How to Write a Persuasive Speech
Public speaking is an inherent part of every student’s life; either at school or college, you have to speak in front of an audience. Have you ever wondered how to write and structure your speech in a way that will captivate people, capture their attention, and even help you persuade others to agree with your opinion? There is a specific type of speech that is meant to influence people’s opinions on specific matters: persuasive speech.
Persuasive Speech Explained
The main purpose of a persuasive speech is not merely to inform others; in this case, your speech should influence those listening to you and make them agree with what you have to say. Therefore, when writing a persuasive speech, you should follow several rules: you should choose a controversial topic, use an attention-getter, make sure that the data you present is credible, and suggest solutions.
Where to start?
You have to be genuinely interested in what you will be talking about! The more passionate you are about the topic, the more likely it is that others will agree with you. For example, if you are a vegan and are passionate about this lifestyle, you can talk about the benefits of veganism and why more people should follow this path.
Whatever topic you settle with, make sure that you want to talk about it and that others will be interested. Listeners will always catch your mood whenever you speak; if you don’t like your topic, they will sense it and get bored and distracted. If you are passionate and in a great mood, the audience will react respectively.
- Research your topic.
Credibility is key! You don’t want to present a speech without doing thorough research first and finding enough credible data. Sure, your personal experience is valuable and should be mentioned as well, but an effective persuasive speech requires factual data and reliable points. For example, if you think that doing yoga regularly is beneficial for one’s health, you need to provide research data that proves it.
When doing research, make sure that you don’t plagiarize. Always give credit to the authors or websites where you found the information. You can find credible information in books, online magazines, jstor, Google Scholar, and other resources.
Outline of a persuasive speech
- Introduction
You should grab your audience’s attention and make them want to listen to you. Thus, use an attention-getter. You can use quotes, statistics, a rhetorical question, personal anecdotes, or even be silent.
- Thesis
Once you grabbed people’s attention, you should make them know what the speech will be about. This is what a thesis statement is for: it is usually one sentence at the end of the introduction that includes the key points that will be discussed in the main body. It should be brief, informative, and answer the question “how” or “why.”
- Main body
The body of your speech should contain the key points mentioned in the thesis, credible information to support your claims, and solutions you will offer to the audience.
Usually, in the main body, you should discuss no less than three main points. Each main point should be introduced with a new paragraph, followed with supporting evidence, and you should end with a transition. Consider this example of three main points:
- Social media influencers have a negative impact on a lot of people.
- Images shared by social media influencers are often altered and photoshopped, and it affects people’s self-esteem and can damage their mental health.
- You should try unfollowing people who make you compare yourself to others and spend less time on Instagram.
- Conclusion
Concluding your speech in the right way is as important as grabbing people’s attention. Your audience will remember the conclusion for a long time, so spend some time thinking about how to end your speech. Don’t just repeat your main points; your task is to put your entire speech in a couple of sentences and make it interesting.
Conclusions are also meant to offer solutions, call others to action, or convince them. When you end your persuasive speech, you need to make sure that people agree with your opinion, and the conclusion is the last chance to ensure that. Like in the introduction part, you can use quotes, questions, and anecdotes. Choosing the right strategy is essential, and it is a vital part of a persuasive speech, so don’t forget about it!
Tips for Writing the Speech
Persuasion is not easy to master, but these tips will help you become better at it faster! This is what you will need to make your speech more effective:
- A powerful start
Most influential speeches have one thing in common: a strong start. Be it statistics, a motivational quote, or a question, the first sentence of your speech must capture people’s attention. Be bold, funny, or inspiring; whatever you choose to start with, make sure that it is impossible to forget.
- A brief conclusion
There’s no need to make your introduction half an hour long. A perfect introduction should be approximately a minute long; it should be concise, informative, and well-structured.
- An answer to the question “why.”
Whenever you are trying to persuade someone, you should explain why your opinion matters and should be agreed with. If there’s a need to change something, explain why. If you believe that homeschooling is beneficial, provide reasons why so. To agree with you, people need to hear your points.
- Solutions to the issue
Persuasive speeches always present people with a problem: climate change, poverty, animal testing. If there is a problem, then there is a need to find solutions, and it is your task to provide the audience with them. No need to mention the solutions directly; you can always hint at them with questions.
- Non-verbal elements
The success of your speech is not only in its words. The way you stand, move and look matters, too.
When you present, make sure to maintain eye contact, use hand movements, and control your facial expression. Make pauses, stress on certain words, and change your intonation. Practicing in front of a mirror or recording yourself can help you see what you should improve.
24/7 Persuasive Speech Assistance
Now that we talked about the basics of writing persuasive speeches, their outline, and tips and tricks for effective persuasion, you can practice writing a persuasive speech on a topic that interests you.
However, if you don’t have time or need a perfectly written speech and need some help, you can always delegate this task to our team of professional writers. We will be happy to work with you and make sure that your persuasive speech captures people’s attention and helps you receive the highest grades!