? Should people be allowed to curse on daytime television? Should everyone under the age of 17 have a 9:00 PM curfew? 8