Persuasive Speaking Tips

Persuasive Speaking Tips

Emphasize the Audience's Benefits with Sound Reasoning
Explain to the audience how they will benefit from performing the action, taking the position, or purchasing the product recommended. Possible benefits might be: saving time, saving money, or becoming healthier. Sound reasoning is the persuasive writer's best weapon. In many cases, it is not enough merely to identify the benefits of taking a position or an action. The writer needs to persuade audiences that the decisions or actions recommended will actually bring about benefits, and explain why. For example: "The new playground equipment recommended will reduce injuries because …", or "The modified school lunch menu will increase sales because ... ". Be careful though, persuasion can be self-serving and manipulative. Consider the needs and desires of the audience, and build a case using facts and logic rather than unethical methods.

Address the audiences' Concerns
It is always a good strategy for persuasive speakers and writers to try to predict what the audience's responses will be or what arguments they might have about the issue. Try to counter any negative positions or arguments with opposing evidence or alternative solutions.
Present Reliable Evidence Appropriate to the Audience
Reliable evidence is the kind of evidence audiences are willing to accept. This varies, depending on the field. For example, in scientific fields, certain experimental procedures are accepted as reliable, whereas common wisdom and ordinary observations are not. A speaker needs to use common sense to determine what type of evidence is needed. Understanding the positions of the audience can help a speaker determine the best line of reasoning.
Organize to Create a Strong Position
It is not only the variety and amount of information that is important in a persuasive speaking and writing, but also the way in which audience processes that information. A persuasive speaker should use the organizational pattern that best suits the purpose. Often, the "save the best until last" strategy is most effective. Explain the strongest, most supported reason right before the conclusion.
Choose an Appropriate Voice
An important element of persuasive strategy is an appropriate voice for the piece. For example, if you intend to write for your peers, but you assume the voice of a superior authority, your audience may resent their implied role as inferiors. If your audience responds negatively to your voice, it will not receive your message openly. A writer needs to "speak" with authority by using reliable evidence, yet not sound as if he or she is "talking down" to the audience.
Choose Words with Strong Appeal
Always state opinions and facts honestly, but look for ways to add impact to the words. Sometimes called "loaded" or "slanted" words, this vocabulary connects certain emotions with points-of-view. For example, instead of saying, Pollution is harmful, a more powerful word choice would be, Pollution is poisoning our planet.
Establish Credibility
Source credibility is the belief the audience has regarding whether the speaker is a good source of information and ideas. When people judge the writer to be credible or believable, they are more likely to accept the evidence and arguments offered. If people do not find the writer credible, they may refuse to consider the ideas seriously, no matter how soundly the case is presented. Keep in mind, that the writer does not necessarily need to be an "expert" on the topic, but the sources of facts and data should come from competent and reliable sources.