persuasive speech

Core Content Requirements: Speaking

I have presented a persuasive speech.

STANDARDS

Content Area: English/Language Arts

A. A student should be able to speak and write well for a variety of purposes and audiences.
D. A student should be able to think logically and reflectively in order to present and explain positions based on
relevant and reliable information.

REQUIREMENTS

A persuasive speech that is at least three and a half minutes long.

STEPS TO COMPLETION

Overview
Notes: vocabulary and speech planning
Plan the content and outline your speech (see guide on the attached page).
Put your speech on note cards. Do not use complete sentences.
Practice your speech at least five times. Use the practice evaluation to get feedback from a parent or
classmate.
Present your speech for final evaluation.

Definitions of Rhetoric by Philosophers and Rhetoricians

Plato: Rhetoric is "the art of winning the soul by discourse."
Aristotle: Rhetoric is "the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available means of persuasion."
Quintillian: "Rhetoric is the art of speaking well."
Francis Bacon: The duty and office of rhetoric is to apply reason to imagination for the better moving of the will.
George Campbell: [Rhetoric] is that art or talent by which discourse is adapted to its end. The four ends of discourse are to
enlighten the understanding, please the imagination, move the passion, and influence the will.
I. A. Richards: Rhetoric is the study of misunderstandings and their remedies.
Philip Johnson: "Rhetoric is the art of framing an argument so that it can be appreciated by an audience."
Kenneth Burke: The most characteristic concern of rhetoric [is] the manipulation of men's beliefs for political ends....the
basic function of rhetoric [is] the use of words by human agents to form attitudes or to induce actions in other human
agents.
George Kennedy: Rhetoric in the most general sense may perhaps be identified with the energy inherent in communication:
the emotional energy that impels the speaker to speak, the physical energy expanded in the utterance, the energy level
coded in the message, and the energy experienced by the recipient in decoding the message.
Lloyd Bitzer: ...rhetoric is a mode of altering reality, not by the direct application of energy to objects, but by the creation of
discourse which changes reality through the mediation of thought and action.

 persuasive speech

vocabulary word

PUBLIC SPEAKING VOCABULARY LIST

definition
tips for speakers
loudness or softness
Vary your volume; make sure you
can be heard
highness or lowness
Vary your pitch, avoid speaking in a
monotone
speed
vary the speed you speak at; Avoid
speaking too quickly
emotional quality
Suit the tone to your message
clearness with which words
are spoken
looking audience members in
the eye
using your face to show
emotions
meaningful motions of the
hands and arms
position of the body

When speaking to a group, pronounce

your words more precisely than you
would in ordinary conversation
Make eye contact regularly with
people in your audience. Include all
your audience members
Use facial expressions to emphasize
your message.
Use gestures to emphasize points.
Be careful, however, not to overuse
gestures. Too many can be
distracting.
Keep your spine straight and your
head high, but avoid appearing stiff.

distance from the audience

Planning the Content of a Persuasive Speech

Find a balance of
Include the

and
from your persuasive essay.

Use at least one (ideally more than one)

motivate your audience.

to support each point and

Motive Appeals:
Health (How will supporting the change help the mental or physical health of the listener?)
Safety (How will supporting the change make the listener and/or the listeners family and friends safer?)
Caring (How will the listener show that they care about people or the world by supporting the change?)
Earnings or Savings (How will supporting the change save or earn the listener money?)
Patriotism (How will supporting the change help the country?)
Learning/Mind (How will the listener learn from supporting the change?)
Pride (How will the listener feel proud of him/herself?)
Bandwagon (This suggests that everyone else is doing it.)
Adventure (How will the risks and sense of new adventure spur the listener to support the change?)
Use the pronouns YOU and WE often to connect with and involve the audience.
2

 persuasive speech

Speech Planning Guide:

I. INTRODUCTION
A. Attention-getter (startling fact, interesting story, famous quotation, questions, humor, visual, etc.)
B. Topic Sentence/Thesis Statement (what you want to happen)
II. BODY/SUPPORT
A. State Point #1
1. Evidence for #1 (facts, statistics, personal stories, observations, etc)
2. Motive Appeals
B. State Point #2
1. Evidence for #2 (facts, statistics, personal stories, observations, etc)
2. Motive Appeals
C. State Point #3
1. Evidence for #3 (facts, statistics, personal stories, observations, etc)
2. Motive Appeals
III. Acknowledge Opposition
A. Recognize one or two opposing points
B. Argue against the opposing points
IV. CONCLUSION (re-state thesis and make it memorable)

NOTECARD TIPS
Dont write in complete sentences; youll be tempted to read your speech.
Number your notecards in order.
Write reminders to yourself. (Dont fidget, Look up, Pause, etc.)
You might use different colored index cards for various parts of the speech
Write in large letters that can easily be read at arms length.

 persuasive speech
PRACTICE EVALUATION
Your name:
The speakers name:
DIRECTIONS: Circle the number in each category that you feel reflects the quality of the speaker's presentation.
Five is the highest score and one is the lowest.
ATTENTION-GETTER

TOPIC SENTENCE/THESIS STATEMENT

ORGANIZATION

CONCLUSION

SMOOTHNESS OF DELIVERY

VOLUME

POSTURE

EYE CONTACT

ENUNCIATION

TOTAL TIME:
/3:00 minutes
(Five points are deducted for every 30 seconds under 3 minutes.)

Two things the speaker did well and one suggestion for improvement: