Persuasion

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Persuasion

• Persuasive Public Speaking

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Persuasive Public Speaking

• Persuasive Public Speaking is Oral communication
  designed to influence the attitudes, beliefs, or
  behaviors of others in a setting where one person
  talks to many others at a time (Verlinden).
• Cicero said 2,000 years ago, in order to
  persuade you must educate, the audience, and to
  keep the audience listening you must entertain
  them.

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Persuasive Public Speaking

• Persuasive speaking has a natural connection to
  critical thinking and argumentation.
• A major way to persuade an audience is to make
  sound, convincing arguments.
• A significant part of preparing the speech is to
  think critically about your subject, the
  situation and your audience.

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Aristotles 5 canons of rhetoric

• The ancient Greeks studied Rhetoric, defined by
  Aristotle as the available means of persuasion.
• They identified five canons of rhetoric, or
  lesser arts that constitute the greater art of
  rhetoric.

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Invention

• The first canon is invention, which helps the
  speaker discover what to say in the speech.
• This includes the systematic search for content
  and the critical thinking to decide what should
  be included for the audience being addressed.
• This is the canon most related to critical
  thinking.

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Disposition

• The second canon is disposition which is the
  arrangement of ideas.
• This is the organization of the speech.
• Effective arrangement and organization are
  essential to the persuasiveness of a speech as
  well, by the use of building arguments.
• Effective disposition also leads to greater
  speaker credibility

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Style

• The third canon of rhetoric is style.
• This canon refers to the way language is used to
  express ideas.
• Effective use of style can help to make your
  ideas and message clear.
• Language can also hide ideas and trick people as
  well, thus it is important to remain ethical in
  use of language.

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Memory

• The fourth canon of rhetoric is memory.
• This relates to how to remember to say what it is
  you are trying to say.
• It has to do today with your use of notes or a
  manuscript for delivery, instead of relying
  completely on memorization, as they did in the
  Greek days.

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Delivery

• Delivery is the final canon of rhetoric.
• It involves the way you vocally and physically
  present your speech.
• Delivery is important because people pay more
  attention to ideas presented in interesting and
  powerful ways.
• Delivery can make a mediocre speech good and a
  good speech poor.

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Suggestions for Speakers

• When you can choose your topic, speak about
  something worthwhile
• Know the subject about which you speak
• Know what you want from your audience
• Make the best arguments you can
• Analyze your audience
• Tailor the speech to the audience
• Make sure the audience knows that the subject is
  worthwhile

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More suggestions

• Use high quality evidence
• Cite the sources of your evidence
• to increase credibility and trustworthiness
• Be organized
• Respond to potential objections
• Be able to adapt to constraints

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Suggestions for the audience

• Consider substance over style
• Think critically in the strong sense
• Consider the evidence
• Consider the speakers credibility
• Make an independent judgment
• Recognize that there will always be some
  uncertainty / dont expect a persuasive speech to
  remove all doubt