5 Tips to Create a Persuasive Speech
(Editor’s Note: I love to stand up in front of a crowd and wow them, like I did in the live Marketing Made Simple TV show with Scott Monty of Ford Motor Company at Social Media Club NYC. So when Bluefire PR offered me this great guest post, I was thrilled to share it. And they write monthly guest posts for this blog too.)
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A persuasive speech is one that tries to convince people of a certain viewpoint, motivate them to take some kind of action or enhance an opinion they already have. The persuasive speech doesn’t just present information; it seeks to make some kind of change in the audience.
We’re all familiar with this type of speech. They’re used in business, politics and education, and almost anytime someone seeks to direct others’ thinking or behavior. There is a fine line, however, between presenting compelling evidence for a particular topic and playing off people’s emotions. It is up to the speaker to validate the ethics of the speech and maintain integrity in the presentation.
Establish Your Credibility
Early in your speech, give the audience reason to believe you. When the audience accepts your credibility on a specific topic, they are more likely to accept your particular viewpoint. Make sure you’re being relevant, however; announcing you are a nuclear physicist talking about the dangers of nuclear energy is effective. Saying you are a nuclear physicist talking about why soccer should be allowed in the local elementary school is just confusing.
In 2001, Mark Weinberger, current CEO of Ernst & Young, was appointed assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury for Tax Policy. His role was to explain tax code to congressional leaders. His credentials and a history of working with tax policy enabled him to establish credibility with those he was addressing. Be blatant with what qualifies you as a credible speaker early in your speech.
Start With a Bold Statement
Capture the attention of the audience early. “By the time I end this speech, 300 more children will die from malnutrition,” or “How prepared are your children when approached by a stranger on the playground?” These statements set the tone and will have the audience already thinking before you start the body of your speech.
Have a Clear Core Message
Write down the core message of your speech in 20 words or less, suggest public speaking coach Akash Karia. Take out the fluff, only speaking in the minimum amount of words that convey the message. Consider this to be the one thing the audience remembers from your speech, if they forgot everything else.
Anticipate Counterpoints
Include answers to the major dissenting viewpoints. This helps keep the audience focused. If the questions don’t get asked during the presentation, people will be contemplating them during your talk. They lose focus on your topic, and instead will be anticipating asking their questions at the end.
Support Your Point
Provide support for your point in a variety of ways. Charts and graphs, audio clips, videos and personal and professional testimonies all add to the credibility of your point. Do a YouTube search for “public speaking tips” to see effective ways these are used, or study the way CEO Weinberger supports his points.
Your language is important, too. Instead of saying, “I think this will happen this way,” say, “My data indicates this is the way this will happen.” The focus then comes off you and onto the data.
The Closing Is Not the End
The closing is where you make the call for action. It is the end of your speech, but only the beginning of what you are asking the audience to do. Repeat what you are asking of the audience, and state the direction you would like them to take. You don’t want people leaving the room thinking, “That was a nice speech,” then immediately forgetting it. You want your end to be their beginning.
What tips do you have for effectively delivering a persuasive speech? Share them in the comments.
Blog author Lawrence Feldman
Lawrence manages a small tech company and works as a freelancer when he’s not taking MBA classes.
Jeff Ogden, an award-winning marketing expert and President of Find New Customers was pleased to share this guest post with you.
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Jeff Ogden, the Fearless Competitor, is an award-winning marketing expert and President of the sales lead generation company Find New Customers. He’s also the creator of the very popular TV on the Web show, Marketing Made Simple TV.
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