Download Persuasive Speech Study Guide

Persuasive Speaking 8 Study Guide:
These are items that we learned about persuasion this quarter that will be on your final
test. Please use this sheet to guide you as you study & review your notes.
The goal of persuasion is to get someone to think or act the way that you want them to. For some people,
this might mean using methods that are not always right. Listening carefully for and thinking about the message
you are being sent is called critical listening. Critical listening takes work to do well. It often involves listening
for faulty reasoning, paying attention to the source of the information & looking for feedback.
Methods of faulty reasoning are also called logical fallacies. When people try to persuade us, they may try to
use faulty reasoning (or logical fallacies) to get us on their side.
We learned about eight types of logical fallacies in class: name calling, card stacking, bandwagon, glittering
generalities, testimonials, begging the question, non sequiturs and hasty generalizations. We took notes on
what each of these meant from the Speech book (pages 67-69) & viewed a slide show in class. If you do not
have these notes, you may want to get them from our book or ask to see the presentation again! You will need to
know what each one of these mean.
Another way to avoid being fooled by false facts is to consider the source of the information or message. As
we discussed, many people or groups will try to persuade us.. Ask yourself, why is this person credible
(trustworthy) to give me this information? If they (or their sources) are questionable, you may have to pay extra
attention to their message. Other ways to keep yourself on track & not fooled by false reasoning or bad
information include: always paying attention to a speaker’s non-verbal messages as they present, and to take
notes when possible. Later, you can ask yourself (or the speaker) questions to decide what you think about the
message.
Propaganda is a type of unethical persuasion in which the speaker attempts to present opinions as facts.
Our goal as communicators is not avoid confusing, misinforming or misleading others. To be ethical (or
morally right) in persuading others, it is important to support your opinions with many well rounded facts,
use and cite credible sources, give your audience many choices or workable solutions and AVOID using false
logic or reasoning. It is important to appeal to your audience’s logic (thinking brain) by giving plentiful facts,
sources, support & options. An effective persuader will also appeal to the audience’s emotion by connecting
the topic to them (so that they care & listen). Include all needed parts of the speech (introduction: attention
grabber, topic statement, preview, body: main points, support, transitions, sources & conclusion: review, wrap
up) so that the audience can follow your ideas smoothly and does not feel lost of confused.
Presenting Your Speech:
To effectively persuade others through your delivery it is important to plan well & practice often. Ways to
establish trust with your audience are to appear confident by making eye contact, showing good vocal &
facial expression & by adding appropriate energy with useful body movement (such as gestures or transition
steps). Another important way to build trust is to be organized and to give good, credible information and to
support all of your opinions with facts, examples or explanations & to share your sources. Make sure your
sources sound (and are!) credible, or your audience may not trust your information.