Persuasive Speech

Presentations that aim to change others by prompting them to think,

feel or act differently.

The Cornerstones of Persuasion

Ethos LogosPathos

EthosThe perceived personal character of the speaker

• They have integrity.

• They can be trusted.

• They have goodwill toward us.

• They know what they are talking about.

• They are committed to the topic. Includes showing enthusiasm and dynamism

PathosEmotional Proofs or Reasons to Believe

• We are influenced by our feelings. Passions Personal values Perceptions Psychology

• Appeal to listeners’ emotions to get them involved with your speech, not for the sake of emotional arousal itself.

LogosRational or Logical Proofs

• Inductive Reasoning begins with specific examples and uses them to draw a general conclusion.

• Deductive reasoning begins with a conclusion and then shows how it applies to specific examples.

Toulmin’s Model of Reasoning

Grounds(Evidence) Claims

Qualifier

Rebuttal

Warrant

Jaffe, p. 361

Toulmin’s Model of Reasoning

Grounds – Evidence offered to

support a claim

Claims – disputable assertions that require backing

Qualifier – words and phrases that limit

or narrow the claim

Rebuttal – arguments thatcounter or disagree

with a claim

Warrant – reasons that connect claim

and evidence

CredibilityAnother Word for Ethos

• Willingness of others

to believe a person: Has integrity

Is positively disposed

toward them

Can be trustedM

icro

soft

Pho

to

Credibility

• Initial credibility is the expertise and trustworthiness listeners recognize before a presentation begins.

• Derived credibility is the expertise and trustworthiness that listeners recognize as a result of how speakers communicate during presentations.

• Terminal credibility is the cumulative expertise listeners recognize in a speaker based on initial and derived credibility.

Initial Credibility+ or –

Derived Credibility=

Terminal Credibility

Building Credibility• State your qualifications for speaking on this

topic.

• Show listeners that you care about them.

• Appeal to listeners’ emotions.

• Reason carefully and avoid reasoning fallacies.

• Use effective and ethical supporting materials.

• Use verbal and nonverbal to show you are involved with the topic.

• Respond to questions with open-mindedness and fairness.

Speakers who want to be judged as credible should establish goodwill toward listeners.

-McCroskey, J., &Treven, J. (1999)

• Show understanding of listeners’ ideas, feelings, and needs.

• Demonstrate empathy.

• Be responsive to listeners by being attentive and by reacting to listeners’ communication.

Organizing Speeches for Persuasive Impact

• Your introduction should capture listeners’ attention, provide a clear thesis statement, and preview what your speech will cover.

• Your conclusion should summarize main points and end with a strong closing statement.

• You should provide internal summaries.• You should provide smooth transitions.• The body of your speech should be organized

to reinforce your thesis and show listeners how your ideas cohere.

Should You Present One or Two Sides?1. Do listeners expect more than one side of the topic?

• What is/are the listeners’ educational level (s)?• Has there been any pre-speech publicity?• Do listeners care about hearing both sides?

2. What are listeners’ attitudes toward your topic?• Do they have a position? Is it the same as yours?• How strongly do listeners hold their opinions?

3. What level of knowledge do your listeners have?• Do they know more than one side of the issues?• How much information have they already gained?

4. Are listeners likely to encounter counterarguments after you speak?

• Inoculation immunizes listeners in advance against opposing ideas they may hear in the future.

Lloyd Bennett works for a public relations firm that wants to convince Casual Cruise Lines to become a client. Lloyd could use

any of the eight basic organizational patterns to structure his speech to

persuade the cruise line to hire his firm. On the following slides you can observe

how his presentation would change depending on what outline pattern he

selects.

Time PatternChronological

Our firm can move Casual Cruise Lines into the future.

I. Originally Casual Cruise Lines attracted customers whose average age was 58.

II. In recent years, that customer base has shrunk.

III. To thrive in the years ahead, Casual Cruise Lines needs to appeal to younger customers.

Spatial PatternLeft to right, top to bottom, north to south

Our proposal focuses on redesigning the space on cruise ships to appeal to the 30-40 year old market.

I. In the staterooms, we propose replacing the conventional seafaring motif with abstract, modernistic art.

II. In the public area of the lower deck, we propose replacing the current coffee shops with sushi and expresso bars and adding fitness work out rooms.

III. On the upper deck, we propose building hot tubs and Jacuzzis beside the pool.

TopicalCategories or Classes

Our firm has the most experienced advertising cruise lines and the most innovative staff.

I. Our firm has increased revenues for three other cruise lines.

II. Our firm has won more awards for innovation and creativity than the others Casual Cruise Lines is considering for this account.

Star PatternSeveral main points work together to support a theme. Different points are given more or less attention when

speaking to different audiences.

Let’s consider how younger customers might be attracted if we revamped ship décor, activities, and cuisine.

I. Younger customers like modern décor.

II. Younger customers want youthful activities.

III. Younger customers want trendy foods.

Wave Pattern Each main idea builds up from evidence

then crests in a main point

The theme we propose is: No shuffle boards and no kids—Casual Cruise Line

I. If you’re too young for shuffleboard, you’re ready for a Casual Cruise.

II. If you’re too old to babysit, you’re ready for a Casual Cruise.

Problem-solution Describes a problem and then

proposes a solution

We have a solution to Casual Cruise Line’s inability to attract younger customers.

I. Casual Cruise Lines hasn’t been able to get a substantial share of the lucrative 30-45 year old market.

II. Our advertising campaign specifically targets this market.

Cause and Effect

The advertising campaign we propose will attract young, affluent customers by appealing to their interests and life style.

I. Our proposal’s emphasis on luxury features of the cruise caters to this market’s appreciation of extravagance.

II. Our proposal to feature adults-only cruises caters to this market’s demonstrated preferences.

III. Our proposal to offer 2-4 day cruises meets this market’s interest in long weekend get-aways.

Comparative Compares two or more objects, people,

situations, events

Our plan targets younger customers, not older ones.

I. Shorter cruises for the busy lifestyle of 30-45 year olds.

II. On board dancing and night clubs, which are favorite leisure activities of the 30-45 year olds.

III. Adding 24-hour expresso bars and on-board fitness rooms speaks directly to the interests of 30-45 year olds.

The Motivated Sequence Pattern

1. Attention—focus listeners’ attention

2. Need—demonstrate a real problem exists

3. Satisfaction—propose a solution to solve the demonstrated problem

4. Visualization—give listeners a vision of the impact of the solution

5. Action—ask listeners to think, feel, or do something to bring the solution into being

Additional Persuasive Guidelines

• Build common ground with listeners. Work to find similarities between you and

your listener (identification).

• Adapt to listeners. A good persuasive speech is crafted with

specific listeners in mind. Audience analysis should assist you in

understanding what your audience knows, believes and expects.

Fallacy

• An error in reasoning

• Presents false, or flawed logic

• Detracts from credibility because it suggests a speaker may not be ethical

Avoid Fallacies in Reasoning

• Ad hominem arguments go to the person not the idea.

• After this, therefore because of this mistakenly assumes because one thing follows another that the first caused the second.

• Bandwagon appeal argues that because most people believe or act a particular way, you should too.

• Reduction to absurdity involves pushing an idea to the point that it becomes ridiculous.

Avoid Fallacies in Reasoning

• Hasty generalization is a broad claim based on too few examples or too limited evidence.

• Red Herring arguments try to deflect listeners from relevant issues.

• Either-Or logic suggests that there are two and only two arguments.

• The Halo Effect occurs when we generalize an individual’s authority, or expertise, in a particular area to other areas that are irrelevant.

Experiencing Communication in our Lives . . .

Analyze the following speech using material presented on Public

Speaking in Chapters 13-17. The complete speech can be found in

your text at the end of Chapter 17.

Planning choices:

1. Was this a good topic for a persuasive speech to college students?

2. Was the topic sufficiently narrow?

3. Did Rebecca announce a clear thesis for her speech?

Organizational Choices:

1. Was there a strong introduction?

2. Did she provide transitions?

3. Did the conclusion summarize her main points and end on a strong note?

Choices about Supporting Material:1. What supporting material can you identify? 2. Are the statistics presented clearly?3. Are the sources of evidence credible?4. Did you find any fallacies in reasoning?5. Did Rebecca’s speech reflect awareness of

ethos, pathos, and logos?Choices in Adapting to Listeners:1. How did Rebecca adapt the message to

listeners who were 19-24 year-old students?2. Did Rebecca show she had thought about

attitudes her listeners were likely to hold.

Choices Affecting Credibility:1. Did you find Rebecca credible?2. Can you think of ways Rebecca could have

enhanced her credibility?3. Compare Rebecca’s initial, derived, and

terminal credibility. What accounts for changes in her credibility?

Choices about Style:1. Does the speech follow principles of oral

style discussed in Chapter 15?2. Identify choices the speaker made to

personalize her message.