Speeches On Persuasion
When talking about a speeches on persuasion there are three basic elements that need to be included in order for it to be truly persuasive. Those three things are: Logic, compassion, and Ethical. A truly compelling speech must be logical according to the ears of the listener, show compassion, and also be ethical in content. Miss any of those three and you will miss the mark.
Let’s look at each component. Being logical means that one needs to begin with the end in mind. What I mean by that is the speaker needs to answer the following question. What do I want my audience to know or learn as a result of my speech? It is important to have a clear end result of your speech. Then, tell your story by making sure your points follow a logical path from start to finish. This becomes easy when you know what your audiences’ level of knowledge is a particular subject. You then will want to fill in the blanks to lead them to your conclusion.
Take the example of a “road trip.” You set out for a destination and we have a map and route planned from start to finish. You follow the main roads and then decide to take an off ramp for whatever reason, or tell a side story during your speech. After completing the side story, make sure you get back on the main road to reach our destination. This same approach applies to the speech.
Next, compassion will often come in two forms; The first is your passion for the subject and the other is the acceptance by your audience of your plan or proposal. If you believe your speech will have a positive impact on the audience then your enthusiasm will and must show it. The second part, having your audience accept your proposal, is not as difficult as you might imagine. It is not difficult if you prepare your speech by thinking about what the benefit will be to your audience.Your speech should then clearly point out the benefits to the audience.
One tip I suggest when creating content and that is less is more. Don’t overdo it with your audience by talking about too many points or by presenting too much data. Your speech needs to concise but don’t try and re-invent the wheel. My rule of thumb for the optimum number of points in a speech is five. Any more than five points and the audience will not remember any more than that nor will they try. It is also important to align your points with the most important point put first and the least important point last. Doing this will keep up the momentum of your speech and at the same time hold the attention of your audience.
Finally, there is the ethical component. By definition, anything that is ethical is true, of high moral or a right of good conduct. For a speech to be ethical your proposition must be truthful meaning it will provide benefits in which you are proposing. Secondly, the audience needs to see the benefits and know that these benefits are real. The best opportunity to do this is to use examples or even true stories to prove your point. Again, make sure not to go overboard here.
A truly persuasive speech should have a strong opening that alerts your audience to the major benefits to your proposal. Then it should be followed up by a logical flow in the body and stress the benefits of your plan. Your plan should be provided in five points or less. Finally, the summary will paraphrase your points and then you close with a strong closing statement. If you have crafted your speech well and showed the benefits to your audience and presented it with passion, then a strong statement at the end will be the perfect finish to a perfect speech.
