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Speaking to Inform and Persaude
Information or Persuasion?
- Speeches are informative if they seek to describe, explain, or instruct about a noncontroversial topic, without trying to change audience beliefs, attitudes, or behavior.
- Speeches are persuasive if they seek to change audience beliefs, attitudes, or behavior, usually about a controversial topic.
To Deliver an Effective Informative Speech...
- Define a specific purpose.
- Use clear, simple language.
- Emphasize important points.
- Generate audience involvement.
3 Ways to Make It Easy for the Audience to Listen
- Limit the amount of information you present.
- Transition from familiar to newer information.
- Transition from simple to more complex information.
4 Ways to Handle Question-and-Answer Period
- Listen to the substance of the question.
- Paraphrase confusing or quietly asked questions.
- Avoid reacting defensively.
- Answer briefly and then check to see if your answer was helpful.
To Deliver an Effect Persuasive Spech...
- Prepare a persuasive purpose statement.
- Adapt to your specific audience.
- Establish common ground and credibility.
- Follow Aristotle's Triad by balancing emotion with logic and ethics.
3 Types of Persuasive Appeals
- Ethos (credibility) or ethical appeal
- Pathos (emotions)
- Logos (logic)
To Formulate Effective Arguments...
- Structure your argument with problems, solutions, and desired audience behaviors.
- Use Monroe's Motivated Sequence.
To Bolster the Reasoning Within Your Argument...
- Back up your claims with evidence.
- Use the Toulmin Model to tie claims and evidence together with a warrant.
6 Fallacies to Avoid
- Attack on the person instead of the arguement (ad hominem)
- Reduction to the absurd (reductio ad absurdum)
- Either-or
- False cause (post hoc ergo propter hoc)
- Appeal to authority (argumentum ad verecundiam)
- Bandwagon appeal (argumentum ad populum)