Speaking to Persuade

The goal is to influence the attitudes, beliefs, or behavior of the listeners

More difficult than speaking to inform

Types of Persuasive Speeches

Three types of questions give rise to persuasive speech situations: Questions of fact Questions of value Questions of policy

Questions of fact Deal with occurrences and the reasons that they

have happened, are happening, or will happen in the future

Examples: My purpose is to persuade my audience that a major

earthquake will hit California within the next fifteen years

My purpose is to persuade my audience that automobile airbags can save thousands of lives over a ten-year period

Questions of value

A discussion question revolving around the worth of an object, person, or situation

Involve facts but go further. They also call for judgments about right and wrong, ethical and unethical.

Example: My purpose is to persuade my audience that

stem cell research is not morally justifiable

Questions of policy Questions that deal with whether certain courses of

action should be taken Include matters of both fact and value within

themselves, but go beyond them to consider what should or should not be done.

Example: “What steps should be taken to control the problem of car theft?” Demands both that the audience know certain facts about

car theft, and that they consider it wrong. Once this is established, the speaker can go further to advocate that one or more solutions be carried out.

Questions of policy

Examples: My purpose is to show my audience that a

permanent site should be established for the Olympic Games.

My purpose is to persuade my listeners that stricter controls should be placed on genetic research.

Three sources of persuasion

Persuasion: a means by which one person can cause another to want to believe, to think, or to do.

Aristotle stated that there are three primary sources by which people can be persuaded: Pathos Ethos Logos

Pathos

A listener’s personal needs, drives, and desires

Need to analyze the needs of the listeners Appeal to their emotions Example in advertising:

Making us feel insecure about our attractiveness or social acceptability and then offering a solution in the form of a product

Pathos

Sample website using Pathos: http://www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/webclass/web/p

roject1/group4/env.html

**From Renesslaer Polytechnic Institute

Pathos

The audience’s attitude towards you and your topic will fall somewhere on a scale between “very positive” and “very negative.”

Each audience has a different set of needs

Audience Analysis Learning everything you can about the background, attitudes, and

interests of the people who will listen to you Questions to ask about the audience:

Do my audience members already know much about this topic? What can I tell them about this topic that they do not already know? Will this topic interest some audience members more than others? If I take a stand on this issue, will my audience agree with me? If they do not agree, what interests or needs do they have through which I

might change their minds?

Audience attitudes

Positive audience Neutral audience Disinterested audience Opposed audience

Need to gain their trust and then convince them of your viewpoint

Positive audience

Need to deepen their feelings Like a coach giving a pep talk

Neutral audience

Needs information to make it possible for them to form an opinion

A significant amount of factual information can be convincing

Use specific examples and experiences common to most of her listeners

Disinterested audience

Need to light a fire under the listeners Show the audience how the topic will affect

them directly Need to be shown the seriousness of the

problem, the closeness of danger, or the way in which they will be affected

Opposed audience

Listeners need to be “softened up” to the point where they will really listen to your arguments and consider them fairly

Must present sound arguments to back up your position

Opposed audience

Sample topic: “Lack of integrity in student government elections”

Example of a bad opening: Student politics and student government in this school

are riddled with graft and corruption. The recent election showed me quite clearly that we cannot trust either the winners or the losers. In an election where vote buying occurred and campaign workers tampered with ballot boxes..

Opposed audience

Example of a better opening: This school has always had good student leadership. I

think you will agree that since our first year here we have been fortunate in the people we have elected as our class officers. I know many of you are dedicated to good student government here, as I am. I was very surprised and shocked, therefore, to discover some irregularities in our recent election process. Please listen as I recount some facts that have come to my attention…

Evidence to suit your audience

Type of Audience Kinds of Evidence

Positive Narrative, Examples, Comparisons

Neutral Facts, Statistics, Testimony, Examples

Disinterested Facts, Statistics

Opposed Narrative, Facts, Statistics, Examples, Comparisons

Reaching Your Audience Activity

Topic: Driving Age should be raised to 18 List how you would approach this topic for:

Positive audience Neutral audience Disinterested audience Opposed audience

*Use the chart as a guide, and provide specific examples for each audience.

Ethos

The speaker’s character in the minds of the audience (including competence, sincerity, and good will)

Ethos is established by: Showing that you are well prepared and competent By being sincere in what you say By appearing genuinely interested in your audience

Ethos-Preparation

Frequent use of evidence and supporting materials

Referring to your own experience with the topic

Ethos-Sincerity

Sincerity: the speaker’s motives for advocating a particular attitude, belief, or behavior must originate from a genuine concern for the best interests of the audience rather than self-interest

Ethos-Genuine Interest in Audience

Show interest and good will toward your audience

Complimenting them on their sound judgment, or reasoning ability

Common ground technique-identifying commonalities with listeners

Humor

Ethos

Sample website using ethos: http://www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/webclass/web/p

roject1/group4/commercial.html

**From Renesslaer Polytechnic Institute

Logos

Thinking process that allows the listener to arrive at logical conclusions

Need valid evidence and correct reasoning Evidence: raw material with which you

prove or support statements Reasoning: the process of putting this raw

material into a logical argument

Logos

Building an argument is similar to how a river is formed Rivers begin in the mountains and hills in tiny

rivulets and creeks (evidence) These creeks and rivulets flow together (the

reasoning process) to form larger streams These larger streams then run together to form

a mighty river (the conclusion)

Logos

Sample website using logos: http://www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/webclass/web/p

roject1/group4/research.html

**From Renesslaer Polytechnic Institute

Listening for Faulty Reasoning

Logical fallacies: false or faulty methods of reasoning Name calling: when a speaker gives a person

or idea a bad label without providing any evidence to prove what is said. If a speaker calls someone a liar or a criminal, make sure they give good reasons for using such labels.

Logical fallacies

Card stacking: the speaker, instead of presenting all of the important evidence, tells the audience only those facts that support the point he or she is trying to make. Leaves out the bad aspects of the idea and neglects to point out the benefits any alternatives might have.

Logical fallacies

Bandwagon technique: The speaker tries to convince you that because everyone else is doing something—using a certain shampoo or voting for a particular candidate, for example—you should do it too or you will regret being left out.

Logical fallacies

Glittering generality: a word or phrase that is so vague that everyone can agree on its value but no one is really sure exactly what it means. Example: “freedom of speech” or “equal

rights” Interpretation of these phrases depends on the

individual

Logical fallacies

Begging the question: Speakers never prove the points they are trying to make. They take it for granted that their ideas are true without providing proof. Example: “Brittany is the best president of

student council we ever had. We should reelect her.”

Logical fallacies

Non sequitur: A Latin phrase meaning “it does not follow.” May provide evidence to back up a statement, but if you examine the evidence you will find that it does not really prove the point. Example: Saying you will be a good class

president because of your tennis playing and cooking skills.

Logical fallacies

Hasty generalization: when the speaker does not have enough evidence to support the broad conclusion drawn. Often uses the words “everyone,” “always,”

“never,” “all the time,” and “nobody.”

Example: Everyone in Philadelphia loves cheesesteaks.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Activity In groups, look through your ads. Decide

whether each ad uses pathos, ethos, logos, or all three. On a separate piece of paper, list the appeal each ad uses, explain how it is used, and evaluate if it is effective. Attach your ads to your paper. Make sure you put the names of your group on your paper.

Culminating Activity-Applying Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Topic: Driving Age should be raised to

18 Give 2 appeals to ethos-explain Give 2 appeals to pathos-explain Give 2 appeals to logos-explain