Texts:

https://lumen.instructure.com/courses/218897/pages
For strategies, refer to the Persuasive Speech Chapter)

Essential Questions: How is understanding the principles of persuasion important to your career and being a informed citizen and consumer?

A. Ethics and Persuasion: What are some of the ethical issues a speaker must be aware of? Why?

B. The Psychology of Persuasion

The challenge of persuasive speaking
- What can make the audience challenging?
- Why is it difficult to address the audience from your perspective on an issue?
How listeners process persuasive messages
- How do listeners react psychologically to what they hear from a speaker?
The target audience
- Who are target audience? How do we identify them?
- Why is important to address your speech to target audience?

C. How to create a survey to identify your target audience? Here are some suggestions:

Do research to find out why your audience may oppose your position on your chosen topic.
Use Google Form to Create a 5-question MCQs survey to identify your target audience
- First question should be used to find out where your audience stand on the issue.
- 2^nd question should be a list of reasons why your audience support your position ( you can ask your audience to pick the top choice).
- 3^rd question should be a list of reasons why your audience disagree with you ( ask them to choose the top two or given them a space where they can pen in why they disagree if the reasons are not listed)
- 4^th question can be about whether your audience has had any direct personal connections( positive or negative) with the topic you will speak about
- The last question should address to what extent your audience disagrees with you and whether they are open to reconsidering their position

Types of Persuasive Speech

Persuasive Speech on Questions of Facts

Historical controversy: Knowledge that an event did happen in the past or that an object actually did exist.
Questions of current existence: Knowledge that something is happening now in the present (such as global warming).
Predictions: Forecasting what will happen in the future. Based on past events, the speaker identifies a pattern and attempts to convince the audience that the event will happen again. For example, if someone observes that gasoline prices drop right before national elections, he or she could attempt to convince others that they will drop again before the next election.

Persuasive Speeches on Questions of Policy

One focus of persuasive speaking is questions of policy, which advocates a change from the status quo, or the way things are today. There is a “should”, or at least an implied “should”, in the thesis statement. The speaker wants the plan proposed by the speech to become policy. Questions of policy contrast with questions of fact, which state than something is, exists or does not exist, and questions of value, which state that something is good, bad, beautiful, or perhaps worthwhile.

Persuasive Speeches on Questions of Value

Questions to Ask Yourself

When analyzing any type of persuasive speech, you should ask yourself the following questions:
What is the speaker’s goal?
What are the main points?
How does the structure of the speech help the speaker to make the argument?
How does the speaker try to make you care?
How does the speaker use evidence?
What kinds of sources does the speaker use?

How should you go about creating such a speech?

Introduce appeals, information, and criteria.
Provide evidence that makes your audience arrive at your conclusion. (Your claims should agree with the current beliefs and feeling of your audience.)
Use facts to justify your claims.
Consider your audience’s feeling and values.

Change Behavior

The second type of persuasive speech is one in which the speaker attempts to persuade an audience to change their behavior. Behaviors come in a wide range of forms, so finding one you think people should start, increase, or decrease shouldn’t be difficult at all. Speeches encouraging audiences to vote for a candidate, sign a petition opposing a tuition increase, or drink tap water instead of bottled water are all behavior-oriented persuasive speeches. In all these cases, the goal is to change the behavior of individual listeners.

Theories of Persuasion

Social Judgment Theory

In an ideal world, we’d always be persuading people who agree with our opinions, but that’s not reality. Instead, we often find ourselves in situations where we are trying to persuade others to attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors with which they may not agree. To help us persuade others, what we need to think about is the range of possible attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors that exist. For example, in our foreign language case, we may see the following possible opinions from our audience members:
Complete agreement. Let’s all major in foreign languages.
Strong agreement. I won’t major in a foreign language, but I will double major in a foreign language.
Agreement in part. I won’t major in a foreign language, but I will minor in a foreign language.
Neutral. While I think studying a foreign language can be worthwhile, I also think a college education can be complete without it. I really don’t feel strongly one way or the other.
Disagreement in part. I will only take the foreign language classes required by my major.
Strong disagreement. I don’t think I should have to take any foreign language classes.
Complete disagreement. Majoring in a foreign language is a complete waste of a college education.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Cognitive dissonance is an aversive motivational state that occurs when an individual entertains two or more contradictory attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors simultaneously. For example, maybe you know you should be working on your speech, but you really want to go to a movie with a friend. In this case, practicing your speech and going to the movie are two cognitions that are inconsistent with one another. The goal of persuasion is to induce enough dissonance in listeners that they will change their attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors.
For cognitive dissonance to work, there needs to be a strong enough aversive consequence, or punishment, for not changing one’s attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors. For example, maybe you’re giving a speech on why people need to eat more apples. If your aversive consequence for not eating apples is that your audience will not get enough fiber, most people will simply not be persuaded, because the punishment isn’t severe enough. Instead, for cognitive dissonance to work, the punishment associated with not eating apples needs to be significant enough to change behaviors. If you convince your audience that without enough fiber in their diets they are at higher risk for heart disease or colon cancer, they might fear the aversive consequences enough to change their behavior.
The second condition necessary for cognitive dissonance to work is that people must have a freedom of choice
The final condition necessary for cognitive dissonance to work has to do with external and internal justifications. External justification refers to the process of identifying reasons outside of one’s own control to support one’s behavior, beliefs, and attitudes. Internal justification occurs when someone voluntarily changes a behavior, belief, or attitude to reduce cognitive dissonance. When it comes to creating change through persuasion, external justifications are less likely to result in change than internal justifications (Festinger & Carlsmith, 1959)

Sample Persuasive Speeches

Adapted from Paul Bogard, “Let There Be Dark.” ©2012 by Los Angeles Times. Originally published December 21, 2012.
Sample #1

At my family’s cabin on a Minnesota lake, I knew woods so dark that my hands disappeared before my eyes. I knew night skies in which meteors left smoky trails across sugary spreads of stars. But now, when 8 of 10 children born in the United States will never know a sky dark enough for the Milky Way, I worry we are rapidly losing night’s natural darkness before realizing its worth. This winter solstice, as we cheer the days’ gradual movement back toward light, let us also remember the irreplaceable value of darkness. All life evolved to the steady rhythm of bright days and dark nights. Today, though, when we feel the closeness of nightfall, we reach quickly for a light switch. And too little darkness, meaning too much artificial light at night, spells trouble for all.

Already the World Health Organization classifies working the night shift as a probable human carcinogen, and the American Medical Association has voiced its unanimous support for “light pollution reduction efforts and glare reduction efforts at both the national and state levels.” Our bodies need darkness to produce the hormone melatonin, which keeps certain cancers from developing, and our bodies need darkness for sleep. Sleep disorders have been linked to diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and depression, and recent research suggests one main cause of “short sleep” is “long light.” Whether we work at night or simply take our tablets, notebooks and smartphones to bed, there isn’t a place for this much artificial light in our lives.

The rest of the world depends on darkness as well, including nocturnal and crepuscular species of birds, insects, mammals, fish and reptiles. Some examples are well known—the 400 species of birds that migrate at night in North America, the sea turtles that come ashore to lay their eggs—and some are not, such as the bats that save American farmers billions in pest control and the moths that pollinate 80% of the world’s flora. Ecological light pollution is like the bulldozer of the night, wrecking habitat and disrupting ecosystems several billion years in the making. Simply put, without darkness, Earth’s ecology would collapse….

In today’s crowded, louder, more fast-paced world, night’s darkness can provide solitude, quiet and stillness, qualities increasingly in short supply. Every religious tradition has considered darkness invaluable for a soulful life, and the chance to witness the universe has inspired artists, philosophers and everyday stargazers since time began. In a world awash with electric light…how would Van Gogh have given the world his “Starry Night”? Who knows what this vision of the night sky might inspire in each of us, in our children or grandchildren?

Yet all over the world, our nights are growing brighter. In the United States and Western Europe, the amount of light in the sky increases an average of about 6% every year. Computer images of the United States at night, based on NASA photographs, show that what was a very dark country as recently as the 1950s is now nearly covered with a blanket of light. Much of this light is wasted energy, which means wasted dollars. Those of us over 35 are perhaps among the last generation to have known truly dark nights. Even the northern lake where I was lucky to spend my summers has seen its darkness diminish.

Sample #2
Less Stuff more Happiness https://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_less_stuff_more_happiness?language=en

Sample #3
A speech on Fat Shaming

Persuasive Strategies

1. Expect Selective Exposure

2.Don’t Expect Too Much

3.Employ Empathy and Sensitivity

4. Use Different Kinds of Appeals

Methods of Persuasion p.331

I. Building Credibility

Factors of credibility
types of credibility
enhancing your credibility

II. Using Evidence

How evidence works: a case study
Tips for using evidence

III. Reasoning

Reasoning from specific instances
reasoning from principle
1. deductive reasoning
2. establishing a premise for your persuasion
causal reasoning
analogical reasoning
1. making a comparison between two similar cases and inferring what’s true for one case is also true for the other
2. frequently used in a policy argument
fallacies

IV. Appealing to Emotions

What are emotional appeals
Generating emotional appeal
Ethics and Emotional Appeal

Public Speaking Tips To Hook Any Audience

V. More Sample Speeches

” Changing Lives through the Literacy Network”( p. 326)
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered the speech entitled “Chance for Peace” on April 16^th, 1953
Less Stuff more Happiness https://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_less_stuff_more_happiness?language=en
How arts give shapes to cultural change: https://www.ted.com/talks/thelma_golden_how_art_gives_shape_to_cultural_change#t-1873
The Power of Vulnerability: https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability
Color Blind or Color Brave:https://www.ted.com/talks/mellody_hobson_color_blind_or_color_brave
Why artists must be poor?https://www.ted.com/talks/hadi_eldebek_why_must_artists_be_poor

A speech on Fat Shaming

Resources:

Persuasive speaking Study Guide and Notes

FACTS :Persuade that your fact is true. Prove that your claim is the best and defend yourself against oppositional ideas. Example: Persuade your audience that space exploration is beneficial.

VALUES : Persuade that something is right or wrong, moral or immoral, valuable or worthless. Appeal to the beliefs, morality and values of your listeners. Example: Persuade your speech class mates that cheating at school is absolutely unacceptable.

POLICIES: Persuade that there is a problem and get the audience to agree with your solution. Motivate them to act or change attitudes, policies or policy regulations. Appeal to human needs, reason and emotion. Example: Persuade your public to keep the thermostat in your home at 68 F in winter and 72 F in summer.

Speech topics to persuade, unless it is for a specific purpose, such as the forwarding of an event of service, can be nearly anything you want! Chances are you are addressing people with some common interest. That alone will give a clue. Be certain that what you are discussing is of interest to them. Your persuasive speaking speech topics should be familiar to you, and if not an expert, researchable enough prior to giving the presentation.

Start the persuasive speaking speech process with brainstorming. Sit down with a pen and ask yourself, “what is interesting to this particular public and what can I offer that they would find unique and intriguing?”

What is the particular occasion that impels the presentation?

Does it require certain persuasive speaking speech topics or is that open to your discretion? If your answer is the latter, then the road to speech ideas is clear and you can safely assume that you may choose something you think is a reasonable topic. Move on to find one that you are realistically at ease with. If you don’t know a thing about bird watching and aren’t at ease discussing it, chances are that preserving rare Hawaiian birds is not a good speech idea. But using their interests, you can easily adapt your own to fit with what they enjoy. Put a spin on their interest and make it mesh with what you advocate for.

The best speeches are on persuasive speaking speech topics such as how and why we have to do something. An ordinary example: when speaking to ornithologists about the urge for new classifying methods, a good speech idea might be how to get the best photo of a rare bird in flight without having a blur? How to build the proper blind or good methods of concealment?

Taking the theme of the event, giving it a twist to coincide with what you want to accomplish, and are accomplished at, and adding a how-to aspect to your persuasive speaking speech topics will always be a hit. Everyone loves to gain new information or new skills. The public will have an interest of one thing or another in common which unite them. Make their interest yours. Choose several things to add to your list. Narrow it down to just one that you feel most comfortable with. Using the example from above, make a list of what you think that has to be done to benefit the bird-watcher hobbyist who needs to categorize special birds. E.g.:

• Can you teach concealment skills?

• Are you handy with building things such as a blind, or bird feeder?

• Do you know photography well?

Go over your list of possible persuasive speaking speech topics and choose the one at which you feel the most comfortable persuading, and that you think will be of interest to the group at large, not just one or two listeners. Not everyone wants to lay concealed on the floor of the forest, so that one could be safely removed. Not everyone uses power tools to classify, so remove the bird feeder. Nearly everyone has a camera, so persuading the right settings to gain in-flight bird photos might be your best bet.

Make a persuasive speaking outline of imperative things, such as the correct camera settings, the proper shutter speed, the right flash or no flash, etc.

That will make a big difference in the overall outcome of their efforts.

Include a paragraph on each of those as you write the public speaking speech about the most effective methods to classify rare birds. Leave a few minutes after the session for questions or input about what you’ve discussed in your persuasive speaking speech topics.

Persuasive speech topics for free, this is a list with instant persuasive speech topic ideas for public speaking speech assignments. Example persuasive speech topics for free on various society issues:

1. Gay marriage should be an issue for the states

2. Flag burning should be prohibited.

3. Military service should be based on conduct, not sexual orientation.

4. Education, housing, and hiring must be equal for all.

5. The Ten Commandments are inherent values in schools.

6. The Patriot Act violates civil liberties.

7. The 1st Amendment is not a shield for hate groups.

8. Support affirmative action in governmental organisations.

9. Limiting immigration is limiting opportunities.

10. The police always should investigate all complaints of wife assault.

11. The amount of spam you see in your mailbox is just the tip of the iceberg.

12. Ban same-sex marriages.

13. Academic dishonesty should always be santioned by termination of student status for a specified term.

14. Wildcat strikes should be legalized.

15. What you need to know to prevent serious complications with body piercings.

16. Only buy energy efficient household appliances.

17. Outsourcing is a good solution for small business owners.

18. Every citizen should commit to 2,000 hours of voluntary national service in lifetime.

Persuasive speech topics for free on foreign policy and international issues:

1. No-fly lists of airliners do have a lack of accuracy.

2. Mankind is responsible for the large loss of biodiversity.

3. We need an international forestry agency.

4. Water is a hot issue in the Middle East.

5. An international certification system for diamond exploration prevents conflict-diamonds trade.

6. Never negotiate with terrorists.

7. Water saving methods work in several regions of Africa.

8. Russia is a growing threath.

9. Jerusalem must remain an undivided city.

10. America should stop being the world’s policeman.

11. We need a Marshall Plan for Afghanistan.

12. The civil rights movement is a success.

13. Keep talking to the North Koreans.

These public speaking topics samples are not my opinions, they are just persuasive speech topics for free.

1. The government should be persuaded to pay for all healthcare. By the way you can fill in other verbs and nouns in most of the free persuasive speech topics in this list. Just tweak.
2. Teachers are not safe in schools.
3. We are better off today than we were eight years ago.
4. We are killing the rainforest.
5. Children in … fill in the nation of your choice … are living better.
6. Continue the war on drugs by attacking the ingredients needed.
7. DNA databases jeopardize our privacy.
8. Vanity is not a valid reason for cosmetic plastic surgery.
9. The rich pay, don’t pay enough taxes.
10. Return extra taxes collected to those who paid.
11. All MP3 music belong in the free public domain.
12. Needle exchange programs help to prevent.
13. Mothers should be persuaded to avoid fighting in militairy combat front lines.
14. Free speech don’t include, include hate speech.
15. Spam e-mails should be, should not be outlawed.
16. We need a single food safety agency. Remember, replace the nouns and you can write easily other free persuasive speech topics.
17. Downloading copyrighted MP3s is not, is wrong.
18. Gay couples should be, should not be allowed to marry.
19. Higher energy prices is a sacrifice we have to make for cleaner fuels.
20. Home schooling provides a better education, is worse for your child.
21. Honesty, integrity and a persuasive mentality are the most important qualities of an elected official. Or vary on the qualities and create your own free persuasive speech topics on gouvernement, state or local politicians.
22. Zero tolerance is a useful instrument to prevent violence.
23. Babysitters younger than 16 years should be forbidden.
24. Human cloning is bad, is good.
25. Restrict every household to 60 gallon can on trash a week.