persuasive techniques in speech

10 Persuasive Speech Techniques to Improve Your Public Speaking

Let me guess…

You wipe your clammy palms on the sides of your trousers.

Fidgeting, you pace back and forth, barely able to remember your lines.

You thumb through your notes once more.

Will the slides work? What if they don’t? Will your voice sound weird?

Such are the thoughts that attack you before public speaking.

Giving a speech is one of the most daunting experiences imaginable…

Creating a vortex of emotions.

So how do some people do it so easily?

What persuasive speech techniques do they use to mould their audience like putty?

Persuasive Speech Examples

“Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Look at some of the greatest speakers and leaders in history .

Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy, Winston Churchill…

They were puppet masters, listeners dangling on their every word.

Charlie Chaplain was another. Ok, not in the traditional sense, although this is one of my favourite movie speeches of all time…

And here are 35 more masterful speeches from which to draw inspiration.

When you study famous speakers of the past, analyse their persuasive speech techniques and use them in your own approach.

Model your public speaking on the best examples.

Also, you can learn from a variety of sources…

Persuasive advertising techniques mimic the devices used in speeches, to encourage purchasing decisions .

And there are similarities between persuasive speeches and essay writing.

Even Hollywood uses these methods in its storytelling.

How to Improve Your Public Speaking

Let me start with a story…

There was a man called Demosthenes who lived in ancient Athens and was born with a speech impediment.

Each time he addressed an audience he was ridiculed.

So he committed to improving his speeches and becoming more persuasive.

He practised by filling his mouth with pebbles and running up hills while speaking.

Every day he locked himself in an underground study to work on his speech devices.

And to ensure he stuck to his promise, he shaved half his head so he’d be too embarrassed to be seen in public.

The result?

He became one of the most famous orators in the nation and most sought-after speakers in Greece.

Not only is this story a good example of grit and determination, but also that you can improve your speeches with persistence and a few clever techniques.

So let’s gather some pebbles…

Persuasive Devices

The goal of a persuasive speech is to change an audience’s opinion or strengthen an existing belief.

You want to convince them about an idea or encourage them to take some form of action.

Here’s a broad overview of how to do it…

This is your credibility as a speaker, as viewed by your audience. It can be the difference between winning and losing speech before you’ve even spoken a word.

It consists of four parts…

• Trustworthiness – If the audience trusts you, they’ll believe what you say
• Similarity to audience – You can change your language to match your audience (chameleon effect)
• Authority – What’s your position as speaker? More authority = more credibility
• Expertise – How much do you know about your topic?

Appeals to the audience using logic.

• The audience use deductive and inductive reasoning to assess the information you provide
• Therefore you need to present sound reasoning and logical sequence of thought in your speech
• Back up your claims with facts and research
• Instead of changing the audience’s viewpoint, can you strengthen an existing belief which still supports your message?
• Logos strengthens pathos and vice versa. Sound logic = more credibility in the eyes of the audience.

Appeal to the audience using emotion.

• People often make decisions based on emotion rather than logic
• Thus has been used in the advertising agencies for years, when they sell benefits over features
• Can you inject more emotion into your speech to generate feelings of warmth or compassion?
• Use power words , which forge strong emotional connections
• Use analogies and metaphors to make your speech easy to understand
• Tell stories which are attention gripping and ram your point home
• Use visuals – think about the slides in TED talks
• Use curiosity and surprise

Now lets drill down into the specific persuasive speech techniques to improve your public speaking.

Persuasive Speech Techniques

1. strong introduction.

You need to grab attention immediately. You could start with a controversial statement, a question or a story. Hollywood likes to begin their dramas with explosive action, before delivering the rest of the plot.

What’s the central theme of your speech? It’s easy to ramble off topic until an audience loses interest. Keep your speech tight and concise.

3. Rhetorical techniques

This a where a question is asked, but the speaker expects no response from the audience. It helps make the audience active participants and improve their emotional attachment to your message.

“You work hard to make this country great. Don’t you deserve a politician who’ll stand up for you…?”

4. Rule of three

This counts on our psychological tendency to value information delivered in three parts. We find it funnier and more satisfying because it combines brevity and rhythm while creating a pattern.

“Of the people, by the people, for the people.” Abraham Lincoln

5. Emotive language

Tap into pathos with powerful, visual language.

– Non-emotive – The burger tastes good – Emotive – The burger’s dripping with succulent, meaty juices

Humour can be powerful in speeches, but only when used well. You have to know your audience and be careful not to divide your listeners. You can focus the laughs on yourself, which makes you more relatable, or blend humour into a story.

7. Bandwagon

You can use this technique to suggest that everyone’s on board with a concept or idea. It taps into people’s fear of missing out. Even if you don’t have the facts to back up your claims, generalities are strongly suggestive.

“The public’s interest in the environment has exploded in the last year”.

8. Inverted Phrases

“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” John F. Kennedy

9. Explicitly  stated facts

The reason politicians are so annoying is that they’re incapable of giving a clear answer. They fear the dreaded comeback and so squirm around a topic. Include any solid facts in your speech, but just ensure they’re correct.

10. Repetition

We have small brains and sometimes they don’t absorb all they should. That’s why repetition works. It can deliver the final blow of your message.

“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” Winston Churchill

Public Speaking Voice

Try to vary the intonation and pitch of your voice. It keeps an audience on its toes, guessing what you’re about to say next.

Speaking very quietly can also be a powerful vocal technique, magnifying the importance of a topic.

At other times it’s important to project your voice to the back of the room.

Check out the video below…

Public Speaking Body Language

Though improving the oral delivery of your speeches takes time, improving your body language can lead to quick wins.

Research shows that changing your body language before an assessment can significantly affect performance.

By adopting a power pose before your speech, you can increase your testosterone levels (responsible for confidence) and decrease your cortisol levels (responsible for anxiety).

Standing with your hands on your hips ought to do the trick, although I like to use the gorilla pose.

Stand tall with your shoulders back to demonstrate confidence.

Make eye contact with the audience, and pick specific members out if you can. People will feel you’re speaking directly to them.

Use hand gestures to support the points you’re making. It’ll help make your speech visual and emphasise your message.

Final Thoughts

Improving your public speaking and becoming more persuasive is all about analysis and practice.

Luckily we live in an age where we don’t have to physically see great speakers in action to learn from them.

TED is a great resource. Listen to all the speakers you can and analyse their strengths and weaknesses.

These persuasive speech techniques will take you a long way, but put what you learn into practice.

You don’t even have to get up in front of an audience to do it. Record yourself on a camera to test your material and delivery.

The key is to create a tight feedback loop. Listen back to your efforts and course correct where necessary.

My final recommendation is to read this golden oldie by Dale Carnegie.

Good luck brave mind.

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17 Impactful Persuasive Techniques to Become a Master Public Speaker

Public speaking is an art that requires consistent and regular practice to master. It requires the speaker to use persuasive language to engage and influence the audience. How good of a speaker one is depends on the speech’s content and delivery. That is when mastering a few persuasive techniques is helpful for any public speaker. 

Persuasive techniques help speakers to enrapture the audience and hold their attention. One can use persuasive techniques to convince the audience to opt for a particular course of action, alter their beliefs, or nudge them to decide. 

More often than not, one’s public speaking engagement success depends on the speaker’s ability to use persuasive techniques. That’s why mastering the art of persuasive techniques is crucial for those who want to deliver a powerful and effective speech. 

17 Key Persuasive Techniques to Become a Proficient Public Speaker

Persuasive techniques in public speaking include rhetoric, emotions, and facts, among others, to make an argument more compelling. A skilled public speaker will use these techniques to establish credibility and convey their message.

While you can learn more about the different public speaking techniques in our article, “ Speak with Impact: 13 Public Speaking Techniques to Leave a Lasting Impression “, take a look at our list of 17 sure-shot persuasive techniques that will surely transform you into a master public speaker.

Ethos is a public speaking technique that relies on the credibility and authority of the speaker to persuade the audience. To use ethos in public speaking, a speaker must convince their audience that they are a reliable and informed source. 

They can showcase ethos by sharing personal stories that prove their connection to the topic. This way, the speaker can build trust with their audience and increase the likelihood.

For example, a doctor giving a speech on a medical topic may use ethos by highlighting their qualifications and years of experience in the field. A CEO speaking at a business conference may use ethos by referencing the company’s success and leadership track record.

Additionally, a speaker can use ethos to build rapport with the audience. For instance, a public figure or celebrity may use ethos by sharing personal stories or experiences that the audience can relate to.

Here are some ways in which ethos can be a persuasive technique:

• Establishing credibility: Ethos helps establish the speaker’s credibility and expertise.  Speakers can influence the audience with their credibility. The speaker can establish credibility through personal credentials or references to recognized authorities in the field.
• Building trust: Ethos plays a significant role in building trust between the speaker and the audience. When the audience trusts the speaker, they are more open to accepting their viewpoint or proposal. Consistent and reliable communication can help develop confidence.
• Appealing to shared values: One can enhance ethos by aligning the speaker’s message with the audience’s values and beliefs. Emphasizing a common ground can help the speakers prove that they understand the audience’s perspective. This shared value system strengthens ethos’s persuasive impact.
• Presenting logical reasoning: Speakers can reinforce by giving logical reasoning and a well-structured argument. Showcasing a clear thought process can help speakers prove their ability to analyze information. This logical appeal enhances the speaker’s credibility and persuasiveness.

Pathos is the use of emotions to persuade an audience. It connects with people’s values and feelings, making the speaker relatable and trustworthy. It helps establish an emotional connection, making listeners pay attention to them. 

Emotions can motivate action and inspire people to support causes or change behavior. It’s essential to use pathos without manipulating emotions.

For instance, a politician uses pathos to assure the audience that he cares for his community.

Here are some ways in which pathos can be a persuasive technique:

• Emotional engagement: Pathos aims to connect with the audience by appealing to their desires, fears, aspirations, or values. Speakers evoke emotions like empathy, compassion, joy, anger, or fear to establish a strong bond with the audience. This emotional engagement increases the audience’s receptiveness to the message.
• Relatability: Pathos uses relatable situations or stories that connect with the audience’s experiences and emotions. When the audience sees themselves or people they care about in the narrative, they become more invested in the message. This relatability strengthens the persuasive impact of pathos.
• Storytelling: Pathos often utilizes storytelling techniques to create emotional impact. Stories transport the audience into a different world.
• Empathy and compassion: Pathos can be persuasive by appealing to the audience’s sense of empathy and compassion. Highlighting the suffering, challenges, or needs of others can help speakers trigger the audience’s empathy and motivate them to take action. 
• Using vivid language and imagery: Pathos employs vivid language and imagery to evoke strong emotions. Using descriptive words, metaphors, or visual cues can help speakers influence the audience. This imagery enhances the persuasive impact of pathos.
• Addressing values and beliefs: Pathos can be persuasive by aligning the message with the audience’s values and views. When the message aligns with the audience’s core values, they will trust the speaker. 

The term “logos” originates from the Greek word for “word” or “reason.” Logos appeal to the audience’s sense of reason and logic by using facts, statistics, and arguments. It refers to using logical reasoning, evidence, and points to persuade an audience or make an argument more convincing. 

When employing logos, the goal is to present a logical and rational case that appeals to the audience’s intellect and ability to reason.

In persuasive communication, one can achieve logos through several means:

• Evidence and Data: It involves presenting factual information, statistics, research findings, and expert opinions to support an argument. It includes citing reliable sources, studies, surveys, and other empirical evidence. 
• Logical Reasoning involves employing deductive or inductive reasoning to prove a logical progression of ideas. It includes using premises and evidence to reach a valid conclusion. Deductive reasoning starts with general principles and moves to specific findings, while inductive reasoning begins with detailed observations and moves toward broader generalizations.
• Cause and Effect:  It can help predict the likely consequences of certain actions.
• Analogies and Comparisons: Drawing parallels between similar situations or concepts to help the audience understand a complex argument. 
• Logical Fallacies: Recognizing and avoiding logical fallacies can undermine an argument’s strength. Examples of logical fallacies include ad hominem attacks (attacking a person instead of their opinion), straw man arguments (misrepresenting an opponent’s position), or false dichotomies (presenting only two options when more exist).

4. Appeal to Authority

“Appeal to authority” involves referencing an authority figure or expert in a particular field to support an argument or claim. 

It relies on the idea that if an expert or respected figure endorses a position or statement, it is more likely to be valid and persuasive to the audience. The authority figure may have specialized knowledge, expertise, or experience that lends credibility to their opinion.

Here’s how appeal to authority functions as a persuasive technique:

• Credibility:  The assumption is that the authority figure is knowledgeable and reliable in their field. Thus, their endorsement adds weight to the argument.
• Expertise: Authorities are often individuals who have achieved a high level of expertise or specialization in a particular subject. Citing their expertise in the speech can leverage the authority’s knowledge to support their argument.
• Social Proof: People tend to look to authority figures for guidance and validation. When an authority endorses a position, it can create a sense of social proof. It suggests that many others in the field or domain agree with the argument, which can influence the audience’s perception and make them more likely to accept the viewpoint.

However, it is essential to use the appeal to authority technique carefully. Here are a couple of considerations:

• Relevance: The authority cited should be relevant to the topic. The authority’s expertise and knowledge should relate to the argument. The appeal to authority may be fallacious if the connection needs to be stronger or more relevant.
• Context: It’s essential to consider the context and the range of expert opinions within a field. Authorities can disagree on some issues. Appealing to one authority may overlook alternative viewpoints or conflicting evidence. It is wise to present a balanced view by acknowledging many sources or providing a range of perspectives.

5. Appeal to Tradition

Appealing to tradition can tap into people’s reverence for established customs, practices, and beliefs. When speakers reference traditions, they create a sense of familiarity, stability, and legitimacy around their arguments or proposals. 

Here are a few reasons why appealing to tradition can be effective:

• Emotional connection: Traditions often evoke strong emotions and sentiments in people. Speakers can tap into individuals’ emotional attachment toward their cultural heritage or long-standing practices by appealing to familiar traditions. This emotional connection can build rapport and create a sense of shared identity between the speaker and the audience.
• Perceived wisdom: Traditions are often repositories of accumulated knowledge and experience. When a speaker references tradition, they can imply that the ideas or practices associated with it have stood the test of time. It can lend credibility to the speaker’s arguments and make them appear more trustworthy and knowledgeable.
• Stability and continuity: Tradition is often associated with stability, continuity, and order. Appealing to tradition can help speakers present their ideas in a way that preserves or restores established norms. It can be particularly effective when addressing an audience resistant to change.
• Social cohesion: Traditions can play a significant role in fostering a sense of belonging and community. When speakers appeal to tradition, they can emphasize the shared values, rituals, or customs that bind a group together. It helps create a sense of unity and cohesion within the audience, making them more receptive to the speaker’s message.

However, it is essential to note that while appealing to tradition can be persuasive, it is only sometimes a valid or logical argument. Speakers should use their discretion.

6. Appeal to Common Sense

It allows speakers to tap into shared beliefs, intuitive reasoning, and practical knowledge.  Presenting arguments or ideas as “common sense” can help speakers create a sense of credibility.

Here are a few reasons why appealing to common sense can be effective:

• Accessibility: Common sense is primary, and everyday knowledge is accessible to everyone. Framing arguments as common sense helps speakers make their ideas more relatable, overcome comprehension barriers, and engage listeners who need more specialized knowledge or expertise.
• Agreement and consensus: When speakers appeal to common sense, they tap into shared beliefs or ideas of a community.  It can foster a feeling of validation and make the listeners more receptive to the speaker’s message.
• Logical coherence: Common sense is often associated with logical reasoning and practicality. It can strengthen a message’s persuasiveness. Listeners are more likely to accept ideas that appear rational and align with their intuitive reasoning.
• Emotional resonance: Appeals to common sense often tap into people’s emotions. Presenting arguments as common sense helps speakers evoke many emotions. This emotional resonance can create a connection between the speaker and the audience and make the listeners more inclined to accept the speaker’s viewpoint.

7. Repetition

Repeating a key point or phrase throughout a speech reinforces its importance and makes it more memorable. Repetition is an essential persuasive technique in public speaking for several reasons:

• Reinforcement: Repetition helps reinforce critical points or messages. Repeating important ideas or phrases increases the likelihood that your audience will remember them, driving home the main points of your speech and making them more memorable.
• Emphasis: Repetition can help emphasize particular ideas or arguments. Repeating a phrase or a word can help speakers draw attention to it and signal its significance. It can help create a sense of importance and urgency in the minds of your listeners.
• Clarity: Repetition can enhance clarity and understanding. Complex ideas or concepts sometimes need repetition to ensure the audience comprehends them. Repeating information can help speakers give listeners more opportunities to grasp the content of their speech.
• Persuasion through familiarity: Repetition can create understanding and build rapport with the audience. When you repeat a phrase, it becomes more familiar to the listeners, leading to a sense of trust. As a result, the duplicated message may be more persuasive because it has become more comfortable and familiar to the audience.
• Emotional impact: Repetition can profoundly affect the audience. Repeating emotionally charged words or phrases can evoke strong emotions. It can be effective in rallying support, inspiring action, or generating enthusiasm among the listeners.

8. Rhetorical Questions

Rhetorical questions are an essential persuasive technique in public speaking. They help engage the audience, provoke thought, and encourage active participation. When posed with a rhetorical question, the speaker doesn’t expect a direct answer. Instead, these questions aim to make the audience reflect on the implied solution or consider a particular viewpoint. 

Here are some reasons why rhetorical questions are practical in persuasive public speaking:

• Capturing attention: Rhetorical questions create curiosity and grab the audience’s attention. When a speaker poses a thought-provoking question, it encourages listeners to focus on the topic and become more engaged in the speech.
• Stimulating critical thinking: Rhetorical questions encourage the audience to think and reflect on their beliefs, attitudes, and experiences. These questions prompt self-reflection and enable listeners to develop a deeper understanding of the speaker’s argument and consider alternative perspectives.
• Establishing rapport: When listeners feel involved in the speech through rhetorical questioning, they will feel a personal connection to the speaker.
• Emphasizing key points: Rhetorical questions can emphasize essential topics in a speech. Asking a question, the speaker directs the audience’s attention to the significance of that point.
• Building anticipation: Rhetorical questions can create suspense and a logical progression of ideas. Asking a question helps the audience become eager to hear the speaker’s response or explanation.
• Overcoming resistance: Posing a question that challenges a common misconception helps the speaker guide the audience toward accepting their perspective without outright confrontation.
• Adding rhetorical flair : Well-crafted rhetorical questions can enhance a speech’s persuasive appeal and make the lesson more memorable.

Public speakers make use of analogies in their speeches to illustrate a point. Comparing something complex to something straightforward can help the audience understand the concept better. 

Analogies can be effective persuasive techniques in public speaking for several reasons:

• Simplifying complex ideas : Analogies allow speakers to streamline complex or abstract concepts.  Using an analogy helps speakers break down complex ideas into simpler terms. This helps make the message more accessible and relatable to the audience.
• Enhancing comprehension: When a speaker uses an analogy, it provides a frame of reference that aids in understanding and comprehending the matter. It allows the audience to bridge the gap between what they already know and the presented concept. 
• Creating emotional connection: Analogies can evoke emotions in the audience, making them more receptive. Comparing a situation to something emotionally charged helps the speakers tap into the audience’s emotions. 
• Making ideas memorable: Analogies often use vivid imagery or storytelling. This makes ideas more special for the audience. Speakers use analogies to create mental associations between the metaphor and concept. This association helps the audience retain and recall the information long after the speech. 
• Overcoming resistance or objections : Analogies can be powerful tools for addressing complaints or overcoming opposition from the audience. Analogies offer a different perspective to help the audience see the issue from a new angle.
• Building rapport and credibility: Speakers who use analogies that resonate with the audience’s lives or values demonstrate empathy and establish a connection. This connection enhances the speaker’s credibility and trustworthiness. 

10. Metaphor

Many call metaphor a connection or bridge between the new and the familiar to better explain a complex concept or idea to the audience/listener. According to the dictionary, a metaphor implies comparing two unlike things.

For instance, “Memories are bullets. Some whiz by and only spook you. Others tear you open and leave you in pieces.” In this sentence from Kill the Dead, Richard Kadrey, memories are being compared to bullets. The metaphorical reference helps readers identify and resonate with certain emotions or experiences.

Metaphors can be effective persuasive techniques in public speaking for several reasons:

• Visual and sensory language: Metaphors can help speakers create a graphic mental image or evoke sensory experiences in the audience. This visual and sensory language captures the audience’s attention, engages their imagination, and makes the message more memorable.
• Emotional appeal: Metaphors often carry emotional connotations or associations, allowing speakers to tap into the audience’s emotions. This emotional appeal enhances the persuasive impact of the speech. 
• Simplifying complex ideas: Similar to analogies, metaphors help simplify complex ideas by comparing the concept to something more familiar or relatable. Metaphors provide a tangible frame of reference that makes abstract concepts easier to understand.
• Memorable and engaging storytelling: Speakers use metaphors to tell stories or narratives, helping to create a captivating experience for the audience. Stories have a natural structure and emotional resonance that can captivate attention, help sustain interest, and make the message more compelling and memorable.
• Persuasive impact through association : Metaphors can leverage the power of association to influence the audience’s understanding of a topic. This association can shape how the audience interprets and evaluates the information.
• Bridging cultural or conceptual gaps : Metaphors can be particularly effective when speaking to diverse audiences. Metaphors can bridge gaps by using familiar symbols or references that transcend cultural or linguistic boundaries. 

When used well, metaphors can capture the audience’s attention, resonate with their emotions, enhance understanding, and persuade them to adopt the speaker’s perspective or take the desired action.

Public speakers can use humor to engage the audience and make their message more memorable. Here are some tips on how to use humor in your speeches:

• Know your audience: Understand your audience’s preferences, values, and cultural backgrounds. Tailor your humor to their sensibilities, avoiding any offensive or controversial topics. 
• Be authentic: Use humor that reflects your personality and style. Authenticity helps establish a connection with the audience and makes your humor more relatable. 
• Start with a strong opening: Begin your speech with a well-crafted humorous anecdote or a witty remark. These tactics will help grab your audience’s attention from the start, set a positive tone, and make people more receptive to your message. 
• Use appropriate jokes and anecdotes: Incorporate relevant jokes, stories, or anecdotes that align with your topic. Make sure they serve a purpose and support your key points. Analogies and metaphors can inject humor while making your message more relatable. 
• Timing is crucial: Deliver your humor appropriately to maximize its impact. Use pauses to allow the audience to react and laugh, and avoid rushing through your punchlines or jokes.
• Self-deprecating humor: Light-hearted self-deprecating humor can build rapport with your audience and show humility. However, be careful not to undermine your credibility or come across as insecure.
• Use visual aids : Incorporate humorous visuals into your presentation slides or handouts. Visual humor can enhance the impact of your message and make it more memorable.
• Practice and refine: Test your humor with small audiences or trusted friends before delivering it to a larger crowd. Pay attention to their reactions and refine your jokes or delivery based on their feedback.
• Avoid offensive or divisive humor : Avoid jokes that could offend or alienate your audience. Also, avoid sensitive topics, controversial issues, or anything that could create discomfort or awkwardness. 
• Balance humor with your main message: While humor can be persuasive, remember that your speech’s primary goal is to deliver a message. Ensure that your humor is consistent with your main points. Maintain a balance between entertainment and the substance of your speech.

Remember that not all situations require humor. You must gauge the appropriateness of humour based on the context, subject matter, and tone you want to set. Use humor to enhance your persuasive impact.

12. Emphasis

Public speakers can use vocal emphasis, hand gestures, or body language to emphasize a critical point and make it more memorable. Emphasis involves highlighting certain words, phrases, or ideas to make them stand out and create a lasting impression. 

Here are some ways you can use emphasis in your public speaking to persuade your audience:

• Vocal Variety: Adjust your tone, volume, and speed of speech to emphasize important points. Use a louder voice or a slower pace to draw attention to key concepts. Soften your voice or speed up to create contrast and emphasize a change or surprising idea.
• Pause: Strategic pauses can enhance emphasis by allowing the audience to reflect on what you said. After delivering a crucial point, pause to give your listeners a moment to absorb and process the information. It can create a sense of anticipation and make your message more impactful.
• Repetition: Repeating a word or phrase can emphasize its significance and help reinforce your message. Use this technique to avoid sounding monotonous. Repetition can create a rhythmic effect and make your point more memorable.
• Gesture and Body Language: Accompany your words with appropriate gestures and body language to amplify the emphasis. Use hand movements, facial expressions, and body posture to highlight key ideas. For example, you can raise your hand or extend your arms when emphasizing a crucial point.
• Contrast and Comparison: Emphasize your message by contrasting ideas or scenarios. This technique can help your audience understand the value and uniqueness of your argument.
• Visual Aids: Incorporate visual aids such as charts, graphs, or images that complement your speech. In your presentation slides, emphasize essential data or critical points by using bold fonts, colours, or highlighting techniques. Visual elements can enhance the impact of your message and make it more persuasive.
• Rhetorical Devices: Utilize rhetorical devices such as metaphors, similes, or analogies to create vivid imagery and emphasize your ideas. These devices engage the audience’s imagination, making your message more relatable and memorable.

13. Hyperbole

Public speakers may sometimes use exaggerated language to make a point or garner the audience’s attention.

Hyperbole is a significant persuasive technique because it involves exaggeration for dramatic effect. Stretching the truth or magnifying a particular aspect of a situation with hyperbole can help capture the audience’s attention. 

Here are a few reasons why hyperbole is impactful in persuasion:

• Attention-grabbing: Hyperbolic statements are often attention-grabbing because they stand out from everyday language. Hyperbole can immediately capture the listener’s attention.
• Memorable: Exaggeration tends to stick in people’s minds. Hyperbole can make a public speaker’s message more memorable and increase the chances of people agreeing with the argument. Its vivid and larger-than-life nature can leave a lasting impression.
• Emotional appeal: Hyperbole helps to evoke strong emotions and create a sense of urgency or intensity. Amplifying a situation’s impact or consequences with hyperbole can help stir up emotions among the audience. This emotional response can motivate the audience to take action or align with the speaker’s viewpoint.
• Emphasizing key points : When one exaggerates a decision’s positive or negative consequences, the speaker can draw attention to specific points.
• Persuasive effect: Hyperbole can be an effective tool in itself. Persuasive communicators can create a sense of credibility or expertise. Hyperbole implies that the situation is so extreme that only a unique solution or perspective can address it.

14. Storytelling

Storytelling creates emotional connections, enhances memorability, clarifies complex ideas, overcomes resistance, builds trust, and inspires action. Speakers can use storytelling to engage and persuade their audience. 

Storytelling is a powerful and essential persuasive speaking technique for several reasons:

• Emotional connection: Stories can evoke emotions in listeners. Sharing a compelling narrative can help speakers tap into the audience’s emotions. It can help create a deeper connection and empathy. Speakers can persuade people with constant emotional engagement.
• Memorable and engaging: Humans tend to respond to stories. Unlike facts and statistics, which people forget, stories have a lasting impact on our memory. Speakers who incorporate storytelling into their presentations make their message more memorable, enhancing the audience’s attention and retention of the information.
• Illustrating concepts and ideas: Storytelling allows speakers to explain complex ideas or concepts in a more relatable way. With the right characters, settings, and plots, speakers can understandably present abstract or technical information. Stories provide context and vivid imagery, making the message more concrete and tangible.
• Overcoming resistance: When trying to persuade an audience, there may be resistance or skepticism toward the speaker’s message. Storytelling, through real-life examples, personal experiences, or testimonials, helps to address these barriers.
• Inspiring action:   Stories have the power to inspire and drive people to action. Presenting stories with compelling characters, conflicts, and resolutions helps speakers create a sense of urgency. It also helps inspire empathy and mobilize the audience toward the desired outcome.

15. Inclusive Language

Inclusive language is a compelling speaking technique that fosters a sense of belonging. It also helps build credibility and trust, increasing relatability and connection. It challenges biases, encourages empathy and understanding, and demonstrates social awareness. 

Employing inclusive language can help speakers create an inclusive and welcoming environment and influence the audience’s perception and reception of their message.

Inclusive language is a compelling, persuasive speaking technique for several reasons:

• Fostering a sense of belonging: Inclusive language acknowledges and respects the audience’s diversity. Using inclusive pronouns, avoiding gendered or biased language, and being mindful of cultural sensitivities can help speakers create an environment where everyone feels valued and included. It fosters a sense of belonging, enhancing the audience’s receptiveness to the speaker’s message.
• Increasing relatability and connection : Inclusive language allows speakers to connect with a broader range of individuals. When individuals feel seen and represented in the speaker’s message, they are more likely to engage with the content.
• Overcoming biases and preconceptions: Language can shape perceptions and reinforce biases. Using inclusive language can help speakers challenge stereotypes and prejudices within the audience.
• Encouraging empathy and understanding:   When speakers use inclusive language to tell stories or present examples, they bridge gaps of understanding and create opportunities for empathy. 
• Demonstrating social awareness and responsibility: Inclusive language reflects a speaker’s commitment to social awareness and responsibility. Choosing words and phrases that are respectful and inclusive helps speakers show their understanding of societal issues. It also shows their dedication to promoting equality and fairness. This can enhance the speaker’s credibility and appeal to the audience’s values.

16. Call to Action

The effectiveness of a call to action depends on other factors, such as the speaker’s credibility, the topic’s relevance to the audience, and the structure and delivery of the speech. 

Here are a few ways in which a call to action can be persuasive:

• Directness: A call to action provides clear and direct instruction to the audience about what they should do next. The speaker eliminates ambiguity and makes it easier for the listeners to understand with a CTA.
• Clarity of purpose: A well-crafted call to action communicates the purpose and goal of the speech. It highlights the benefits or positive outcomes of the suggested activity. This makes it more appealing and persuasive to the audience.
• Emotional appeal: A call to action can tap into the audience’s emotions, evoking excitement, urgency, or empathy. Connecting the action with emotions can help speakers create a sense of motivation. It can also create a drive within the listeners, increasing the likelihood of them responding to the call.
• Sense of empowerment: A solid call to action empowers the audience by making them feel that their efforts can make a difference.
• Repetition and reinforcement: A persuasive speaker may repeat and reinforce the call to action throughout the speech, leaving a solid impression on the audience.
• Visual imagery and storytelling:   A speaker can use a call to action to make his argument more persuasive by incorporating vivid imagery or storytelling techniques. This way, the speaker can captivate the audience’s attention, making the call to action more memorable and persuasive.

17.  Appeal to Self-Interest

The Appeal to Self-Interest aims to convince individuals by demonstrating how a particular action, idea, or proposition is beneficial to their self-interests. It is based on the premise that people are generally motivated by their needs, desires, and well-being.

Here are some reasons why the Appeal to Self-Interest is an important persuasive technique:

• Relevance: The Appeal to Self-Interest directly addresses individuals’ concerns and priorities. When speakers highlight the specific benefits or advantages that can be gained by accepting the proposition, it becomes more relevant and meaningful to the audience. This increases the likelihood of their engagement and willingness to consider the persuasive message.
• Motivation: People are naturally inclined to take actions that serve their self-interests. The appeal to self-interest can help tap into this intrinsic motivation by aligning a proposition with their desires, aspirations, or needs. It provides a clear incentive for individuals to act as they perceive it as advantageous or beneficial to their well-being.
• Personalization: This technique allows the persuasive message to be tailored to individual preferences and circumstances. Understanding the unique needs and concerns of the audience can help speakers craft their arguments and present information that directly appeals to their self-interests. This personalization creates a stronger connection and resonance with the listeners.
• Overcoming resistance: People are often skeptical and resistant to ideas that seem like they need to be more directly relevant or beneficial to them. The Appeal to Self-Interest helps overcome this resistance by presenting a clear case for how the proposition addresses their specific needs or solves their problems. Demonstrating personal value or advantages reduces skepticism and increases the chances of acceptance.
• Emotional engagement: The Appeal to Self-Interest can evoke emotions such as excitement, satisfaction, or security by highlighting the positive outcomes that can be achieved. When individuals feel emotionally engaged and connected to a proposition, they are more likely to be persuaded by it. The persuasive message resonates with their desires and aspirations, triggering a positive emotional response that supports their decision-making process.
• Practicality and applicability: Focusing on self-interest’s persuasive message becomes more practical and applicable to individuals’ daily lives. It emphasizes the immediate and tangible benefits that can be obtained, making the proposition appear more realistic and achievable. This increases the persuasiveness of the message by showing individuals how it can make a concrete difference in their lives.

Key Takeaway

Persuasive techniques combine rational appeal, emotional connection, and ethical credibility. Crafted arguments can engage emotions and build trust with the audience. Using a variety of persuasive techniques in the right way empowers individuals to communicate. It also inspires action and achieves desired outcomes. 

Public speaking can be intimidating, but mastering the right techniques can transform it into a potent tool for leaving a lasting impact on your audience. Whether you’re seeking a speaker or are one yourself, look no further than Gazebo—Speaker Directory by Eventible. With Eventible’s Gazebo Speaker Directory, you can discover passionate and seasoned public speakers who can deliver remarkable speeches at your upcoming event.

If you’re a speaker eager to establish your presence on Eventible’s Gazebo Speaker Directory, complete this convenient Google form . Take advantage of the opportunity to showcase your expertise and connect with a wider audience. 

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Alison Bensch

Senior director of global events, cloudinary, proudest of.

In both cases, we had to figure out how to take what are historically in-person events and translate them into engaging virtual experiences with a team of just two in-house event marketers, counting myself.

ImageCon is our flagship customer summit. In 2021, more than 1,700 people across 107 countries registered for the two-day event, which included 20 virtual sessions designed to help retailers unleash the full potential of their visual media.

Our hosted event series included about 8 virtual events across North America and EMEA markets. To drive up attendance and engagement, we hosted unique virtual cooking and mixology classes, wine tastings, tequila pairings, and more, with celebrity chefs and bartenders such as Marcus Samuelsson, Julio Cabrero, and Amanda Freitag.

Rockstar Mode

ImageCon was a success, in part, because we secured high-quality speakers and focused on providing true value to attendees by creating sessions to optimize their usage of the Cloudinary platform to improve their business. We featured customers in the content by doing customer spotlights. We also improved the production level of the summit by partnering with an agency.

I am proud we were able to pull off a high-quality event of this scale while managing 30 other events for the year.

Prior to the pandemic, our hosted event series consisted of in-person dinners and intimate happy hours. We wanted to recreate these virtually, without making them feel like webinars. We succeeded, in part, because we invested in high-quality talent to attract participants and create fun, memorable moments we probably could not have pulled off in-person.

We also took pains to make the events as easy as possible to attend, for example, by mailing guests meal kits or drink kits with everything they needed to participate. Of course, everything was branded, right down to the salt and pepper. We know our attendees’ time is precious, so we encouraged them to involve their family and were sure to include enough food and/or drink to share.

After the experience, we broke out into small groups, allowing people to network with peers and Cloudinary team members, who led discussions on relevant industry topics. Thus, attendees topped off a great culinary or cocktail experience with valuable learnings that could help their business. In fact, I see us continuing with some of these virtual events even after we have resumed in-person ones.

Our on-demand event content is now a powerful sales enablement tool for our sales team, who share session recordings with prospective customers, as well as existing ones who are considering adding on a new capability. We will continue to measure the performance of this content.

For the hosted events, we evaluate success by measuring pipeline acceleration. So, we consider where event guests are in their consideration process before attending the event. We use the event, and event follow-up, to help move the prospect or customer to the finish line. We usually see prospects who engaged in marketing campaigns were more likely to close, and close faster, than those who did not attend an event.

While this is harder to measure, we know our event series keeps the Cloudinary brand top of mind and deepens our relationship with customers. We document the positive feedback we receive from attendees and sales reps for internal use and marketing purposes.

Survivor Mode

Another challenge was creating an event strategy against a backdrop of so much uncertainty. I have seen industry colleagues invest resources in planning in-person events, only to have to rejigger in the final hour. I made the decision from the onset of the year to plan for virtual events, given our small team and resources. This allowed us to create more effective and engaging virtual events from the start and maximize our budget.

Nothing beats in-person events, and I am excited to be moving forward with these in 2022. But I plan to continue with digital and hybrid events, as well, for a number of reasons. When done right, they can be more memorable than in-person ones, and certainly more convenient. They also allow me to engage people across a wider geographic region (all of Europe for example or across the US), which leads to cost-savings and unique and widened interactions for our attendees.

Annie Yuzzi VP

Global corporate events and experiences, sumo logic, bethany roskin murphy, director of global events, drift, charlene kate ditch, founder, charlene kate events, gabrielle d., global events director, automation anywhere, gerilynn marburger, director, global events, hewlett packard enterprise, hollie ashby, senior manager, cxo and third party events, palo alto networks, lindsey cohen, director- event marketing, snyk, ceo & chief event strategist, liz king events, nicola kastner, vice president, global head of event strategy, sap, rachel russell, field marketing manager, even, samantha calle, associate director, xandr, margaret shaeffer, head of field marketing & events, linearb, traci depuy, head of global events, salesforce, dale rickert, global conference head of greentech festival, matthew lin, head of marketing, beetc, emilie watrob, head of event marketing, zs, katherine leong, director, corporate events, gainsight, sr. director, marketing technology (brand and events), salesforce, karim youssef, creative director, dpw, elizabeth thomas, head of global events, elastic, gerry schneider, vp events at wearedevelopers, director, global events at hewlett packard enterprise, mike kalyan, event and seminar marketing manager, shrm.

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11.4 Persuasive Strategies

Learning objectives.

• Identify common persuasive strategies.
• Explain how speakers develop ethos.
• Explain how speakers appeal to logos and pathos.
• Explain how cognitive dissonance works as a persuasive strategy.
• Explain the relationship between motivation and appeals to needs as persuasive strategies.

Do you think you are easily persuaded? If you are like most people, you aren’t swayed easily to change your mind about something. Persuasion is difficult because changing views often makes people feel like they were either not informed or ill informed, which also means they have to admit they were wrong about something. We will learn about nine persuasive strategies that you can use to more effectively influence audience members’ beliefs, attitudes, and values. They are ethos, logos, pathos, positive motivation, negative motivation, cognitive dissonance, appeal to safety needs, appeal to social needs, and appeal to self-esteem needs.

Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

Ethos, logos, and pathos were Aristotle’s three forms of rhetorical proof, meaning they were primary to his theories of persuasion. Ethos refers to the credibility of a speaker and includes three dimensions: competence, trustworthiness, and dynamism. The two most researched dimensions of credibility are competence and trustworthiness (Stiff & Mongeau, 2003).

Competence refers to the perception of a speaker’s expertise in relation to the topic being discussed. A speaker can enhance their perceived competence by presenting a speech based in solid research and that is well organized and practiced. Competent speakers must know the content of their speech and be able to effectively deliver that content. Trustworthiness refers to the degree that audience members perceive a speaker to be presenting accurate, credible information in a nonmanipulative way. Perceptions of trustworthiness come from the content of the speech and the personality of the speaker. In terms of content, trustworthy speakers consider the audience throughout the speech-making process, present information in a balanced way, do not coerce the audience, cite credible sources, and follow the general principles of communication ethics. In terms of personality, trustworthy speakers are also friendly and warm (Stiff & Mongeau, 2003).

Dynamism refers to the degree to which audience members perceive a speaker to be outgoing and animated (Stiff & Mongeau, 2003). Two components of dynamism are charisma and energy. Charisma refers to a mixture of abstract and concrete qualities that make a speaker attractive to an audience. Charismatic people usually know they are charismatic because they’ve been told that in their lives, and people have been attracted to them.

Dynamic speakers develop credibility through their delivery skills.

City Temple SDA Church, Dallas, Texas – Februrary 2, 2013, Oakwood University, Dynamic Priase – CC BY-SA 2.0.

Unfortunately, charisma is difficult to intentionally develop, and some people seem to have a naturally charismatic personality, while others do not. Even though everyone can’t embody the charismatic aspect of dynamism, the other component of dynamism, energy, is something that everyone can tap into. Communicating enthusiasm for your topic and audience by presenting relevant content and using engaging delivery strategies such as vocal variety and eye contact can increase your dynamism.

Logos refers to the reasoning or logic of an argument. The presence of fallacies would obviously undermine a speaker’s appeal to logos. Speakers employ logos by presenting credible information as supporting material and verbally citing their sources during their speech. Using the guidelines from our earlier discussion of reasoning will also help a speaker create a rational appeal. Research shows that messages are more persuasive when arguments and their warrants are made explicit (Stiff & Mongeau, 2003). Carefully choosing supporting material that is verifiable, specific, and unbiased can help a speaker appeal to logos. Speakers can also appeal to logos by citing personal experience and providing the credentials and/or qualifications of sources of information (Cooper & Nothstine, 1996). Presenting a rational and logical argument is important, but speakers can be more effective persuaders if they bring in and refute counterarguments. The most effective persuasive messages are those that present two sides of an argument and refute the opposing side, followed by single argument messages, followed by messages that present counterarguments but do not refute them (Stiff & Mongeau, 2003). In short, by clearly showing an audience why one position is superior to another, speakers do not leave an audience to fill in the blanks of an argument, which could diminish the persuasive opportunity.

Pathos refers to emotional appeals. Aristotle was suspicious of too much emotional appeal, yet this appears to have become more acceptable in public speaking. Stirring emotions in an audience is a way to get them involved in the speech, and involvement can create more opportunities for persuasion and action. Reading in the paper that a house was burglarized may get your attention, but think about how different your reaction would be if you found out it was your own home. Intentionally stirring someone’s emotions to get them involved in a message that has little substance would be unethical. Yet such spellbinding speakers have taken advantage of people’s emotions to get them to support causes, buy products, or engage in behaviors that they might not otherwise, if given the chance to see the faulty logic of a message.

Effective speakers should use emotional appeals that are also logically convincing, since audiences may be suspicious of a speech that is solely based on emotion. Emotional appeals are effective when you are trying to influence a behavior or you want your audience to take immediate action (Stiff & Mongeau, 2003). Emotions lose their persuasive effect more quickly than other types of persuasive appeals. Since emotions are often reactionary, they fade relatively quickly when a person is removed from the provoking situation (Fletcher, 2001).

Emotional appeals are also difficult for some because they require honed delivery skills and the ability to use words powerfully and dramatically. The ability to use vocal variety, cadence, and repetition to rouse an audience’s emotion is not easily attained. Think of how stirring Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was due to his ability to evoke the emotions of the audience. Dr. King used powerful and creative language in conjunction with his vocalics to deliver one of the most famous speeches in our history. Using concrete and descriptive examples can paint a picture in your audience member’s minds. Speakers can also use literal images, displayed using visual aids, to appeal to pathos.

Speakers should strive to appeal to ethos, logos, and pathos within a speech. A speech built primarily on ethos might lead an audience to think that a speaker is full of himself or herself. A speech full of facts and statistics appealing to logos would result in information overload. Speakers who rely primarily on appeals to pathos may be seen as overly passionate, biased, or unable to see other viewpoints.

Review of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

• appearing competent, trustworthy, and dynamic;
• sharing their credentials and/or relevant personal experience;
• presenting a balanced and noncoercive argument;
• citing credible sources;
• using appropriate language and grammar;
• being perceived as likable; and
• appearing engaged with the topic and audience through effective delivery.
• presenting factual, objective information that serves as reasons to support the argument;
• presenting a sufficient amount of relevant examples to support a proposition;
• deriving conclusions from known information; and
• using credible supporting material like expert testimony, definitions, statistics, and literal or historical analogies.
• using vivid language to paint word pictures for audience members;
• providing lay testimony (personal stories from self or others);
• using figurative language such as metaphor, similes, and personification; and
• using vocal variety, cadence, and repetition.

Dissonance, Motivation, and Needs

Aristotle’s three rhetorical proofs—ethos, logos, and pathos—have been employed as persuasive strategies for thousands of years. More recently, persuasive strategies have been identified based on theories and evidence related to human psychology. Although based in psychology, such persuasive strategies are regularly employed and researched in communication due to their role in advertising, marketing, politics, and interpersonal relationships. The psychologically based persuasive appeals we will discuss are cognitive dissonance, positive and negative motivation, and appeals to needs.

Cognitive Dissonance

If you’ve studied music, you probably know what dissonance is. Some notes, when played together on a piano, produce a sound that’s pleasing to our ears. When dissonant combinations of notes are played, we react by wincing or cringing because the sound is unpleasant to our ears. So dissonance is that unpleasant feeling we get when two sounds clash. The same principle applies to cognitive dissonance , which refers to the mental discomfort that results when new information clashes with or contradicts currently held beliefs, attitudes, or values. Using cognitive dissonance as a persuasive strategy relies on three assumptions: (1) people have a need for consistency in their thinking; (2) when inconsistency exists, people experience psychological discomfort; and (3) this discomfort motivates people to address the inconsistency to restore balance (Stiff & Mongeau, 2003). In short, when new information clashes with previously held information, there is an unpleasantness that results, as we have to try to reconcile the difference.

Cognitive dissonance isn’t a single-shot persuasive strategy. As we have learned, people are resistant to change and not easy to persuade. While we might think that exposure to conflicting information would lead a rational person to change his or her mind, humans aren’t as rational as we think.

New, larger, and more graphic warning labels on cigarette packaging are meant to induce cognitive dissonance.

Mettamatt – Smoking ad campaign – CC BY-SA 2.0.

There are many different mental and logical acrobatics that people do to get themselves out of dissonance. Some frequently used strategies to resolve cognitive dissonance include discrediting the speaker or source of information, viewing yourself as an exception, seeking selective information that supports your originally held belief, or intentionally avoiding or ignoring sources of cognitive dissonance (Cooper & Nothstine, 1996). As you can see, none of those actually results in a person modifying their thinking, which means persuasive speech goals are not met. Of course, people can’t avoid dissonant information forever, so multiple attempts at creating cognitive dissonance can actually result in thought or behavior modification.

Positive and Negative Motivation

Positive and negative motivation are common persuasive strategies used by teachers, parents, and public speakers. Rewards can be used for positive motivation, and the threat of punishment or negative consequences can be used for negative motivation. We’ve already learned the importance of motivating an audience to listen to your message by making your content relevant and showing how it relates to their lives. We also learned an organizational pattern based on theories of motivation: Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. When using positive motivation , speakers implicitly or explicitly convey to the audience that listening to their message or following their advice will lead to positive results. Conversely, negative motivation implies or states that failure to follow a speaker’s advice will result in negative consequences. Positive and negative motivation as persuasive strategies match well with appeals to needs and will be discussed more next.

Appeals to Needs

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs states that there are several layers of needs that human beings pursue. They include physiological, safety, social, self-esteem, and self-actualization needs (Maslow, 1943). Since these needs are fundamental to human survival and happiness, tapping into needs is a common persuasive strategy. Appeals to needs are often paired with positive or negative motivation, which can increase the persuasiveness of the message.

Figure 11.3 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Physiological needs form the base of the hierarchy of needs. The closer the needs are to the base, the more important they are for human survival. Speakers do not appeal to physiological needs. After all, a person who doesn’t have food, air, or water isn’t very likely to want to engage in persuasion, and it wouldn’t be ethical to deny or promise these things to someone for persuasive gain. Some speakers attempt to appeal to self-actualization needs, but I argue that this is difficult to do ethically. Self-actualization refers to our need to achieve our highest potential, and these needs are much more intrapersonal than the others. We achieve our highest potential through things that are individual to us, and these are often things that we protect from outsiders. Some examples include pursuing higher education and intellectual fulfillment, pursuing art or music, or pursuing religious or spiritual fulfillment. These are often things we do by ourselves and for ourselves, so I like to think of this as sacred ground that should be left alone. Speakers are more likely to be successful at focusing on safety, social, and self-esteem needs.

We satisfy our safety needs when we work to preserve our safety and the safety of our loved ones. Speakers can combine appeals to safety with positive motivation by presenting information that will result in increased safety and security. Combining safety needs and negative motivation, a speaker may convey that audience members’ safety and security will be put at risk if the speaker’s message isn’t followed. Combining negative motivation and safety needs depends on using some degree of fear as a motivator. Think of how the insurance industry relies on appeals to safety needs for their business. While this is not necessarily a bad strategy, it can be done more or less ethically.

Ethics of Using Fear Appeals

• Do not overuse fear appeals.
• The threat must be credible and supported by evidence.
• Empower the audience to address the threat.

I saw a perfect example of a persuasive appeal to safety while waiting at the shop for my car to be fixed. A pamphlet cover with a yellow and black message reading, “Warning,” and a stark black and white picture of a little boy picking up a ball with the back fender of a car a few feet from his head beckoned to me from across the room. The brochure was produced by an organization called Kids and Cars, whose tagline is “Love them, protect them.” While the cover of the brochure was designed to provoke the receiver and compel them to open the brochure, the information inside met the ethical guidelines for using fear appeals. The first statistic noted that at least two children a week are killed when they are backed over in a driveway or parking lot. The statistic is followed by safety tips to empower the audience to address the threat. You can see a video example of how this organization effectively uses fear appeals in Video 11.1.

Video Clip 11.1

Kids and Cars: Bye-Bye Syndrome

(click to see video)

This video illustrates how a fear appeal aimed at safety needs can be persuasive. The goal is to get the attention of audience members and compel them to check out the information the organization provides. Since the information provided by the organization supports the credibility of the threat, empowers the audience to address the threat, and is free, this is an example of an ethical fear appeal.

Our social needs relate to our desire to belong to supportive and caring groups. We meet social needs through interpersonal relationships ranging from acquaintances to intimate partnerships. We also become part of interest groups or social or political groups that help create our sense of identity. The existence and power of peer pressure is a testament to the motivating power of social needs. People go to great lengths and sometimes make poor decisions they later regret to be a part of the “in-group.” Advertisers often rely on creating a sense of exclusivity to appeal to people’s social needs. Positive and negative motivation can be combined with social appeals. Positive motivation is present in messages that promise the receiver “in-group” status or belonging, and negative motivation can be seen in messages that persuade by saying, “Don’t be left out.” Although these arguments may rely on the bandwagon fallacy to varying degrees, they draw out insecurities people have about being in the “out-group.”

We all have a need to think well of ourselves and have others think well of us, which ties to our self-esteem needs . Messages that combine appeals to self-esteem needs and positive motivation often promise increases in respect and status. A financial planner may persuade by inviting a receiver to imagine prosperity that will result from accepting his or her message. A publicly supported radio station may persuade listeners to donate money to the station by highlighting a potential contribution to society. The health and beauty industries may persuade consumers to buy their products by promising increased attractiveness. While it may seem shallow to entertain such ego needs, they are an important part of our psychological makeup. Unfortunately, some sources of persuasive messages are more concerned with their own gain than the well-being of others and may take advantage of people’s insecurities in order to advance their persuasive message. Instead, ethical speakers should use appeals to self-esteem that focus on prosperity, contribution, and attractiveness in ways that empower listeners.

Review of Persuasive Strategies

• Ethos. Develops a speaker’s credibility.
• Logos. Evokes a rational, cognitive response from the audience.
• Pathos. Evokes an emotional response from the audience.
• Cognitive dissonance. Moves an audience by pointing out inconsistencies between new information and their currently held beliefs, attitudes, and values.
• Positive motivation. Promises rewards if the speaker’s message is accepted.
• Negative motivation. Promises negative consequences if a speaker’s message is rejected.
• Appeals to safety needs. Evokes an audience’s concern for their safety and the safety of their loved ones.
• Appeals to social needs. Evokes an audience’s need for belonging and inclusion.
• Appeals to self-esteem needs. Evokes an audience’s need to think well of themselves and have others think well of them, too.

“Getting Competent”

Identifying Persuasive Strategies in Mary Fisher’s “Whisper of AIDS” Speech

Mary Fisher’s speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention, “A Whisper of AIDS,” is one of the most moving and powerful speeches of the past few decades. She uses, more than once, all the persuasive strategies discussed in this chapter. The video and transcript of her speech can be found at the following link: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/maryfisher1992rnc.html . As you watch the speech, answer the following questions:

• Ethos. List specific examples of how the speaker develops the following dimensions of credibility: competence, trustworthiness, and dynamism.
• Logos. List specific examples of how the speaker uses logic to persuade her audience.
• Pathos. How did the speaker appeal to emotion? What metaphors did she use? What other communicative strategies (wording, imagery, etc.) appealed to your emotions?
• List at least one example of how the speaker uses positive motivation.
• List at least one example of how the speaker uses negative motivation.
• List at least one example of how the speaker appeals to safety needs.
• List at least one example of how the speaker appeals to social needs.
• List at least one example of how the speaker utilizes cognitive dissonance.

Sample Persuasive Speech

Title: Education behind Bars Is the Key to Rehabilitation

General purpose: To persuade

Specific purpose : By the end of my speech, my audience will believe that prisoners should have the right to an education.

Thesis statement: There should be education in all prisons, because denying prisoners an education has negative consequences for the prisoner and society, while providing them with an education provides benefits for the prisoner and society.

Introduction

Attention getter: “We must accept the reality that to confine offenders behind walls without trying to change them is an expensive folly with short-term benefits—winning battles while losing the war.” These words were spoken more than thirty years ago by Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger, and they support my argument today that prisoners should have access to education.

Introduction of topic: While we value education as an important part of our society, we do not value it equally for all. Many people don’t believe that prisoners should have access to an education, but I believe they do.

Credibility and relevance: While researching this topic, my eyes were opened up to how much an education can truly affect a prisoner, and given my desire to be a teacher, I am invested in preserving the right to learn for everyone, even if they are behind bars. While I know from our audience analysis activity that some of you do not agree with me, you never know when this issue may hit close to home. Someday, someone you love might make a mistake in their life and end up in prison, and while they are there I know you all would want them to receive an education so that when they get out, they will be better prepared to make a contribution to society.

Preview: Today, I invite you listen with an open mind as I discuss the need for prisoner education, a curriculum that will satisfy that need, and some benefits of prisoner education.

Transition: First I’ll explain why prisoners need access to education.

• His claim is supported by data collected directly from prisoners, 94 percent of whom identify education as a personal reentry need—ranking it above other needs such as financial assistance, housing, or employment.
• Despite the fact that this need is clearly documented, funding for adult and vocational education in correctional education has decreased.
• According to statistics from 2010, as cited in the Corrections Today article, approximately 40 percent of state prison inmates did not complete high school, as compared to 19 percent of the general population.
• Additionally, while about 48 percent of the general public have taken college classes, only about 11 percent of state prisoners have.
• At the skill level, research from the United Kingdom, cited in the 2003 article from Studies in the Education of Adults titled “Learning behind Bars: Time to Liberate Prison Education,” rates of illiteracy are much higher among the prison population than the general population, and there is a link between poor reading skills and social exclusion that may lead people to antisocial behavior.
• The article from Studies in the Education of Adults that I just cited states that prisoners are often treated as objects or subjected to objectifying labels like “ addict , sexual offender , and deviant .”
• While these labels may be accurate in many cases, they do not do much to move the prisoner toward rehabilitation.
• The label student , however, has the potential to do so because it has positive associations and can empower the prisoner to make better choices to enhance his or her confidence and self-worth.

Transition: Now that I’ve established the need for prisoner education, let’s examine how we can meet that need.

• Some states have implemented programs that require inmates to attend school for a certain amount of time if they do not meet minimum standards for certain skills such as reading or math.
• While these are useful programs, prisoner education shouldn’t be limited to or focused on those with the least amount of skills.
• The article notes that even prisoners who have attended or even graduated from college may benefit from education, as they can pursue specialized courses or certifications.
• These courses will teach prisoners basic reading, writing, and math skills that may be lacking.
• Since there is a stigma associated with a lack of these basic skills, early instruction should be one-one-one or in small groups.
• The second tier should prepare prisoners who have not completed the equivalent of high school to progress on to a curriculum modeled after that of most high schools, which will prepare them for a GED.
• Basic general education goals include speaking, writing, listening, reading, and math.
• Once these general education requirements have been met, prisoners should be able to pursue specialized vocational training or upper-level college courses in a major of study, which may need to be taken online through distance learning, since instructors may not be available to come to the actual prisons to teach.
• Some population-specific areas of study that wouldn’t be covered in a typical classroom include drug treatment and anger management.
• Life skills such as budgeting, money management, and healthy living can increase confidence.
• Classes that focus on social skills, parenting, or relational communication can also improve communication skills and relational satisfaction; for example, workshops teaching parenting skills have been piloted to give fathers the skills needed to more effectively communicate with their children, which can increase feelings of self-worth.
• Under the supervision of faculty and/or staff, prisoners could be given the task of organizing an outside speaker to come to the prison or put together a workshop.
• Students could also organize a debate against students on the outside, which could allow the prisoners to interact (face-to-face or virtually) with other students and allow them to be recognized for their academic abilities.
• Even within the prison, debates, trivia contests, paper contests, or speech contests could be organized between prisoners or between prisoners and prison staff as a means of healthy competition.
• Finally, prisoners who are successful students should be recognized and put into peer-mentoring roles, because, as Behan states in the article, “a prisoner who…has had an inspirational learning experience acts as a more positive advocate for the school than any [other method].”

Transition: The model for prisoner education that I have just outlined will have many benefits.

• The article I just cited from the Journal of Correctional Education states that the self-reflection and critical thinking that are fostered in an educational setting can help prisoners reflect on how their actions affected them, their victims, and/or their communities, which may increase self-awareness and help them better reconnect with a civil society and reestablish stronger community bonds.
• The Corrections Today article also notes that prisoners who completed a GED reoffended at a rate 20 percent lower than the general prison population, and those that completed a college degree reoffended at a rate 44 percent lower than the general prison population.
• Simply put, according to the article in the Studies in the Education of Adults I cited earlier, the skills gained through good prison education programs make released prisoners more desirable employees, which increases their wages and helps remove them from a negative cycles of stigma and poverty that led many of them to crime in the first place.
• Further, the ability to maintain consistent employment has been shown to reduce the rate of reoffending.
• An entry on eHow.com by Kinney about the benefits of prisoners getting GEDs notes that a successful educational program in a prison can create a more humane environment that will positively affect the officers and staff as well.
• Such programs also allow prisoners to do more productive things with their time, which lessens violent and destructive behavior and makes prison workers’ jobs safer.
• Giving prisoners time-off-sentence credits for educational attainment can help reduce the prison population, as eligible inmates are released earlier because of their educational successes.
• As noted by the Corrections Today article, during the 2008–9 school year the credits earned by prisoners in the Indiana system led to more than $68 million dollars in avoided costs.

Transition to conclusion and summary of importance: In closing, it’s easy to see how beneficial a good education can be to a prisoner. Education may be something the average teenager or adult takes for granted, but for a prisoner it could be the start of a new life.

Review of main points: There is a clear need for prisoner education that can be met with a sound curriculum that will benefit prisoners, those who work in prisons, and society at large.

Closing statement: While education in prisons is still a controversial topic, I hope you all agree with me and Supreme Court Justice Burger, whose words opened this speech, when we say that locking a criminal away may offer a short-term solution in that it gets the criminal out of regular society, but it doesn’t better the prisoner and it doesn’t better us in the long run as a society.

Bayliss, P. (2003). Learning behind bars: Time to liberate prison education. Studies in the Education of Adults, 35 (2), 157–172.

Behan, C. (2007). Context, creativity and critical reflection: Education in correctional institutions. Journal of Correctional Education, 58 (2), 157–169.

Foley, R. (2004). Correctional education: Characteristics of academic programs serving incarcerated adults. Journal of Correctional Education, 55 (1), 6–21.

Kinney, A. (2011). What are the benefits of inmates getting GEDs? Ehow.com . Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/list_6018033_benefits-inmates-getting-geds_.html

Steurer, S. J., Linton, J., Nally, J., & Lockwood, S. (2010). The top-nine reasons to increase correctional education programs. Corrections Today, 72 (4), 40–43.

Key Takeaways

• Ethos refers to the credibility of a speaker and is composed of three dimensions: competence, trustworthiness, and dynamism. Speakers develop ethos by being prepared, citing credible research, presenting information in a nonmanipulative way, and using engaging delivery techniques.
• Logos refers to the reasoning or logic of an argument. Speakers appeal to logos by presenting factual objective information, using sound reasoning, and avoiding logical fallacies.
• Pathos refers to emotional appeals. Speakers appeal to pathos by using vivid language, including personal stories, and using figurative language.
• Cognitive dissonance refers to the mental discomfort that results from new information clashing with currently held beliefs, attitudes, or values. Cognitive dissonance may lead a person to be persuaded, but there are other ways that people may cope with dissonance, such as by discrediting the speaker, seeking out alternative information, avoiding sources of dissonance, or reinterpreting the information.
• Speakers can combine positive and negative motivation with appeals to safety, social, or self-esteem needs in order to persuade.
• Ethos, or credibility, is composed of three dimensions: competence, trustworthiness, and dynamism. Of those dimensions, which is most important for you when judging someone’s credibility and why?
• Recount a time when you experienced cognitive dissonance. What was the new information and what did it clash with? What coping strategies, of the ones discussed in the chapter, did you use to try to restore cognitive balance?
• How ethical do you think it is for a speaker to rely on fear appeals? When do fear appeals cross the line?
• Imagine that you will be delivering a persuasive speech to a group of prospective students considering attending your school. What could you say that would appeal to their safety needs? Their social needs? Their self-esteem needs?

Cooper, M. D., and William L. Nothstine, Power Persuasion: Moving an Ancient Art into the Media Age (Greenwood, IN: Educational Video Group, 1996), 48.

Fletcher, L., How to Design and Deliver Speeches , 7th ed. (New York: Longman, 2001), 342.

Maslow, A. H., “A Theory of Human Motivation,” Psychological Review 50 (1943): 370–96.

Stiff, J. B., and Paul A. Mongeau, Persuasive Communication , 2nd ed. (New York: Guilford Press, 2003), 105.

Communication in the Real World Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

How to Write a Persuasive Speech: 7 Tips for Success

• The Speaker Lab
• June 12, 2024

Table of Contents

Mastering the art of a persuasive speech is about more than just making an argument. It’s about engaging your audience, tapping into their emotions, and guiding them to your point of view with precision.

In our dive into persuasive speaking, we’ll look at how selecting enthralling topics can captivate listeners from the get-go and ensure they hang on every word. By structuring your thoughts clearly, you’ll convey messages that not only resonate but also inspire action. And as we venture further, expect practical insights on delivering these ideas with confidence.

This guide will equip you for impact whether you’re eyeing higher education debates or business pitches. So—ready to persuade? Let’s start building those skills!

Crafting the Essentials of Persuasive Speech

What makes a persuasive speech not just good, but great? It’s all about nailing the essentials. Let’s talk shop and get into what constitutes a persuasive speech.

Defining Persuasive Speech and Its Significance

A powerful tool in any speaker’s arsenal, a persuasive speech aims to convince your audience to adopt your point of view or take action. But why is this skill so crucial? In various contexts—from boardrooms to auditoriums—mastering persuasion can be the key that unlocks doors, whether you’re advocating for human rights or pitching an innovative product. It’s not just about having facts at your fingertips; it’s also about striking chords with audience members on both logical and emotional levels.

In essence, successful persuasion hinges on blending ethos , pathos , and logos —three rhetorical arguments that make different appeals in order to sway people without crossing ethical lines. Imagine stirring up the kind of passion Martin Luther King, Jr. did with his “I Have A Dream” speech—that’s what we’re aiming for.

The Anatomy of Persuasive Speech

Diving deeper into crafting effective messages requires understanding key elements like thesis statements—a concise summary of your argument. Your speech should also have main points bolstered by supporting evidence. An intriguing thesis acts as a magnet drawing listeners in while logically laid out arguments keep them hooked.

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Selecting Captivating Topics for Persuasive Speeches

Choosing the right topic is like picking the perfect outfit for an interview. It’s your first chance to impress and persuade. A good persuasive speech topic isn’t just interesting—it should also resonate with you personally, offer fresh insights, and be relevant to your audience. Your chosen topic should spark curiosity.

Criteria for Choosing Your Topic

Picking out a topic that resonates with you and hooks your audience starts with introspection. Think about what gets you fired up: Is it human rights or health insurance debates? Does discussing violent video games or tobacco products prohibition spark that inner debater in you? Now blend this passion with issues relevant to high school curriculums or hot topics from social media chatter—this fusion ensures relevance and personal engagement.

Next, ensure alignment between your chosen subject matter and specific purpose—a mission statement of sorts for your talk. It should clarify why this issue matters here, now, to these listeners. For example, if organ donation rates are low locally yet awareness is high—an effective persuasive speech could pivot towards addressing myths rather than general advocacy.

Brainstorming Ideas That Spark Interest

To uncover gems among standard persuasive speech ideas requires creativity. Begin by listing down all potential subjects that fascinate you—music therapy’s role in mental health recovery perhaps, or how genetically modified foods affect nutrition security.

Dive deeper into each idea by considering its counter arguments, as well as how you might answer such counterarguments.

Structuring Your Persuasive Speech Outline

A persuasive speech outline is your battle plan. It’s where you lay out the strategies to sway your audience and anchor them to every word.

Main Points in a Persuasive Speech

Your outline should map the journey from opening gambit to final plea, with main points acting as guideposts. Your main points aren’t just there for show but also to convince and convert. These points should be clear, concise, and crafted to push the envelope on what your listeners consider possible.

As most successful persuaders will tell you, a well-structured outline doesn’t simply support an argument; it elevates it. That’s why every point must be backed by evidence support strong enough to withstand counter arguments while remaining ethical—no room for manipulation here.

The Blueprint of Your Argument

An effective persuasive speech starts with a thesis statement bold enough yet plausible enough that even skeptics pause for thought. You then need to connect each section back to this central claim.

The body of your argument should alternate between serving up hard-hitting facts (logos) and plucking at the audience’s heartstrings (pathos). And let’s not forget ethos—audiences should be able to trust what you say because you know this topic inside and out due its personal resonance or professional relevance.

To hammer home your main points, make sure you reiterate them in your conclusion, along with your thesis. This method ensures that audiences don’t lose track of your argument in between points.

Mastering Persuasive Speaking Techniques

To effectively deliver a persuasive speech, it’s all about the blend of strategy and sincerity. Think of your speech as a three-course meal served to engage every sense; you need just the right ingredients mixed with skillful preparation.

The secret sauce? Ethos, pathos, logos—your credibility, their emotions, and logic neatly tied together. Present facts illustrated with tales that tug at heartstrings while showcasing your expertise on the topic. These approaches have been used by great leaders throughout history.

Engaging the Audience’s Emotions in Your Persuasive Speech

A dash of emotion can transform your talk from mundane to memorable. When you speak, aim for the heart to build an emotional connection that lasts beyond those final applause. Tell a personal story or paint scenarios that resonate on an individual level. It makes audience members feel like they’re part of something larger than themselves—a surefire way to keep them listening and ready to adopt your viewpoint.

Using Persuasive Speaking Techniques Effectively

An unforgettable opening ensures you grab attention immediately but remember: this is no time for fluff. Get straight into what matters with clear main points outlined upfront because if there’s one thing we know—it’s that nobody likes being lost in translation (or speeches). Counter arguments proactively so when doubts arise, they’re already addressed head-on.

Your thesis statement isn’t just another sentence; it’s the rudder on your ship of an argument. As such it needs to be strong so that everyone knows why they should care about exotic animals or health insurance debates.

Crafting Messages That Resonate

Persuasion isn’t merely about changing minds temporarily—it’s making ideas stick long after curtains close. So layer stories atop statistics until suddenly—the world views genetically modified foods differently because you’ve shown them both sides using evidence support wrapped in narratives too compelling to ignore.

Overcoming Public Speaking Challenges

Stage fright and nervousness can turn a spotlight into a glaring interrogation lamp. It’s common, but you don’t have to let it derail your speech . Deep breathing exercises before taking the stage can help steady those jitters. Remember, even the pros feel butterflies; they’ve just learned how to make them fly in formation.

Dealing with Stage Fright and Nervousness

Facing an audience can intimidating unless you’re prepared. Preparation is your armor against fear. Know your material inside out, because when you do, confidence isn’t far behind. And if that doesn’t cut it? Picture success: visualize yourself crushing it on stage, leaving audiences hanging onto every word.

If sweaty palms still persist, focus on making connections rather than impressing people—that shift in perspective might just be what keeps nerves from taking center stage.

Handling Difficult Audience Members During Your Speech

Sometimes audience members throw curveballs harder than a major league pitcher, but with tact and grace under pressure, you’ll turn that curveball into a homerun. If someone challenges or interrupts you mid-speech, stay calm. Thank them for their input and transition back to your main points swiftly yet respectfully.

A difficult question? Embrace it as an opportunity to showcase depth of knowledge or gracefully defer it until after the presentation so everyone stays engaged without going off track.

Remember: Persuasion begins where discomfort ends—and overcoming these hurdles will leave listeners remembering not just what was said but who said it with conviction.

Ethical Considerations in Persuasion

When you step onto the stage to deliver a persuasive speech, you’re not just sharing an opinion; you’re asking your audience to trust and follow your guidance. Balancing persuasion with honesty is no small feat, but it’s essential for maintaining credibility. You might be tempted to stretch the truth or hide inconvenient facts, but avoiding manipulation in speaking is crucial.

A successful persuasive speaker knows that ethical concerns in persuasive speaking form the bedrock of genuine connection with your audience members. It’s easy to get lost in crafting arguments so compelling they border on coercive. But ask yourself if what you’re doing serves as a bridge between differing viewpoints or simply bulldozes over counter arguments without regard for their validity.

Steering Clear of Manipulative Tactics

Persuasive speeches should light fires under topics like human rights or health insurance—not ignite controversy through deceitful tactics. Ethos, pathos, and logos can become tools for trickery when used improperly. As a responsible communicator aiming at engaging the audience’s emotions ethically, steer clear from creating emotional whirlwinds devoid of factual basis.

To stay true to ethical persuasion principles means ensuring every fact presented has been verified twice over—no exaggeration, deceit, or rumormongering allowed. Stick firmly within reality’s bounds while discussing controversial subjects such as tobacco products regulation or organ donation processes; this helps maintain an atmosphere where constructive debate thrives.

Maintaining Honesty Throughout Your Speech

Your thesis statement isn’t just there for show—it’s your pledge of integrity throughout your address on music therapy benefits or violent video games’ effects on youth behavior patterns. Weaving personal experience into narratives may bolster relatability yet must never wander off into fabrication territory even if spinning tales better suited for your argument seems tempting.

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Leveraging Online Platforms t0 Develop Your Skills

The savvy speakers among us know that to stay ahead of the game, sharpening your speaking chops online is not just smart; it’s essential. With an array of top-notch courses, you can fast-track your way to becoming a more persuasive and effective speaker.

Building Public Speaking Skills Online

The journey to mastering public speaking starts with one click. The internet bursts at the seams with resources like Toastmasters International tailored to help you build public speaking skills online. Whether it’s refining thesis statements or practicing eye contact through video feedback, their tools are designed for real-world success without leaving your desk.

In addition to Toastmasters International, the National Speakers Association and SpeakerHub also have a myriad of resources for speakers of all levels. And of course, there are our own resources here at The Speaker Lab , where we offer you speaker training that will get you booked and paid to speak.

Top-Notch Courses for Developing Your Skills

No need to spend hours in traditional classrooms when you can speed up learning on-the-go or from the comfort of home. Top-notch programs, such as this course from the University of Colorado Boulder, turn theory into action faster than ever before. Interactive classes like these engage learners like no other. Just remember though—these resources aren’t magic wands; commitment still tops necessity lists if real growth is what you’re after.

FAQs on Persuasive Speeches

What is a persuasive speech example.

Persuasive speech aims to sway the crowd. Think MLK’s “I Have a Dream” pushing for civil rights.

What are the 5 elements of persuasive speech?

The five key slices: a solid intro, clear message, credible evidence, emotional appeal, and a killer conclusion.

How do I start a persuasive speech?

Kick off with an attention grabber—quote, question or startling stat—to hook your listeners right away.

What is a persuasive way of speaking?

Surefire persuasion speaks directly to interests while mixing logic and emotion to shift opinions.

Mastering a persuasive speech is about connection, clarity, and conviction. Remember the essentials: a well-structured argument supports your message and engaging topics capture attention.

Outline each argument with care, making it easy for listeners to follow, then balance facts with stories that stir emotions.

Hone your delivery like great leaders do. Practice making eye contact; refine those public speaking skills online or in person—it’s how you keep an audience listening.

Ethics matter as much as eloquence does. Persuade honestly without manipulating minds or exploiting fears—that’s true success in persuasion.

In every good persuasive speech lies the power to change views, inspire action, even alter history itself. So take these insights and go forth—persuade ethically, speak confidently!

• Last Updated: June 4, 2024

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What Is Persuasive Speech: Meaning, Skills and Examples

• December 11, 2023

Imagine standing before an audience, your heart pounding like a drum, and a critical decision hanging in the balance. Your ability to make a persuasive speech and to communicate effectively has never been more critical. From the hallowed halls of historic speeches to the humble corridors of everyday conversations, persuasive communication is the unspoken power behind change, influence, and success.

In this blog post, we’re embarking on a journey to uncover the art of persuasive speech. Are you ready to discover the secrets that have inspired leaders, swayed opinions, and changed lives throughout history? Let’s begin by demystifying persuasive speech and unlocking its transformative potential, one word at a time.

Understanding Persuasion

Persuasion is the subtle art of influencing the audience to thoughts, decisions, and actions through effective communication. It’s the skill that allows you to win hearts, change minds, and motivate others to your cause.

Whether you’re delivering a persuasive speech in front of a packed auditorium or crafting a persuasive email to your boss, this ability to persuade is a potent tool that can help you navigate life’s challenges with finesse.

Persuasive speech matters because it’s not just about convincing others; it’s about building trust and credibility. When you communicate persuasively, you demonstrate your expertise, sincerity, and empathy. This, in turn, fosters trust and credibility with your audience. People are more likely to listen to, respect, and follow those they trust.

While persuasive speeches often come to mind when we think of persuasion, this skill extends far beyond formal presentations. It’s embedded in conversations, negotiations, marketing messages, and social media posts.

Mastering your persuasive speech means becoming a more effective communicator in all aspects of life, from convincing a friend to join a new adventure to negotiating a critical business deal.

Persuasive communication isn’t something you either have or don’t have; it’s a skill that can be learned, honed, and improved throughout your life. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting your career, the audience to whom you’re communicating is always key. There’s always room for growth. Becoming a persuasive communicator is an ongoing process that involves continually honing your skills to engage the audience to convey your message effectively.

In the upcoming sections, we’ll dive into the essential elements of a persuasive speech topic to enhance your skills as a speaker and writer in any situation. Let’s get started in uncovering these secrets.

Elements Of Persuasive Speech

These elements serve as the foundation upon which your persuasive speech skills are built, whether you’re speaking or writing. Let’s uncover the secrets that will empower you to craft your speech and sway hearts and minds effectively.

1. Building Credibility

Credibility is the cornerstone of a persuasive speech, representing the trust your audience invests in you as a communicator. Without it, your words may lack impact. To build credibility, authenticity is key; by sharing your genuine thoughts, emotions, and intentions, you establish trust rapidly.

Additionally, positioning yourself as an authority on the subject through your speech knowledge, experience, and qualifications enhances your persuasiveness. Moreover, recognizing and managing emotions, a trait linked to emotional intelligence is vital for effective persuasive communication.

2. Understanding Your Audience

Understanding your audience is a fundamental component of a persuasive speech, emphasizing the importance of tailoring your message to address their specific needs, desires, and pain points. Demonstrating your consideration of their perspective and showing empathy, by understanding their emotions and feelings, paves the way for a deeper connection with your audience.

Furthermore, adaptability in your communication style is key; recognizing that different individuals may respond better to various approaches, some driven by logic and data, while emotional stories sway others, ensures a more successful and resonant persuasive speech.

3. Communicating Effectively

Effective communication is the linchpin of a persuasive speech topic , demanding a harmonious blend of clarity, engagement, and active listening to create a deeply resonating message. Clarity is of utmost importance; your message must be free from diluting ambiguity. Use straightforward language and logical arguments to eliminate doubts in your audience . 

Beyond words, effective communication thrives on constant audience engagement for your audience , using anecdotes, examples, and rhetorical questions to sustain their interest and heighten receptivity. Active listening is equally vital, enabling real-time message adjustments by keenly observing your audience responses and non-verbal cues, ensuring your words continually align with their needs and concerns. Your persuasive speech hinges on this interplay, fostering a connection that resonates and influences the audience.

In the following sections, we’ll apply these elements to your persuasive speech , offering practical tips to enhance your persuasive communication skills in different contexts. Let’s continue our journey to unveil the secrets of persuasion.

Developing Persuasive Speaking

In this subsection, we journey into persuasive speaking, uncovering the techniques and strategies that empower you to speak with confidence, clarity, and persuasiveness. Let’s embark on the path to mastering the art of spoken persuasion.

1. Crafting A Compelling Narrative

Imagine you’re about to give a speech on environmental conservation. To start strong, you might begin with a vivid example of the devastating effects of climate change. Perhaps you paint a picture of a future where our children won’t be able to enjoy the beauty of a lush, green Earth. That’s the power of crafting a compelling narrative – it grips the audience right from the beginning.

As you continue, you structure your speech with clear signposts, guiding the audience through your message, and conclude with a memorable call to action. It’s like weaving a story that takes your listeners on a journey.

2. Mastering Persuasive Techniques

Persuasive speaking is all about using the right tools. Think of it like a master craftsman wielding various instruments to create a masterpiece. In your speech, you can employ rhetorical devices, such as using parallelism to emphasize your points, just like Martin Luther King Jr. did in his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.

Or, you might use persuasive language that taps into your audience emotions. For instance, if you’re advocating for animal welfare, you could describe the suffering of a specific animal, making the audience feel a personal connection. It’s like using different brushes and colors to paint a compelling picture.

3. Use Of Visual Aids in the Persuasive Speech

In the digital age, persuasive speaking should be integrated with visual aids and technology. Imagine you’re giving a speech on the latest technological innovations. To engage the audience , you could incorporate dynamic visuals, like charts, videos, or interactive graphics, that illustrate the impact of these innovations.

You should be using real-time data to support your points. Consider Steve Jobs’ iconic iPhone launch presentations – he used visuals and technology to make complex ideas simple and captivating.

This is about using the power of visuals and tech to enhance your speech , making it more impactful and memorable.

Impact Of Persuasive Speech

In this section, we delve into your speech , witnessing the real-world impact of persuasive communication—how it transforms lives, shapes careers, and influences societies. Here, we explore compelling examples and delve into the personal and societal growth that comes with mastering the art of persuasion.

1. Professional Advancement

Mastering persuasive communication skills should be considered like having a Swiss Army knife for your career. It’s not just about crafting fancy words; it’s about being the captain of your professional ship.

Imagine you’re leading a team, and you want them to tackle a challenging project. With persuasive communication, your speech can inspire and guide them to collaborate effectively, resulting in outstanding results.

But it’s not just about leadership; it also should be your secret weapon for navigating those tricky workplace conflicts and sealing the deal in negotiations. For instance, picture a scenario where you’re resolving an issue with a colleague.

Instead of just fixing the problem, you both end up with a win-win solution that advances your careers.

That’s the magic of persuasive speech – it unlocks your career’s full potential, making your goals achievable and your journey fulfilling.

2. Personal Empowerment

Now, let’s talk about how persuasive thinking and communication should be able to empower you personally. It’s like having your point of view as your superpower, boosting your self-confidence and enriching your relationships.

When you can articulate your speech effectively, you don’t just talk the talk; you walk the walk with confidence.

Picture this: You’re in a group, and you have an idea to share. With a persuasive speech , you express it so well that everyone listens, and you leave a lasting impression. It’s not just about talking to others; it’s also about connecting with them on a deeper level.

Think about how understanding and persuading with empathy should be utilized to create trust and make your personal relationships more fulfilling.

Moreover, in everyday life, persuasive thinking should be a tool that helps you make clear decisions and solve problems with finesse and purpose. It’s like having a guiding light in your pocket for navigating life’s twists and turns.

3. Societal Influence and Change

Now, let’s journey into the world of persuasive speeches and their incredible impact on society. Think about history – about how a persuasive speech is litting the flames of transformative movements across the globe.

Whether it’s the words of influential leaders rallying for change and justice or persuasive communication fueling social activism, their influence is undeniable.

Imagine standing in a crowd, listening to a speech that stirs your soul and inspires you to take action for a cause you deeply believe in. That’s the power of persuasive advocacy. And that leads to the question: What are the key elements that make advocacy truly compelling and influential?

These speeches aren’t just words; they’re catalysts for action and beacons of hope, uniting people and driving positive change on a societal scale from your point of view .

Corporate Influence

In the corporate world, a persuasive speech is not just a tool; it’s the dynamo that powers business growth and innovation. Imagine you’re a corporate leader addressing your team. Your persuasive speech aligns them with a shared vision, igniting their motivation and driving remarkable results.

But it’s not just about the employees; it’s also about stakeholders, investors, and partners. With your point of view on persuasive communication, you can build trust, inspire confidence, and secure vital partnerships that shape corporate influence.

It’s like painting a masterpiece with words, creating a narrative that captivates and influences everyone in your business ecosystem.

Civic Engagement

The impact of a persuasive speech on civic engagement is like a rallying cry for community betterment and democratic participation. Imagine you’re listening to a speech that should be compelling you to vote, engage in public discourse, and address critical social and political issues.

It’s not just words; it’s a call to action in your speech.

Historically, persuasive speeches have ignited social movements, united people in shared causes, and inspired civic action. They nurture collective responsibility, foster civic-mindedness, and empower individuals to advocate for your point of view on positive community change.

Your speech acts like a wave of change, driven by persuasive messages, enhancing democracy and pursuing a more equitable and just society.

In the upcoming sections, we’ll uncover how these facets of personal and societal impact intersect, showcasing the transformative potential of a persuasive speech . 

Famous Examples of the Persuasive Speech

Here, we’ll explore five iconic and influential persuasive speeches throughout history that have demonstrated the power of persuasive speech . By analysing these famous examples, you should be able to gain valuable insights into the art of compelling persuasion.

1. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream”

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “ I Have a Dream ” speech epitomizes persuasive speech with its rhetorical brilliance, emotional depth, and historical significance.

Dr. King’s power lay in his vision, as he painted a vivid picture of a world where racial equality should be not a mere dream but a shared reality, instilling hope and motivation.

He harnessed rhetorical devices such as repeating phrases like “I have a dream” and “Let freedom ring,” creating a rhythmic, memorable quality reinforcing key messages.

Furthermore, his words tapped into the deep-seated emotions of the audience , stirring a profound sense of urgency and a shared mission, making this speech an enduring testament to the art of your persuasive speech .

2. Winston Churchill’s “We Shall Fight on the Beaches”

Winston Churchill’s “ We Shall Fight on the Beaches ” is a testament to his unwavering resolve and powerful rhetoric, which rallied a nation during a critical historical moment.

Churchill’s words conveyed a spirit of defiance that deeply resonated with a nation facing formidable challenges, highlighting mental health . His speech left no room for ambiguity, articulating a clear path forward and the unwavering commitment required.

Through mobilizing language, Churchill should be galvanizing citizens to come together, confront adversity head-on, and work collectively toward a common objective, making this speech a remarkable example of persuasive leadership.

3. John F. Kennedy’s “Ich bin ein Berliner”

John F. Kennedy’s “ Ich bin ein Berliner ” speech went beyond political boundaries to convey a powerful message of unity. Kennedy’s words expressed unwavering support and a sense of shared identity with the people of Berlin, fostering solidarity.

Through symbolic gestures and a choice of language that demonstrated a deep understanding of the local context, he effectively connected with the audience .

Furthermore, his words resonated with Berliners by highlighting the shared values and ideals they held dear, making this speech a poignant example of international persuasive speech and solidarity.

4. Malala Yousafzai’s United Nations Address

Malala Yousafzai’s United Nations Address established her as a global symbol for education and girls’ rights through her courage and eloquence. Her remarkable courage in the face of adversity should be highlighted as a powerful testament to her unwavering commitment to the girls’ education.

Malala’s youthful perspective and unwavering determination captured the hearts of people worldwide, underscoring the urgency of her message.

Her speech not only inspired but also catalyzed a global movement dedicated to addressing the barriers to the education that girls face worldwide, making her a remarkable advocate for change and the power of a persuasive speech .

5. Ronald Reagan’s “Tear Down This Wall!”

Ronald Reagan’s “ Tear Down This Wall! ” speech became synonymous with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War. His words conveyed a powerful and symbolic demand, boldly challenging the division of the city and offering a vision of a united, free Berlin.

Reagan’s clarity of message resonated deeply with those yearning for liberty behind the Iron Curtain, addressing not only political freedom but also impacting the mental health of those living in oppressive circumstances.

The historical significance of his speech should be undeniable, as it played a pivotal role in shaping the course of history and ushering in a new era of freedom and cooperation, making it a prime example of persuasive speech with profound global implications.

Persuasive Speech Topics

In this section, we delve into various persuasive speech topics, each carefully curated to captivate the audience , stimulate critical thinking, and drive discussions that matter.

1. Good Persuasive Speech Topics in Arts

The Role of Art in Promoting Mental Health and Well-being

The Impact of Digital Art on Traditional Art Forms

Censorship in the Arts: Balancing Creative Freedom and Societal Values

Art as a Tool for Social Change and Activism

The Importance of Arts Education in K-12 Schools

2. Best Persuasive Speech Topics for High School Students

The Benefits of Mandatory Volunteering for High School Students

Social Media and its Impact on Teen Mental Health

The Importance of Financial Literacy Education in High Schools

Should High School Students Have a Say in Curriculum Development?

The Pros and Cons of Standardised Testing in High Schools

3. Best Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students

Addressing Student Loan Debt: Strategies for College Affordability

The Role of Technology in Modern Education

Campus Free Speech and its Limits: Balancing Freedom and Inclusivity

Promoting Mental Health Awareness and Support on College Campuses

The Impact of Climate Change: What Can College Students Do?

4. Good Persuasive Speech Topics on Academics

The Future of Remote Learning and its Impact on Academic Achievement

Reevaluating Grading Systems: Is Pass/Fail a Better Option?

The Role of Critical Thinking in Modern Education

Promoting Multilingual Education for a Globalised World

The Ethics of AI and Automation in Education

5. Good Persuasive Speech Topics on the Economy

Universal Basic Income: A Solution to the Economic Inequality?

Green Jobs and the Transition to a Sustainable Economy

The Gig Economy: Flexibility vs. Workers’ Rights

The Pros and Cons of Cryptocurrency and Digital Money

Economic Impacts of the Aging Population: Preparing for the Silver Tsunami

6. Good Persuasive Speech Topics on Entertainment

The Influence of Streaming Services on Traditional Television and Film

Celebrity Culture and its Effects on Society

The Ethics of Cancel Culture in the Entertainment Industry

The Representation of Diversity in Media and Entertainment

The Future of Live Events and Performances in a Post-Pandemic World

7. Interesting Persuasive Speech Topics on Politics and Government

The Role of Social Media in Shaping Political Discourse

Campaign Finance Reform: Reducing the Influence of Big Money in Politics

Voting Rights and Access: Ensuring a Fair and Inclusive Democracy

The Pros and Cons of Term Limits for Elected Officials

Addressing Cybersecurity Threats to the Election Integrity

8. Good Persuasive Speech Topics on Sports

The Impact of Athletes’ Activism on Social and Political Issues

Gender Equality in Sports: Closing the Pay Gap

The Ethics of Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Professional Sports

Should College Athletes Be Paid for Their Performance?

The Environmental Impact of Major Sporting Events

9. Good Persuasive Speech Topics on Education

The Digital Divide: Bridging the Gap in Access to the Education

Inclusive Education: Supporting Students with Disabilities

The Importance of the Arts and Physical Education in Schools

Homeschooling vs. Traditional Schooling: Pros and Cons

Reimagining Teacher Training and Professional Development

10. Good Persuasive Speech Topics for Social Media

Online Privacy and Data Security: Protecting Your Digital Identity

Social Media Addiction: Recognising the Signs and Finding Balance

The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health and Self-Esteem

Social Media and Cyberbullying: Strategies for Prevention

The Role of Social Media in Political Movements and Activism

11. Good Persuasive Speech Topics for 2023 on Technology

Ethical Considerations in AI and Machine Learning

The Future of the Space Exploration: Private vs. Government Initiatives

Cybersecurity in the Age of IoT: Protecting Our Digital Lives

The Role of Technology in Healthcare: Advancements and Challenges

The Environmental Impact of the E-Waste and Technology Disposal

Empower Yourself With Persuasion

In an era of information overload and constant communication, the ability to wield persuasive speech is a powerful tool that can transform your personal and professional life before your audience , so empower yourself with persuasion.

Acquire the skills to express your ideas effectively, build authentic connections, and drive positive change. With the art of persuasion in your toolkit, you hold the key to leaving a lasting mark on the world and shaping your unique history, all while considering the impact on mental health .

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.

What is Persuasive Writing: Examples, Format and Style

Persuasion skills: meaning and how to persuade someone, kapable updates.

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Persuasive Speeches — Types, Topics, and Examples

What is a persuasive speech.

In a persuasive speech, the speaker aims to convince the audience to accept a particular perspective on a person, place, object, idea, etc. The speaker strives to cause the audience to accept the point of view presented in the speech.

The success of a persuasive speech often relies on the speaker’s use of ethos, pathos, and logos.

Ethos is the speaker’s credibility. Audiences are more likely to accept an argument if they find the speaker trustworthy. To establish credibility during a persuasive speech, speakers can do the following:

Use familiar language.

Select examples that connect to the specific audience.

Utilize credible and well-known sources.

Logically structure the speech in an audience-friendly way.

Use appropriate eye contact, volume, pacing, and inflection.

Pathos appeals to the audience’s emotions. Speakers who create an emotional bond with their audience are typically more convincing. Tapping into the audience’s emotions can be accomplished through the following:

Select evidence that can elicit an emotional response.

Use emotionally-charged words. (The city has a problem … vs. The city has a disease …)

Incorporate analogies and metaphors that connect to a specific emotion to draw a parallel between the reference and topic.

Utilize vivid imagery and sensory words, allowing the audience to visualize the information.

Employ an appropriate tone, inflection, and pace to reflect the emotion.

Logos appeals to the audience’s logic by offering supporting evidence. Speakers can improve their logical appeal in the following ways:

Use comprehensive evidence the audience can understand.

Confirm the evidence logically supports the argument’s claims and stems from credible sources.

Ensure that evidence is specific and avoid any vague or questionable information.

Types of persuasive speeches

The three main types of persuasive speeches are factual, value, and policy.

A factual persuasive speech focuses solely on factual information to prove the existence or absence of something through substantial proof. This is the only type of persuasive speech that exclusively uses objective information rather than subjective. As such, the argument does not rely on the speaker’s interpretation of the information. Essentially, a factual persuasive speech includes historical controversy, a question of current existence, or a prediction:

Historical controversy concerns whether an event happened or whether an object actually existed.

Questions of current existence involve the knowledge that something is currently happening.

Predictions incorporate the analysis of patterns to convince the audience that an event will happen again.

A value persuasive speech concerns the morality of a certain topic. Speakers incorporate facts within these speeches; however, the speaker’s interpretation of those facts creates the argument. These speeches are highly subjective, so the argument cannot be proven to be absolutely true or false.

A policy persuasive speech centers around the speaker’s support or rejection of a public policy, rule, or law. Much like a value speech, speakers provide evidence supporting their viewpoint; however, they provide subjective conclusions based on the facts they provide.

How to write a persuasive speech

Incorporate the following steps when writing a persuasive speech:

Step 1 – Identify the type of persuasive speech (factual, value, or policy) that will help accomplish the goal of the presentation.

Step 2 – Select a good persuasive speech topic to accomplish the goal and choose a position .

Step 3 – Locate credible and reliable sources and identify evidence in support of the topic/position. Revisit Step 2 if there is a lack of relevant resources.

Step 4 – Identify the audience and understand their baseline attitude about the topic.

Step 5 – When constructing an introduction , keep the following questions in mind:

What’s the topic of the speech?

What’s the occasion?

Who’s the audience?

What’s the purpose of the speech?

Step 6 – Utilize the evidence within the previously identified sources to construct the body of the speech. Keeping the audience in mind, determine which pieces of evidence can best help develop the argument. Discuss each point in detail, allowing the audience to understand how the facts support the perspective.

Step 7 – Addressing counterarguments can help speakers build their credibility, as it highlights their breadth of knowledge.

Step 8 – Conclude the speech with an overview of the central purpose and how the main ideas identified in the body support the overall argument.

Persuasive speech outline

One of the best ways to prepare a great persuasive speech is by using an outline. When structuring an outline, include an introduction, body, and conclusion:

Introduction

Attention Grabbers

Ask a question that allows the audience to respond in a non-verbal way; ask a rhetorical question that makes the audience think of the topic without requiring a response.

Incorporate a well-known quote that introduces the topic. Using the words of a celebrated individual gives credibility and authority to the information in the speech.

Offer a startling statement or information about the topic, typically done using data or statistics.

Provide a brief anecdote or story that relates to the topic.

Starting a speech with a humorous statement often makes the audience more comfortable with the speaker.

Provide information on how the selected topic may impact the audience .

Include any background information pertinent to the topic that the audience needs to know to understand the speech in its entirety.

Give the thesis statement in connection to the main topic and identify the main ideas that will help accomplish the central purpose.

Identify evidence

Summarize its meaning

Explain how it helps prove the support/main claim

Evidence 3 (Continue as needed)

Support 3 (Continue as needed)

Restate thesis

Review main supports

Concluding statement

Give the audience a call to action to do something specific.

Identify the overall importan ce of the topic and position.

Persuasive speech topics

The following table identifies some common or interesting persuasive speech topics for high school and college students:

Persuasive speech examples

The following list identifies some of history’s most famous persuasive speeches:

John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address: “Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You”

Lyndon B. Johnson: “We Shall Overcome”

Marc Antony: “Friends, Romans, Countrymen…” in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

Ronald Reagan: “Tear Down this Wall”

Sojourner Truth: “Ain’t I a Woman?”

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5 Tips for Giving a Persuasive Presentation

When you need to sell an idea at work or in a presentation, how do you do it? Five rhetorical devices can help — Aristotle identified them 2,000 years ago, and masters of persuasion still use them today: Ethos. Start your talk by establishing your credibility and character. Show your audience that you are committed […]

When you need to sell an idea at work or in a presentation, how do you do it? Five rhetorical devices can help — Aristotle identified them 2,000 years ago, and masters of persuasion still use them today:

Source: This tip is adapted from “The Art of Persuasion Hasn’t Changed in 2,000 Years,” by Carmine Gallo

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Persuasive Speech Examples: Taking A Stand In Speech

Persuasive speeches have been used throughout history to shape public opinion and shape behavior, and examples abound. Persuasive speech examples include virtually any topic – voting, racism, school uniforms, safety, organ donation, recycling, and so on.

From a teenager asking his parents to go out with friends to an aspiring politician convincing voters to choose him, many people use a persuasive speech to convince their audience members to do something. A successful persuasive speech entails getting someone to take action and be swayed to the speaker’s side.

Table of Contents

What Is A Persuasive Speech?

While an informative speech aims to enlighten the audience about a particular subject, a persuasive speech aims to influence the audience — and convince them to accept a particular point of view. 

The central idea is to persuade, whether discussing a persuasive essay or ‌public speaking. This form of communication is a call to action for people to believe in and take action upon something.

Throughout history, persuasive speech ideas and their communicators have played a vital role in driving change, whether on a personal, community, societal, national, or even global level. 

We’ve seen leaders and important figures sway public opinions and spark movements. Persuasive speech has been there to raise awareness about a specific issue (e.g., labor rights, gender equality). People have been using such speeches to establish authority, negotiate, and, ultimately, urge the audience to join their side.

What Are Some Examples Of A Persuasive Speech Topic?

There’s a wide range of good persuasive speech topics . To give you an idea, here’s a list of persuasive speech topics:

• Social media is taking a toll on young people’s mental health
• Cell phones and too much screen time are making people lazier
• Violent video games make people more aggressive
• Why authorities must ban fast food for children
• Schools and workplaces should take more action to curb obesity rates
• Why public schools are better than private ones
• College athletes should undergo steroid tests
• There’s more to high school and college students than their GPAs
• Should award-giving bodies rely on the popular vote or the judges’ vote?
• There’s a need to regulate the use of painkillers more heavily
• Cloning must not be legalized
• More government budget should be allocated to health care
• Why businesses must invest in renewable energy
• Should military units be allowed to use drones in warfare?
• How freedom of religion is affecting society
• Libraries are becoming obsolete: A step-by-step guide on keeping them alive
• Should euthanasia be allowed in hospitals, clinical settings, and zoos?
• Developing countries must increase their minimum wage
• Global warming is getting more intense
• The death penalty must be abolished

What Is An Example Of How Start Of A Persuasive Speech?

Persuasion is an art. And when you’re given the chance to make a persuasive speech, one of the first things you must do is to settle down with a thesis statement. Then, you must identify at least two main points, pre-empt counterarguments, and organize your thoughts with a ‌persuasive speech outline.

Remember that your opening (and closing) statements should be strong. Right at the start, you must captivate your audience’s attention. You can give an impactful factual statement or pose a question that challenges conventional views. 

The success of a speech doesn’t only end with writing a persuasive one. You must also deliver it with impact. This means maintaining eye contact, keeping your posture open, and using a clear voice and an appropriate facial expression.

What Are The 3 Points To Persuasive Speech?

There are three pillars of a persuasive speech. First is ethos, which taps into the audience’s ethical beliefs. To convince them and establish your credibility, you must resonate with the morals they uphold. 

The second one is pathos, which refers to the emotional appeal of your narrative. One approach is to share an anecdote that your audience can relate to. To effectively appeal to your audience’s emotions, you must also use language, tone, diction, and images to paint a better picture of your main point.

On other other hand, logos appeals to logic. This is why it’s important to pepper your speech with facts.

How Are Persuasive Speeches Used?

You may know persuasive speeches as those stirring speeches delivered by politicians and civil rights and business leaders. In reality, you yourself could be using it in everyday life.

There are different types of persuasive speeches. While some mobilize bigger movements, others only persuade a smaller audience or even just one person.

You can use it in a personal context . For example, you’re convincing your parent to extend your curfew or eat at a certain restaurant. In grander ways, you can also use it to advocate for social and political movements. If you’re in business, marketing, or sales, you can use persuasive speech to promote your brand and convince others to buy your product or service. 

For example, a teen might try to persuade a parent to let them stay out beyond curfew, while a civil rights leader might use persuasion to encourage listeners to fight racism.

No matter the context of your speech, an effective persuasive speech can compel someone or a group of people to adopt a viewpoint, take a particular action, and change a behavior or belief.

What Are Persuasive Speech Examples?

This AI-created speech about walking shows how a persuasive speech is laid out, using Monroe’s Motivated Sequence (i.e., attention, need, satisfaction, visualization, and call to action) to convey the message that walking can overcome the risks of modern life

The introduction sets up the speech:

“Let’s be honest, we lead an easy life: automatic dishwashers, riding lawnmowers, T.V. remote controls, automatic garage door openers, power screwdrivers, bread machines, electric pencil sharpeners… We live in a time-saving, energy-saving, convenient society. It’s a wonderful life. Or is it?”

Unfortunately, lack of exercise leads to health problems. Walking can overcome the effects of lack of exercise, lethargy, and poor diet. The body of the speech delves into this concept in detail and then concludes with a call to the audience to walk more.

AI pick up the pattern that many living persons have perfected over the year.

Maya Angelou, an American poet and civil rights activist, delivered this compelling poem as a persuasive speech . The performance concludes with this inspiring message about overcoming hardship and discrimination: “Leaving behind nights of terror and fear, I rise/ Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear, I rise/ Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave/ I am the dream and the hope of the slave/ I rise, I rise, I rise.” 

What Are Some Historical Examples Of Persuasive Speech?

Maya Angelou is just one of the important figures who have delivered powerful speeches etched in history. These individuals have risen and relayed impactful messages, championing advocacies that would resonate with people during their time — and beyond.

Below are more moving examples of a persuasive speech:

The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

Context: In November 1863, during the American Civil War, US President Abraham Lincoln delivered this speech in commemoration of the dedication of the Gettysburg National Ceremony (also known as the Soldiers’ National Ceremony).

Snippet: “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We come to dedicate a portion of it as a final resting place for those who died here, that the nation might live. This we may, in all propriety, do. 

“ But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow, this ground, The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have hallowed it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here; while it can never forget what they did here. 

“ It is rather for us, the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us that, from these honored dead, we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here, gave the last full measure of devotion that we here highly resolve these dead shall not have died in vain; that the nation, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

The Finest Hour by Winston Churchill

Context: In his nearly 40-minute long speech in June 1940, over a month since Winston Churchill became the British Prime Minister, he sparked hope that they could win the impending Battle of Britain during the Second World War. 

Snippet: “What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. 

If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free, and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us, therefore, brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour.’”

I Have a Dream by Mary Wollstonecraft

Context: In her 1792 speech, the British writer and women’s rights advocate shared her dream — that a day will come when women will be treated as rational human beings.

Snippet: “These may be termed utopian dreams. – Thanks to that Being who impressed them on my soul, and gave me sufficient strength of mind to dare to exert my own reason, till, becoming dependent only on him for the support of my virtue, I view, with indignation, the mistaken notions that enslave my sex. 

“ I love man as my fellow; but his scepter, real or usurped, extends not to me unless the reason of an individual demands my homage; and even then, the submission is to reason and not to man. In fact, the conduct of an accountable being must be regulated by the operations of its own reason; or on what foundation rests the throne of God?”

These snippets of their persuasive speech capture the very essence of this form of communication: to convince the audience through compelling and valid reasoning, evoking their feelings and moral principles, and motivating them to act and join a movement, big or small. 

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8 Rhetorical Strategies to Persuade Your Audience

If you’ve ever had a conversation with someone who thinks the opposite of you, then you know how challenging it is to persuade them. Even when addressing a receptive audience, having people join your side takes skill and precision. Persuasion is far from an exact science, but influential leaders know how to weave different rhetorical strategies together to create a compelling argument. Their rhetorical choices form the backbone of their persuasion technique, which you can emulate to perfect your own skills. Whether preparing a new speech or writing an article, you can use these strategies to move people closer to your point of view.

What Are Rhetorical Strategies?

Common rhetorical choices, 1. similes and metaphors, examples of similes, examples of metaphors, 2. euphemisms, examples of euphemisms, 3. chiasmus, examples of chiasmus, 4. cause and effect.

You can also use ethos to convince people of your opinion. This rhetorical device involves appealing to others’ sense of  ethical values  by showing your credibility, reliability, and good character. This isn’t always a simple feat to pull off, especially when people have little familiarity with you. However, establishing that you’re trustworthy helps sway people to your side.

How to gain the audience’s trust:

8. narration.

Narration, which is essentially storytelling, is another strategy you can use to connect with your audience. People identify with stories more than they do statistics, even in academic writing. The best storytellers seamlessly incorporate their evidence and arguments into the stories they share. That doesn’t mean an entire speech or article should consist of one or multiple stories, but they can back up the central point of your argument. The right story at the right time can serve as the exclamation point of your persuasive piece, whether it’s real or a rhetorical situation. It’s a powerful strategy that helpfully places issues in perspective.

Avoid Logical Fallacies

The power of persuasion is yours.

The above rhetorical strategies can help you start writing or practicing a verbal argument that persuades people to come to your side of the fence. In business, the power to influence others through  assertive communication  is essential once you know what course you want to take. No matter the debate, also show respect and courtesy and don’t let arguments become personal. For example, you might want to ask the other person genuine questions about their position. Through a healthy and polite discourse, you’ll eventually reach an agreement that both sides can appreciate.

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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.

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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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16 Effective Persuasive Language Techniques

Persuasive language is the language being used when convincing others for something. It can be seen and heard around you every day. You’ll see it in TV commercials, social media, magazines, billboards, and any other medium where advertisement campaigns are placed. While you may think persuasive language is only for the ones who communicate with the public to convince, it is actually helpful to learn it. At one point or another, you may have used it without noticing it, and you may also need to use it in the future. Persuasive language can be employed when you want others to believe your viewpoints and conclusions, accept your facts, and get someone to take a certain action. It can be done verbally, nonverbal, or even written. To make your message easier and more compelling, different techniques can be used. Your audience and your motive become the basis on which technique to use. Scroll down and read to know the commonly used techniques in persuasive language.

Your claim is your main point. It is the gist of your argument. When delivering a persuasive message, state your claim as clearly as possible. This will enable you to get your point across vividly and have your message be understood by your audience correctly. It also ensures that there is only one interpretation thus prevents leading to other interpretations. 

“I’d like you to eat dark chocolates because it is a healthier option compared to other sweet foods.”

2. Repetition

To emphasize your point, and reinforce an argument, you can do repetition. As you keep on repeating words or phrases, it creates a familiarity with your main point or message. This eventually stays in the mind of your audience thus making your message more memorable. To do this, choose the key points that you want to emphasize. Keep on repeating those words throughout your text or speech, however, remember to do it judiciously. If you overdo it, people will think the content of your message is redundant. Do it fluidly by repeating your main point in different ways. You can put it on your details, evidence, examples, and summary.

“You can easily choose from the alternatives that I offered you. Both of them are easy solutions.”

3. Colloquial Language

Using colloquial language is effective when persuading others because it makes your message clearer to them. Since it is common for people to use it, they will understand your point easily. Your audience can identify with you and feel as if you are on the same wavelength as them. Moreover, it sounds more friendly and can make your point appear more practical and realistic. To do this you can use slang when delivering your message. 

“If you follow their demands then you’re a bunch of half-wits.”

“Did you travel abroad just to follow his instructions? What a joke!”

4. Jargon words

While we are often told not to use jargon or complex terminology as much as possible, using them in the persuasive language is effective. This is helpful if your audience is professional or intellectual. Using jargon words and formal language can make you sound knowledgeable thus making your point sound reasonable and rational. 

“Share your advocacy to your clients to guide them to be aware of value-based purchasing.”

5. Emotive appeals

Engaging people’s feelings is another technique used to convince others. Most of the time, emotions become the motivation for why people do things. When people emotionally get in touch with you and are swayed by their emotions, they are more likely to agree with you. Through carefully choosing your words, you can evoke emotion from them. It may invite them to feel sympathy, disgust, guilt, anger, or excitement. To do this use emotive language or euphemism. 

Learn more about emotive language by reading  our article:  How To Communicate Your Emotions Into Words

“In some places across the country, you can see people agonizing from poverty. The locals are living without food nor shelter to live in. That’s why giving something of what we have no matter how small or big it may be would mean a lot to them.”

6. Inclusive language

Inclusive language is a technique where you try to create an impression that you and your audience are on the same side and share the same viewpoint. This is effective in persuasive language because you position your audience to agree with you by showing that you belong in a team, campaign, or project that they can be part of. To employ inclusive language use ‘us’, ‘we’, and ‘our’.

“We are in this together.”

“By doing your part we can mitigate the effect of this virus crisis.”

7. Rhetorical question

Rhetorical questions are questions that are asked but not required to be answered. They are often used to get the audience’s attention, imply certain answers, emphasize a point, or guide audiences to draw certain conclusions. When a rhetorical question is asked, an obvious answer is already posed to a particular issue. You just ask to make the audience think about the same question and realize that your point is rational, and to disagree with it seems foolish.

“Who wouldn’t want to progress to live in comfort?”

“Should we allow this malpractice to continue?”

8. Hyperbole

Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration. It is often used to make a point or emphasize it. Overstating can be effective as your point can be viewed as greater than it actually is and more urgent and important. Using exaggeration can make two things, to communicate value, or make the situation seem worse. By describing an extreme version of events, it creates a dramatic impact. This provokes strong emotional responses from your audience which makes them more likely to accept your viewpoint.  However, when using exaggerations, make sure that it is done appropriately and can be backed up by proof. 

“They are selling the best ice cream in the country.”

“They can do it in one second.”

9. Anecdotal evidence

An anecdote is a short story involving real-life events. It is used to illustrate a point and simplify complex issues. It triggers imagination thus makes your point more vivid and relatable thus keeps your audience engaged. By providing real stories your persuasive message sounds more realistic, credible, and interesting. It is effective especially when backed up by facts.

To know more about storytelling read:  How To Tell A Story In English

“Recently a colleague of mine experienced this dilemma first-hand”

“To give you an example, I’d like to share my experience on this issue.”

Bias is providing only a partial or one side of an issue to influence others. It is commonly used to highlight good reasoning to motives and ignore counter-arguments. To make this effective, state your claim and biases then explain why this one-sidedness helps and makes sense to your audience. 

“Our product is environmentally-friendly thus assures you that it is safe, sustainable and value for money.”

“The newly released phone is the best in the market today.”

11. Expert opinion

Quoting expert’s opinions can help your persuasion message sound more credible. Not only does it add substance but also puts more weight on your argument. When people see that experts agree with you, people are influenced and believe that it would be rational to agree with you. Do this by including quotes that refer to experts who agree with your viewpoint. Make sure that the personalities you will quote are respectable and well-known to make your claim stronger and believable.

“Dr. Murphy’s extensive research on the virus proves that it can be transmitted via… “

12. Facts and statistical evidence

Add weight to your argument by incorporating statistics and facts into your persuasive message. This is effective especially to an analytical audience. Including facts and statistics in your message shows that you researched and investigated your claim. It makes you appear that you know what you are talking about. Your message will be seen as valid since facts and statistics are unquestionable and irrefutable. Make sure that when using statistics it is accurate and taken from reliable sources.

“According to the survey presented by ABC statistics, 90% are… ”

“A recent survey conducted by ABC Statistics found that…”

13. Generalization

Generalization is a statement that suggests that what is true for some is true for the majority. It is often used to simplify an issue, and to prove that your claim is logical because the effect is experienced by many. This is effective if your audience stance is already on the same side as yours, but uncompelling to those that have doubts and proofs to disprove it. If you are going to employ it, use generalizations that tell commonly held beliefs that many accept or support. 

“Teenagers today are more expressive, vocal, and bolder.”

“The locals are skillful and entrepreneurial.”

14. Comparison

Comparison is a technique where you compare two things to present a point. It is another way to simplify complex issues. It can guide your audience to see the connection of things thus will help in making your audience agree with your point. Similes, metaphors, and analogies are often used to illustrate comparisons. 

“The shade of the newly launched lipstick is like red roses.” 

“Our fabric is as soft as cotton.”

A pun uses homophones, homonyms, or rhymes to play with words. The use of words that sound similar is intended to suggest a double meaning. This other meaning often represents a positive or negative connotation that influences the audience’s viewpoint or response on the issue. It is effective because its humor catches the attention and interest of your audience. 

“She is returning the dress she purchased because she is experiencing post-traumatic dress syndrome.”

16. Clichés

A cliché is an overused phrase. Although it is normally discouraged to use cliché, it can be effective when delivering your persuasive messages. Clichés allow you to communicate your viewpoints quickly. Since the expressions you are using are familiar and uncomplicated your audience can easily grasp and understand your point. This enables them to easily accept your idea. 

“We are doing our best to resolve it but we are still uncertain about the outcome. Time can only tell.”

The techniques given above are easy and simple to follow. By employing them, you will deliver a message that is compelling and convincing. Keep in mind that your aim is not to be manipulative. While sharing your message, remember that you have to persuade your audience with something that makes sense and beneficial to them to create a win-win situation. 

Learn the commonly used expression and how to incorporate persuasive language into your conversations. LingualBox offers courses that can help you improve communicating in English effectively. Avail your free trial class today.

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6 Tips for Writing a Persuasive Speech (On Any Topic)

B y far, the best way to learn how to write speeches is to read the great ones, from Pericles’ Funeral Oration, to Dr. King’s Mountaintop speech, to Faulkner’s Nobel acceptance address. But if you’re looking for some quick tips, here are a few things to bear in mind next time you’re asked to give a speech:

1. Write like you talk. There is no First Law of Speechwriting, but if there were, it would probably be something like this: a speech is meant to be spoken, not read. That simple (and obvious) fact has a few important (and less obvious) implications. Use short words. Write short sentences. Avoid awkward constructions that might cause a speaker to stumble. Tip: Read the speech aloud as you’re writing. If you do it enough, you’ll start hearing the words when you type them.

2. Tell a story . I once wrote speeches for a governor whose aide told me: speechwriting is about slinging soundbites together. That approach is a recipe for writing neither good speeches nor good soundbites. Whenever we sat down to discuss a speech for the first time, President Obama would ask us: What’s the story we’re trying to tell? Like any good story, a speech has its own narrative arc. For the President, it’s usually a slow warm-up, a substantive middle, and an inspirational end. That’s his style. Tell your story in whatever way feels natural. Tip: A good story can be a lot more powerful than the most compelling facts and statistics.

3. Structure matters . It’s usually harder to figure out the right structure for a speech – the order of the points to make – than the words themselves. The order of those points matters because an argument that’s clear and logical is more likely to be persuasive. There is a reason that some of America’s greatest speechwriters – from Lincoln to JFK’s speechwriter Ted Sorensen to President Obama himself – studied the law, a profession that values the ability to make a logical argument. Tip: Lists (like this one) are one way to impose a structure on a speech.

4. Be concise. It is said that Woodrow Wilson once gave the following reply to a speaking request: “If you’d like me to speak for five minutes, I’ll need a month to prepare. If you’d like me to speak for 20 minutes, I’ll need two weeks. But if you’d like me to speak for an hour, I’m ready right now.” As Wilson knew, it’s harder to be concise than verbose. But the best way to make a point is concisely, as Churchill did when he announced during a wartime address: “The news from France is very bad.” Next time you think you can’t afford to cut that paragraph you love, remember: the Gettysburg Address, perhaps the greatest speech in American history, is fewer than 300 words. Tip: Challenge yourself to cut as many words as possible from each sentence without losing the line’s meaning.

5. Be authentic. If you’ve ever given a speech, you’ve probably been told, “Just speak from the heart.” It’s not very helpful writing advice, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Once, when we were writing President Obama’s 2008 Democratic Convention address, we got stuck on a certain section of the speech. The President advised us: Think about the moment we’re in, think about what the country is going through, and write something that feels true. It was a helpful reminder to stop focusing on polls and soundbites and simply say something we believed in as simply as we could. Tip: Sharing a personal story can help you find your voice and build a connection with the audience.

6. Don’t just speak – say something. When Michelangelo was tasked with painting the Sistine Chapel, he considered it a thankless job. He would have much rather spent his time sculpting than painting. But he used the occasion to paint perhaps the most revered fresco in history. So, the next time you’re asked to speak, don’t just write a speech, write a great one. A speech’s greatness has as much to do with its values as anything else. No one remembers the speeches of segregationists, though there were no doubt eloquent preachers spewing hate in the days of Jim Crow. No one remembers Hitler’s speeches, though few would dispute his oratorical prowess. Of course, Hitler, like the segregationists, lost. But it’s also because hope will always be more compelling than hate. It’s no accident that the best-known, best-loved speech in history – the Sermon on the Mount – is an articulation of humanity’s highest ideals. Tip: Before sitting down to write, get inspired by reading great speeches from collections like William Safire’s “Lend Me Your Ears.”

Adam Frankel is VP, External Affairs at Andela . Previously, he was Special Assistant and Senior Speechwriter to President Barack Obama.

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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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56 How to Deliver an Effective Persuasive Speech

Learning Objectives

Advanced Delivery Methods for Persuasion

• Deliver a persuasive speech that connection to the audience through exemplar rhetorical strategies

Effective Persuasive Delivery

At this point in your learning, you are well-versed in effective verbal and non-verbal delivery. You may be thinking, what else can I learn in order to connect more deeply with my audience and persuade them to change their minds or behaviors. The readings thus far have provided the foundation for informative and persuasive speaking; the readings, lectures, and activities all work together to create a well-rounded approach to public speaking. However, the most well-written speech will be just well written if it isn’t delivered effectively. Writing your speech is only half of your job. Delivering it effectively is what will accomplish your speaking goals. Let’s push the envelope a bit more to hone in on key skills of persuasion and elements of rhetoric that can be refined.

• A student could boldly state the word suffering. 
• The student could repeat suffering again to reinforce their message: “College students are suffering, we are financially suffering,  due to the increased cost of college textbooks all the while professors have the ability to craft creative readings and online learning materials”.
• The student could take a pause after suffering and scan the audience to engage the audience.
• The student could point to professors in the audience, or at the visual aid with a professor on the slide.
• The student could increase their vocals towards the end of the sentence to ensure the message is heard loud and clear: “ all the while professors have the ability to craft creative readings and online learning materials”.
• For example: a note card can state a statistic: “92% of college professors enjoy teaching their courses with tailored lecture materials” and on the top of that note card you could write SLOW SPEAKING RATE  to remind yourself to slow down and carefully pace through this statistic.
• Try this instead: College professors lament that college students rarely read course material; texts are outdated and boring, yet these materials continue to circulate higher ed.
• For example: The students in the classroom are always on their cellphones.
• Instead state: The students are distracted by cell phones.
• You can elaborate on each of these ideas with support as well. Research suggests that color in a classroom can improve students learning, attention spans, and interest in the overall course material (citation, year).
• You can use newer technology to ensure you are providing a pleasing visual aid to your audience.
• You can incorporate videos (embed them properly), memes, artwork/designs, animations, voiceovers, and other visual cues to keep yourself and the audience on-track and engaged.
• People will remember how you began and how you ended, make it meaningful! Connect with your audience through the introduction into the conclusion. You will want to make a lasting impression on them in the conclusion so they engage in your call to action. Take careful inventory of what you have stated, and be sure to recap the main points before you get to the call to action. End just as strong as you started.

Review of Persuasive Strategies 

• Ethos.  Develops a speaker’s credibility.
• Logos.  Evokes a rational, cognitive response from the audience.
• Pathos.  Evokes an emotional response from the audience.
• Cognitive dissonance.  Moves an audience by pointing out inconsistencies between new information and their currently held beliefs, attitudes, and values.
• Positive motivation.  Promises rewards if the speaker’s message is accepted.
• Negative motivation.  Promises negative consequences if a speaker’s message is rejected.
• Appeals to safety needs.  Evokes an audience’s concern for their safety and the safety of their loved ones.
• Appeals to social needs.  Evokes an audience’s need for belonging and inclusion.
• Appeals to self-esteem needs.  Evokes an audience’s need to think well of themselves and have others think well of them, too.

Key Takeaways

Advanced delivery skills in persuasive speaking are possible.

• These skills might take more time, dedication, and refinement; however, the results are worth it.
• Consider implementing one or two of these strategies into your persuasive speech and see the difference the skill(s) make in your final delivery.

Public Speaking Copyright © by Dr. Layne Goodman; Amber Green, M.A.; and Various is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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The Art of Persuasive Copywriting: Techniques and Examples

What if your words could ignite action? Persuasive copywriting is the skill of turning casual readers into devoted customers. It involves crafting messages that not only capture attention but also compel action. Understanding the structure of persuasive copywriting and employing effective persuasive copywriting techniques can make the difference between a missed opportunity and a successful conversion. Learn how to craft compelling messages that not only grab attention but also drive results. Read the full blog!

What is Persuasive Copywriting?

Persuasive copywriting is the art and science of using words to persuade readers to take a desired action. This could be anything from making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or simply clicking a link. It’s about influencing the reader’s thoughts and actions through strategic and compelling writing.

At its core, persuasive copywriting focuses on understanding the audience’s needs, desires, and pain points, and then addressing these elements in a way that resonates with them. By tapping into the emotional and rational drivers of decision-making, copywriters can craft messages that move people to act.

The Structure of Persuasive Copywriting

To create effective persuasive copy, it’s essential to follow a well-defined structure. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements:

• Headline : This is the first impression your copy makes. A compelling headline grabs attention and entices the reader to learn more. It should be clear, concise, and relevant to the audience’s needs.
• Introduction : The introduction sets the stage for the rest of the copy. It should hook the reader by addressing a problem or presenting a solution that aligns with their desires or pain points.
• Body : This is where you delve deeper into the details. Use persuasive techniques and examples to build your argument. Highlight the benefits of your product or service, and address any objections the reader might have.
• Call to Action (CTA) : The CTA is where you tell the reader exactly what you want them to do. It should be clear, direct, and easy to follow.
• Closing : Reinforce the main message and remind the reader of the benefits. A strong closing can help cement the reader’s decision to act.

Persuasive Copywriting Techniques

To master persuasive copywriting, several persuasive copywriting techniques can be employed. Here are some of the most effective ones:

1. Emotional Appeal

Emotions drive decisions more than logic. By appealing to the reader’s emotions, you can create a stronger connection and motivate action. For example, a charity might use emotionally charged language to highlight the plight of those in need, inspiring readers to donate.

2. Social Proof

People tend to follow the actions of others. Incorporating testimonials, reviews, and case studies into your copy can build trust and credibility. When potential customers see that others have had positive experiences, they’re more likely to make a purchase.

3. Scarcity and Urgency

Creating a sense of scarcity or urgency can spur immediate action. Phrases like “limited time offer” or “only a few left in stock” can encourage readers to act quickly to avoid missing out.

4. Authority and Expertise

Establishing yourself or your brand as an authority in your field can enhance your persuasive power. Providing expert insights, citing credible sources, or showcasing awards and certifications can boost your credibility and persuade readers to trust your message.

5. Clear and Compelling Headlines

Your headline is often the deciding factor in whether someone will continue reading. Craft headlines that are intriguing, relevant, and address the reader’s needs or desires.

Persuasive Copywriting Example

To illustrate these techniques, let’s look at a persuasive copywriting example for a fitness program:

Headline : “Transform Your Body in Just 30 Days – Guaranteed Results!”

Introduction : “Are you tired of fad diets and ineffective workouts that promise the world but deliver nothing? Discover a program that has already helped thousands achieve their fitness goals and see real results in just 30 days.”

Body : “Our program is designed by fitness experts who understand what works. With personalized workout plans, easy-to-follow meal guides, and 24/7 support, you’ll get everything you need to succeed. Don’t just take our word for it – see the success stories of our satisfied clients who have transformed their lives.”

Call to Action : “Join now and start your transformation today. Click here to get started and receive a 10% discount on your first month.”

Closing : “Don’t let another day go by feeling frustrated with your fitness routine. Take action now and see the results you’ve been dreaming of. Remember, the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll achieve your goals.”

Implementing Persuasive Techniques

Applying the above persuasive techniques and examples involves more than just using the right words; it requires a deep understanding of your audience and a strategic approach to addressing their needs. Here’s how you can implement these techniques effectively:

• Know Your Audience : Research and understand your target audience’s needs, preferences, and pain points. Tailor your message to resonate with them.
• Craft a Strong Value Proposition : Clearly communicate the benefits of your product or service. Make sure the value you’re offering is immediately apparent.
• Use Engaging Language : Write in a way that is engaging and relatable. Avoid jargon and complex language that might alienate or confuse your readers.
• Test and Optimize : Continuously test different elements of your copy, such as headlines and CTAs, to see what works best. Use analytics and feedback to refine your approach.
• Leverage Social Proof: Utilize testimonials, case studies, and reviews to build credibility and trust. Showcasing positive feedback from satisfied customers can persuade potential customers by demonstrating that others have had positive experiences with your product or service.
• Create a Sense of Urgency: Encourage action by incorporating time-sensitive offers or limited availability into your messaging. Phrases like “limited-time offer” or “only a few left” can create a sense of urgency that prompts customers to act quickly.
• Highlight Unique Selling Points (USPs): Emphasize what sets your product or service apart from the competition. Clearly outline the unique features or benefits that make your offering superior or different, ensuring that your audience understands why they should choose you over others.
• Utilize Emotional Appeals: Connect with your audience on an emotional level by addressing their desires, fears, or aspirations. Craft your message to resonate with their emotions and values, making your offer more compelling and memorable.

The skill of persuasive copywriting lies in crafting messages that resonate with your audience and drive them to take action. By employing effective persuasive copywriting techniques and following a structured approach, you can create compelling copy that not only captures attention but also leads to meaningful conversions.

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