speech writing help

speech writing help

The Power of Persuasive Speech Writing

1. Introduction: Understanding the Importance of Effective Speech Writing

In this first section, the role of making an important point about the importance of convincing speech is very interesting. The key point is the effectiveness of speech, both in terms of delivery and content. The best way to be effective in doing that is by paying attention to the language, style, and organized thought of making a message or speech in powerful and convincing ways. It is said, “The effectiveness of speech is most reliable, depending on the ability of the speaker to encourage the audience’s mind and emotion using powerful and convincing speech. The best way to do it is by writing a speech with a persuasive or argumentative approach.” That sentence became one strong reason why the one who wants to deliver a message is not just directly using their thoughts; they must prepare it right from the start with the goal to persuade the audience. So, with a hypothesis, we can say that persuasive speech is a speech that has the goal to persuade. But is it easy to differentiate between regular speech and persuasive speech? This is a question that often arises in people who are studying the art of persuasive speech. The fact is, persuasive speech is a specific type of speech where it has a different purpose compared to general informative speech. The main purpose of each speech is to give information to the audience, but in informative speech, we just give the information itself without considering whether the information is accepted or not by the audience. And it is different for persuasive speech; in persuasive speech, there is a hidden purpose to change the audience’s view or opinion on something to a new, better view. This could be a way to see an issue, a belief, an action, or a policy. With the same students of this art often confused between persuasive speech and argumentative speech because they are similar; both have the same goal to persuade. There is one huge difference between the two. In argumentative speech, we just present two opposite opinions on an issue and let the audience choose which one is better by giving the reasons for each opinion. Then it often ends with a debate. On the other hand, in persuasive speech, we need to adopt one specific opinion and persuade the audience to change their view to the speaker’s opinion. And with a conclusion from Bardot and Erskine in their book “The Art of Public Speaking,” it says that persuasive speech is “The art of an effective man to move others with his reasons or judgment.” This could be concluded that the main goal of persuasive speech is to move the audience to adopt the opinion of the speaker.

2. Crafting a Compelling Opening: Captivating Your Audience from the Start

To write a good prelude is necessary always, and to the orator often. And though the importance of such a recipe may not be apparent at the start, experience in failures will show its value. The reason why an advocate is often at a loss or is in doubt as to the sequence and method of his argument is that he does not take a clear view of what he intends to prove and what is the most summarily convincing manner of doing it.

Now the first aim of a sortie, the first assault, is to break ground. In a written treatise, this is effected by the opening sentences and introduction. But in oratory, where a case is expected to continue over a number of speeches, it is the proem of the whole and the prelude to the individual speech that correspond to these. The prelude then is a summary of the whole speech, and each proem is a summary of the section which it precedes. For instance, if I am retained as counsel against a bill for some dishonest action, my prelude will be to the following effect: “Against such and such a proposal will I direct my argument, and if I can persuade you, I doubt not.”

With the “eyes” of an orator, aim to make situational adjustments to your listeners. Imagine a setting, whether serene or otherwise. You must gradually lead them to eyes wide open, drinking in your words. Now make a preliminary sally and reconnoiter the mind of your opponent to see how it is fortified. Then you can deliver a full attack with less risk of a counter movement. These are military terms, but there is a generic similarity between the orator and the soldier. When you have taken the measure of your audience, hold their attention by a happy turn or a clever conceit: drag in something they already know, and you are halfway to winning their assent. For example, the fact that you are engaged in a verbal contest and they have a stake in the result. This is another point on which Isocrates is excellent; anything he says that pleases him, he straightway pays in coin of ready applause. You may even undermine an opponent’s plan by showing that he has been anticipated; this is what Demosthenes does in many of his private suits. But all these methods depend for their success on the nature of the case and the individual. It is the business of a skilled orator to distinguish between what is manifestly appropriate and what may be intensely damaging if ill-timed.

3. Building a Strong Argument: Supporting Your Points with Convincing Evidence

With the topic that you have already chosen, define what it is that you want your audience to believe. Now list a series of reasons why that point of view is correct, or alternatively, why the opposing point of view is incorrect. You will now use those points that you have defined to structure your speech by placing them in the order you wish to address them.

One way to conceptualize the process of building a persuasive argument is to think of it as being the verbal equivalent of a lawyer presenting his or her case to a jury. The prosecuting lawyer’s aim is to get the jury to believe the defendant is guilty of the charge. The prosecuting lawyer will define a series of points (the individual aspects of the charge) and will do this in chronological order. He or she will try to make it easy for the jury to follow and understand the case. This is exactly what you want to be doing with your speech.

The backbone of your speech

The most crucial aspect of developing your speech is probably the process of assembling an argument. Without correct structure and an accumulation of sufficient evidential support to your claims, your speech will fall into the unfortunate category of being ‘unconvincing’. Many speeches make the mistake of thinking that a strong argument is what you want the audience to believe, forgetting the crucial point that an argument is actually a set of reasons for believing something. A strong argument includes well-defined support for your point of view, conveyed in a clear and understandable fashion.

4. Creating Emotional Appeal: Connecting with Your Audience on a Deeper Level

One approach to creating an emotional appeal is by using vivid language to paint a picture in the audience’s mind. If the audience can visualize the concepts and ideas a speaker is presenting, they are more likely to actually feel whatever emotions are associated with those concepts. The more a speaker can make an audience feel, the more they can persuade them. An effective method of visualization is the use of hypothetical examples to illustrate a point. This allows the audience to immerse themselves in a story and, if it is well devised, actually feel the emotions of the characters. This brings us to another effective method of emotional appeal, which is to share personal experiences with the audience. When a speaker shares an experience where they have felt the same emotions they are trying to induce in the audience, it adds an element of ethos to their argument. By conveying the hardships and triumphs of their own life, the speaker can make the audience more compelled to side with them. This method is especially effective when attempting to sway an audience’s opinion on a controversial issue.

People are by nature emotional creatures, and that is largely what drives their behavior. People who make decisions based on facts and logic alone are rare. More often than not, it is emotion that propels a person to act. If you can tap into your audience’s emotion, you can more easily persuade them. Building a bridge between the speaker and the audience is essential to effective persuasion. One of the most tried and true methods of building that bridge is by creating an emotional appeal. This is where the speaker appeals to the audience’s emotions in an attempt to make them connect with the message. There are several ways of effectively building an emotional appeal with the audience. The previous anecdote concerning Roger Bannister is a prime example. By hearing Bannister’s personal triumph over adversity, we feel somewhat inspired by his ability to surmount the odds and achieve something great. And by watching Rhapsody in Blue, the audience can connect with the powerful emotions of the 9/11 tragedy. In both instances, a deep emotional tie is established with the audience.

5. Concluding with Impact: Leaving a Lasting Impression and Inspiring Action

Leaving a lasting impression with a dynamic last phase Once you have analyzed this egoscape, you will know precisely what action you want your audience to do. You will need to tailor the action to fit the particular audience; a general rule of thumb is that the more personally involved the action can make the audience, the more effective it will be and the more your audience will remember it. After you have decided what action you want to inspire, you will design the last phase of the speech to do just that. This will be accomplished through vivid and emotive language, by painting a word picture full of rich sensorial imagery which will create PHI in your audience and ideally lead to the desired action. The last phase is by definition the part of the speech most likely to remain in the audience’s memories. This is especially true if the speech is ended abruptly, causing the audience to think about what was said after it has finished. Regardless of the quality of the rest of the speech, if you have planned an effective last phase, the message will linger in the audience’s mind for days, weeks or even years after you have stopped speaking.

…Simply bring your speech to a memorable close. Your last words will reverberate in the audience’s ears; your last image will linger in their eyes. Make sure they are worth remembering. Do not summarize what you have already said. That is boring at best and a turnoff at worst. Do not end with a timid gesture. It is better to end abruptly than to trail off meaninglessly. Above all, do not end in a way that will cause your audience to revert to its previous opinion. If you have done your job, the ending will be obvious. So obvious, in fact, that it need not be stated directly. Simply let the last phase of the speech imply what you want the audience to remember.