Features of a Persuasive Speech
Make sure you have an attention-grabbing opening. Using a
rhetorical question, stating a fascinating fact or statistic, recounting
an entertaining anecdote, using a quote from a famous person, etc,
are all ways of doing this.
Make sure your argument flows logically from point to point. A
sense of structure is vital to the success of your speech. If you
wander from point to point haphazardly you may lose the
audience’s concentration or interest.
Using emotive language can help sway your audience’s feelings.
Words like “murder”, “bloodshed”, “waste”, “tragedy” obviously
have negative connotations while “trust”, “integrity”, “safety” all
instil positive feelings to listeners.
Humour can be used to get the audience on side, or to make fun of
an opposing argument.
Backing up you statements with carefully thought-out
explanations, and appropriate examples is important.
Different techniques such as repetition, listing, allusion, hyperbole,
rhetorical questions, triads, irony etc can be used to highlight and
emphasise different points you are making.
Using inclusive language is a common device to get the audience
on side.
Be careful not to alienate your audience from you by making them
feel threatened, ridiculed or patronised. The idea of a persuasive
speech is to have the audience eventually see things your way, so
take care not to offend them.
Ensure that your conclusion is punchy and memorable, that it
drives home your opinion and leaves the audience with a clear
picture of your view and why it is a valid one.