Persuasive

Speaking in
Private and
Public
Institutions

Chapter 2
The Importance of persuasive
Speech
In this day and age, it seems the everybody is trying to persuade
everybody else. Whether it is in order to buy specific products, try
out the newest craze, or join a political movement, persuasion is the
name of the game. Whatever field of profession one plans to join in
the future, it is an essential skill to be able to persuade someone.
Although most people nowadays try to persuade using emotional
means, it is best to be able to use logic and reasoning to persuade as
well.
The Basic of Argumentation

The ordinary expectation of an argument is an action that involves

strong words, possibly matched with violent acts. However, this
appreciation cannot be farther from the truth. In fact, a well-
reasoned argument is not based on violence at all, but one that is
based on logic and evidence.
Three Features of Argument

An argument is composed of three features: Assumption, Evidence, and

Explanation.
Assumption- in an opinion that needs evidence to back it up. Hence, saying that
the world is round is not an assumption, it is fact. It is not an opinion that asks for
evidence, because it has already proven and considered to be true by all account.
However, the opinion that the women should be given the right to an abortion is
an assertion that needs facts to support it. To do so, would be to look at laws,
jurisprudence, and documents from united nations, or similar institutions. There
are times when there can be shifts in ideology, rendering what were once
considered facts into matters of opinion and vice versa.
Three Features of Argument

Evidence- can be any of the following: concrete facts and figures: a

philosophical ideology agreed upon to be true by everyone, and anecdotal
evidence. The strongest bodies of evidence are based on facts and figures, and
it is important to that they are true and come from reliable sources. One
cannot expect to get facts from memes, dodgy blogs, and fake news sources. It
is best to get facts from newspapers and academic journals, or their digital
counterparts. The weakest among the three would be anecdotal evidence, as
this can be an exaggeration of the speaker, or even an outright lie.
Three Features of Argument
Explanation- tells the audience why the evidence supports the assumption. It should
be clear and concise, and the relationship between the evidence and the assumption
must not commit any logical fallacies. For example, when it comes to the earlier
assumption, that all states should observe human rights for its citizens, the fact that
this is enshrined in the United Nations Commission for Human Rights (UNCHR) might
not be enough for some people. Therefore, in order to be more persuasive, one must
explain where this came from, that it was a post-World War Il measure to ensure that
the evils of the Nazi Holocaust would not be repeated in the world. A stronger
explanation would go to the premises of the argument and analyze this point by point,
in order to make the audience fully understand the argument In the end, an argument's
persuasive power is not found solely on logical grounds. It is important to remember
that one is trying to convince human beings with emotions, and not cold, unfeeling
robots, which is why it is always best to add the persuasive powers of pathos and ethos
in an argument, aside from those that stem from logos.
Three Features of Argument

This three feature: assumption, evidence, and explanation. If any of the three are
missing, these are not considered arguments. In the case of assumption without
evidence, these are merely opinions. In the case of evidence without assertions,
these simply bald fact that need further contextualization. Unfortunately, most
people believed that if you have one of the features, one can create a compelling
argument.