Writing a Persuasive Speech

You know writing a persuasive speech is in your immediate future because your Speech 101 class teacher has just assigned you a 5 minute speech where you have to persuade your listeners that more homework will benefit everyone!

Or, you just got off the phone, and you are a nervous wreck. The company CEO has asked you to write and give a persuasive speech encouraging your employees to put in voluntary overtime.

Your heart is racing, your palms get sweaty, and your throat feels dry all of a sudden. What will you say to convince them?

Don't worry! Follow the steps below and you'll be on your way to presenting a great speech!

Three steps to writing a persuasive speech that gets results

1. First you should make sure you believe in the cause you are promoting.

John Henry Patterson, an American businessman, once said, "Before you try to convince anyone else, be sure you are convinced. If you cannot convince yourself, drop the subject."

Sometimes your body language and tone of voice speak louder than the actual words you say.

Before you start writing take the time to see the benefits of what you are trying to persuade your listeners to do. Once you believe in your topic it will be much easier to convince others to act.

Don't worry about dissenting points of view. Stay focused on the one point you are trying to persuade your audience to take action on or believe in.

Your passion can be the deciding factor in whether your audience will be swayed around to your point of view. If you're wishy-washy, you'll have a hard time convincing anyone of anything.

2. The next step is to put yourself in the shoes of the audience.

How would you feel if you were in their position and you heard the same speech you are about to give?

Try to anticipate how they will react to the topic of your speech. If you know they will have objections, try to address those concerns in your speech.

Having said this though, it is not your responsibility to address every objection. You need to know and believe and present your subject so passionately that every concern the audience may have is blown away by your persuasive speaking.

But the more you can connect to your listeners and show empathy, the more receptive they will be to your topic.

3. Follow a basic writing outline of what you want to say.

When writing a persuasive speech it sometimes helps to come up with an introduction and conclusion first.

The introduction should break the ice and make the audience feel comfortable with you and what you are going to say. It should also state the main thing you want them to do or believe after hearing your speech.

The conclusion is really similar to the introduction. You just wrap up the main points and call the audience to action.

The middle sections of your speech can usually be broken down into 3-4 main points. Sometimes these can be the benefits your listeners will receive if they follow your advice.

It's natural to feel nervous when someone asks you to go about writing a persuasive speech.

Try to relax and remember the three steps: Believe in your cause, put yourself in the listener's shoes, and follow a basic writing outline.

Just follow these three steps above, and you will have your persuasive speech written in no time!

 

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