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How to Give a Persuasive Presentation [+ Examples]

Published: December 29, 2020

A presentation aimed at persuading an audience to take a specific action can be the most difficult type to deliver, even if you’re not shy of public speaking.

Creating a presentation that effectively achieves your objective requires time, lots of practice, and most importantly, a focused message.

With the right approach, you can create a presentation that leaves a skeptical audience enthusiastic to get on board with your project.

In this post, we'll cover the basics of building a persuasive presentation. Let's dive in.

What is a persuasive presentation?

In its most basic form, a persuasive presentation features a speaker who tries to influence an audience to accept certain positions and engage in actions in support of them. A good persuasive presentation uses a mixture of facts, logic, and empathy to help an audience see an issue from a perspective they previously discounted or hadn’t considered.

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How to Plan a Persuasive Presentation

Want to make a persuasive presentation that connects with your audience? Follow these steps to win friends and influence people within your audience.

1. Decide on a single ask.

The key to convincing your audience is to first identify the singular point you want to make. A good persuasive presentation will focus on one specific and easy-to-understand proposition. Even if that point is part of a broader initiative, it ideally needs to be presented as something your audience can say "yes" or "no" to easily.

A message that isn’t well-defined or which covers too much can cause the audience to lose interest or reject it outright. A more focused topic can also help your delivery sound more confident, which (for better or worse) is an important factor in convincing people.

2. Focus on fewer (but more relevant ) facts.

Remember: You are (in the vast majority of cases) not the target audience for your presentation. To make your presentation a success, you’ll need to know who your audience is so you can shape your message to resonate with them.

When crafting your messaging, put yourself in your audience's headspace and attempt to deeply understand their position, needs, and concerns. Focus on arguments and facts that speak specifically to your audience's unique position.

As we wrote in our post on How to Present a Compelling Argument When You're Not Naturally Persuasive , "just because a fact technically lends support to your claim doesn't mean it will sway your audience. The best evidence needs to not only support your claim but also have a connection to your audience."

What are the target audience's pain points that you can use to make a connection between their needs and your goals? Focus on those aspects, and cut any excess information. Fewer relevant facts are always more impactful than an abundance of unfocused pieces of evidence.

3. Build a narrative around your evidence.

If you want to persuade someone of something, it’s not enough to win their brain -- you need their heart in it, too. Try to make an emotional connection with your audience throughout your presentation to better sell them on the facts you’re presenting. Your audience is human, after all, so some emotional tug will go a long way to shaking up how they view the issue you’re talking about. A little bit of emotion could be just what your audience needs to make your facts “click.”

The easiest way to incorporate an emotional pull into your presentation is through the use of narrative elements. As we wrote in our guide to crafting pitch decks , "When our brains are given a story instead of a list of information, things change -- big time. Stories engage more parts of our brains, including our sensory cortex, which is responsible for processing visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli. If you want to keep people engaged during a presentation, tell them a story."

4. Confidence matters.

Practice makes perfect (it's a cliche because it's true, sorry!), and this is especially true for presentation delivery. Rehearse your presentation several times before you give it to your audience so you can develop a natural flow and move from each section without stopping.

Remember, you're not giving a speech here, so you don't want your delivery to come across like you're reading fully off of cue cards. Use tools like notes and cue cards as ways to keep you on track, not as scripts.

Finally, if you can, try to practice your presentation in front of another human. Getting a trusted co-worker to give you feedback in advance can help strengthen your delivery and identify areas you might need to change or bulk up.

5. Prepare for common objections.

The last thing you want to say when someone in your audience expresses a concern or an outright objection during your presentation's question section is “umm, let me get back to you on that.”

Carefully research the subject of your presentation to make the best case possible for it -- but also prepare in advance for common objections or questions you know your stakeholders are going to ask. The stronger your command of the facts -- and the more prepared you are to proactively address concerns -- the more convincing your presentation will be. When you appear confident fielding any rebuttals during a question and answer session after your presentation, it can go a long way towards making your case seem more convincing.

Persuasive Presentation Outline

Like any writing project, you’ll want to create an outline for your presentation, which can act as both a prompt and a framework. With an outline, you’ll have an easier time organizing your thoughts and creating the actual content you will present. While you can adjust the outline to your needs, your presentation will most likely follow this basic framework.

I. Introduction

Every persuasive presentation needs an introduction that gets the listener’s attention, identifies a problem, and relates it to them.

• The Hook: Just like a catchy song, your presentation needs a good hook to draw the listener in. Think of an unusual fact, anecdote, or framing that can grab the listener’s attention. Choose something that also establishes your credibility on the issue.
• The Tie: Tie your hook back to your audience to garner buy-in from your audience, as this issue impacts them personally.
• The Thesis: This is where you state the position to which you are trying to persuade your audience and forms the focal point for your presentation.

II. The Body

The body forms the bulk of your presentation and can be roughly divided into two parts. In the first half, you will build your case, and in the second you will address potential rebuttals.

• Your Case: This is where you will present supporting points for your argument and the evidence you’ve gathered through research. This will likely have several different subsections in which you present the relevant evidence for each supporting point.
• Rebuttals: Consider potential rebuttals to your case and address them individually with supporting evidence for your counterarguments.
• Benefits: Outline the benefits of the audience adopting your position. Use smooth, conversational transitions to get to these.
• Drawbacks: Outline what drawbacks of the audience rejecting your position. Be sure to remain conversational and avoid alarmism.

III. Conclusion

In your conclusion, you will wrap up your argument, summarize your key points, and relate them back to the decisions your audience makes.

• Transition: Write a transition that emphasizes the key point you are trying to make.
• Summary: Summarize your arguments, their benefits, and the key pieces of evidence supporting your position.
• Tie-back: Tie back your summary to the actions of your audience and how their decisions will impact the subject of your presentation.
• Final word: Try to end on a last emotional thought that can inspire your audience to adopt your position and act in support of it.

IV. Citations

Include a section at the end of your presentation with citations for your sources. This will make independent fact-checking easier for your audience and will make your overall presentation more persuasive.

Persuasive Presentation Examples

Check out some of these examples of persuasive presentations to get inspiration for your own. Seeing how someone else made their presentation could help you create one that strikes home with your audience. While the structure of your presentation is entirely up to you, here are some outlines that are typically used for different subjects.

Introducing a Concept

One common type of persuasive presentation is one that introduces a new concept to an audience and tries to get them to accept it. This presentation introduces audience members to the dangers of secondhand smoke and encourages them to take steps to avoid it. Persuasive presentations can also be a good format to introduce marco issues, such as this presentation on the benefits of renewable energy .

Changing Personal Habits

Want to change the personal habits of your audience? Check out this presentation on how to adopt healthy eating habits . Or this presentation which encourages the audience to get more exercise in their daily lives.

Making a Commitment to an Action

Is your goal to get your audience to commit to a specific action? This presentation encouraging audience memes to become organ donors could provide inspiration. Trying to make a big sale? Check out this presentation outline that can encourage someone to buy a home .

Remember: You Can Do This

Anyone can craft a persuasive presentation once they know the basic framework for creating one. Once you get the process down, you’ll be in a better position to bring in sales, attract donors or funding, and even advance your career. The skills you learn can also benefit you in other areas of your personal and professional life as you know how to make a case and influence people toward it.

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Blog Data Visualization How to make a Persuasive Presentation (+ Free Templates)

How to make a Persuasive Presentation (+ Free Templates)

Written by: Midori Nediger Nov 06, 2019

A persuasive presentation is a type of presentation designed to convince your audience to adopt a particular viewpoint, take a specific action, or support an idea. It relies on clear arguments, compelling evidence, and emotional appeal to influence your audience’s decision-making process. Using tools like a free presentation maker can help create visually engaging slides that enhance the effectiveness of your message, making it easier to capture attention and persuade your audience.

Here’s what you can do to make a persuasive presentation:

• Make the first 30 seconds of your presentation count
• Compare and contrast your solution with the status quo
• Use visual aids to summarize and clarify your big ideas
• Get your audience involved to build trust and rapport
• Use a clean, consistent presentation layout and design
• Eliminate extraneous detail to focus on core concepts
• Sign off with a persuasive call-to-action

These persuasive presentation strategies apply whether you’re leading a workshop, keynoting a conference, creating or selling an online course , or pitching a potential client.

Want to make a persuasive presentation fast? Try using our presentation templates .

Read on for plenty of persuasive presentation examples .

1. Make the first 30 seconds of your presentation impactful

The first 30 seconds of any presentation are far and away the most important of your entire presentation.

In those first 30 seconds, listeners are open to the ideas you’re going to present to them. They might even be enthusiastic and excited to hear what you have to say.

Inexperienced presenters often waste these first 30 seconds with things like introductions and agendas that will soon be forgotten. Seasoned presenters do something much more effective: state their big ideas right up front.

Like Steve Jobs did in 2007 with the iPhone (with “iPhone: Apple reinvents the phone”), try to state one big “headline” message within the first 30 seconds . A big idea for listeners to absorb and internalize.

Like an elevator pitch, you should be able to write this idea down in a single sentence, and it should be memorable and specific.

You can then turn it into the hook of your presentation. Use an opening story, surprising fact, joke, or personal anecdote to pique your listeners’ interest and lead into your big idea.

This will frame the rest of the talk and prep your listeners for what’s to come.

In this persuasive presentation example the importance of the message is outlined clearly on the title slide:

2. Compare and contrast your solution with the status quo

Most presentations share some information, strategy, idea, or solution that challenges the status quo. You can use this to your advantage!

By presenting the drawbacks of the status quo before suggesting your solution, you’ll help your audience understand the scope of the problem while building a case for your big idea.

Mixpanel did this to great success in their first pitch deck (which got them a $865M valuation).

By comparing and contrasting these two states, you’ll make a much more persuasive case than you would with the solution alone. And when you get into the nitty-gritty details later on in the presentation, your audience will be more likely to stay engaged.

As always, the more visual you can be, the better (as seen in this Uber pitch deck template ):

You could use a comparison infographic in your presentation to visualize your key differentiators.

Want to learn more about creating persuasive pitch decks? Read our pitch deck guide.

How to understand and address the struggles of your audience

To maximize the impact of this strategy, do your best to directly address the struggles of your specific audience.

Figure out what’s standing in the way of your audience performing the desired behavior, and tell them how your solution will improve that experience. If you can make a direct connection with your audience’s experiences, your argument will be all the more persuasive.

Taking a closer look at Steve Jobs’ 2007 keynote, we can see that he lays out the big problems for his audience (that smartphones that aren’t so smart and are hard to use) before proposing his solution (a smarter, easier-to-use device).

In this persuasive presentation example we can see that by studying the wants and needs of his audience, he frames his new device as the perfect solution. He understands what the audience needs to know, and structures the presentation around those needs.

One final point on this – it can be incredibly useful to let your audience know what to expect in your presentation. If people are already expecting your idea, they will be more receptive to it. Consider including your persuasive presentation outline up front. You can either create a slide of contents, or you could print out an outline and share it with your audiences before the meeting.

Either way – sharing your persuasive presentation outline is never a bad thing.

3. Use visual aids to summarize and clarify your big ideas

More than ever, viewers expect engaging visual content . Creative, relevant visuals are no longer a nice-to-have addition to a persuasive presentation…they’re an integral part of an engaging experience.

Beyond that, visuals are great for explaining complex concepts in simple terms. You can use visuals to communicate big ideas without dealing with any jargon or technical terms.

Summarize your background research with charts and tables

Visual aids like tables, charts, and mind maps are perfect for summarizing any research you’ve done to back up the claims you make in your presentation.

I find these types of summative visuals are most helpful when I feel at risk of throwing too much information at my listeners. Forcing myself to transform that research into a digestible visual helps me organize my thoughts, and ensure my audience won’t be overwhelmed.

Visual aids should also be used anytime you’re communicating with data . Besides making insights more tangible, it’s been suggested that charts can make claims more persuasive and make information more memorable .

Let’s say, for example, that you’re trying to convince a client to hire you as a consultant. If you can show the financial impact you’ve made for other clients visually, your argument will be much more persuasive than if you mention a few numbers without visuals to back you up.

Learn how to customize this template:

Organize information meaningfully with timelines and flowcharts

There are plenty of concepts that naturally lend themselves to structured visuals like Venn diag rams , flowcharts , and timelines .

If you’re presenting a project plan you might include a Gantt chart -style product roadmap or project timeline:

Or a more abstract Venn diagram like this one from Boston Consulting Group’s persuasive presentation pictured below.

Visuals like these can help you move past minor details so you can communicate directly about more fundamental ideas. Simple visuals can help make key ideas crystal-clear and easy to remember.

Entertain and engage with visual metaphors

I like to integrate visual metaphors into the denser portions of my presentations. This way, when I know I’m going to start losing my audience to boredom or confusion, I can jump into a fun example that will bring them right back on board with me.

Like a shortcut to understanding, visual metaphors are a great way to get everyone on the same page.

But it can be hard to come up with good visual metaphors that don’t feel cliché. If you’re out of design ideas, don’t be afraid to get some inspiration from our infographic templates .

I can’t stress enough that simple, visual slides are the best way to make your presentation understandable and persuasive. The right visuals keep the audience engaged, make your points memorable, and give your presentation impact.

For more tips on designing a persuasive presentation with impact, check out our presentation design guide .

4. Get your audience involved to build trust and rapport

No one likes to be talked at.

And most listeners will be more engaged and receptive to your ideas if they’re engaged in a dialogue instead of passively absorbing what you’re saying.

The top qualities of a good presentation include making your presentation an interactive experience by encouraging questions, fostering discussions and maybe even throwing in a fun activity.

Imagine you’re pitching a potential client who’s looking to hire a marketing specialist for an upcoming job. You could try to impress them with an extensive presentation that shows off all of your background research and past success stories:

Or, you could use the presentation as an opportunity to learn more about your potential clients by engaging them in a dialogue. You’ll build trust and credibility, all without making a gigantic slide deck.

You can put together a deck of 5-10 slides with your big ideas, then build a conversation around each slide.

Even if you’re speaking in front of a large crowd, a great persuasive presentation should feel like a conversation. There should be some give and take from both sides. Simply asking a question and getting your audience to respond can instantly raise the energy level in a room.

Engaging audiences changes when we no longer present in-person is a unique challenge, but easily overcome. Lisa Schneider, Chief Growth Officer at Merriam-Webster, has plenty of experience presenting to crowds in-person as well as online. She recently wrote for Venngage on how to adapt an in-person presentation into a virtual presentation . Check it out for actionable tips on your next virtual presentation. 

In this persuasive speech presentation the key points have been broken into powerful, punchy slides that engage the audience.

5. Use a clean, consistent layout and design

Why does it seem like every time I’m putting together a presentation, it’s at the last minute!?

When I’m rushing to get all of my content together and my presentation rehearsed, the layout and design of the presentation usually become an afterthought.

But when you’re presenting an idea and building a case for yourself or your business, the last thing you want is for the design your slide deck to get in the way of your success. And a big part of being persuasive is having a slide deck that shows your information in a clear, consistent manner.

Let’s say, for example, that you’re a financial consultant presenting a solution to a new client. When you’re trying to justify why your skills and knowledge are worth paying a premium for, you simply can’t have a messy, unprofessional-looking slide deck.

A professional presentation design should have:

• Consistent layouts with plenty of white space
• A simple color scheme with one highlight color
• Clear distinctions between headers and body text, with minimal font styles

With the layout and design locked down, you’ll have the confidence to hold your own with big clients and senior management. A polished presentation will go a long way toward reinforcing your credibility.

6. Eliminate extraneous detail to focus on core concepts

Take a second to think about the last presentation you sat through that didn’t hit the mark. What was it that made you lose interest?

Was there too much text on the slides? Was it bland, with not enough visuals? Was it disorganized, with no clear takeaways?

For me, it was that the presenter rambled on and on. They tried to cram way too much detail into their 20-minute talk, and I walked away without really learning anything.

Like the persuasive presentation example below, a well-designed presentation should have no more than one takeaway per slide (with a healthy balance of text and visuals):

So cut the fluff! Eliminate everything that isn’t absolutely necessary for you to get your point across.

For me, this is the hardest part of making a persuasive presentation. I want to include every little detail that I think will help persuade my audience to change their behavior or accept my new idea. But when diving too deep into the details, I always end up losing my audience along the way.

And if you think about it, have you ever complained that a presentation was too short? I don’t think so. We really appreciate presenters who can get their point across quickly and concisely.

7. Sign off with a persuasive call-to-action

Most presenters’ go-to for the end of a presentation is a summary slide that reviews all of the main points of the talk. But these summaries are boring…they don’t tell the audience anything new, so listeners completely tune them out.

A better way to conclude a presentation is to give your audience something to do with the information you’ve just given them, in the form of a call-to-action (like the persuasive presentation example below).

Audiences must be prompted to do take action! Even if they’ve been given all of the tools they need to get something done, if you don’t prompt them directly, it’s not going to happen.

A call-to-action can be as simple as asking a question that encourages listeners to think about the topics you’ve raised, or posing a challenge that will change their behavior.

If it’s a simple ask, they’ll be likely to follow through.

Tips for improving presentation delivery

• Practice Public Speaking : Regular practice improves confidence and fluency, helping you deliver a more convincing presentation . Focus on clarity, tone, and pace to ensure your message is well-received.
• Use Effective Communication Strategies : Incorporate storytelling, rhetorical questions, and analogies as part of your communication strategies to create a more compelling presentation that connects with your audience.
• Prioritize Slide Design : Keep your slides clean, with minimal text and strong visuals, as slide design plays a critical role in delivering an impactful presentation . Use visual storytelling to make complex ideas easier to understand.
• Focus on Audience Engagement : Use interactive elements like questions, polls, or eye contact to increase audience engagement and make your presentation more dynamic. An engaging presentation keeps listeners attentive and responsive.
• Leverage Emotional Appeal : Connect with your audience on an emotional level to create a compelling presentation . Using personal stories or relatable examples enhances your emotional appeal and helps in influencing the audience .
• Master Presentation Skills : Refine your presentation skills by working on body language, posture, and facial expressions, which are key to delivering a convincing presentation . A strong stage presence can make a significant impact on the effectiveness of your delivery.
• Utilize Visual Storytelling : Instead of relying solely on text, let your visuals do the talking. Charts, images, and videos can enhance understanding and add depth to your public speaking while ensuring a more impactful presentation .
• Adapt to Audience Feedback : Pay attention to your audience’s reactions and adjust your delivery as needed. Flexibility is an essential aspect of effective presentation techniques and helps maintain audience engagement throughout the session.

Putting together a truly persuasive presentation is not an easy task.

The good thing is, if you’re here reading this article, you’re a few steps ahead of most people. Putting these strategies to use might just mean the difference between landing your next client and walking away empty-handed.

Choose a presentation template to get creating (and persuading) today!

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How to Make a Persuasive Presentation (+ Examples)

See persuasive presentation examples that show you how to make highly engaging, effective, and converting presentations with persuasive writing and design.

Dominika Krukowska

7 minute read

Short answer

How to make a presentation persuasive?

If you want to make a presentation persuasive, you need to:

Start with a strong hook

Show relevance on the get-go, make it clear who you cannot help, demonstrate value early, showcase your authority, assume your audience’s voice, tell a story, use the rule of three, use the power of repetition, personalize your presentation, tell them what to do next, if your presentation doesn’t persuade, you’re just wasting your time.

Crafting a presentation can be a lot of work. And there's nothing more frustrating than feeling like your message just didn't land, despite all the effort you put in.

The hard truth is that even the most beautifully designed presentation slide can fail to persuade.

What is a message good for if it doesn’t hit home and doesn’t drive action?

Unless you’re satisfied with simply getting in front of an audience, you probably want to bring some sort of transformation to people’s lives , no?

Well, your message is not gonna go past the exit door if it’s not persuasive.

Stick with me for a few minutes and you’ll learn how to write and design persuasive presentations.

Let’s look at some real-life examples that delivered great results, and I’ll even throw in a few templates to get you a good start.

Let’s dive in!

What makes a presentation persuasive?

Let's dive straight into the heart of what makes a presentation truly persuasive. Each element plays a crucial role in ensuring your message not only reaches your audience but deeply resonates with them.

11 weopons of of persuasive presentations:

1) Credibility

People need to believe you in order to agree with you. Just as you'd trust a friend's recommendation, your audience needs to trust what you're sharing.

It's about authenticity and integrity and ensuring they feel you're genuine and have their best interests at heart.

2) Authority

People respect authority figures. Flaunt your credentials subtly. If you're an expert, let it show - use slides that highlight your expertise and experience in the field.

3) Social Proof

People follow the crowd. Include in your presentation testimonials, user statistics, and stories of people like your audience who took you on your offer and experienced success. If everyone's using your product, it must be good, right?

4) Familiarity

If you or your topic are familiar then you’re intuitively less threatening and therefore acceptable. It's that warm feeling that makes you feel at home and among friends.

When your audience sees their own experiences and challenges reflected in your content, it creates an instant bond. It's like recognizing a familiar face in a crowd.

Incorporate names, places, and topics familiar to your audience into your presentation to get into their inner circle.

We say 'yes' to people we like. Be likable. Smile, make jokes, and show enthusiasm. If they like you, they'll like what you're selling. Use humor and storytelling to make yourself more relatable.

When making a reading presentation, include a personal video of you in a casual environment talking directly to your audience as you would a colleague you like and feel comfortable with.

To make people like you want to align your presentation with the 7-38-55 rule which guides you on what contributes to likability.

According to the rule:

“Total Liking = 7% Verbal Liking + 38% Vocal Liking + 55% Facial Liking”

So make sure to write what you feel and feel what you say. Or otherwise learn acting.

6) Reciprocity

People feel obliged to return favors. To use this to your advantage start a physical presentation with a small handout. To make it easy use a QR code slide (you can use a free QR code generator )to give your audience a digital handout.

If you’re creating a digital reading presentation you can offer a coupon with a small taste of what you offer (like a short consultancy, a free audit, studio design time, or a small taste of your product).

Do this and they'll feel like you've given them something, and they'll pay closer attention and be more inclined to 'return the favor.'

7) Relevance

People listen intently when you’re talking about them. Ever heard someone talk about a topic you were concerned about, and your ears perked up? It got your attention like a 3-year-old seeing a chocolate cake, didn’t it?

Tailor your message to your audience's current needs or challenges to ensure they feel you're speaking directly to them.

8) Memorability

People make decisions based on what they remember. You will only ever persuade people of something they remember you said.

To make your presentation memorable give it substance - show what you offer in images or videos, provide concrete examples of your key concepts in action, and tell detailed stories about you, your team, your solution, and the audience you serve.

9) Consistency

Once people commit, they like to stay consistent. Get your audience to agree with you early on.

Maybe ask them to raise their hand if they've ever experienced a problem that you solve. Maybe tell them a story of someone in their situation and ask if it resonates with them.

In reading presentations, use rhetorical questions or interactive slides to get early commitments.

10) Scarcity

Limited availability increases appeal. Create a sense of urgency. Maybe offer a limited number of seats in an event.

Maybe offer a discount for the first 100 subscribers. Maybe tell them they can schedule a meeting with you for 2 weeks before you leave for another destination.

For a reading presentation use a countdown timer or "limited seats available" to create this sense of urgency.

11) Feasibility

The harder a thing is to do the less likely people will do it. Whatever you decide to ask from your audience, keep it simple to do.

Ask for small concessions rather than big commitments. You only need them to take the first step, and then you’ve got a relationship going, which positions you to ask for the next step, and the next after that, till you reach your goal.

Note: Reciprocity, Consistency, Social Proof, Liking, Authority, and Scarcity were taken from Robert Cialdini’s seminal book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

Here’s a summary of the book.

How to write your presentation persuasively?

Writing persuasively is all about connecting with your audience on a deeper level. With these techniques in your toolkit, you're all set to craft presentations that not only inform but inspire and motivate.

Beginnings matter. Think of your opening as the first impression. You want to grab your audience's attention right from the get-go.

Whether it's a surprising fact, a thought-provoking question, or a relatable story, make sure it's something that makes your audience lean in and think, "Tell me more!"

Here's a presentation that hooks people in right from the start:

Don’t beat around the bush. Get to the point fast. Give your audience a quick overview of what you have in store for them and how you can change their life for the better.

Make sure to be clear about who you are talking to. Define your target audience the way they would describe themselves and let them know you are speaking to them on a topic they care about.

Don’t take a one-shoe-fits-all approach. You can’t serve everyone well. Do everyone a favor and tell them who your message, solution, or advice (or whatever it is you offer) is not meant for.

They won’t resent it. They will appreciate it, and it will lend you integrity, credibility, and persuasive power.

Don’t let people guess what you can do for them. Introduce the value you offer as soon as you can. Give your value shape and concrete detail.

If it’s a product - show it in action, if it’s an intangible prize like money - show them what they can do with it, and if it’s an emotional outcome - tell them the story of someone you’ve helped.

Most of us get our information through authority figures. If you demonstrate your authority your words will encounter less skepticism and less push-back.

Show what you or your team have achieved in your field, and show some acknowledgment of your achievements by established and well-known authorities, whether people or organizations.

Just be very careful not to come off as boastful or cocky, unless these traits resonate with your target audience (yes, I am talking about you - sales crowd).

Talk to your audience in their own words, use the phrases they use, and tell stories and allegories that appeal to them and fit into their life.

Do the research. Hang out where they hang out, physically or on the web, listen and read what they say and who they say it to.

I know you’ve heard this one too many times before, so let me be clear: tell stories, plural. Short anecdotes or examples that give substance to what you’re talking about.

Fill your little stories with details about who did something where, when, what, and why. Make it mostly familiar but at the same time a bit surprising and unexpected.

If it’s too outlandish it’s not credible, and if it’s too familiar it's not interesting.

There's something satisfying about things that come in threes. "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", "of the people, by the people, for the people"... you get the point.

This is called the rule of tree . Simply put it means grouping your points or ideas in threes which makes your message more rhythmic, elegant, and sticky.

Repetition can be a powerful tool to emphasize your key points. Just think about Martin Luther King Jr's " I have a dream ".

By repeating key phrases, you not only drive your message home but also give it a predictable structure that lets your audience unconsciously chant the words with you .

Everyone loves feeling special. Tailor your content to resonate with your particular audience. Whether it's addressing their unique challenges or using examples they can relate to, personalization builds a deeper connection and rapport.

In this case, personalize more thoroughly. Use their name, and their specific details, like their company, city, product, or (if you met each other) where you met.

Just don’t overdo it and cross into creep-land. Keep any personalization unmistakably within the context of your presentation. (Unless you’re selling a bed, don’t reference how beautiful they look when they sleep 😜).

Here's an example of a personalized sales pitch presentation:

Note: Notice the dynamic variables they’ve added in their Storydoc deck. WiseStamp actually shows a ready-made email signature with the prospect’s name, image, and company logo in it. They personalized their product demo! How crazy is that?

Check out their full deck here.

Finish strong! After sharing your insights, guide your audience on what to do next. Whether it's trying out a new tool, adopting a mindset, or simply reflecting on what they've learned, a clear call to action gives direction and purpose.

Here's what it should look like:

How to design a presentation for persuasion?

While words are the heart of your presentation, design is its soul. A well-designed presentation not only captivates but also amplifies your message.

Let's dive into the world of persuasive design and uncover the secrets that make a presentation truly stand out:

Visual hook

First impressions count. Start with a captivating visual that immediately grabs attention. This could be a bold graphic, a striking image, or even an intriguing layout. It's like the cover of a book; it invites the audience to delve deeper.

Here's a great example of a presentation with a visual hook:

Social proof

As humans, we often look to others to validate our choices. Dr. Robert Cialdini defines social proof as people doing what they observe others doing. It's the idea that if other people are doing it, it must be good.

In the context of your presentation, this could mean showcasing testimonials, endorsements, or even user reviews. It's a nod to the audience that others have been here and found value.

Here's an example of a social proof slide:

Recognized people and places

Including familiar faces or landmarks can be a game-changer. When your audience sees someone they recognize or a place they relate to, it builds an instant connection and trust. It's like seeing a friend in a crowd; it feels familiar and safe.

Original visuals lend you credibility and status. They show that you put in the effort. They show that you can afford to invest in your content and that you’re not some shmo working from his mom’s basement.

Quality original visuals

Stock photos have their place, but nothing beats original, high-quality visuals. Whether it's custom graphics, original photographs, or tailored illustrations, unique visuals make your presentation memorable and authentic.

Here's a great example of a presentation with high-quality visuals:

Emotion-driven imagery

Think about those commercials that tug at your heartstrings or make you laugh. They stay with you, right? Using images that evoke emotions can make your message resonate more deeply with your audience.

Consistency

Just like a catchy jingle in a commercial, maintaining a consistent design theme throughout your presentation creates a rhythm and flow. It ensures your audience remains hooked and can easily follow along.

Here's a great example of a visually cohesive presentation:

End with a call to action

After taking your audience on a journey, guide them on the next steps. Whether it's trying a new product, exploring a concept further, or simply reflecting on the insights shared, a clear call to action gives direction.

More importantly, make your call-to-action super easy to act on. Make it something they can do immediately with as little friction as possible.

Note: In Storydoc, there’s a handy little design feature that lets you embed your calendar app direction into your presentation. This way whenever you share it, your reader can simply access your calendar and set a meeting.

Here's an example of a calendar slide:

Persuasive presentation templates

When it comes to persuasive presentations, having a structure that's been tried and tested can be a game-changer.

We built our persuasive presentation templates based on insights from more than 100,000 presentation sessions and the world of neuroscience. They’re all designed with storytelling in mind and tested to look flawless on every device.

It's like having a seasoned presenter whispering tips in your ear, guiding your content to truly resonate.

Pick a template from our library and use it to create your presentation.

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

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How To Give A Persuasive Presentation: Techniques And Proven Framework

• December 12, 2023

You’re standing in front of a room filled with people, all eyes on you. You have a message that you believe can change their minds, inspire action, or leave a lasting impression; you would want to be at your best. Whether you’re a student presenting your research, a professional pitching an idea, or a community leader rallying support for a cause, giving a persuasive presentation is vital. But how can you ensure your message stays balanced and resonates with your audience? Let’s dive into the art of giving a persuasive presentation, where the power of your words can influence and inspire.

The Art of Persuasive Speech: Understanding Presentation Techniques

A persuasive presentation is more than just speaking to an audience; it’s about the art of influence. At its core, it’s convincing others to see things from your perspective, accept your ideas, or take a specific action. Whether speaking in a boardroom, classroom, or a public gathering, persuasion can be a game-changer.

Examples Of Persuasive Presentations

The impact of persuasive speeches transcends industries and disciplines. In the corporate world, persuasive speeches are the linchpin of success. Imagine you’re an entrepreneur seeking investment for your startup. A persuasive pitch can secure funding that transforms your vision into reality. In education, teachers and professors use persuasive techniques to engage students and convey knowledge effectively. A compelling lecture can ignite a passion for learning. Consider influential speeches by leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. or Malala Yousafzai in advocacy and activism. Their persuasive speeches have catalyzed social and political change.

Significance Of Persuasive Presentations and Factual Persuasive Speech

Why are persuasive speeches so significant? Here’s why they matter in different contexts. In business, the ability to persuade can secure partnerships, close deals, and drive revenue growth. It’s not just about selling products or services; it’s about selling ideas, strategies, and visions. In education, persuasive presentations make learning enjoyable and memorable. They enable educators to convey complex concepts and inspire students to think critically. 

In the realm of advocacy and activism, persuasive presentations are the fuel for social movements. They raise awareness, inspire action, and bring about positive change. In the upcoming sections, we’ll delve deeper into the features of persuasive presentations and how you can master this skill to captivate your audience and achieve your objectives. The key to giving a factual persuasive speech is to understand what makes people tick, and we’ll explore these psychological aspects in future sections.

In the upcoming sections, we’ll delve deeper into the features of persuasive presentations and how you can master this skill to captivate your audience and achieve your objectives.

Key Features of Persuasive Speech Topics for a Compelling Presentation

A successful persuasive speech isn’t just about delivering a speech; it’s a carefully crafted act of communication designed to achieve specific outcomes. Here are some of the key points that distinguish persuasive presentations:

Clear Objective 

Persuasive speaking is a critical aspect of any convincing message. Every persuasive speech topic should have a clear objective. Whether convincing investors to fund your project or persuading a class to support your viewpoint, you must know what you want to achieve. Additionally, a persuasive speech should always conclude with a strong call to action, guiding your audience on what they should take away and what steps to follow. Remember, interesting persuasive speech topics captivate your audience and drive them to engage with your message, making your speech more compelling and impactful.

Audience-Centred Approach

To be persuasive, you must think from your audience’s perspective. Tailoring your message to their interests, needs, and values will make your presentation more relatable and compelling. Understanding your audience’s demographics, beliefs, and motivations will allow you to connect with them deeper.

Emotional Engagement 

Human emotions are a powerful tool in persuasion. Effective speakers know how to connect with their audience on an emotional level. Using storytelling techniques, relatable anecdotes, and examples can help engage your audience, making your message more memorable and impactful.

Convincing Evidence

A good persuasive speech topic is only as strong as the evidence supporting it. Using credible sources, statistics, and real-world examples can greatly enhance the persuasiveness of your message. When you back your claims with evidence, you build credibility and trust with your audience.

Addressing Objections 

To be truly persuasive, you must anticipate and address counterarguments and objections. Your audience may have doubts or concerns; acknowledging these and providing compelling responses will strengthen your case. It shows that you’ve thought critically about your message and are willing to address concerns honestly.

In the sections, we’ll explore the Motivational Sequence, a proven framework for structuring persuasive speeches, and practical tips on starting your presentation with a bang and keeping your audience engaged.

The Motivational Sequence: A Proven Framework

A classic framework for persuasive presentations is the Motivational Sequence, developed by NLP co-founder Frank Pucelik. It motivates your audience to change and take action, providing a structured method to craft compelling presentations that engage them and drive them to embrace your message. Here’s how to use it:

1. Establish Rapport

Before you present your case, it’s essential to establish a connection with your audience. Learn how to connect with them, master body language, and start with an attention-grabbing opening.

Connect with the Audience: Building a connection with your audience is the foundation of any policy persuasive speech. It’s about demonstrating that you understand their needs and interests. Ask yourself: What matters to them? What are their concerns? When you start by showing empathy and awareness of their perspective, you create a bond that opens the door for your message.

Body Language: Non-verbal communication is a language of its own. Your body language should be open, confident, and inviting. Maintain eye contact, use appropriate gestures, and stand or move purposefully. Your body language should convey trust and approachability, as it’s the first impression your audience will have.

Engaging Start: The beginning of your presentation is your moment to capture your audience’s attention. Engage them with a captivating story, a thought-provoking quote, or a compelling question. Your opening should pique their curiosity and set the tone for the rest of your presentation. Don’t underestimate the power of a strong start; it can make or break your persuasive presentation.

2. Identify a Problem

Clearly defining the problem your audience faces is the first step to persuasion. Explore the art of problem definition, building emotional connections, and highlighting the consequences of inaction.

Define the Issue: Clearly and concisely articulate the problem your audience is facing. Be specific and avoid jargon. Make sure your audience understands the issue and why it matters. Clarity in problem definition sets the stage for the rest of your presentation.

Emotional Connection: Evoke the audience’s emotions to engage them truly. Share relatable stories or examples related to the problem. Emotions make the issue more personal and tangible. When people feel emotionally connected to a problem, they are more likely to care about finding a solution.

Highlight Consequences: Explain the negative consequences of not addressing the problem. Use vivid language to paint a picture of what could happen if the issue still needs to be addressed. The fear of these consequences can be a powerful motivator for change.

3. Present a Solution

Once the problem is clear, you must present a compelling solution. Discover how to introduce your proposal, emphasize its benefits, and create a vision of success for your audience members.

Propose Your Solution: Introduce your solution or idea to solve the problem. Clearly state how your proposal directly addresses the issues you’ve highlighted. The more straightforward and practical your solution, the more persuasive it will be.

Benefits: Highlight the benefits of adopting your solution. Explain how it will improve the current situation, make things easier, or lead to positive outcomes. People are more likely to act when they understand the benefits of the action.

Visualise Success: Use imagery and storytelling to help the audience visualize the positive outcomes of implementing your solution. Describe the better future that your proposal can bring about. When people can see the potential benefits, they are more inclined to embrace the idea.

4. Overcome Objections

Prepare to handle objections effectively. We’ll discuss addressing concerns, offering reassurance, and leveraging testimonials to build credibility.

Address Concerns: Anticipate and address potential objections your audience might have. Acknowledging these concerns demonstrates that you’ve considered various viewpoints and are prepared to respond thoughtfully. It also shows respect for your audience’s critical thinking.

Provide Reassurance: Offer concrete evidence or examples to reassure the audience about the feasibility and effectiveness of your solution. This evidence can come from research, success stories, or practical demonstrations. Reassurance builds trust and confidence.

Use Testimonials: Share testimonials or success stories related to your solution. Real-world examples of others who have benefitted from your proposal can be compelling social proof. Testimonials serve as powerful endorsements that reinforce the persuasiveness of your presentation.

5. Call to Action

Your persuasive presentation’s goal is to motivate action. Learn how to specify action steps, infuse urgency, and remind your audience of the benefits they’ll gain by acting.

Specify Action Steps: Your audience needs to know precisely what you want them to do next. Whether it’s making a purchase, supporting a cause, or changing a behavior, make the call to action explicit and straightforward. Avoid ambiguity, and clearly state the desired action.

Urgency: Create a sense of urgency to motivate immediate action. Explain why the audience must act promptly. Urgency often spurs people to take action rather than procrastinate.

Reinforce Benefits: Remind the audience of the benefits they will gain by taking the desired action. Reinforcing the positive outcomes strengthens their motivation to act. Emphasize what’s in it for them and how it aligns with their interests and needs.

How To Start A Persuasive Presentation

The opening moments of your presentation are crucial for a value persuasive speech. They set the tone, capture your audience’s attention, and make the first impression. Here, we’ll delve into a persuasive speech outline , examining various techniques and examples to help you start your persuasive speech with impact.

Persuasive Speech Examples and Techniques

Begin your persuasive presentation outline with a captivating opener that intrigues your audience. You can use anecdotes, intriguing statistics, a relevant quote, or even a rhetorical question. We’ll provide examples and insights into using these techniques effectively.

Rhetorical Questions And Facts

Rhetorical questions are an excellent tool for engaging your audience from the start. When used strategically, they can pique curiosity and invite reflection. Additionally, we’ll discuss how startling facts and statistics can grab your audience’s attention and make your message memorable.

Compelling Stories

Storytelling is a potent tool for persuasion. Sharing a relatable story can make your message more human, memorable, and emotionally engaging. We’ll provide tips on crafting compelling stories that grab your audience’s attention and set the stage for your presentation.

Strong Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement is the anchor of your presentation. It clearly articulates the core message and direction of your talk. Learn how to create a strong thesis statement that not only informs your audience but also compels them to listen.

Examples Of Persuasion In Everyday Life

Persuasion is an art we encounter daily, often without realizing it. In this section, we’ll explore real-world instances of persuasion, analyzing the techniques used in various contexts.

Advertising

Advertising is a masterclass in persuasion. We’ll dissect successful ad campaigns to reveal the strategies and techniques that make them so compelling. 

Apple’s “Get a Mac” Campaign: Apple’s iconic “Get a Mac” ad campaign, featuring Justin Long as the personification of a Mac and John Hodgman as a PC, used humor and personification to persuade consumers. By portraying the Mac as cool, creative, and hassle-free while depicting the PC as cumbersome and outdated, Apple effectively appealed to the emotions and preferences of its target audience.

Nike’s “Just Do It” Slogan: Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan has become a hallmark of effective persuasion. The slogan encourages action and personal empowerment, appealing to people’s desires for achievement and self-improvement. It’s a prime example of how a simple, emotionally resonant message can inspire and persuade.

Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” Campaign: Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign personalized their products by replacing the brand name with individual names. This campaign created a personal connection, making consumers more likely to choose and share a Coke with a name they recognized. The campaign used personalization and a sense of community to persuade customers to engage with the brand.

Political Speeches

Politicians are adept at using persuasive techniques to win over voters. We’ll examine iconic political speeches to uncover the methods they employ. 

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech: Dr. King’s famous speech masterfully used rhetorical techniques such as repetition, vivid imagery, and powerful metaphors to convey a vision of equality and justice. It persuaded millions to join the civil rights movement by appealing to their emotions and values.

Winston Churchill’s “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” Speech: During World War II, Churchill’s speech rallied the British people to stand firm against Nazi aggression. His persuasive power lay in his resolute tone, clarity of message, and emotional appeal to the British people’s sense of duty and patriotism.

Barack Obama’s “Yes We Can” Slogan : Obama’s presidential campaign hinged on the persuasive power of the slogan “Yes We Can.” This phrase inspired hope, unity, and a belief in the possibility of positive change. It persuaded millions to support his campaign and participate in the democratic process.

Online Marketing

In the digital age, social media and online marketing have become potent tools for persuasion. 

Amazon’s personalized recommendations: Amazon’s product recommendations based on your browsing and purchase history exemplify persuasive techniques in e-commerce. By tailoring product suggestions to your interests, Amazon increases the likelihood of making a sale through persuasive personalization.

YouTube’s “Skip Ad” feature: YouTube’s “Skip Ad” option before videos is a clever form of persuasion. By giving viewers the choice to skip an ad, they feel a sense of control. Some advertisers use this short window to create compelling and concise messages that engage and persuade viewers before they skip.

Influencer marketing on Instagram: Influencers leverage their credibility and rapport with their followers to promote products and services. Their persuasive power comes from the authenticity of their recommendations. When an influencer shares a positive experience with a product, it can be highly persuasive for their audience.

Handling Different Persuasive Situations

Persuasive speech ideas are unique, and different situations call for tailored approaches. In this section, we’ll discuss how to adapt your persuasive skills to various scenarios.

In Negotiations

In negotiations, persuasion is essential for achieving favorable outcomes. To succeed, it’s crucial to understand your counterpart, build trust by demonstrating reliability and transparency, position your proposal in a way that highlights its benefits and aligns with the other party’s interests, seek win-win solutions that benefit both parties and employ persuasive techniques to manage deadlocks effectively.

In Academic Settings

In academic settings, delivering persuasive presentations is a valuable skill. To excel, ensure your presentation has a clear structure with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Construct strong arguments supported by relevant evidence, engage the audience from the start, use persuasive language and rhetoric effectively, practice your delivery, and seek feedback for improvement.

With Sceptical Audiences

Dealing with skepticism in persuasive presentations requires active listening to the audience’s concerns, providing compelling evidence and examples, acknowledging counterarguments, building trust by emphasizing your expertise and the benefits of your proposal, and engaging emotions through relatable stories and analogies. These strategies help overcome resistance and make your persuasive message more effective.

The art of persuasion is a journey of continuous learning and improvement. You can continue to refine your persuasive presentation skills, adapt to diverse situations, and make a lasting impact with your messages. Remember, you hold the key to inspire change, influence decisions, and make a difference. As you embark on your persuasive journey, mental health is crucial, and remember that the power to persuade is a remarkable tool for both personal and professional growth.

Rishabh Bhandari

Rishabh Bhandari is the Content Strategist at Kapable. Rishabh likes to transform complex ideas into captivating narratives relatable to the target audience. He loves telling stories through his content. He believes that stories have the power to shift mindsets and move mountains. He has 3 years of experience in educational blog writing and copywriting.

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How to Give a Persuasive Presentation [+ Examples]

• May 13, 2024
• by Steven Austin

How to Deliver a Powerfully Persuasive Presentation in 2024 [With Examples]

If you want to influence people‘s thoughts and actions, few methods are as effective as a well-crafted persuasive presentation. When done right, a presentation can change minds, win over skeptics, and spur audiences to action.

But as anyone who‘s sat through a boring lecture or sales pitch knows, not all presentations are created equal. To be truly persuasive, a presentation needs to grab attention, make a strong case, and motivate the audience to think or act differently.

What separates an average presentation from a persuasive one? How can you structure and deliver presentations that win people over to your perspective? In this post, we‘ll break down the essential elements of a persuasive presentation and share tips and examples to help you nail your next one in 2024.

The Anatomy of a Persuasive Presentation

While the content will vary, strong persuasive presentations tend to share a few key components:

A clear and specific objective. What is the one key action you want your audience to take or the one main takeaway you want them to embrace? Everything in your presentation should drive toward this singular goal.

A compelling opening. You need to grab your audience‘s attention from the start and make them care about your message. This could be a surprising fact, intriguing question, relevant anecdote, or thought-provoking statement.

A logical flow of ideas. Structure your arguments in a sequence that‘s easy for the audience to follow. Use clear transitions and signposting so people don‘t get lost along the way.

A blend of logic and emotion. Facts, data, and reasoning are important to make your case. But don‘t neglect the power of stories, examples, and emotional appeals to make your arguments hit home.

Strong supporting evidence. Prove your points with data, examples, testimonials, and other credible evidence. But curate it carefully – too much and you‘ll overwhelm people.

Memorable visual aids. Use slides, props, videos, and more to illustrate your message visually. Follow presentation design best practices to make your visuals engaging.

Interaction and audience involvement. Don‘t just talk at your audience – get them participating and you‘ll hold their attention better. Ask questions, take polls, or give a quick activity or exercise.

A powerful close. Don‘t let your presentation peter out at the end. Close with a strong recap of your main message and a clear, specific call-to-action. What do you want your audience to think, feel, or do as a result of your talk? Make it explicit.

How to Plan and Structure a Persuasive Presentation

Crafting a persuasive presentation starts well before you open up PowerPoint and start designing your slides. Taking time to plan your talk strategically is one of the most important keys to success.

Start by getting crystal clear on your objective. What is your definition of success for the presentation? If audience members only walk away with one main idea or action, what should it be? Having this specific goal will guide your planning.

Next, analyze your audience. The better you understand their needs, goals, knowledge level, and possible objections to your message, the better you can tailor your talk to connect with them. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine what arguments and information would be most likely to persuade you if you were them.

Then, brainstorm the key points that will help you achieve your objective with your audience. What arguments, evidence, and appeals will be most compelling to them? Aim for 3-5 main points – any more than that will be hard for people to remember.

Outline the flow of your presentation, starting with an attention-grabbing opening through each of your main points, to a strong close. Look for a logical flow between ideas. If your points build on each other, put them in that sequential order. If they‘re distinct aspects supporting your main argument, find a reasonable way to categorize or group them.

Throughout your outline, look for opportunities to illustrate your points with stories, examples, analogies, data, or other supporting evidence. The more you can show rather than tell, the more memorable your presentation will be.

Also consider where you can include audience interaction or participation during your talk. Maybe you can kick things off with a quick poll or show of hands to get a read on where people are starting from on your topic. Prepare a question or two to discuss in pairs or small groups during your presentation. Give people a chance to share their own experiences and insights related to your message.

Once you have a solid outline, then you can start designing your visual aids and slides to accompany each part of your talk. Keep your slides simple and streamlined – don‘t cram too much on each one. Think of them as billboards to reinforce your main ideas, not a script or teleprompter.

Tips for Persuasive Presentation Delivery

You‘ve prepared a compelling presentation – now you need to deliver it persuasively. Here are some key tips:

Practice extensively. Don‘t just mentally rehearse – practice presenting out loud, standing up, with your slides. Do it until you‘re very comfortable with your material and can deliver it smoothly, without reading from notes. Practice with a timer to make sure you‘re staying within your time constraints.

Convey confidence. Even if you‘re nervous, do your best to appear calm and confident. Stand up straight, make eye contact, project your voice, and smile. Avoid fidgeting, pacing, or defensive body language like crossed arms. Your audience will pick up on subtle cues.

Be conversational. Presenters are often coached to imagine the audience in their underwear to feel more at ease. A better method is to picture yourself having a conversation with a friend. Use a conversational tone as if you were explaining your ideas one-on-one.

Vary your delivery. Maintain audience interest by varying your vocal inflection, tone, pacing, and volume for emphasis. Pause for impact before and after delivering key points. Don‘t be afraid of a little silence.

Use natural gestures. Let your hands and body mirror what you‘re saying. Point to people or things. Create shapes or movement to illustrate concepts. Gestures make your delivery more dynamic and engaging.

Make eye contact. Don‘t just gaze over the audience‘s heads or stare at your notes. Make eye contact with individuals in different parts of the room, holding it for a few seconds before moving on. It builds trust and connection.

Handle questions and objections gracefully. Invite questions and feedback – it shows confidence and helps you address any skepticism. When you get a tough question, repeat it back to make sure you understand. Thank the person, then respond as best you can while still bridging back to your main message. Don‘t get defensive or let yourself get too far off track.

Powerful Persuasive Presentation Examples

To see these techniques in action, let‘s look at a few examples of masterful persuasive presentations:

• Steve Jobs introducing the iPhone in 2007. This legendary keynote is a master class in building suspense, making a product relevant to the audience, and delivering a clear, singular message supported by memorable visuals and demos.

• Amy Cuddy‘s TED talk on power poses. Cuddy hooks the audience with a powerful personal story, cites research to back up her ideas, and gives the audience a practical tip they can apply immediately. Her confident yet warm delivery enhances her message.

• Al Gore‘s "Inconvenient Truth" presentation on climate change. Gore uses startling visuals and data to paint a compelling picture of the climate crisis. But he balances facts with emotion, using analogies, stories, and a clear call to action. The result is a talk that changed many minds on a polarizing topic.

• Mary Roach‘s TED talk on organ donation. Roach takes a taboo, uncomfortable topic and makes the case for it with humor, fascinating research, and an astounding fact that grabs attention from the first line. She builds to one key actionable insight for the audience.

• Ken Robinson‘s TED talk on education and creativity. Robinson‘s presentation is more conceptual than actionable, but it‘s a prime example of using humor and stories to engage the audience, build a case, and leave a lasting impact. His wit and self-deprecation make him extremely likable.

Crafting and delivering a powerfully persuasive presentation takes work – but it‘s a skill that can be developed with practice. Using the techniques above and studying great examples, you can create presentations that influence and inspire any audience.

The key is having a crystal-clear objective, understanding your audience, structuring a logical flow of ideas, supporting your message with both logic and emotion, and delivering with confidence and personality.

Do that, and you will become a master at grabbing attention, changing minds, and spurring people to action through your presentations. As author and speaker Scott Berkun said, "Good public speaking is based on good private thinking." Putting careful thought into your message and delivery will pay off in presentation results.

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How to Make a Persuasive PowerPoint Presentation (With Powerful Tips + Video)

For most professionals, you'll have to create a PowerPoint presentation at least once in your career. 

Presenting, as with other "soft skills" (like communication, leadership, and negotiation), is now a must-have for most roles in the workplace. This means it's important to learn how to make compelling presentations—even if you're not an experienced presenter, speaker, or designer. 

Discover six steps that will help you level up your presentation game. 

Guide to Making Great Presentations (Free eBook Download)

But, before you do that, download our free eBook:  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It's packed with professional strategies to help you master the complete presentation process.

Now let's dig into this tutorial. Learn how to make a more persuasive PowerPoint presentation that will grab your audience's attention and move them to action: 

Top Tips on How to Make a Persuasive PowerPoint Presentation (Video)

Are you in a hurry to get started with your persuasive video? We've got you covered with this quickstart video that includes some of our best persuasive PowerPoint tips:

Do you want to learn even more about how to make a persuasive PowerPoint? Keep reading for even more tips and ideas.

Step 1. Learn How to Start a PowerPoint Presentation Persuasively

One thing you need to keep in mind as you're planning your persuasive presentation is how you'll start it. You don't have to write out the beginning right now, but throughout the planning process, you need to be on the lookout for the hook of your presentation. 

This hook is crucial because with a strong beginning, you can draw your listeners in. Without a hook, it will take them a while to adjust to being receptive to your message. Here are some characteristics that make a strong hook:

1. Grab Your Audience's Attention

When they hear your hook, it should force them to focus on the presentation and wait in anticipation for what you're going to say next. This means it should be brief and to the point.

2. Address Their Wants and Fears

It's also great to start by addressing your audience's most pressing concerns upfront. If you're giving a persuasive presentation to small business owners on how they can get more customers, you can start with something like: 

You're here because at some point, you've looked at your sales and thought, 'I could have done better'.

Addressing their main concerns, especially if it's emotionally strong, reminds them of what's at stake. More importantly, you're suggesting that you do understand where they're coming from.

3. Ask a Question

Starting with a question leads your audience to try to come up with the answer in their heads. It's also a good idea to ask a question that leads people to raise their hands or interact with you in some way so that they feel more involved in the presentation. Given the example above, an alternate beginning would be to ask:

How many of you looked at your sales last month and felt disappointed?

If you want to take a deeper look into creating a strong hook, you can check out this guide for writing attention-grabbing speeches:

Step 2. Put Your Audience First

One common mistake that presenters make is focusing mostly on their own ideas and story. Unless you tie these things with your audience's needs, they might end up bored, distracted, or worse, they might even walk out. 

To prevent this, put your audience first. Before you start writing your persuasive presentation, it's best to clarify who your audience is and what their needs and expectations are. As you write your presentation, ask yourself the following questions:

• Why are they watching your presentation? What do they hope to get out of it? Figure out what their expectations and goals are and how your presentation fits into both these things. If you can conduct a survey or get in touch with your audience beforehand, this can give you a more specific idea of what they're looking for.
• How much knowledge and experience do they have on the subject? If there are any knowledge gaps, be prepared to fill them. Also, avoid spending too much time on the ideas that are too simple for your audience. For example, there's no point in explaining how to use basic Photoshop tools to a room full of advanced graphic designers.
• How would they feel about your primary message?  Are there any concerns or hesitations that your audience might have against the message you're trying to relay? Be prepared to address these concerns throughout your persuasive presentation.
• What possible questions will they have along the way? Answering your audience's internal questions as you go through your presentation lets them know that you're on the same page. Plus, if there's a Q&A portion after you speak, you would have already answered the most basic questions in your presentation, paving the way for more interesting advanced questions in the Q&A.

Answering these questions can help you craft a presentation that's as engaging as possible to your audience.

Step 3. Think in Pictures and Stories

As you flesh out the points of your presentation, keep in mind the old saying "Show, don't tell." Rather than just stating your points matter-of-factly, find ways to deliver them through metaphors or stories. This will make your most important ideas easier to understand and remember. 

Another advantage to thinking in metaphors and stories is that the more visual the metaphor, the easier for you to pick photos and graphics to go with your presentation.

Here are some tips that can help you come up with metaphors and stories you can use:

1. Find Existing Stories

For every crucial point you deliver, think about some stories from history, case studies, or your own experience that can help your audience see the point in a fuller context. 

If you're going to present to your company about the perils of bad customer support, tell your own horror stories of bad customer support that led you to switch brands. 

If you're presenting to a client the dangers of failing to keep their website secure, and how technical errors and client data leaks can harm their business, look for case studies or news items about businesses that closed shop or lost customers because of it.

You can also use historical examples. Books like Robert Greene's "The 33 Strategies of War"  or "The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries use stories and figures from history to illustrate their points. "The Lean Startup" also goes the personal route by telling stories from Ries' own experience with his startup.

2. Create a Storyboard

While you're thinking in terms of visuals and stories, it might also help to create a basic storyboard of your entire presentation. This is useful for setting some early plans on how your presentation will look, not just in terms of photos and graphics, but also the layout of the text and how the slides look when shown one after the other.

Step 4.  Pick Your Persuasive PowerPoint Template 

Picking your persuasive PPT template and creating your slides is the fourth step on this list, rather than the first—and for good reason. The content of your presentation should come first. 

When you're starting out, it's easy to get hung up on choosing templates, fonts, and graphics, and laying out all the elements of your slides. Without strong content that appeals to your audience, however, it doesn't matter how beautiful and well-designed your slides are. 

Presentation design is critical to success though. You need your visuals to compliment the ideas you present.

When you're ready to choose your PPT design template here are some criteria you should look at:

1. Uniqueness

As much as possible, avoid using the most common stock templates that people use. These are typically the ones that come with PowerPoint by default. 

When you use a persuasive PowerPoint template design that everyone's seen over and over again, they might assume that your presentation will be equally predictable and commonplace. Then your audience will stop paying attention as soon as they see the first slide. 

Instead, choose a well-designed, unique template. 

There are new PowerPoint Templates with awesome designs being added to Envato Elements. They give you a number of creative styles and fresh designs options to choose from. 

Discover more great designs: 

2. Readability

When testing out PPT templates, try to reduce their size on the screen. Can you still read the text effortlessly? If you're presenting to a large audience, it's important that everyone can read any text on the slides, especially those people sitting in the back or those who have poor eyesight.

3. Interesting Imagery

Since you'll be using stories and metaphors in your presentation, it's best to accompany those with photos or graphics that fully capture the idea. These images can also break the monotony from too many consecutive slides that are just text. 

If you want a large collection of professional royalty free stock photos to choose from, try searching through Envato Elements or browse through our  PhotoDune  gallery of photography. 

Step 5. Practice and Get Feedback

Now that the visuals and text of your presentation are ready, it's time to practice. You're practicing for several reasons. First, you want to make sure that your presentation fits within your allotted presentation time. Personally, I've spoken in a handful of events where some speakers went overtime, monopolizing the time allotted for other speakers and their Q&A sessions. 

Going overtime might also affect the timing and length of breaks. Consider these costs if you're tempted to make your presentation longer than it should be or if you want to skip practicing altogether. You don't want to be the speaker that everyone in the event ends up resenting. Instead keep your presentation compact.

More importantly, you're practicing to get feedback. Use this opportunity to record a video of yourself speaking. Then, try to evaluate your performance in the video. Consider questions like:

• Do you speak at a good enough pace to be understood? 
• Do you use different tonalities for emphasis? 
• Do you appear confident? 

You can even show the video to some trusted colleagues and get their constructive feedback. It might sound scary to do this, but it's better to make mistakes in a safe space with people you trust rather than in the actual presentation itself.

For each run-through of your presentation, set a specific improvement goal based on your observations or the feedback you get: 

• Should you be speaking slower? 
• Should you speak louder? 
• Would your presentation seem more engaging if you moved your hands? 

By doing this kind of deliberate practice, you'll end up with a greatly improved presentation style—no matter how awkward you were when you started.

Step 6. Polish Your Presentation

Having compelling content and design for your presentation is good, but to make it great, make sure it's polished. Here are some final touches you can apply to your presentation as you're finishing it up:

1. Proper Alignment

Make sure all the elements of each slide are properly aligned. This maintains the balance and symmetry of your text and graphics. Alignments are adjusted one slide at a time. First, for each slide that you want to adjust, select all the objects. Then, from the PowerPoint Format tab, select Align . 

This will bring down a menu of alignment options. Click Align Selected Objects . When the Align menu closes, open it again, then select the type of alignment that works best for that slide. For example, if you want things centered properly, click Align Center .

2. Embedded Fonts

It's possible that the equipment you'll be using on presentation day might not have the same fonts you've used while designing your presentation. To avoid such typographic mess-ups, embed your chosen fonts within the presentation. 

To do this, go to the File  tab then click Options . When the Options  menu launches, click the Save  option from the menu on the left. Scroll down until you see the checkbox marked Embed fonts in the file . 

Check this box and choose the type of embedding you want. This will ensure that when you open your presentation, the text will display as you designed it, even if the device displaying it doesn't have the fonts you used.

3. Export Slides

Another way to ensure that your slides look the same regardless of the device viewing it is to export it to PDF or JPEG . When you send or bring your files to the venue, make sure that you save them in PPT, PDF, and JPG as a contingency plan in case there are some software or hardware problems that prevent your PPT file from displaying correctly.

4. Run Through Your Cues

Do a run through of your cues. For your last practice sessions, make sure you include your slide cues in your rehearsal. It's going to be inconvenient, confusing, or jarring for you and your audience if you've got to keep looking at your slides behind you as you're presenting.

Here are a few tutorials that'll show you how to take your presentation to the next level:

10+ Powerful Persuasion and PowerPoint Presentation Tips

Now that we’ve covered the basics of how to make a persuasive PowerPoint presentation, there are a few more tips you can use to ensure your presentation not only delivers your message but captivates your audience and convinces them to care about your cause or invest in your idea.

The tips below cover both persuasion and PowerPoint tips so you can ensure the design of your presentation matches the delivery. Without further ado, here are 10+ powerful persuasion and PowerPoint presentation tips:

• Know your audience  and what they respond to makes it easier for you to tailor the presentation to their interests and use language and phrases they respond to.
• Use body language  to your advantage. Body language says a lot about you and can do wonders for showing your audience why they should care about the topic of your presentation.
• Remember to address their wants and fears early on so you can capture their attention and remind them what’s at stake
• Use storytelling to make your presentation more relatable and powerful.
• Provide background on the topic of your presentation instead of jumping straight into data and information
• Use a visually attractive template that'll illustrate your story. Customize the persuasive PPT template with your brand assets and use compelling imagery.
• Adhere to the basic design principles  for a presentation that's visually appealing and legible.
• Export your presentation deck as PDF to ensure it appears uniform across all devices and consider giving it to your audience as a handout.
• Establish and maintain eye contact with your audience.
• Practice your speech and the delivery of the persuasive presentation well in advance.
• Get to the venue early and test all the equipment such as the projector, the microphone and the connections to avoid technical difficulties.
• Remember to breathe to avoid running out of breath or talking too fast, which will make it difficult for your audience to understand you.
• Avoid standing still as this can make you appear stiff and cause your audience to tune out.

How to Make the Most Out of PowerPoint

We mentioned earlier that your slide deck needs to be attractive in order to help you tell the story behind your presentation. For starters, you need a unique persuasive PowerPoint template that matches your industry or your topic.

Luckily, there are hundreds of presentation templates available on Envato Elements that are suitable for business presentations. Envato Elements is a great choice if you plan on giving presentations regularly and want access to thousands of design elements for one low monthly price.

Throughout your persuasive presentation, use larger font sizes to ensure your presentation is readable. Consider reducing the size of your template on the screen to check readability.

Another tip to remember is to use alignment properly to ensure your slides look balanced and aesthetically pleasing.

Below are a few of our tutorials that'll help you master PowerPoint even more.

Learn How to Make Great Presentations (Download This Free eBook)

Take the tips you learned in this article further with our new eBook:  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations .  Grab it now for FREE with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business newsletter . 

It'll help walk you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully.

All This Prep Work Is Worth It

From planning your hook, to coming up with metaphors, and picking the right PPT template design , creating a persuasive presentation sounds like a lot of work. The good news is that if you do it right, none of that work will go to waste.

In fact, it'll be a bigger waste of an opportunity if you just "wing it." By spending enough time preparing the message, content, design, and delivery of your presentation, you can be sure that your audience will appreciate and be persuaded by your final presentation.

You can save time by choosing a great persuasive PowerPoint template from Envato Elements and customizing it quickly with a professional workflow. 

Editorial Note:  This post was originally published in December of 2015. It's been comprehensively revised to make it current, accurate, and up to date by our staff—with special assistance from Brenda Barron . We've also added a video from Nathan Umoh .

9 Essential Elements Of A Persuasive Presentation

• By Judhajit Sen
• April 8, 2024

Key Takeaways:

– Start strong: Begin your presentation with a catchy hook and clearly state your main point within 30 seconds to capture your audience’s attention and set the tone.

– Establish the purpose or objective: Clearly define your aim and ensure your message revolves around a single, understandable proposition to maintain focus and clarity.

– Know and connect with your audience: Tailor your message to resonate with your audience’s interests and emotions, fostering a deeper connection and enhancing relatability.

– Organize your content: Structure your presentation logically, employing frameworks like problem-solution-benefit or storytelling to maintain coherence and engagement.

– Tell stories. Make them count: Utilize storytelling to captivate your audience, appeal to their emotions, and make your message more memorable and impactful.

– Visual and design elements: Use visuals thoughtfully , adhere to design principles, and ensure your presentation design complements rather than distracts from your content.

– Practice. Practice. Practice: Rehearse your delivery to boost confidence and fluency, embracing feedback to refine your presentation skills.

– Build credibility with evidence: Support your claims with credible evidence, maintaining honesty and integrity to establish trust with your audience.

– Conclude with a call to action: Energize your audience with a clear and compelling call to action, guiding them toward meaningful next steps based on the information you’ve shared.

Persuasive Presentation: What is it?

A persuasive presentation is when someone speaks to a group and tries to make them agree with their ideas. It’s about convincing people to think like you and do what you suggest. This type of presentation is hard because you have to get people to approve of your thoughts and take action based on them. You can see examples of persuasive presentations from prominent business leaders worldwide.

In today’s world, being good at persuasive presenting is essential. Whether you’re trying to get a job or win over customers, being persuasive shows that you know your stuff and can be trusted. It might be easier to convince your friends at work, but how do you get a bunch of strangers to believe you? 

Persuasive presenting means clearly and convincingly sharing your ideas with others. It’s about making a strong emotional and intellectual connection with your audience. This skill will be helpful throughout your life and help you and your audience learn more deeply.

In a persuasive presentation, the speaker tries to make the audience agree with them and take action. A good persuasive presentation uses a mix of facts, logic, and understanding to help the audience see things from a new perspective.

Keep reading to learn strategies to get really good at persuasive presenting.

Start Strong

The initial moments of your presentation are pivotal, shaping your audience’s receptiveness to your message. Within the first 30 seconds, seize attention by stating a compelling headline message that succinctly encapsulates your big idea. This sets the tone and expectations for your talk.

Craft a hook, be it a surprising fact, anecdote, or personal story, to draw in your audience and establish credibility. Ensure this hook resonates with your listeners, demonstrating relevance to their lives.

Your introduction should captivate, identify a problem, and connect it to your audience. Open with a catchy hook, then swiftly tie it to your audience’s concerns. Clearly state what you aim to persuade your audience of, setting the stage for your presentation’s focal point.

Define your target audience clearly and address them directly, showing how your presentation addresses their interests and needs. Immediately introduce the value you offer, whether tangible or emotional, providing concrete examples to illustrate its impact.

In essence, start strong to capture attention, establish relevance, and set the tone for a persuasive presentation.

Establish the Purpose or Objective

Before crafting a persuasive presentation, it’s crucial to pinpoint your aim. What do you hope your audience will do, think, or feel afterward? Your objective must be precise, measurable, and feasible, tailored to meet your audience’s needs. For instance, if you aim to convince customers to purchase your new product, demonstrate how it solves their problems, stands out from competitors, and benefits them.

Identify your presentation’s goal—whether it’s making a sale, swaying a vote, or altering perspectives on a topic. This clarity helps you refine your focus.

The essence of persuasion lies in articulating a single, clear point. Keep your presentation centered around one easily understood proposition, as a complex or vague message risks losing your audience’s interest. Additionally, a focused topic lends confidence to your delivery, a vital ingredient in persuasion.

Every persuasive speech needs a distinct objective, whether securing investment or garnering support for an idea. Ensure your speech concludes with a compelling call to action, directing your audience on what steps to take next.

Lastly, distill your message down to one key takeaway. Keep it concise and supported by evidence, avoiding the temptation to cover too much ground. Honing in on a single point makes your presentation more memorable and impactful.

Know and Connect with Your Audience

Understanding your audience members is paramount in crafting a persuasive presentation. Analyze who they are, what they care about, and what they expect from you. Tailor your message, tone, and style accordingly. For instance, if your audience comprises experts, use technical language and provide evidence. If they’re laypeople, simplify language and appeal to emotions.

Put yourself in their shoes. What are their concerns, values, and needs? Shape your message to resonate with them, focusing on relevant facts that address their unique position. To be persuasive, think from their perspective, considering their demographics, beliefs, and motivations.

Building a connection with your audience is critical. Show empathy, understanding, and awareness of their perspective. Engage them through eye contact, smiles, and gestures. Adapt your delivery to their energy and environment. Connect emotionally to help them empathize with your argument. Knowing and connecting with your audience can make your presentation more relatable and compelling, increasing its persuasive impact.

Organize your Content

Organizing your content is essential to ensure your persuasive presentation hits the mark. Structure it logically to support your purpose and maintain a smooth flow. One effective framework is the problem-solution-benefit structure, where you highlight the problem, offer your solution, and outline its benefits. Alternatively, employ storytelling, analogies, or comparisons to enhance engagement and memorability.

Keep slide presentations concise and relevant to your audience’s interests. Focus on key points that address their needs, presented creatively through storytelling or analogies to maintain engagement.

Arrange your content into coherent sections or subsections for a logical flow. Begin with an introduction, setting the stage, and then progress through each point systematically.

Tell Stories. Make them Count.

Storytelling is a potent tool for effective communication and persuasion. Whether you aim to build relationships, make a sales pitch , or deliver a persuasive speech, stories can mesmerize your audience and drive your message home.

Craft your stories strategically, starting with a hook to grab attention and setting up the stakes to create intrigue. Conclude with a clear moral or message to leave a lasting impression.

To persuade effectively, it’s crucial to appeal to the audience’s brains as well as their hearts. Emotional connections foster deeper engagement with your message, making the facts more compelling and memorable.

Incorporate multiple short anecdotes or examples into your presentation, filled with vivid details to make them relatable and engaging. Strike a balance between familiarity and novelty to keep your audience interested and credible.

Remember, humans are primarily emotional beings; storytelling taps into this aspect of our nature. Start your presentation with an emotional story that resonates with your audience’s experiences and concerns. Presenting the narrative from the audience’s viewpoint enhances relatability and increases its impact.

Utilize storytelling techniques to transform abstract concepts into tangible scenarios, taking your audience on a journey they can relate to. Whether through case studies, success stories, or personal anecdotes, weaving narratives into your presentation enhances engagement and retention.

Storytelling is a powerful tool in persuasive presentations, making your message more relatable, memorable, and emotionally engaging. Craft your stories thoughtfully, appeal to your audience’s hearts and minds, and watch as your message resonates and inspires action.

Nail the Visual and Design Elements

Effective visual design is pivotal in crafting a persuasive presentation. Choose visuals that complement your content, reinforce your message, and resonate with your audience. Utilize slides, charts, images, videos, or animations thoughtfully, adhering to basic design principles like contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity for clarity and consistency. Avoid clutter and distractions while selecting colors, fonts, and icons that align with your topic and tone.

Your presentation’s design should amplify rather than overshadow your content. Opt for high-quality visuals and coherent color schemes, minimizing text to emphasize key points. Remember, visuals should support storytelling, not dominate it.

Incorporating visual aids like charts, diagrams, photographs, or videos can enhance the clarity and effectiveness of your presentation, aiding in illustrating your points persuasively.

Practice, practice, practice.

Practicing your delivery is one of the most crucial steps in preparing a persuasive presentation. Rehearse multiple times, whether in front of a mirror, with a friend, or recording yourself, to boost confidence, fluency, and clarity. Pay attention to your body language, voice, and eye contact to enhance credibility and rapport with your audience. Anticipate potential questions or objections and strategize how to handle them gracefully.

Repetition is key to mastering your delivery. Practice until your presentation flows naturally, avoiding the pitfall of sounding like you’re reading from cue cards. Use notes and cue cards sparingly as guides, not scripts. Seeking feedback from trusted colleagues can refine your delivery and highlight areas for improvement.

Confidence grows with each practice session. Whether in front of a mirror or with an audience, the more you rehearse, the more polished and persuasive your presentation will become. Embrace practice as the pathway to proficiency in delivering a compelling message.

Build Credibility with Evidence

Ensuring accuracy and providing evidence are essential to building credibility in your persuasive presentation. Your credibility, or trustworthiness, directly influences how your audience responds to your message. Just as you trust a friend’s recommendation, your audience must trust what you share, valuing authenticity and integrity.

Supporting your claims with credible evidence is crucial for persuasiveness. Utilize sources, statistics, and real-world examples to bolster your arguments. Concrete evidence reassures your audience about the feasibility and effectiveness of your solutions, fostering trust and confidence.

During Q&A sessions, seize the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and expertise, maintaining concise responses to sustain audience interest. Avoid bluffing if uncertain, as honesty preserves credibility. Credibility is paramount in persuasive presentations, so always back up your claims with evidence, be it facts, data, or expert testimony.

Conclude with a Call to Action

Avoid the common pitfall of ending your presentation with a dull summary. Instead, energize your audience with a clear call to action (CTA), prompting them to take meaningful steps based on the information you’ve shared.

Guide your audience on the next steps after the journey you’ve taken them on. A straightforward CTA provides direction, whether trying a new product, delving deeper into a concept, or reflecting on insights.

Make your call to action easy to act on, reducing friction for immediate engagement. Specify action steps clearly, infuse urgency to motivate prompt action, and remind your audience of the benefits they’ll gain by acting.

Be explicit about what you want your audience to do next, whether making a purchase, supporting a cause, or changing a behavior. Avoid ambiguity and make the desired action straightforward.

Create a sense of urgency by explaining why immediate action is necessary and encouraging prompt responses. Remind your audience of the positive outcomes awaiting them, reinforcing their motivation to act.

Tell your audience precisely what action you want them to take after your presentation. Clarity in your call to action is key, whether it’s signing a petition, donating money, or simply pondering your message.

Crafting an Effective Persuasive Presentation: A Guide to Winning Over Your Audience

As you embark on the journey of persuasive presenting, armed with strategies to captivate and influence your audience, remember that the power lies in your ability to connect authentically, deliver compelling content, and inspire action. From the impactful outset to the conclusive call to action, each component plays a vital role in shaping a persuasive narrative.

Start Strong:   Seize attention, establish relevance, and set the tone for your presentation with a compelling opening.

Establish the Purpose or Objective:   Clarify your aim, craft a focused message, and conclude with a compelling call to action.\

Know and Connect with Your Audience:   Tailor your message, empathize with their perspective, and engage them emotionally to enhance relatability and persuasion.

Organize Your Content:  Structure your presentation logically, focusing on a single, clear point supported by evidence, and guide your audience through a coherent narrative.

Tell Stories. Make Them Count:

• Leverage the power of storytelling to mesmerize your audience.
• Appeal to their emotions.
• Make your message more memorable and impactful.

Visual and Design Elements:

• Utilize visuals thoughtfully.
• Adhere to design principles.
• Ensure your presentation design amplifies rather than overshadows your content.

Practice, practice, practice: Rehearse your delivery, refine your speaking skills, and embrace feedback to enhance confidence and fluency.

Build Credibility with Evidence:

• Support your claims with credible evidence.
• Maintain honesty and integrity.
• Back up your assertions to establish trust with your audience.

Conclude with a Call to Action: Energize your audience with a clear and compelling call to action, guiding them toward meaningful next steps based on the information you’ve shared.

By incorporating these elements into your persuasive presentations, you’ll engage and inspire your audience and cultivate a lasting impact that extends far beyond the confines of your speech. Master the art of persuasive presenting, and watch as your ideas transform into action and change.

Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQs)

1. What is a persuasive presentation? A persuasive presentation is when someone talks to a group and tries to make them agree with their ideas. It’s about convincing people to think like you and do what you suggest. This type of presentation is hard because you have to get people to approve of your thoughts and take action based on them.

2. Why is persuasive presenting essential in today’s world?

Persuasive presenting is vital because it helps you stand out in the workplace. Whether you’re trying to get a job or win over customers, being persuasive shows that you know your stuff and can be trusted. It might be easier to convince your friends at work, but knowing how to persuade strangers is a valuable skill.

3. How do you start a persuasive presentation?

Start strong by capturing attention within the first 30 seconds. Use a compelling headline message and a catchy hook, like a surprising fact or personal story, to draw in your audience and establish credibility. Make sure to connect with your audience by identifying a problem that resonates with them and clearly stating what you aim to persuade them of.

4. How do you structure a persuasive presentation?

To structure a persuasive presentation effectively, establish a clear objective tailored to meet your audience’s needs. Focus on a single, clear point supported by evidence, and guide your audience through a coherent narrative. Use storytelling, visuals, and design elements to enhance engagement and clarity. Finally, conclude with a compelling call to action, prompting your audience to take meaningful next steps based on your message.

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10 Tips for a Persuasive Presentation

Powerful presentation is persuasion. here's how to elevate your impact..

Posted May 11, 2024 | Reviewed by Ray Parker

• Presentations aim to effect change. It's essential to be clear about what change you want to see.
• Powerful presenters embrace and extend empathy to seek first to understand their audience.
• Substance and style both matter to create an audience-informed communication experience.
• Persuasive presentations are relevant, reasoned, real, and resonant.

How many of us realize that giving a presentation or making a speech is all about persuasion , influence, and emotional intelligence ? Impactful presenters understand the power of empathy to understand and engage their audience, the efficiency and kindness of having a clear objective and message, and the importance of substance and style—all as a way to connect in a way that engages and inspires.

Much has been written on the power and behavioral science of persuasion, not least by expert Robert Cialdini. His bestselling book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion explains seven research-based universal principles of influence .

From my experience as a leadership coach working with thousands of people worldwide, I have compiled a list of ten essentials to elevate our presentation.

1. Maintain an "other" focus. What do you know about your audience and how can you find out more? Ask yourself what kind of a speaker will appeal to your audience, what arguments are likely to resonate with them, and what feelings you want to inspire so the audience will positively respond to your ask.

If your audience is predominantly data-driven, you may want to use more evidence-based arguments. If the audience is mixed, a combination of data, authority, and storytelling may be more appropriate. Extend Daniel Goleman’s three types of empathy to gather intelligence , understand your audience, and tailor your intervention to connect more profoundly.

2. Determine a specific objective. Presentations aim to effect change in some way. What change do you want to see in your audience?

For instance, gaining their approval for a certain investment, soliciting their buy-in for a change, or creating a sense of enthusiasm for an idea or initiative. The purpose of a presentation is to bring about change so make sure you are clear on what kind of change you want to bring about.

3. Design a grabber. Our attention spans have shrunk as we have more and more competing demands on our attention . If you want to get someone’s attention, you need to grab it at the outset and try and hold on.

You can do this in several different ways. Throw out a question that demands a response from the audience. Give a surprising fact or statistic, or quote from a well-known figure. Tell a story or an anecdote. A good grabber captures the attention of everyone there and makes them focus on what you have to say.

4. Crystalize your message and construct your arguments. Your message is the heart of your speech. Craft a brief phrase that clearly defines your proposal in 10-12 words—for example, “This post is about crafting presentations that inspire and engage others to elevate their presentations.”

Make it memorable by choosing inspiring words, symbols, catchy expressions, something that will remain in the audience's mind. As Brené Brown says: “Clear is kind,” and a clear message provides a path to develop your ideas.

When you have a clear and concise message, it helps you formulate your arguments. Think of developing your arguments using the rule of three —three compelling arguments to convince but not overwhelm your audience.

5. Prepare a call to action. Remember, we want to change our audience in some way, so we need to make our ask clearly and concretely. Consider your call to action in terms of what you want your audience to think/feel/do:

• Think: “I want you to think about how you can improve your presentations.”
• Feel: “I want you to feel enthusiastic and motivated so that you can elevate your power to persuade.”
• Do: “I want you to try out some of these tips and tools for yourself.”

6. Craft a memorable closing. Close the speech in an elegant and memorable way. We need people to remember what we've told them, so prepare it well.

This is not the time to improvise. Try to connect your closing to your opening grabber, which makes the presentation more memorable. Good preparation means preparing everything to the very end—finish well.

7. Plan your delivery. A dynamic speaker draws listeners in by using vocal variety (tone, intonation, speed, volume, pace, pauses, silence) and body language (posture, gestures, expression, and movement) to highlight important points and hold the audience’s attention. Be intentional: How will you use your voice and your body to emphasize a thought or idea? Think about it: If you increased the time you spent on style or delivery by 20 percent, what would it mean for the impact you make?

8. Think about how you will engage your audience. You want the audience to feel considered throughout. Include pauses so they can process what’s being said; connect with individuals throughout the room and make deliberate eye contact while speaking, especially when delivering key points. Read and respond to the audience by changing how you deliver as you go based on the audience’s nonverbal communication .

9. Rehearse and practice. Practice is one of the most crucial elements of presenting—and probably the most neglected one. If this is new to you, start by reading your presentation in front of a mirror to get comfortable speaking your presentation.

Next, video yourself and watch out for nervous or distracting habits to eliminate them and identify any areas where you can improve your delivery. If you are feeling brave, practice in front of an audience and ask for feedback.

10. Prepare your success rituals and mantra. Public speaking and/or stage fright can feel debilitating for some. Have your calm-down ritual prepared and ready to go before you start your presentation. This might be a certain gesture, a power pose, breathwork, or a mantra.

Try this tip: Identify three adjectives to describe how you would like to show up during this presentation. This sets an intention and helps focus our cognitive and emotional resources on success.

Powerful presenters embrace and extend empathy to seek first to understand their audience. They use this intelligence to carefully make choices about substance and style to create an audience-informed communication experience that feels relevant, reasoned, real, and resonant and creates a pathway for change.

Palena Neale, Ph.D. , is a women’s leadership coach, lecturer, and founder of unabridged, a boutique leadership development practice.

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How to Give a Persuasive Presentation [+ Examples]

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• December 29, 2020

A presentation aimed at persuading an audience to take a specific action can be the most difficult type to deliver, even if you’re not shy of public speaking. Creating a presentation that effectively achieves your objective requires time, lots of practice, and most importantly, a focused message. With the right approach, you can create a presentation that leaves a skeptical audience enthusiastic to get on board with your project. In this post, we’ll cover the basics of building a persuasive presentation. Let’s dive in.

What is a persuasive presentation? In its most basic form, a persuasive presentation features a speaker who tries to influence an audience to accept certain positions and engage in actions in support of them. A good persuasive presentation uses a mixture of facts, logic, and empathy to help an audience see an issue from a perspective they previously discounted or hadn’t considered. How to Plan a Persuasive Presentation Want to make a persuasive presentation that connects with your audience? Follow these steps to win friends and influence people within your audience. 1. Decide on a single ask. The key to convincing your audience is to first identify the singular point you want to make. A good persuasive presentation will focus on one specific and easy-to-understand proposition. Even if that point is part of a broader initiative, it ideally needs to be presented as something your audience can say “yes” or “no” to easily. A message that isn’t well-defined or which covers too much can cause the audience to lose interest or reject it outright. A more focused topic can also help your delivery sound more confident, which (for better or worse) is an important factor in convincing people. 2. Focus on fewer (but more relevant) facts. Remember: You are (in the vast majority of cases) not the target audience for your presentation. To make your presentation a success , you’ll need to know who your audience is so you can shape your message to resonate with them. When crafting your messaging, put yourself in your audience’s headspace and attempt to deeply understand their position, needs, and concerns. Focus on arguments and facts that speak specifically to your audience’s unique position. As we wrote in our post on How to Present a Compelling Argument When You’re Not Naturally Persuasive, “just because a fact technically lends support to your claim doesn’t mean it will sway your audience. The best evidence needs to not only support your claim but also have a connection to your audience.” What are the target audience’s pain points that you can use to make a connection between their needs and your goals? Focus on those aspects, and cut any excess information. Fewer relevant facts are always more impactful than an abundance of unfocused pieces of evidence. 3. Build a narrative around your evidence. If you want to persuade someone of something, it’s not enough to win their brain — you need their heart in it, too. Try to make an emotional connection with your audience throughout your presentation to better sell them on the facts you’re presenting. Your audience is human, after all, so some emotional tug will go a long way to shaking up how they view the issue you’re talking about. A little bit of emotion could be just what your audience needs to make your facts “click.” The easiest way to incorporate an emotional pull into your presentation is through the use of narrative elements. As we wrote in our guide to crafting pitch decks, “When our brains are given a story instead of a list of information, things change — big time. Stories engage more parts of our brains, including our sensory cortex, which is responsible for processing visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli. If you want to keep people engaged during a presentation, tell them a story.” 4. Confidence matters. Practice makes perfect (it’s a cliche because it’s true, sorry!), and this is especially true for presentation delivery. Rehearse your presentation several times before you give it to your audience so you can develop a natural flow and move from each section without stopping. Remember, you’re not giving a speech here, so you don’t want your delivery to come across like you’re reading fully off of cue cards. Use tools like notes and cue cards as ways to keep you on track, not as scripts. Finally, if you can, try to practice your presentation in front of another human. Getting a trusted co-worker to give you feedback in advance can help strengthen your delivery and identify areas you might need to change or bulk up. 5. Prepare for common objections. The last thing you want to say when someone in your audience expresses a concern or an outright objection during your presentation’s question section is “umm, let me get back to you on that.” Carefully research the subject of your presentation to make the best case possible for it — but also prepare in advance for common objections or questions you know your stakeholders are going to ask. The stronger your command of the facts — and the more prepared you are to proactively address concerns — the more convincing your presentation will be. When you appear confident fielding any rebuttals during a question and answer session after your presentation, it can go a long way towards making your case seem more convincing. Persuasive Presentation Outline Like any writing project, you’ll want to create an outline for your presentation, which can act as both a prompt and a framework. With an outline, you’ll have an easier time organizing your thoughts and creating the actual content you will present. While you can adjust the outline to your needs, your presentation will most likely follow this basic framework. I. Introduction Every persuasive presentation needs an introduction that gets the listener’s attention, identifies a problem, and relates it to them.

The Hook: Just like a catchy song, your presentation needs a good hook to draw the listener in. Think of an unusual fact, anecdote, or framing that can grab the listener’s attention. Choose something that also establishes your credibility on the issue.

The Tie: Tie your hook back to your audience to garner buy-in from your audience, as this issue impacts them personally.

The Thesis: This is where you state the position to which you are trying to persuade your audience and forms the focal point for your presentation.

II. The Body The body forms the bulk of your presentation and can be roughly divided into two parts. In the first half, you will build your case, and in the second you will address potential rebuttals.

Your Case: This is where you will present supporting points for your argument and the evidence you’ve gathered through research. This will likely have several different subsections in which you present the relevant evidence for each supporting point.

Rebuttals: Consider potential rebuttals to your case and address them individually with supporting evidence for your counterarguments.

Benefits: Outline the benefits of the audience adopting your position. Use smooth, conversational transitions to get to these.

Drawbacks: Outline what drawbacks of the audience rejecting your position. Be sure to remain conversational and avoid alarmism.

III. Conclusion In your conclusion, you will wrap up your argument, summarize your key points, and relate them back to the decisions your audience makes.

Transition: Write a transition that emphasizes the key point you are trying to make.

Summary: Summarize your arguments, their benefits, and the key pieces of evidence supporting your position.

Tie-back: Tie back your summary to the actions of your audience and how their decisions will impact the subject of your presentation.

Final word: Try to end on a last emotional thought that can inspire your audience to adopt your position and act in support of it.

IV. Citations Include a section at the end of your presentation with citations for your sources. This will make independent fact-checking easier for your audience and will make your overall presentation more persuasive. Persuasive Presentation Examples Check out some of these examples of persuasive presentations to get inspiration for your own. Seeing how someone else made their presentation could help you create one that strikes home with your audience. While the structure of your presentation is entirely up to you, here are some outlines that are typically used for different subjects. Introducing a Concept One common type of persuasive presentation is one that introduces a new concept to an audience and tries to get them to accept it. This presentation introduces audience members to the dangers of secondhand smoke and encourages them to take steps to avoid it. Persuasive presentations can also be a good format to introduce marco issues, such as this presentation on the benefits of renewable energy. Changing Personal Habits Want to change the personal habits of your audience? Check out this presentation on how to adopt healthy eating habits. Or this presentation which encourages the audience to get more exercise in their daily lives. Making a Commitment to an Action Is your goal to get your audience to commit to a specific action? This presentation encouraging audience memes to become organ donors could provide inspiration. Trying to make a big sale? Check out this presentation outline that can encourage someone to buy a home. Remember: You Can Do This Anyone can craft a persuasive presentation once they know the basic framework for creating one. Once you get the process down, you’ll be in a better position to bring in sales, attract donors or funding, and even advance your career. The skills you learn can also benefit you in other areas of your personal and professional life as you know how to make a case and influence people toward it.

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How to give more persuasive presentations: A Q&A with Nancy Duarte

Stepping onto the TED or TEDx stage — or speaking in front of any group of people, for that matter — is truly nerve-wracking. Will you remember everything you wanted to say, or get so discombobulated that you skip over major points? Will the audience be receptive to your ideas, or will you notice a guy in row three nodding off to sleep?

Presentation expert Nancy Duarte , who gave the TED Talk “ The secret structure of great talks ,” has built her career helping people express their ideas in presentations. The author of  Slide:ology  and  Resonate , Duarte has just released a new book through the Harvard Business Review:  The HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations .

What would you say are the three keys to giving a great presentation?

The number one thing, I think, is to be audience-centric. To take the time to think through who the audience is and develop all your material from a place of empathy toward them. You’re asking them to adopt your idea, which means they may have to abandon a belief they hold as true — and that’s hard. So, know your audience — take a walk in their shoes. What keeps them up at night? How are they wired to resist your message? Most presenters are consumed with preparing their content rapidly, which makes the material about their own narrow perspective. By flipping that paradigm to an audience-centric approach, your material will resonate and the audience can feel a deeper connection to you and your material.

Number two, you need to understand your role in the presentation. So many people feel like they’re the central figure — kind of like the hero of the story — because they’re the one talking the most. But in reality, your role is that of a mentor — you should be giving the audience a magical gift or a special tool, or helping them get unstuck in some way. You have to defer to your audience. When you put your idea out there for an audience to contend with — if they reject your idea, your idea will die. You have to think of it as, “The speaker needs the audience more than the audience needs the speaker.” Then you’ll start to approach a material with your audience in mind – you’ll have more of a stance of humility than one of arrogance. That will help you create the kind of movement needed to get your idea to spread.

And then the third thing — wrap your content in story. A story serves like the sugarcoating on the outside of a pill in some ways — it just makes it go down easier. If you look at preliterate generations for thousands and thousands of years, stories would pass down for generation after generation after generation — and stay almost completely intact. Yet, a lot of people can’t remember the last presentation they sat through. So, using principles of story — the tension and release that happens in a story — that’s what will help persuade the audience toward your idea.

What do you feel like you learned from giving your own TED Talk?

I learned so much. Being the “Presentation Lady,” I knew I couldn’t suck at it. The hardest part was getting [my talk] to fit within this finite amount of time. So I trimmed and trimmed, keeping in mind that you still have to nail why this is important to the audience. I had a person coach me and point out places where I could trim. “You took too long here, and that made this part of emphasis too long.” I worked with the timer counting up until I knew I was within the time window — then what I did was work with the timer counting down so I’d know, “When I’m a fourth of the way through, I should be on this slide. When I’m halfway through, I need to be on this slide.” I created markers in my mind so I would know how I was running on time. Sure enough, I finished the talk and I had six seconds left on the clock.

It was a great experience for me because I hadn’t gone through it myself. I’d coached people through it but — wow — to actually be a victim was interesting. I learned the power of rehearsing. If you rehearse really, really, really well — it looks improvisational. Some people rehearse to a point where they’re robotic, and they sound like they have memorized their presentation and didn’t take it to the next level. Going from sounding memorized and canned to sounding natural is a lot of work.

So, the classic advice for stage fright is to imagine the audience in their underwear. What do you recommend people do to calm their nerves?

I don’t usually get nervous, but when I got on [the TED] stage, I was nervous because it’s pretty high stakes. I recommend doing some breathing exercises — breathe in as deep as you can, and then take a couple more big gasps. Then, release it really slowly. That calms my heart down. But my favorite piece of advice isn’t my own — it’s from a guy named Nick Morgan. He said, “What you need to do right before you walk on stage is think of someone that you love dearly.” Doing that, I felt the chemistry in my whole body change. My shoulders relaxed and my heart melted. That feeling of affection makes your body calm itself down. That’s a really great way to stop stage fright.

What is the best way to start creating a presentation?

My best advice is to not start in PowerPoint. Presentation tools force you to think through information linearly, and you really need to start by thinking of the whole instead of the individual lines. I encourage people to use 3×5 note cards or sticky notes — write one idea per note. I tape mine up on the wall and then study them. Then I arrange them and rearrange them — just work and work until the structure feels sound. And from that sound structure, you start to fill it in using a presentation tool.

[For visuals], I think people tend to go with the easiest, fastest idea. Like, “I’m going to put a handshake in front of a globe to mean partnership!” Well, how many handshakes in front of a globe do we have to look at before we realize it’s a total cliche? Another common one — the arrow in the middle of a bullseye. Really? Everyone else is thinking that way. The slides themselves are supposed to be a mnemonic device for the audience so they can remember what you had to say. They’re not just a teleprompter for the speaker. A bullseye isn’t going to make anyone remember anything. Don’t go for the first idea. Think about the point you’re trying to make and brainstorm individual moments that you’re trying to emphasize. Think to the second, the third, the fourth idea — and by the time you get to about the tenth idea, those will be the more clever memorable things for the audience.

One thing that is really different about giving a TED Talk is the fact that you know it will be filmed. How do you think about the difference between live presentations and ones that will exist on video?

On stage, it feels really awkward to do large movements because — normally in life — we’re talking to someone in a more intimate setting and moving your arms really big feels melodramatic. But on the stage, you have to move your body in really big gestures. It feels awkward at first if you’re not used to it, so you have to kind of close your eyes and get used to it. Say things and move largely. Take big bold steps forward, big bold steps backward. You have this grand stage and people don’t use the space enough. I think one of the great things that Jill Bolte Taylor did was how she used her body. Her arms stretched all the way up when she talked about nirvana. Then she when she talks about her whole soul feeling constricted, she brings her hands down and folds her arms down in front of her. She’s using her body as a prop. That’s an important way to create meaning.

Also, with video, a tech rehearsal is important. Your audience on video is exponentially larger than the people in the room. So by familiarizing yourself with the cameras, you can at least look in that general direction. You know how you’re supposed to look around the audience — look and hold for five seconds, look and hold for five seconds? You should look at the camera as if it’s a human. Get used to seeing that circular lens as a face. Feel like it’s a person you’re talking to, because that audience on camera needs to feel like they’re there and that you’re looking right at them.

To me, presentations are the most powerful device. You can’t really name a movement that didn’t start with the spoken word. TED was once this exclusive, amazing event where ideas were exchanged, but you’ve moved to treating presentations as a media type. You guys have been so refined at it, that what it’s done is created a movement. What TED has done is made a platform for introverts, for scientists, for inventors — to share their ideas in a way that’s clear and appeals to a broad audience so that their ideas spread and get adopted. It’s completely changed how people present. It’s created this desire to be excellent in communication.

When you look at even how businesses communicated in the ’30’s, ’40’s and ’50’s — they were so much clearer and well-crafted. I recently went to the Stanford Library and I got a bunch of old GE Board meetings from, like, 1957. And I thought, “These are so beautiful!” Their presentations referenced history, they quoted things, they crafted their words in such a beautiful way. Then PowerPoint entered into the mix and suddenly there wasn’t any desire to craft anymore. I think TED Talks have brought the desire for the craft back.

Your new book is from the Harvard Business Review. Is it intended for someone who is in business, or for anyone?

All of my books are for anyone who has an idea that they need to communicate! I loved working with Harvard Business Review and I think because of the publisher, business professionals may be more interested in this book. But anyone with an idea can benefit from it. It’s a guidebook, so that people can think, “Oh, I need to know how to do this specific thing. I’m going to go get this book and find that one thing.”

Want more advice on giving talks? Our curator Chris Anderson is writing the official TED guide to public speaking —to be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in spring 2016. Titled Talk This Way! , it will be packed with insights on what makes talks work.

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Persuasion | Public Speaking | Storytelling

The 3 step approach to ace your persuasive presentation.

Written by Kai Xin Koh

Everyone is blessed with a certain level of persuasive skills. Whether it’s a salesperson convincing a customer why they should buy a product or a mother convincing her child why he needs to sleep early – persuading is something that revolves around our lives whether we realise it or not.

This applies to persuasive presentations as well. It is a speech made with the intention of selling an idea, message, service or product to the audience. Some forms of persuasive presentations include sales pitches , legal proceedings and debates.

Persuasion is an art form, an effective weapon that impresses your ideas upon the minds of listeners.

Overall, a persuasive presentation is intended to reach people, convince them and then prompt them into taking action.

Although some are born with the art of persuasion, what about those who need to acquire it through practice? Here’s a definitive guide to help you step by step on how to frame and execute a great persuasive presentation:

The 3 Step Approach to the Art of Persuasion

According to one of the most articulate speakers, Greek Philosopher Aristotle, there are three forms of rhetoric to influence people: ethos, pathos and logos. You need to understand and skilfully apply the methods found in these three elements to conduct a successful persuasive speech.

Ethos ( Credibility ):

In every speech, it’s vital that as a speaker, you are knowledgeable at the topic you’ll be speaking about. This not only provides assurance to the audience that you know your content, it also shows you are able to clearly say what you need convey.

It’s important to follow these five steps so that you come in prepared and establish a favorable ethos:

1. Selecting a Topic

  People are naturally interested to stories that have a hook. This also applies for a speech. This ‘hook’ is none other than a speech topic. Every speaker wants their audience to be engaged. Hence, the first step to achieve this is they need to select a good topic that will interest their audience.

a) Brainstorm

A well-chosen topic is key to the success of a good speech. Brainstorming is a method that helps you generate topic ideas and it should feel less stressful than the other methods.

Once you come up with a list of potential topics, you need to identify what is a good topic depending on several factors such as who your listeners are and their interests.

Once done, start eliminating the topics one by one till you find the perfect topic. Brainstorming is a creative process. If you don’t put in the effort to produce a creative presentation , it will never touch the minds and hearts of your audience.

b) Tailor The Content of Your Presentation to Your Audience’s Needs

Understanding who you are speaking to helps make you more persuasive as a speaker. This helps determine how you can make your tone suitable for them and make the content relevant.

For example, if you are speaking to a young audience, you should find out how they speak and their capacity for understanding towards the topic. If you’ll be speaking about difficult topics like insurance, it doesn’t make sense to use a lot of technical terms or jargons since they definitely wouldn’t understand what you’re saying most of the time.

Remember, if you come into the talk without any effort to adapt to your listeners, it will be a definitive way to lose their interest.  When they do not see a need to listen to your talk, how can you sell your idea in the first place? 

Hence, make an effort to show that the speech was tailored especially to them. This will raise your credibility as a result and show that you’ve done your homework in advance.

Questions to ask to get yourself started:

• Who will be attending your presentation?
• What are their goals, motivations, beliefs and values?
• How can I customise the slide images to resonate with their industry or line of work?
• What are the words I can use that are relevant to them or are used in their daily conversations

c) Make It Personal  

In order to change the minds of your audience, you need to win their hearts first. To do that, it’s important to add a personal touch to your topic.

One way to incorporate this is to pick a topic you are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about. It shows how much effort and time was spent on understanding and learning the topic.

This passion will naturally make it easier for you to add your own personal experiences, research, and stories. As a result, it will help your topic resonate with others as much as it resonates with you.

One example is Brene Brown’s “The Power of Vulnerability” where she spent years studying human connection. In her talk, you can see she has incorporated touches of personal experiences and stories that make the talk heartwarming.

 d)  Make It Interesting

Even if a topic is already interesting by itself, that does not mean you, the speaker can just stop there. Even the most fascinating topics become boring in the hands of an ill-prepared speaker.  You have to spend as much time as possible in making your message interesting so that your audience will get hooked on your talk.

So try to figure out how to put a fresh and personal spin on topic – especially if it has been talked about a lot already.

2. Organise Your Content

There’s no point having a great topic with the best content and ideas if it’s not organised in a coherent manner. All it entails is a very confused audience at the end of your speech which meant you did not convey your key message successfully.

a) Create an Outline

Outlines help restructures your speech so that it is clear and concise. After you’ve decided the points you’d like to bring up, start organizing them in a way where it can smoothly transition from one to the other.

b) Inserting important key messages at the start or end of the speech

Another method is to insert the important parts at the beginning or end of your speech. According to a study done by Murdock, people recall information better in the beginning and the end of a presentation. This helps create an edge for your persuasive presentation.

3. Know Your Content Inside and Out

One of the worst sins you can commit as a speaker is to read your script off a cue card or worse – look at your slides throughout as you speak.

Not only do you sound rigid, monotonous and boring, you’ll definitely lose your audience’s interest as a result. If you cannot engage your audience to listen to you, how are you going to sell whatever that is you are speaking about?

Many tend to memorise their script word for word in an attempt to ‘know their stuff’ which is just a huge recipe for disaster.

What if you get stage fright and your mind turns blank? Or you simply cannot remember? Any hesitation on your part could sprout doubts from the minds of the audience about your speech and its contents.

Hence, focus on memorising the flow of your key points as well as the overall arching message of your speech.

According to experts, understanding the content makes it easier for you to convert ideas and concepts into your own words which you can then clearly explain to others. This allows you to speak with conviction thereby convincing your audience as well.  

4. Confidence

  In order for others to have confidence in you and your message, it all needs to start with being confident in yourself first. By showing you are confident in your topic and yourself, this feeling with exude outwards towards your audience. And when they see this confidence, they’ll believe in what you have to say.

Confidence is key to making sure that you believe in yourself and that others believe in your too. Hence, the more confident you are, the lesser the reason for skeptics to doubt you and be convinced by your speech as a result.

Letting your nerves and stage fright get the better of you, however, will just show your listeners your doubtfulness and hesitation which will make it hard for them to be convinced with what you’re saying.

Confidence, however does not just come in the form of how you speak but your body language as well. This can mean having good eye contact and hand gestures to voice projection.

Pathos ( Emotional Appeal ) :

The most eloquent speakers are found to focus the most on this component and with good reason. This is the main area to focus on when it comes to persuasive speeches because majority of people do things based on “feeling” or anything that connects them emotionally. In summary, emotional appeal is the key to persuade the audience.

Here are some ways you can connect with your audience emotionally:

 1.  Storytelling Techniques

You want to capture the attention of your attendees with your very first words. To do that, start by telling a story. It’s important you do not bombard them with facts and data as it has been scientifically proven that stories engage more parts of our brain as compared to hard facts.

Storytelling is one of the most effective approaches when it comes to persuading your audience to buy your idea, message, service or product. This is due to its ability to stimulate interest, increase engagement and help the audience understand what’s being said.

Hence, tell a short story to provide them with the vision of the goal. It also helps if you can make the story relatable to everyone involved so they are able to resonate with your speech. Storytelling is also extremely useful when it comes to deescalating the situation in a room full of people who may not be too keen on your ideas.

a) Hero’s Journey

There are many ways to tell a persuasive story but one of the most effective and foolproof methods is ‘The Hero’s Journey’ approach. This technique has the exact built-in mechanisms for creating the connection needed for any audience. This can result in an impactful speech that can inspire your audience to action

Described by Joseph Campbell as the The Hero with a Thousand Faces, the Hero’s Journey is the same exact tale every culture tells – just with different characters.

Typically the hero’s journey would somewhat go like this:

• The hero starts out as an ordinary person.
• He or she then gets a ‘call to adventure’—sometimes by choice or by circumstance.
• As the hero leaves the comfort of home and family to begin the journey, he or she faces life-threatening challenges along the way.
• The hero’s situation looks bleak and it further escalates to the Hero’s defeat.
• Then, just when all hope seems lost, the hero finds some inner strength to win despite the odds.

If you noticed, these tales of heroes have three things in common – the problem, the solution and the reward. These three elements are always or mostly used in every hero tale and it never fails to attract the audience.

Leverage on this three step approach to help make your speech much more engaging which will empower your audience in return.

2. Make Use of These Two Persuasive Words

There are words that hold more power in swaying our decision making than others. If we can learn how to utilise them, it’ll be easier to persuade our audience:

When you’re speaking, writing or even pitching to persuade, use first-person language. That means making use of the word ‘you’.

This word not only gets your audience’s attention it also makes them feel special – like they’re a part of something. Using ‘you’ makes you sound much more conversational and friendly which makes it easier to establish a connection with your audience.

Here’s an example: “You are capable. You are strong. And you can make a change in this world” This word is powerful as it holds your audience accountable for what you’re saying and instantly makes them feel involved.

 b)  Because

A study found that using the word ‘because’ would make people more inclined to allow someone else to do something.

Here’s a proven scenario:

Person A: “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine?”

Person B: “I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine,  because  I need to make copies?

Look at both of these sentences. Are you more inclined to allow Person A to cut the line or Person B? Studies find that only 60% would allow Person A to cut the line while a staggering 93% will do so for Person B even if the reasons are ridiculous.

This is all because they simply heard the word ‘because’ accompanied by a reason. Human brains love explanations and hence we need to know why. Why do I need that feature? How does it benefit me? So what?

Your audience thinks this way as well. Hence, provide them with the why after the ‘because’ to further convince them.

3. Reinforce Your Message

It is vital that you drive your message home. This is to ensure your audience does not lose sight of the key message of your speech. Here are some ways to help reinforce your message:

 a)  Power of Repetition

A study of managers in the workplace by Professors Tsedal Neely of Harvard and Paul Leonardi of Northwestern found that:

“Managers who were deliberately redundant moved their projects forward faster and more smoothly.”

Knowing this, try to apply the power of repetition in your speech to drive home your goals. Don’t rush trying to get your point across but rather, try to convey the message as many times as you can.

However, be creative in repeating your message. Do not say the exact same thing over and over again or you’ll just sound annoying. Instead, find other creative and effective ways to get the same idea across to your audience.

Using visual aids like presentation slides or images not only provide the opportunity to enhance and drive your message home, it also provides 43% added recall according to Prezi.

As humans, we are all naturally visual people – even more so when it comes to listening. A study even found that those who were provided visuals during a speech remembered 55% more than those who only heard it.

Here’s an example: A speaker is giving a talk about the severity of plastic waste. Which one of the scenarios would make you more inclined to do something about this issue?  

Scenario 1: Speaker talks about why plastic is bad for the environment.

Scenario 2: speaker shows devastating photos of the consequences when we ignore the severity of plastic waste..

Naturally, we would feel a sense of responsibility more so when a photo is provided.

Hence, make use of evocative images to stimulate emotions amongst your audience. It does not steal your audience’s attention but reinforces your key message instead. All while evoking a certain feeling in your audience which helps in persuading them to believe in your idea.

c) Colours  

Just like imagery, colours can evoke emotions in your audience as well. Colors signify different emotions and associations.

Look at this video to help you understand how you react to different color stimuli:

 d)  Interactive Content

According to Time magazine, the average person has a very short attention span – they lose concentration after 8 seconds.

A study found that interactive ads were found to be twice as memorable as compared to static ads. Knowing this, you should find ways to create interactive content to further engage and persuade your audience. This can be done with the use of PowerPoint as you can add animations, transitions or even embed videos to spice up your speech.

Furthermore, recent statistics show that video content isn’t just effective, it’s also on the rise. Furthermore, 64% are willing to watch a video if it’s interactive. So if you find that your speech may be boring or full of data, try to present it in a form of an interactive video.

Here’s a video of Hans Rosling, one of the few speakers who know how to present data in a fun and engaging manner:

4. Adopt the Golden Circle Approach

In order to convince others to buy your idea, message, service or product, find out your purpose for what you’re doing.

Here’s a video of Simon Sinek, explaining how the Golden Circle approach is effective in making others buy your idea, message, service or product.

In the video, Simon Sinek mentions that many of us communicate from the outside in. This means we always start with What, How and then Why.

He explains that persuasive speakers do the exact opposite. They start from the inside out. This is also known as the ‘Golden Circle’ Approach:

• Why: What is your purpose for doing what you’re doing
• How: How you show your belief in what you’re doing
• What: What is the result?

One example who makes use of this approach is Apple.

Why: What is your purpose for doing what you’re doing?  Their purpose is to challenge the status quo and th ey believe in thinking differently.

How: How you show your belief in what you’re doing?  By making their products beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly.

What: What is the result?  They happen to make great computers.

As Simon Sinek says: “People don’t buy what you do but why you do it.”

Find what you believe in and you’ll realise it’s easier to persuade your audience into buying your message and taking action upon them.

Logos ( Logical Appeal ):  

Have you ever found yourself arguing with a friend over something you definitely know is a fact but somehow they just don’t want to believe you? This is because you lack providing facts or evidence to prove you’re right.

Logos is the final seal of act to convince your audience into buying your idea. This strategy makes use of providing evidence and reasons to support your front. Here are ways to utilise logical appeal effectively:

1. Provide Evidence

Use evidence so that your audience cannot argue or doubt your point. This is because it establishes an objective foundation to your arguments, and makes your point more than just a mere speculation, personal opinions or prejudices.

These evidences can come in many forms such as:

• Case Studies
• Powerful Quotes
• Expert Testimony

 2.  Solutions to Your Problem

Have you ever sat through a presentation and thought the speech was engaging, the content informative and stories compelling? You’re convinced by the issue brought up but you don’t know what to do with it.

This is because the speaker forgot to include one crucial thing– the solution. Without this, your audience will think, “What do I do with all of this new information?”

As a speaker, informing is not enough – take it a step further and show the audience how they can take action. And to inspire action, solutions must be provided. Although problems hook your audience, solutions are what activates the action.

Start adopting the “How will my audience change as a result of hearing my speech?” mindset. Your speech can empower the audience if they can take at least one action because of what you’ve said.

If the audience does take action, this means you’ve successfully persuaded them since they are motivated by your message.

“That tension helps them persuade the audience to adopt a new mindset or behave differently — to move from what is to what could be. And by following Aristotle’s three-part story structure (beginning, middle, end), they create a message that’s easy to digest, remember, and retell.” –Nancy Duarte

Knowing this, you should be prepared to provide solutions to overcome any obstacles or challenges your idea may face or anticipate.

Summing it Up

And there you have it! Leverage on the 3 Step Approach – Ethos, Pathos and Logos – to create a great persuasive presentation that’ll easily get your audience to believe in what you’re saying. If you want your persuasive presentation to have that cutting edge, take a read of some of our recommended books to help boost your persuasive skills as a presenter.

• Identify a good topic and research on your content thoroughly
•  Organise and tailor the content to your audience’s needs
• Reinforce your key message
• Know the motivation behind your speech
• Back up your points and provide solutions

Article Written By: Kai Xin Koh

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Mastering the art of persuasive presentations

This article will guide you on how to deliver a persuasive presentation to establish your credibility as a speaker.

Supriya Sarkar

Building presentations

Captivating an audience and inspiring action through persuasive presentations is a valuable skill.

In this guide, we'll delve into the essence of persuasive presentations, exploring their significance and equipping you with actionable tips to elevate your skills.

Before exploring the tips and techniques for creating a compelling persuasive presentation, let's establish a clear understanding of what a persuasive presentation is and the elements it encompasses.

What is a persuasive presentation and why is it important?

A persuasive presentation, as the name suggests, is a communication approach aimed at convincing or persuading an audience to embrace a particular point of view and take specific actions. These presentations play a pivotal role in effectively conveying ideas in diverse settings, such as boardrooms, classrooms, or public forums.

The significance of persuasive presentations lies in their capacity to bring about a change in opinions and drive desired decisions. Additionally, they contribute to building credibility, making them a valuable tool for achieving a range of professional and personal goals. Whether in business, education, or public speaking, the ability to craft and deliver persuasive presentations is a crucial skill that can influence outcomes and shape perspectives.

How do you build trust with the audience?

Establishing trust is the foundation of effective presentations. Persuasion, once considered a soft skill , is now fundamental in the business world. Before crafting your presentation, understand these three key elements of persuasive speech:

- Ethos (Character) : People listen to those they trust. To begin, establish your credibility by sharing relevant experiences, background, and expertise. You should speak with confidence which also plays a significant role in establishing your credibility. - Pathos (Emotional appeal) : Emotional appeal is often used as a persuasive strategy. You see the practical implementation in your everyday life through advertisements. Companies and brands tap into the emotions of the people to advertise products and services. - Logos (Logic) : Back up your argument by incorporating facts, figures, testimonies, and expert validations. This not only boosts your credibility but also makes your presentation more convincing. In essence, mastering ethos, pathos, and logos equips you with the tools to build trust, evoke emotions, and present logically sound arguments.

Preparing for a persuasive presentation:

Preparing for a persuasive presentation requires careful planning and strategic approaches. The key to success lies in understanding your audience thoroughly and executing effective communication throughout the presentation.

Thorough research for audience understanding

Effective preparation is the key to a successful persuasive presentation. Before you start with your presentation invest time in understanding the interests, needs, concerns, likes, and dislikes of your audience. By analyzing these aspects, you can establish a stronger connection with them, speaking their language and addressing their specific concerns. Getting to know your audience also involves understanding how they prefer to consume information. The more insights you gather about your audience, the better you can tailor your messages to resonate with them. This deeper understanding enables you to create a more compelling presentation and deliver it persuasively, enhancing the overall impact on your audience.

Crafting a compelling message

Crafting a compelling message involves an understanding of your audience's interests and values, rooted in a deep awareness of their challenges. To enhance the persuasiveness of your presentation, focus on addressing the specific struggles your audience faces. Take the time to learn about their challenges, enabling you to identify solutions and enhance the overall customer experience. During the presentation, it's advantageous to offer your audience a preview of the topics you'll cover. This not only sets the right expectations but also keeps them engaged as they anticipate the discussion of topics that interest them the most. This strategic approach ensures that your message resonates effectively, capturing and maintaining the attention of your audience.

Structuring a persuasive presentation:

A well-organized presentation not only enhances clarity but also maximizes the impact of your message. Therefore, structuring a persuasive presentation is essential for delivering a clear message, engaging the audience, ensuring a logical flow of ideas, and emphasizing key points effectively.

Components of a persuasive presentation structure

A well-structured presentation ensures a seamless flow of persuasive content. Here are the key components of a persuasive presentation structure:

1. Introduction :

Begin with a captivating opening that grabs the audience's attention, such as a surprising fact, a thought-provoking question, or a powerful quote. You should briefly introduce yourself and establish credibility by sharing relevant qualifications or experience.

2. Overview:

Clearly state the main purpose of your presentation with an overarching message or argument you want your audience to understand. You can share a brief overview of the presentation's content which will set expectations and offer a roadmap for the audience.

3. Main body:

In the body of the presentation, organize the main arguments to support the presentation’s purpose. Support your arguments with relevant and credible evidence, examples, statistics, or anecdotes. Ensure a logical flow between ideas, for smooth transitions. You can use visual aids like slides, charts, graphs, or images that can enhance engagement. Integrating storytelling is also a smart choice to humanize your message. Personal stories or case studies can be used as powerful tools for persuasion. This will help you foster an emotional connection with the audience.

4. Solution statement:

Your solution statement should be clear with a definite action required from the audience. Whether making a purchase, adopting a new idea, or supporting a cause, a strong and specific call to action is essential for guiding your audience's next steps.

5. Conclusion:

Summarize key points to ensure they stick in the minds of your audience. End with a strong closing statement which could be a memorable quote, a call to reflection, or a final appeal that can motivate the audience to act in your favor.

By incorporating these components, your persuasive presentation structure will guide your audience through a compelling narrative, motivating them to align with your message.

Techniques for delivering a persuasive presentation:

Focusing on techniques for delivering a persuasive presentation is crucial as it enhances your ability to captivate and influence your audience effectively. Maintaining a confident and authoritative tone instills credibility, and builds trust with your audience. Explore the following tips to achieve the desired impact and influence your audience's perspective effectively.

1. Body language and manner of speech in presentation delivery:

Effective communication extends beyond words; it centers on non-verbal cues that significantly influence your presentation. Remarkably, 93% of communication is conveyed through non-verbal channels , leaving a mere 7% for words. Your body language serves as a visual indicator of confidence. Adopting confident postures, even if initially an act, can influence your internal state, fostering genuine confidence over time.

Key Components of non-verbal communication:

- Eye contact: Establishing and maintaining eye contact fosters a connection with your audience, projecting confidence and sincerity.

- Posture: Your body posture communicates volumes about your confidence and authority. Keep your posture straight and upright to show confidence, even if you don't feel it right away. Doing this regularly can help you start feeling more confident over time.

- Hand gestures: Purposeful gestures complement your spoken words, emphasizing key points and adding dynamism to your presentation.

2. Manner of speech:

When you talk, it's crucial to use words that your audience can easily understand. Make sure your language connects with them, going beyond just words to create a strong bond. In essence, mastering body language and refining your manner of speech allows you to not only convey information effectively but also establish a profound connection with your audience, enhancing the overall impact of your presentation.

Handling objections:

When you're ready to handle objections or answer questions, it all comes down to understanding your presentation topic well. Take the time to thoroughly research what you'll be talking about and think about any doubts or questions that people might have. Furthermore, your ability to effectively convey supporting data to your audience is crucial. When you present an argument supported by concrete facts and numbers, it solidifies itself as a truth. The key is to be prepared. When you can address objections and show that you've done your homework, it not only strengthens your argument but also makes you more convincing. So, dive into your subject, be ready for potential questions, and watch how it adds weight to what you're saying.

Involve the audience

Involving the audience encourages a two-way communication flow, making the presentation more relatable and impactful for the audience. Additionally, involving the audience promotes better retention of information and increases the likelihood of the audience embracing and internalizing the presented ideas. Overall, audience involvement enhances the effectiveness of the presentation by creating a collaborative and interactive environment.

Engaging the audience:

Connecting with your audience through active engagement builds rapport. When you address them directly, inviting questions, thoughts, and contributions, it creates a compelling experience. Engaging with your audience in this way fosters a sense of trust, making them feel comfortable sharing their ideas and supporting your message. To actively involve your audience and foster a strong sense of participation and connection, consider incorporating interactive techniques like: -    Posing thought-provoking questions. -    Encouraging individuals to share their insights or personal experiences. -    Utilize live polls or surveys to gather real-time feedback. -    Introducing activities like group discussions or activities that require collaboration. -    leverage technology by integrating interactive tools like Q&A sessions or live chats to address queries in real-time. Creating an inclusive atmosphere where everyone feels their contribution is valued enhances engagement and strengthens the overall connection with your audience.

Clear call-to-action:

A crucial focal point is crafting a persuasive call-to-action (CTA) that motivates your audience to take the desired next steps. It helps your audience understand what is expected of them and what actions they should take. Some tips that will help you in crafting a clear CTA are shared below: -    Use compelling language that emphasizes the benefits and urgency of the action. -    Make the CTA specific, ensuring it leaves no room for ambiguity. -    Consider incorporating a sense of exclusivity or limited-time offers to instill a sense of immediacy. -    Effectively conveying the value and importance of the next steps. -    Additionally, align the CTA with the overall narrative of your presentation, creating a seamless transition from your message to the desired action. So, connect with your audience, make them feel at ease, and guide them with a straightforward call-to-action for a more impactful and effective presentation.

Make a persuasive presentation with Prezent

These practical techniques are not just theory but these are tools you can use in the real world. By adopting these strategies, you're not just giving a presentation; you're becoming a persuasive communicator who can truly make a lasting impact. Check our guide on " Advanced Persuasion Techniques " to learn more about using persuasion skills for your next presentation.  With these tools in your armor, you'll not only connect better with your audience but also substantiate your points with facts and create a compelling call to action. As you elevate your presentation skills using these simple yet powerful techniques, you'll witness a transformation in your communication abilities.

Discover the impact of these strategies with Prezent, a valuable tool that simplifies tasks like storytelling and ensures brand compliance. Try creating a presentation for free with our trial , or opt for a comprehensive product tour through a scheduled demo to explore all the features. See firsthand how Prezent can enhance your presentation game.

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10 tips for making an effective persuasive speech

Get your team on prezi – watch this on demand video.

Chelsi Nakano May 20, 2016

An effective, persuasive speech can completely change the trajectory of your career. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur trying to convince a group of venture capitalists to fund your new company, or maybe you’d like your board to approve an expansion overseas.

It’s easier said than done, of course—but far from impossible, with the right preparation. With that in mind, here are 10 tips to help bring any audience over to your side.

1. Research your audience. Who will be attending your presentation? What are their goals? What motivates them? What values do they most care about? Tailor the content of your presentation to your audience. Speak in a way that makes them feel like you are addressing them individually. This will raise your credibility and show that you’ve done your homework in advance.

2. Choose 1-3 goals . A good persuasive speech focuses on a handful of things—and that’s it. You may have a slew of other ideas that relate to the point you want to get across, but if you talk about too many things, you will confuse your audience. Write your speech in a way that guides them through the most important ones.

3. Incorporate obstacles . Think hard about the challenges to your idea that are likely to come from members of your audience. Instead of dismissing them (this can hurt feelings of goodwill), proactively acknowledge these points in your speech and then carefully address how your solution will meet the goals of all involved.

4. Create an attention-grabbing story . You want to capture the attention of your attendees with your very first words. Do this by telling a short story to illustrate the goal of your speech. Make the story relatable to everyone involved. This can help soften the mood in the room, especially if you are dealing with a group that may be fundamentally opposed to your idea.

5. Practice like crazy . Conviction is the key to giving a solid persuasive speech. It is vital that you do not waver while speaking or lose your train of thought. Start your speech not with a friendly “thank you for coming,” but instead with a story to grab everyone’s attention. Keep your intensity high to help sustain the attention of attendees throughout—do this by practicing over and over and over again. Ask friends to listen to your speech and give you feedback. Then, incorporate their comments.

6. Memorize . Reading off a card will just distract your audience. Practice enough that you know your speech inside and out. Don’t focus on memorizing every word—instead, focus on memorizing the flow of your key points and the examples you use to illustrate them. Check out our blog on a simple trick that will help you memorize any speech .

7. Make eye contact . Ann effective persuasive speech happens when you are able to connect with another person. Do this by making eye contact throughout your speech. Don’t just stare at one person—scan the room and focus on various people for short bursts.

8. Use repetition . Don’t rush through your presentation. Speak in a slow and measured way. After explaining each of your handful of primary points, go back and explain them again. Repetition will help drive home your goals.

9. Finish strong . Think of yourself as an attorney arguing a case in front of the jury. Structure your closing statements the way a lawyer would—with flair and gravity. Once you’ve delivered your final, impactful line, don’t say “thank you” right away. Instead, wait six or seven seconds and then say, “I’m happy to take questions.”

10. Take feedback, graciously . Listen intently to audience questions. Spend time with each one and don’t exaggerate or pounce on ideas that vigorously challenge your thesis. Staying calm and in control will help your case.

Examples of effective persuasive speeches

Some of the most common persuasive presentations that you’ll come into contact with are sales pitches. It’s essential for sales reps to craft effective persuasive speeches because it helps them connect with their prospects on an emotional level and appeal to their sensibilities.

Prezi features many great sales presentation examples in the Presentation Gallery . Check out this splashy product pitch for Drops. Notice how streamlined and focused it is, and the use of color to make an eye-catching design.

For an example of an effective persuasive speech, watch this video by Thriftplan. Here you can see the presenter starting off her presentation with a compelling issue that the audience may identify with and making great eye contact with the camera.

To learn more about effective persuasive speeches and other common presentations, check out our article on presentation types .

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Persuasive Speech: How to Write an Effective Persuasive Speech

Most often, it actually causes the other person to want to play “Devil’s advocate” and argue with you. In this article, we are going to show you a simple way to win people to your way of thinking without raising resentment. If you use this technique, your audience will actually WANT to agree with you! The process starts with putting yourself in the shoes of your listener and looking at things from their point of view.

Background About How to Write a Persuasive Speech. Facts Aren’t Very Persuasive.

Want to beat stage fright, articulate with poise, and land your dream job? Take the 2-minute public speaking assessment and get the Fearless Presenter’s Playbook for FREE!

Most people think that a single fact is good, additional facts are better, and too many facts are just right. So, the more facts you can use to prove your point, the better chance you have of convincing the other person that you are right. The HUGE error in this logic, though, is that if you prove that you are right, you are also proving that the other person is wrong. People don’t like it when someone proves that they are wrong. So, we prove our point, the other person is likely to feel resentment. When resentment builds, it leads to anger. Once anger enters the equation, logic goes right out the window.

In addition, when people use a “fact” or “Statistic” to prove a point, the audience has a natural reaction to take a contrary side of the argument. For instance, if I started a statement with, “I can prove to you beyond a doubt that…” before I even finish the statement, there is a good chance that you are already trying to think of a single instance where the statement is NOT true. This is a natural response. As a result, the thing that we need to realize about being persuasive is that the best way to persuade another person is to make the person want to agree with us. We do this by showing the audience how they can get what they want if they do what we want.

You may also like How to Design and Deliver a Memorable Speech .

A Simple 3-Step Process to Create a Persuasive Presentation

The process below is a good way to do both.

Step One: Start Your Persuasive Speech with an Example or Story

When you write an effective persuasive speech, stories are vital. Stories and examples have a powerful way to capture an audience’s attention and set them at ease. They get the audience interested in the presentation. Stories also help your audience see the concepts you are trying to explain in a visual way and make an emotional connection. The more details that you put into your story, the more vivid the images being created in the minds of your audience members.

This concept isn’t mystical or anything. It is science. When we communicate effectively with another person, the purpose is to help the listener picture a concept in his/her mind that is similar to the concept in the speaker’s mind. The old adage is that a “picture is worth 1000 words.” Well, an example or a story is a series of moving pictures. So, a well-told story is worth thousands of words (facts).

By the way, there are a few additional benefits of telling a story. Stories help you reduce nervousness, make better eye contact, and make for a strong opening. For additional details, see Storytelling in Speeches .

I’ll give you an example.

Factual Argument: Seatbelts Save Lives

• 53% of all motor vehicle fatalities from last years were people who weren’t wearing seatbelts.
• People not wearing seatbelts are 30 times more likely to be ejected from the vehicle.
• In a single year, crash deaths and injuries cost us over $70 billion dollars.

These are actual statistics. However, when you read each bullet point, you are likely to be a little skeptical. For instance, when you see the 53% statistic, you might have had the same reaction that I did. You might be thinking something like, “Isn’t that right at half? Doesn’t that mean that the other half WERE wearing seatbelts?” When you see the “30 times more likely” statistic, you might be thinking, “That sounds a little exaggerated. What are the actual numbers?” Looking at the last statistic, we’d likely want to know exactly how the reporter came to that conclusion.

As you can see, if you are a believer that seatbelts save lives, you will likely take the numbers at face value. If you don’t like seatbelts, you will likely nitpick the finer points of each statistic. The facts will not likely persuade you.

Example Argument: Seatbelts Save Lives

When I came to, I tried to open my door. The accident sealed it shut. The windshield was gone. So I took my seatbelt off and scrambled out the hole. The driver of the truck was a bloody mess. His leg was pinned under the steering wheel.

The firefighters came a few minutes later, and it took them over 30 minutes to cut the metal from around his body to free him.

A Sheriff’s Deputy saw a cut on my face and asked if I had been in the accident. I pointed to my truck. His eyes became like saucers. “You were in that vehicle?”

I nodded. He rushed me to an ambulance. I had actually ruptured my colon, and I had to have surgery. I was down for a month or so, but I survived. In fact, I survived with very few long-term challenges from the accident.

The guy who hit me wasn’t so lucky. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. The initial impact of the accident was his head on the steering wheel and then the windshield. He had to have a number of facial surgeries. The only reason he remained in the truck was his pinned leg. For me, the accident was a temporary trauma. For him, it was a life-long tragedy.

The Emotional Difference is the Key

As you can see, there are major differences between the two techniques. The story gives lots of memorable details along with an emotion that captures the audience. If you read both examples, let me ask you a couple of questions. Without looking back up higher on the page, how long did it take the firefighters to cut the other driver from the car? How many CDs did I have? There is a good chance that these two pieces of data came to you really quickly. You likely remembered this data, even though, the data wasn’t exactly important to the story.

However, if I asked you how much money was lost last year as a result of traffic accidents, you might struggle to remember that statistic. The CDs and the firefighters were a part of a compelling story that made you pay attention. The money lost to accidents was just a statistic thrown at you to try to prove that a point was true.

The main benefit of using a story, though, is that when we give statistics (without a story to back them up,) the audience becomes argumentative. However, when we tell a story, the audience can’t argue with us. The audience can’t come to me after I told that story and say, “It didn’t take 30 minutes to cut the guy out of the car. He didn’t have to have a bunch of reconstructive surgeries. The Deputy didn’t say those things to you! The audience can’t argue with the details of the story, because they weren’t there.

Step 2: After the Story, Now, Give Your Advice

When most people write a persuasive presentation, they start with their opinion. Again, this makes the listener want to play Devil’s advocate. By starting with the example, we give the listener a simple way to agree with us. They can agree that the story that we told was true. So, now, finish the story with your point or your opinion. “So, in my opinion, if you wear a seatbelt, you’re more likely to avoid serious injury in a severe crash.”

By the way, this technique is not new. It has been around for thousands of years. Aesop was a Greek slave over 500 years before Christ. His stories were passed down verbally for hundreds of years before anyone ever wrote them down in a collection. Today, when you read an Aesop fable, you will get 30 seconds to two minutes of the story first. Then, at the conclusion, almost as a post-script, you will get the advice. Most often, this advice comes in the form of, “The moral of the story is…” You want to do the same in your persuasive presentations. Spend most of the time on the details of the story. Then, spend just a few seconds in the end with your morale.

Step 3: End with the Benefit to the Audience

So, the moral of the story is to wear your seatbelt. If you do that, you will avoid being cut out of your car and endless reconstructive surgeries .

Now, instead of leaving your audience wanting to argue with you, they are more likely to be thinking, “Man, I don’t want to be cut out of my car or have a bunch of facial surgeries.”

The process is very simple. However, it is also very powerful.

How to Write a Successful Persuasive Speech Using the “Breadcrumb” Approach

Once you understand the concept above, you can create very powerful persuasive speeches by linking a series of these persuasive stories together. I call this the breadcrumb strategy. Basically, you use each story as a way to move the audience closer to the ultimate conclusion that you want them to draw. Each story gains a little more agreement.

So, first, just give a simple story about an easy to agree with concept. You will gain agreement fairly easily and begin to also create an emotional appeal. Next, use an additional story to gain additional agreement. If you use this process three to five times, you are more likely to get the audience to agree with your final conclusion. If this is a formal presentation, just make your main points into the persuasive statements and use stories to reinforce the points.

Here are a few persuasive speech examples using this approach.

An Example of a Persuasive Public Speaking Using Breadcrumbs

Marijuana Legalization is Causing Huge Problems in Our Biggest Cities Homelessness is Out of Control in First States to Legalize Marijuana Last year, my family and I took a mini-vacation to Colorado Springs. I had spent a summer in Colorado when I was in college, so I wanted my family to experience the great time that I had had there as a youth. We were only there for four days, but we noticed something dramatic had happened. There were homeless people everywhere. Keep in mind, this wasn’t Denver, this was Colorado City. The picturesque landscape was clouded by ripped sleeping bags on street corners, and trash spread everywhere. We were downtown, and my wife and daughter wanted to do some shopping. My son and I found a comic book store across the street to browse in. As we came out, we almost bumped into a dirty man in torn close. He smiled at us, walked a few feet away from the door, and lit up a joint. He sat on the corner smoking it. As my son and I walked the 1/4 mile back to the store where we left my wife and daughter, we stepped over and walked around over a dozen homeless people camped out right in the middle of the town. This was not the Colorado that I remembered. From what I’ve heard, it has gotten even worse in the last year. So, if you don’t want to dramatically increase your homelessness population, don’t make marijuana legal in your state. DUI Instances and Traffic Accidents Have Increased in Marijuana States I was at the airport waiting for a flight last week, and the guy next to me offered me his newspaper. I haven’t read a newspaper in years, but he seemed so nice that I accepted. It was a copy of the USA Today, and it was open to an article about the rise in unintended consequences from legalizing marijuana. Safety officials and police in Colorado, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon, the first four state to legalize recreational marijuana, have reported a 6% increase in traffic accidents in the last few years. Although the increase (6%) doesn’t seem very dramatic, it was notable because the rate of accidents had been decreasing in each of the states for decades prior to the law change. Assuming that only one of the two parties involved in these new accidents was under the influence, that means that people who aren’t smoking marijuana are being negatively affected by the legalization. So, if you don’t want to increase your chances of being involved in a DUI incident, don’t legalize marijuana. (Notice how I just used an article as my evidence, but to make it more memorable, I told the story about how I came across the article. It is also easier to deliver this type of data because you are just relating what you remember about the data, not trying to be an expert on the data itself.) Marijuana is Still Largely Unregulated Just before my dad went into hospice care, he was in a lot of pain. He would take a prescription painkiller before bed to sleep. One night, my mom called frantically. Dad was in a catatonic state and wasn’t responsive. I rushed over. The hospital found that Dad had an unusually high amount of painkillers in his bloodstream. His regular doctor had been on vacation, and the fill-in doctor had prescribed a much higher dosage of the painkiller by accident. His original prescription was 2.5 mg, and the new prescription was 10 mg. Since dad was in a lot of pain most nights, he almost always took two tablets. He was also on dialysis, so his kidneys weren’t filtering out the excess narcotic each day. He had actually taken 20 MG (instead of 5 MG) on Friday night and another 20 mg on Saturday. Ordinarily, he would have had, at max, 15 mg of the narcotic in his system. Because of the mistake, though, he had 60 MGs. My point is that the narcotics that my dad was prescribed were highly regulated medicines under a doctor’s care, and a mistake was still made that almost killed him. With marijuana, there is really no way of knowing how much narcotic is in each dosage. So, mistakes like this are much more likely. So, in conclusion, legalizing marijuana can increase homelessness, increase the number of impaired drivers, and cause accidental overdoses.

If you use this breadcrumb approach, you are more likely to get at least some agreement. Even if the person disagrees with your conclusion, they are still likely to at least see your side. So, the person may say something like, I still disagree with you, but I totally see your point. That is still a step in the right direction.

For Real-World Practice in How to Design Persuasive Presentations Join Us for a Class

Our instructors are experts at helping presenters design persuasive speeches. We offer the Fearless Presentations ® classes in cities all over the world about every three to four months. In addition to helping you reduce nervousness, your instructor will also show you secrets to creating a great speech. For details about any of the classes, go to our Presentation Skills Class web page.

For additional details, see Persuasive Speech Outline Example .

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8 Fundamental Tips for Persuasive Presentations

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What is persuasion? It's the art of convincing people to do what you want them to do. That’s pretty powerful, isn’t it? It is what makes us follow and believe in leaders and influencers.

When it comes to business, persuasion is among the most coveted skills. Whether you are selling, educating your audiences or just motivating a group of people, it’s imperative that you have a persuasive presentation . But, as mentioned before, persuasion isn’t science – it’s an art, and it's not as easy as it sounds.

To make being persuasive easier, we've found some great examples and inspiring ideas for your next persuasive presentation. We’ve searched every nook and cranny of the web to come up with the best tips from top presenters. Hope you enjoy reading!

Historically, persuasion involves three components:

• Ethos (credibility)
• Logos (logic)
• Pathos (emotion)

By combining these three fundamentals, a speaker can enhance their power of persuasion.

1. Connect with Your Audience

Chris Anderson has been a TED Curator for over 12 years and he shares these four guidelines for great public speaking. In his words, “Your number one task as a speaker is to transfer into your listeners' minds an extraordinary gift -- a strange and beautiful object that we call an idea.”

Basically, it’s important that you know who you’re speaking to; make sure your ideas are clear and can be understood by your audience . Speak in a manner and use words your listeners understand, so you can connect to them on a deeper level to deliver a persuasive PowerPoint presentation.

2. 'Mind' Your Body Language

Everyone knows that when it comes to giving amazing persuasive presentations, very few people come close to Steve Jobs . How did he do it? Forbes has created this 4 1/2-minute video to break it down in three crucial points:

• Maintain eye contact
• Open posture
• Use effective hand gestures

Research has shown that speakers are perceived to be more effective and competent when they make hand gestures, rather than keeping their hands still. In fact, an academic study demonstrated the importance of nonverbal communication. According to this article , Albert Mehrabian, a professor emeritus of psychology at UCLA, “assigns only a 7 percent value to the choice of words in face-to-face communications, while tone of voice has a 38 percent value and facial expression 55 percent.”

Additionally, it’s important to continually smile and be confident . British psychologist Richard Wiseman termed this the “as if” principle. Behave in a specific way and it’s likely you’ll start to feel more happy and confident. Yes, this is exactly the same thinking behind the cliché “Fake it till you make it.”

3. Use Complementary Visual Aids

Did you know that 80 to 90 percent of the information our brain processes comes through our eyes , and two-thirds of the brain’s electrical activity is dedicated to vision when our eyes are open? It’s really astonishing, and this is why design is extremely crucial for persuasive PowerPoint presentations.

Just like words, colors also have meaning that impacts presentations. Colors signify different emotions and associations. This one-minute video will help you understand which parts of our body respond to different color stimuli.

Neil Patel, co-founder of Crazy Egg, Hello Bar and KISSmetrics says, “You can use both warm or cool colors for persuasion . But it’s very important to include accents on parts that you want to emphasize.”

Source: Conversioner

Another neat trick to ensure you have a persuasive presentation is to use interactive content . A study asked 1,000 adults to rate different types of ad content. Results show that twice as many consumers in the study said interactive ads were “memorable,” compared to static ads. This is great news if you use PowerPoint, because you can easily add animations, or just embed YouTube videos to PowerPoint to get that extra edge.

4. Utilize Social Proof Theory

Brands attract brands, and humans tend to have the fear of missing out (FOMO). No wonder social proof was included in this great infographic on the Power of Persuasion infographic . In short, Social Proof Theory was popularized by psychologist Robert Cialdini, who concluded that a person who does not know what the proper behavior for a certain situation is will look to other people to imitate what they are doing and to provide guidance for his/her actions.

There are five types of social proof shared by venture capitalist Aileen Lee , namely:

A. Expert social proof – a credible expert in the industry who endorsed a service or product. For example, a pharmacist stating that a ground-breaking medical device can be useful to tackle healthcare challenges.

B. Celebrity social proof – this is practiced often, especially in advertisements. According to Lee’s article, Jessica Simpson’s endorsement helped Beautymint attract 500,000 visitors on day one of its launch.

C. User social proof – people need to see it to believe it. Showing how your product or service can be used helps your audience better understand the value you want to bring out in the presentation.

D. Wisdom of the crowd – democracy has its merits, as people want to be on trend. If you can share that what you are presenting is popular, it’s a sure way to make yourself stand out among other persuasive presentations.

E. Wisdom of friends – people don’t want to hear you brag about yourself. They want to hear it from others because it seems more credible. Nielsen conducted a survey of 25,000 people and 90 percent of consumers noted that they trust recommendations from people they know, while 70 percent trusted consumer opinions posted online.

To get the most from these concepts, understand how you can implement one of the 10 techniques of Social Proof Theory to make your presentation more persuasive.

5. Use these Four Words

Studies have shown that using the word “you” gets people excited. On top of that, the two-minute video below shares three other words to use for persuasive presentations: “free,” “because” and “instantly.”

6. Present a Story

Source: Duarte

Nancy Duarte, acclaimed author of two award-winning books and CEO of Duarte, shares in her Harvard Business Review article how speakers can have persuasive presentations. She states the importance of storytelling. To persuade your listeners, you should remind your audience of the status quo and reveal the path to a better way. In short, you provide the solution to a conflict that you presented to your listeners. Duarte explains:

“That tension helps them persuade the audience to adopt a new mindset or behave differently — to move from what is to what could be. And by following Aristotle’s three-part story structure (beginning, middle, end), they create a message that’s easy to digest, remember, and retell.”

To see this theory in action, we recommend you to watch this persuasive presentation by Sick Weather.

If you enjoyed watching that and analyzing why it stood out among other persuasive PowerPoint presentations, read 34 other amazing pitch decks from this article .

7. Be Credible and Attractive

You might not hear this often, but people don’t buy products. They just purchase the better versions. So, talk about product benefits, not features.

Yale University’s recommendation

If you’re shy, know that “Confidence is not something you have, it’s something you create,” according to Tony Robbins. Listen to this motivational podcast to change your state of mind, and boost your confidence for an effective persuasive presentation.

8. Strategize Your Content Flow

To produce one of the best persuasive presentations, you need to insert the important notes at the beginning or at the end. The results of a study done by Murdock in 1962, known as the serial position effect, are shown below. The gist of it is that people recall information better in the beginning and at the end of a presentation. So, remember to position important key takeaways in the beginning and the conclusion, to have a persuasive presentation.

Source: Simply Psychology Org

To recap: there are multifarious techniques to enhance your skills and create a persuasive presentation, and one aspect includes using complementing and captivating designs. So, our last tip to for you is to design your presentation using the Master Slide (six-minute video) .

If you’ve written or sketched out your presentation content and don’t have the time to design, don’t worry! Reach out to us and we’ll type and design your PowerPoint for you , so you’re one step closer to having an epic persuasive PowerPoint presentation!

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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

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10 Must-Do Tips for Persuasive Presentations

Prepping for an important presentation? As you’re purposefully planning, think about the following 10 criteria of a successful presentation. These are best practice strategies that can help you turn any presentation into a great conversation, and get what you want in record time.

1. Frame communication

Discuss the purpose of communication up front

2. Be audience focused

Communicate with your audience in mind

Demonstrate you understand your audience’s mindset

3. Know the Content

Demonstrate understanding of the content you're presenting, including understanding an of the business and the case for change

4. Thoughtfully organize

Present in a clear and well-organized fashion

Build in breaks/pauses to check for understanding in a purposeful way (questions are purposefully built-into presentation organization to check for understanding and create dialogue)

5. Use handouts/tools

Use visuals appropriately to support your messages

6. Have clear messages

Cover core messages clearly and tailor them to the audience

7. Provide context

Discuss and emphasize rationale to add meaning

8. Be relevant

Customize and make messages relevant to the team (how the team contributes/fits in)

9. Have a dialogue and check for understanding

Ask questions to clarify others’ point of view

Ask questions to ensure messages were understood

Support honest expression of others’ points of view

Express reactions and opinions without intimidating others

10. Presentation style

When you practice your presentation, have several colleagues listen and give you feedback on the Top 10 criteria above, and how you did. Then, incorporate their feedback, knowing that practice makes perfect!

What strategies do you use to give winning presentations?

—David Grossman

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How To Give A Persuasive Presentation

Sofia has an important client meeting at the end of the week. She spends the entire week planning and preparing…

Sofia has an important client meeting at the end of the week. She spends the entire week planning and preparing her pitch. Her manager is really happy with the deck and she feels confident about the meeting. The day finally arrives but the clients leave the room unimpressed.

Sofia’s presentation stood out but she was unable to convince the clients of her ideas. This isn’t uncommon; many of us fail to impress our audience because they’re unable to get on board with our viewpoints. This is why persuasive presentation skills are important to master. Let’s explore the secrets to successful presentations in detail.

What Is Persuasive Presentation?

Skills needed for persuasive presentation, how to make a persuasive presentation, how aristotle’s three appeals can help.

As the name suggests, a persuasive presentation involves a speaker who manages to influence an audience with their thoughts, ideas and viewpoints. It can be the most challenging form of presentation as you need to convince your audience to approve your suggestions and take necessary actions. If we follow the talks of famous business leaders around the world, we can see examples of persuasive presentations in real life.

Mastering persuasive presentation skills in today’s workplace has become essential. Whether it’s convincing a recruiter to hire you or earning customers’ trust—persuasive speech shows that you’re trustworthy and knowledgeable about your subject. While converting your peers and coworkers may be easier, how do you convince a group of strangers of your opinions? Read on to explore strategies that’ll help you master the art of persuasive presentation.

There is a common misconception that the more the amount of information on your slide, the more impressive it becomes. Business presentations need not be stuffed with information. You can enhance the quality of your slide by presenting clear, short and direct points. A well-structured speech has a greater impact. Consider the following persuasive presentation skills if you want to present a balanced and powerful presentation:

Speaking effectively, where you’re articulate, compelling and confident about your delivery

Active listening, where you pay attention to what your audience asks

Empathy, where you adjust your tone and behavior based on how your audience reacts

With the right approach, you can put these skills to practice and create an effective presentation that leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

The primary motivation behind presentations is to encourage a business change. Therefore, delivering it in the most effective way becomes crucial. A successful, persuasive presentation has the power to influence and change. Here are some tips that’ll help you deliver presentations so persuasive that even the most skeptical person in the room will get on board:

Do Your Research

It’s useful to understand who your audience will be and what their needs and expectations are. Tailoring your content to the audience will not only pique their interest but keep them engaged throughout. This will also show that you’ve done your groundwork before your presentation.

Create Some Goals

Limit the amount of information you share with your audience. A great way to go about it is by creating a list of a few goals (ideally less than five) that you want to address during your presentation. Keeping it short and to the point will avoid any unnecessary confusion.

Use Storytelling Technique

Who doesn’t love a story? One of the most effective ways of capturing the audience’s attention is to use a short story (like an anecdote) at the beginning of your presentation. Make the story as relatable as possible. Not only does it help set the tone but also lightens the mood in the room.

Use Appropriate Body Language

Paying attention to nonverbal cues is extremely important. Appropriate facial expressions, gestures and hand movements are necessary to capture the audience’s attention. Make sure that you maintain eye contact with everyone and smile at appropriate moments. An open body language is welcoming and engages people better.

Finish Strong

You can either entertain questions during your presentation or reserve them for the end. It’s important to listen attentively so that you can respond appropriately. If the audience wants to raise some points or make statements, be open to feedback and pay attention. Making them a part of your presentation will help them feel engaged and valued.

While the aforementioned strategies are helpful in delivering a persuasive presentation, Aristotle’s Three Appeals Approach is also instrumental. The Greek philosopher proposed three rhetorical appeals or modes of persuasion in the form of:

Ethos, which appeals to the audience’s ethics and morals

Pathos, which appeals to the audience’s emotions

Logos, which appeals to the audience’s logic (reasoning capacity)

If you want to learn more about Aristotle’s Appeals and other powerful frameworks that’ll help you strengthen your public speaking skills, turn to Harappa’s  Speaking Effectively course. It will help you deliver ideas with precision, use empathy and logic to connect with others and stand out as an effective speaker everyone wants to listen to. Ace your next presentation with Harappa!

Explore topics such as  Self-Introduction  for Various Situations,  Presentation Techniques , How To Give A  Persuasive Presentation  & Most Effective  Presentation Skills  And Its Techniques  from Harappa Diaries to build a personal brand that inspires, motivates and guides others.

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Rhetoric: How to Inform, Persuade, or Motivate your Audience

June 12, 2018 - Gini Beqiri

Persuasive speaking is needed in a wide range of situations; from arguing with a colleague, to haggling down a price, to performing a speech. Rhetoric is the key to developing this skill. In this article, we discuss how to use rhetoric for effective public speaking.

What is rhetoric?

Rhetoric is the study and art of writing and speaking persuasively. Its aim is to inform, educate, persuade or motivate specific audiences in specific situations. It originates from the time of the ancient Greeks.

Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men  – Plato

Rhetoric is not just a tool used only in speeches, you use it in everyday life when, for example, you only disclose certain parts of your weekend to certain people.

Treatise of rhetoric

Aristotle stated that there are three types of persuasive speech:

• Forensic / judicial rhetoric  – looks at the justice or injustice of accusations and establishes evidence about the past. It’s used mainly in a court of law.
• Epideictic / demonstrative rhetoric  – praises or blames and makes a declaration about the present situation. It’s used in, for example,  wedding  and retirement speeches etc.
• Symbouleutikon / deliberative rhetoric  – tries to get the audience to take action by talking about a possible future. Politicians often use this approach and Martin Luther’s “I have a dream” speech is a good example.

Rhetorical situations

To use rhetoric you must first:

• Analyse the rhetorical situation you are in – an effective speech is one that responds to its rhetorical situation (context)
• Identify what needs to be communicated
• Provide a strategic response using rhetorical tools

When you analyse the rhetorical situation think about the following:

The rhetor (yourself)  – the person speaking to the audience. Your personal characteristics and beliefs will influence what you decide to say, such as:

• Geographical location
• Previous experiences
• Socio-economic status, etc

The audience  – the people you are  trying to persuade . Usually the same factors that affect the rhetor affect the audience. Think about what they already know. What questions or reservations might they have? What expectations do they have? Where should you conform to and stray from these expectations?

The setting  – the situation which causes the need for your speech, for example, current events, location, time period, political situation etc. Where is the speech happening and when? How do these this impact you? For example, speeches may need to differ between countries.

The topic  – needs to be relevant to the rhetorical situation you are in. How does your topic limit what you can do for the audience? Depending on your audience, what should you include or exclude?

The purpose  – why are you saying this? Is it to:

• Instigate action, etc

Five canons and three appeals

The five canons of rhetoric.

The Five Canons of Rhetoric are tools for creating persuasive speeches:

• Invention  – the process of developing an argument. For this you need to pick effective content and sort through everything you could say and decide what should be included or excluded. There needs to be a balance between what the audience needs to hear and what you need to say.
• Arrangement  – once you have determined the content you must organise and order your speech to create the most impact, such as thinking about how long each section should be and what should follow on from one point etc.
• Style  – deciding how to present your chosen arguments, including thinking tactically about how your audience will respond to your word choices. Perhaps include visualisation or other techniques to evoke emotions. (See rhetorical devices and tools)
• Memory  – memorising your speech.
• Delivery  – this includes your projection,  gestures ,  eye contact , pronunciation, tone and  pace .

The three appeals

According to Aristotle, rhetoric rests on the three appeals:  ethos, logos and pathos . They are modes of persuasion used to convince an audience.

• Ethos : your credibility and character
• Pathos : emotional bond with your listeners
• Logos : logical and rational argument

Ethos – the ethical appeal

Ethos consists of convincing your audience that you have good character and you are credible therefore your words can be trusted. Ethos must be established from the start of your talk or the audience will not accept what you say. In fact, ethos is often established before your presentation, for example, you may be the CEO of the company you’re presenting to so you’re already perceived as a specialist.

Characteristics of ethos

There are four main characteristics of ethos:

• Trustworthiness and respect
• Similarity to the audience
• Expertise and reputation/history

Improve ethos

• Ensure that people know about your expertise by promoting yourself, for example, ensure that people can easily access testimonials, reviews, papers etc.
• In your introduction draw attention to your ethos.
• Tell personal stories  that show the audience that you follow your own recommendations because they are more likely to believe you on other points that cannot easily be confirmed.
• Facts, stats and quotes should be up-to-date and from reputable sources, for example, between choosing from social media or Mind’s website to  quote a statistic  about anxiety, you would choose Mind’s website as this has high ethos which in turn increases your ethos.
• Be unbiased by admitting that you and your opposition’s side agree on at least one matter. This highlights that you are credible because you are treating the topic with consideration and fairness.
• Stick to your promises, for example,  during the Q&A  you may have agreed to find out an answer to a question and tell everyone – ensure that you do this to be seen as honest.

Pathos – the emotional appeal

Pathos is to persuade by appealing to the audience’s emotions. Pathos is more likely to increase the chances of your audience:

• Understanding your point of view
• Accepting your arguments
• Acting on your requests

Improving pathos

• Use  analogies and metaphors  – linking your ideas with something your listeners already know about and feel strongly about can trigger emotional responses. For example, “They are terrible” compared to “They are poisonous.” This will use the audience’s knowledge that poison is bad and therefore this issue needs to be dealt with.
• Use emotionally charged words, for example, say “This brush is a life-saver” rather than “This brush is amazing.”. Another way to make a statement more emotional is to use vivid and sensory words which allow the audience to experience the emotion. For instance, “The smell of your grandparent’s house” will increase the recollection of, hopefully warm memories, and therefore will trigger certain emotions.
• Positive emotions, such as joy, should be linked with your claims.
• Negative emotions, such as anger, should be linked to your rival’s claims.
• Visual aids can sometimes be more powerful than words
• Storytelling is a quick way to form an emotional connection
• Match what you’re saying with your body language, face and eyes
• You may target the audience’s hopes by describing a positive future situation if your proposed actions are followed

Logos – logical appeal

Logos is to appeal to logic by relying on the audience’s intelligence and offering evidence in support of your argument. Logos also develops ethos because the information makes you look knowledgeable. Logos is important because logical arguments are not easily dismissed.

Improving logos

Be comprehensive : Make sure your points and arguments can be understood

• Use language that your audience will understand. Avoid jargon and technical terminology
• Use figures and charts
• Make the relationships between your evidence and conclusions clear
• Use analogies and metaphors

Be logical : Ensure that your arguments make sense and that your claims and evidence are not implausible. Have a plan for dealing with opposing viewpoints that your listeners may already believe.

• Ensure that the  audience is involved  by asking them engaging questions.
• Talk about opposing views as this allows you to explain why your logical arguments are more reasonable.
• Build your argument on the audience’s widely held beliefs – commonplaces. For example, a company’s main value and therefore commonplace may be “Compassion makes us the best company”. Use the audience’s commonplace like a fact and apply it to a new situation. So if you want to encourage your staff to join a committee, use their commonplace, for example, rather than your belief say: “This committee needs considerate and kind-hearted people.”

Be specific : Base your claims on facts and examples as your arguments will be accepted quicker than something nonspecific and non-concrete. The more easily the evidence is accepted, the more easily the conclusions will be accepted.

• Facts and stats cannot be debated and they signify the truth.
• Visual evidence, such as, objects and videos are hard to challenge.
• Citing specialists and authorities on a topic increases the quality of your evidence and therefore your claims.
• Tell stories, such as, case studies or personal experiences. The audience would like to hear your own stories if you’re a specialist, for example, “When I was excavating in Nottingham…”

There is uncertainty over which pillar is the most important – Aristotle thought that logos was vital but when used by itself it lacks impact. So ensure that you treat all three pillars with equal importance to succeed in persuading your audience.

Rhetorical modes

Rhetorical modes are patterns of organisation used to produce a specific effect in the audience. They assist in increasing the speaker’s ethos, pathos and logos.

• Telling a story or narrating an event.
• Uses facts – what happened, where it happened, when it happened and who was there.
• It helps put information into a logical order – usually chronological order.
• Purpose : to evoke certain emotions in the audience.

Description

• Re-create, inventing or visually presenting a person, place, object, event or action through words
• This helps the audience imagine what is being described
• Use precise verbs and nouns and vivid adjectives
• Using the five senses is especially useful
• Purpose : to evoke certain emotions in the audience

Argumentation/Persuasion

• Articulating your opinion about an issue – proving or contesting a point or view or an issue.
• Consists of presenting the evidence.
• Inductive arguments- Forming generalisations from the evidence. For example: “All the theme parks I have been to have been safe. This is a theme park. So it must be safe.”
• Deductive arguments – Forming conclusions from generalisations. For example. “I don’t like busy places. That shopping centre is really busy. So I won’t like that shopping centre.”
• Persuasion is a type of argumentation with a call to action directed at the audience.
• Purpose : the speaker tries to get the audience to agree with their opinion and in the case of persuasion the speaker tries to get the audience to take action.
• Informing, instructing or presenting ideas objectively. Exposition can use the following techniques:

Illustration/Example

• Using evidence to explain a general idea or statement.
• The stronger your evidence, the more likely the audience will consider your points.
• Usually used to support an argument.
• Use evidence suitable for your topic and audience.
• How complex the topic is
• The audience’s knowledge
• Purpose : gives your statements/arguments more credibility and helps the audience understand more quickly.
• Explaining what a word, idea etc means to your audience and/or to explain what it is not.
• This is more difficult than looking up the term in a dictionary because you may be re-defining a common term or explaining a term that is commonly used incorrectly, such as, the word depression.
• By reshaping what the audience thought a concept meant they can see and think about that concept in a different way.
• There are multiple ways you can define something, it doesn’t have to be in a clinical way – you can use the rhetorical strategies discussed later.
• Purpose : helps the audience see things from your point of view.

Process analysis

• Explaining how a particular event occurs or how something is done or how something works, for example, how to sew, or how to move on from the death of a loved one.
• This procedure is usually explained in clear steps.
• Purpose : to provide clear information so the audience can fully understand – the more the audience understands, the more likely they will be persuaded.
• Dividing one concept into smaller ones.
• This can be helpful for you, the speaker, as it can provide the audience with an insight of how you view a concept.
• Purpose : to help the audience understand a complex issue.

Classification

• Often looking at a diverse group of objects and finding similarities.
• The rhetor creates categories based on the similarities and gives each category a name.
• Purpose : useful for organising complex issues.

Cause and effect

• Examining the causes of a situation and the consequences of it.
• Causes help you understand why something happened and effect helps you understand what could happen or what has happened.
• Especially useful when the rhetor can show a cause and effect relationship the audience haven’t noticed before because this helps the audience see the situation in a different way.
• Often leads to debates as it’s not always easy to determine this relationship.
• Purpose : to determine how concepts are related to each other.

Comparison and contrast

• Comparison looks at similarities and contrast looks at differences.
• The more divergent the two things initially appear the more interesting it will be to look at the similarities.
• Purpose : generally to show something is more superior to another, to show unexpected similarities or to help the audience understand a person, place, idea etc in relation to another.

Rhetorical devices and tools, with examples

Rhetorical devices can be useful for assisting with the above modes of persuasion:

Adynaton  – a type of hyperbole (exaggeration) in which the exaggeration is taken to such extreme lengths to suggest impossibility.

• Example: “When pigs fly!”

Alliteration  – the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of several words that are close in proximity to each other.

• Example: “The dog dived deeply.”
• Example: “Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe its Maybelline.”

Allusion  – a reference to an event, literary work, person etc usually within popular culture.

• Example: “It’s only £10, you’re acting like Scrooge.”

Anaphora  – repeating a word or phrase in successive phrases.

• Example: “As you know, we’ve got the iPod, best music player in the world. We’ve got the iPod Nanos, brand new models, colours are back. We’ve got the amazing new iPod Shuffle.” – Steve Jobs

Antanagoge  – when a negative point is followed by a positive one to reduce the impact.

• Example: “It’s expensive but it’s unbreakable”

Antimetabole  – a phrase or sentence is repeated in reverse order.

• Example: “It is not even the beginning of the end but is perhaps, the end of the beginning.” – Winston Churchill

Antiphrasis  – a phrase or word that is opposite to its literal meaning to create an ironic or comic effect.

• Example: Calling your friend Tiny even when they are 6 foot 5.

Antithesis  – two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence for contrast.

• Example: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong

Appositive  – places a noun or phrase next to another noun for descriptive purposes.

• Example: “Your friend Sam is waiting outside for you.”
• Example: “The neurologist, a well-renowned expert in Paediatric Neurology, looked at the scans.”

Epanalepsis  – repeating the initial part of a sentence at the end of the same sentence.

• Example: “Today, I want it done today.”

Epithet  – using an adjective or phrase to emphasises a person’s characteristics. Often, this adjective or phrase becomes linked to the person and can be used with their name or instead of their name.

• Example: Eddie the Eagle

Epizeuxis  – repeats one word in immediate succession for emphasis.

• Example: “That film was great, great, great.”

Hyperbole  – an exaggeration not meant to be taken literally.

• Example: “I’ve got tons of work to get through.”
• Example: “I’m freezing.”

Metanoia  – correcting a statement you just made deliberately to strengthen or soften it.

• Example: “This has made my day, no, my month.”

Metaphor  – a comparison made by stating one thing is the other.

• Example: “This cake is heaven.”

Metonymy  – where something is referred to by the name of something closely associated with it.

• Example: Referring to business professionals as “suits.”
• Example: Referring to royals as “Crown.”
• Example: Referring to a plate of food as a “dish.”

Onomatopoeia  – words that are similar to the sound they describe.

• Example: Drip, pop, buzz, bang

Oxymoron  – a combination of contradictory words.

• Example: Cruel kindness, definitely maybe, open secret

Parallelism  – uses components in a sentence that are similar grammatically or in their construction, sound or meaning. It makes sentences flow better by adding rhythm.

• Example: “The dog was barking, the bell was ringing and the children were shouting.”

Personification  – The attribution of human characteristics to something non-human.

• Example: “The traffic slowed to a crawl.”

Simile  – compares one thing to another to make a description more vivid, usually uses “as” or “like”.

• Example: “As light as a feather.”

Understatement  – deliberately making a situation sound less important or serious than it is. You can use it for humour, to be polite or to remain modest over something.

• Example: You won an award for a piece of artwork but you say “It’s no big deal.” (Modest)
• Example: Your friend is worried about people staring at a stain on his T-shirt, you say “I wouldn’t have even noticed if you hadn’t said anything.” (Polite)
• Example: You walk outside with your coat on and realise it’s very hot – “I may be a little over-dressed.” (Humour)

Criticisms of rhetoric

Some people believe that rhetoric is a type of lying or false behaviour and manipulation. However, even when you’re criticising rhetoric, you are engaging in an act of rhetoric because you are trying to get others to agree with you.

Rhetoric works well in many situations, such as, in business presentations, lectures etc. So rhetoric is a good tool but, like with other tools, it’s up to you how to use it effectively.

How to Write and Structure a Persuasive Speech

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The purpose of a persuasive speech is to convince your audience to agree with an idea or opinion that you present. First, you'll need to choose a side on a controversial topic, then you will write a speech to explain your position, and convince the audience to agree with you.

You can produce an effective persuasive speech if you structure your argument as a solution to a problem. Your first job as a speaker is to convince your audience that a particular problem is important to them, and then you must convince them that you have the solution to make things better.

Note: You don't have to address a real problem. Any need can work as the problem. For example, you could consider the lack of a pet, the need to wash one's hands, or the need to pick a particular sport to play as the "problem."

As an example, let's imagine that you have chosen "Getting Up Early" as your persuasion topic. Your goal will be to persuade classmates to get themselves out of bed an hour earlier every morning. In this instance, the problem could be summed up as "morning chaos."

A standard speech format has an introduction with a great hook statement, three main points, and a summary. Your persuasive speech will be a tailored version of this format.

Before you write the text of your speech, you should sketch an outline that includes your hook statement and three main points.

Writing the Text

The introduction of your speech must be compelling because your audience will make up their minds within a few minutes whether or not they are interested in your topic.

Before you write the full body you should come up with a greeting. Your greeting can be as simple as "Good morning everyone. My name is Frank."

After your greeting, you will offer a hook to capture attention. A hook sentence for the "morning chaos" speech could be a question:

• How many times have you been late for school?
• Does your day begin with shouts and arguments?
• Have you ever missed the bus?

Or your hook could be a statistic or surprising statement:

• More than 50 percent of high school students skip breakfast because they just don't have time to eat.
• Tardy kids drop out of school more often than punctual kids.

Once you have the attention of your audience, follow through to define the topic/problem and introduce your solution. Here's an example of what you might have so far:

Good afternoon, class. Some of you know me, but some of you may not. My name is Frank Godfrey, and I have a question for you. Does your day begin with shouts and arguments? Do you go to school in a bad mood because you've been yelled at, or because you argued with your parent? The chaos you experience in the morning can bring you down and affect your performance at school.

Add the solution:

You can improve your mood and your school performance by adding more time to your morning schedule. You can accomplish this by setting your alarm clock to go off one hour earlier.

Your next task will be to write the body, which will contain the three main points you've come up with to argue your position. Each point will be followed by supporting evidence or anecdotes, and each body paragraph will need to end with a transition statement that leads to the next segment. Here is a sample of three main statements:

• Bad moods caused by morning chaos will affect your workday performance.
• If you skip breakfast to buy time, you're making a harmful health decision.
• (Ending on a cheerful note) You'll enjoy a boost to your self-esteem when you reduce the morning chaos.

After you write three body paragraphs with strong transition statements that make your speech flow, you are ready to work on your summary.

Your summary will re-emphasize your argument and restate your points in slightly different language. This can be a little tricky. You don't want to sound repetitive but will need to repeat what you have said. Find a way to reword the same main points.

Finally, you must make sure to write a clear final sentence or passage to keep yourself from stammering at the end or fading off in an awkward moment. A few examples of graceful exits:

• We all like to sleep. It's hard to get up some mornings, but rest assured that the reward is well worth the effort.
• If you follow these guidelines and make the effort to get up a little bit earlier every day, you'll reap rewards in your home life and on your report card.

Tips for Writing Your Speech

• Don't be confrontational in your argument. You don't need to put down the other side; just convince your audience that your position is correct by using positive assertions.
• Use simple statistics. Don't overwhelm your audience with confusing numbers.
• Don't complicate your speech by going outside the standard "three points" format. While it might seem simplistic, it is a tried and true method for presenting to an audience who is listening as opposed to reading.
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• How to Make an Argument That’s Actually Persuasive

I n a fascinating experiment, researchers from Stanford and the University of Toronto examined how we try to persuade other people to change their minds . It involved roughly 200 people—half of whom identified themselves as politically liberal and half as conservative. The liberals were asked to write a few sentences to convince conservatives to support same-sex marriage . The conservatives were asked to write a few sentences to convince liberals to support English as the official language of the United States. What happened?

Almost everyone failed.

Among the liberals , the vast majority (74%) made their arguments for same-sex marriage by evoking values often favored by liberals , like fairness and equality. (For example, “They deserve the same equal rights as other Americans.”) Only 9% of liberals appealed to conservatives with values often favored by conservatives, like loyalty and unity. (“Our fellow citizens of the United States of America deserve to stand alongside us.”) Worse, a third of liberals (34%) also used arguments that contradicted values favored by conservatives, like the importance of faith. (“Although you may personally believe your faith should be against such a thing . . . your religion should play no part in the laws of the United States.”) Talk about not reading the room!

The conservatives fared no better. The vast majority (70%) argued for English as the official language of the United States using values often favored by conservatives , like loyalty and unity. (For example, “Making English the official language will help unify the country as we all can communicate with one another and speak the same national language.”) Only 8% of conservatives appealed to liberals with values favored by liberals, like fairness. (“By making English our official language, there will be less racism and discrimination.”) And 14% of conservatives used arguments that contradicted values favored by liberals. (“So those of you preaching diversity and equality, who think everyone should take advantage of us, should think real hard.”) Attacking your audience is . . . not persuasive.

At one time or another, we’ve all done it, whether at Thanksgiving dinner with our families or a community meeting with our neighbors. We often try to convince someone of something by using the arguments and appealing to the values that make sense to us . And other people do it right back to us. We talk past each other. “Most people are not very good at appealing to other people’s values,” said Matthew Feinberg, a coauthor of the study and a professor of organizational behavior at the University of Toronto.

Which may also explain why sometimes the more we talk, the less likely we are to change the minds of people who see the world differently than we do. In another study, researchers asked hundreds of liberals to follow prominent conservatives on what was then Twitter and hundreds of conservatives to follow prominent liberals. Think anyone was persuaded? Of course not. In fact, after about a month, the conservatives were even more conservative in their beliefs and the liberals were even more liberal.

Read More: Fighting With a Family Member Over Politics? Try These 4 Steps

Why are we so bad at persuading people who see the world through different eyes?

Researchers at the University of California Irvine have one possible answer. They argue that many of us have a “moral empathy gap”—we often fail to appreciate that other people have a different moral worldview than our own. “Our inability to feel what others feel,” the researchers explained, “makes it difficult to understand how they think”—which, in turn, makes it difficult to connect, communicate, and persuade.

But there’s hope.

Some social psychologists argue that we humans tend to see the world through several major prisms, or “moral foundations.” These foundations go something like this:

Care/Harm—a focus on caring for and protecting others from harm.

Fairness/Cheating—an emphasis on equal treatment and an opposition to cheating.

Authority/Subversion—a deep respect for hierarchy and authority and a disapproval of subversion. 

Loyalty/Betrayal—devotion to family, community, and country, and a disdain for betrayal.

Sanctity/Degradation—a belief in upholding the sanctity of our bodies, institutions, and lives.

Liberty/Oppression—an emphasis on independence and a rejection of oppression. Of course, these six moral foundations alone can’t explain everyone’s beliefs about every issue, and few of us identify with just one. Still, as you read through them, you may find yourself drawn more to certain ones. Consider yourself more progressive or liberal? You might gravitate toward care and fairness. More traditional or conservative in your views? You might see a lot to like with authority, loyalty, and sanctity. And whatever our ideological orientation, what’s not to like about liberty? When I first learned about moral foundations after leaving the White House, where I worked as a speechwriter for President Obama from 2009 to 2017, it felt like an epiphany. I felt like I’d finally found the theory behind what I’d been practicing for decades in my work. Because, to me, “moral foundations” is another way of saying “values,” and values can help you build bridges with any audience, even in these polarized times .

The values we share

One Saturday a few years ago, I spent the day in a church basement in Virginia listening to about a dozen Americans talk about their lives, their beliefs, and their country. Half identified themselves as conservative and half as liberal. As you’d expect, things got heated. Fast. Some people struggled to express themselves without disparaging the other side. A few folks fell back on familiar talking points they’d heard from politicians and TV pundits .

But there were also some surprises, which was the point. The meeting was convened by Braver Angels, a group devoted to helping Americans bridge partisan divides. Over seven hours of intense and emotionally exhausting conversations, some of these conservatives and liberals started to sound like . . . one another. Liberals proudly described their deep religious faith , their service in the military, and how they value family above all else. Conservatives said it was important for communities to welcome immigrants of all backgrounds and that America needs to be a place where people of all races and religions can thrive.

At times, these conservatives and liberals even used the exact same words to describe their beliefs and goals—“the dignity of the individual . . . respect for all people . . . creating opportunity for more Americans to succeed.”

“The other side,” joked one person, “was not as unreasonable as I expected.”

Of course, cherishing the same values can sometimes lead people to hold profoundly different opinions on specific issues. To many conservatives, “freedom” means freedom from excessive government regulation; to many liberals, it means a larger role for government in areas like education and health care to help people live their lives in freedom and security. To many conservatives, “caring for others” and “protecting life” means protecting the unborn from abortion; to many liberals, it means protecting the life and choices of the mother.

Still, many of us fail to realize that, even as we disagree with one another on specific issues (sometimes vehemently), most people share our basic values. In one survey, Republicans and Democrats were asked about their own views and those of people in the other party. Less than a third of Democrats believed that Republicans think it’s “extremely or very important” for Americans to learn from the past so the country can make progress. In fact, 91% of Republicans said they believe that. Likewise, only about a third of Republicans believed that Democrats think it’s “extremely or very important” that government be accountable to the people. In fact, 90% of Democrats said they believe that.

It’s true across other values as well. Roughly 90% of the people in the survey, Republicans and Democrats alike, said that personal responsibility, fair enforcement of the law, compassion, and respect across differences were important to them. What one person in that church basement in Virginia said seems to be true: “We have sincere differences, but I think we’re motivated by deeply shared principles.”

That's the beauty and the power of appealing to values. Values can help us transcend the usual fault lines in our families, companies, and countries.

Which means the next time you get up to speak and try to connect with or persuade your audience—whether at Thanksgiving dinner or your town meeting—don't simply argue the points that make sense to you. Instead, try to speak to the broader, deeper values that matter most to your listeners and that, even in these divided times, can help us find some common ground in our families, our communities, and our country.

Adapted excerpt from Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience by Terry Szuplat. Copyright 2024 by Terry Szuplat. To be published by Harper Business, a division of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.

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Trump Falsely Claimed Kids Go to School and Come Back with 'Sex-Change Operations'

The former u.s. president repeated this claim during a september 2024 campaign speech delivered in tucson, arizona., jordan liles, published sept. 13, 2024.

About this rating

During the final stretch of former U.S. President Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2024, a claim that attempts to tap into transphobia and U.S. parents' fears over what happens in schools without their knowledge or approval emerged as a recurring talking point.

On multiple occasions, Trump alleged — without citing evidence — that children have gone to school and returned home later having received gender-affirming surgeries, or that school officials somehow "changed the sex" of children.

For instance, while speaking to a crowd in Tucson, Arizona, on Sept. 12, 2024, Trump spoke of what he called "transgender insanity" occurring in the U.S., and then said, "Can you imagine your child goes to school and they don't even call you, and they change the sex of your child?"

The crowd's negative reaction suggested they believed he had described a documented scenario.

Trump: Can you imagine your child goes to school and they don't even call you and they change the sex of your child. pic.twitter.com/yuBORGBwY8 — Acyn (@Acyn) September 12, 2024

However, we uncovered no evidence of children going to school to receive any sort of sex-change operation or gender-affirming surgery. For this reason, and another we'll mention shortly, we rated this claim as "False."

Before the remark on Arizona, on Sept. 9, Trump said during a Wisconsin campaign rally, " Can you imagine you're a parent and your son leaves the house and you say, 'Jimmy, I love you so much, go have a good day in school,' and your son comes back with a brutal operation? Can you even imagine this? What the hell is wrong with our country?"

In an article that also debunked the assertion, NBC News reported:

About half the states ban transition-related surgery for minors, and even in states where such care is still legal, it is rare. In addition, guidelines from several major medical associations say a parent or guardian must provide consent before a minor undergoes gender-affirming care, including transition-related surgery, according to the American Association of Medical Providers. Most major medical associations in the U.S. support gender-affirming care for minors experiencing gender dysphoria. For those who opt for such care and have the support of their guardians and physicians, that typically involves puberty blockers for preteens and hormone replacement therapy for older teens.

Days before the Wisconsin speech, on Aug. 30, Trump uttered the same claim in slightly different words during a discussion with Tiffany Justice, co-founder of the conservative organization Moms for Liberty. 

Justice brought up the subject of children identifying as transgender, telling Trump, "There's been an explosion in the number of children who identify as transgender, and children are being taught that they were born in the wrong body. It's an incredibly abusive message to send. So let's talk a little bit about some of the things that you might be able to do as president."

Trump answered, "Well, you can do everything. President has such power. It does. It has such power."

Moments later, he added, "But the transgender thing is incredible. Think of it. Your kid goes to school and comes home a few days later with an operation. The school decides what's going to happen with your child. And you know, many of these childs [sic] 15 years later say, 'What the hell happened? Who did this to me?' They say, 'Who did this to me?' It's incredible."

Readers can watch these remarks in this video from the LiveNOW from Fox YouTube channel beginning at the 38:11 mark:

There's No Evidence of Children Receiving Gender-Affirming Surgeries at School

CNN extensively reported on this claim about children supposedly going to school and receiving gender-affirming surgeries, as well as other statements Trump made during the discussion with Justice. The article featured interviews with medical professionals who refuted the idea of childrens' surgeries being secretly carried out by or with the involvement of schools.

For example, Dr. Meredithe McNamara , an assistant professor of pediatrics specializing in adolescent medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, told CNN, "Of course everything in this statement is false," in reference to Trump's remark about children going to school and supposedly coming home "a few days later with an operation." By email, we asked McNamara whether she had ever seen evidence of even one such surgery occurring inside a U.S. school. She answered, "No, I absolutely have not."

In CNN's reporting, the network also said Justice responded to its correspondence, saying in part, "Are kids getting surgery in school? No they're not." CNN further reported that Trump's campaign shared no evidence of any such activity occurring inside schools.

Snopes contacted other professionals in the field of pediatrics and the Trump campaign, but we did not yet receive responses.

We reached out to Moms for Liberty by email to ask further questions. In response, we received several statements, including one scolding CNN for not including part of the organization's correspondence that detailed five court cases involving lawsuits about schools assisting students in "socially transitioning" from one gender to another. To be clear, none of the five cases involved children undergoing medical operations inside of schools.

Trump Tied Olympic Athletes' Genders into the Claim

On at least two speaking occasions, Trump connected the false claim about surgeries taking place inside schools with references to Algerian female boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwanese female boxer Lin Yu-ting — who were accused of transitioning from male to female to cheat and win gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, as we previously reported , Khelif was assigned female at birth, meaning she has always lived as a woman. Yahoo Sports published the same about Lin.

For further reading, we previously reported about a false rumor claiming 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill allowing "gender reassignment surgery for children" in his state.

"About." Moms for Liberty , https://www.momsforliberty.org/about/.

Baker, Katie J. M. "When Students Change Gender Identity, and Parents Don't Know." The New York Times , 22 Jan. 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/22/us/gender-identity-students-parents.html.

Beacham, Greg. "Boxer Lin Yu-Ting Wins Gold, Following Imane Khelif to Conclude an Olympics Filled with Scrutiny." The Associated Press , 10 Aug. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-boxing-lin-khelif-28d3e1a46ed8fe5c1aa6cd612e2561ca.

Dale, Daniel. "Fact Check: Trump Falsely Claims Schools Are Secretly Sending Children for Gender-Affirming Surgeries | CNN Politics." CNN , 4 Sept. 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/04/politics/donald-trump-fact-check-children-gender-affirming-surgery/index.html.

"FULL REMARKS: Trump Attends Moms for Liberty 2024 Summit." YouTube , LiveNOW from FOX, 30 Aug. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86clTu93p50.

"Imane Khelif's Olympic Gold Inspires Algerian Girls to Take up Boxing." The Associated Press , 5 Sept. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/algeria-boxing-imane-khelif-567f5ea9f008642010e6cf8fef7245c4.

"IOC 'saddened by Abuse' of 2 Boxers over Gender." ESPN.com , 1 Aug. 2024, https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/40702393/ioc-saddened-abuse-two-boxers-gender-paris-olympics.

Kasprak, Alex. "Olympic Boxer Imane Khelif Is Neither Trans Nor Male." Snopes , 6 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//news/2024/08/05/imane-khelif-not-trans/.

Leicester, John. "IOC Calls Tests That Sparked Vitriol Targeting Boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting Impossibly Flawed." The Associated Press , 4 Aug. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-imane-khelif-lin-yuting-boxing-13e9529195585404c7b03c96f97dd634.

Rascouët-Paz, Anna. "Walz Didn't Sign Bill Permitting 'Gender Reassignment Surgery for Children.'" Snopes , 12 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/walz-gender-reassignment-surgery-children/.

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By Jordan Liles

Jordan Liles is a Senior Reporter who has been with Snopes since 2016.

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