Page 309 - Essentials of Human Communication

288 ChaPter 14 The Persuasive Speech

Guidelines for Persuasive Speaking

You can become more successful in strengthening or changing attitudes or beliefs and in
moving your listeners to action by following these guidelines for persuasive speaking.

FOCuS On YOur AudienCe
Begin constructing your persuasive speech with knowledge about your specific audience.
What will work with one audience will not work with another; appeals to increase salaries for
teaching will probably prove effective with teachers but may not do so well with homeowners
who feel overtaxed.
If you show your audience that you share with them important attitudes,
beliefs, and values, you’ll clearly advance your persuasive goal. For example, if
you know your listeners are concerned with helping the homeless, you might
share your own experiences in working at a homeless shelter. Similarities of
cultural, educational, or social background may also help you identify your-
self with your audience. But beware of insincere or dishonest attempts at
identification: These are likely to backfire and create problems, so avoid even
implying similarities between you and your audience that don’t exist.

ASk FOr reASOnAble AMOunTS OF ChAnge
Persuasion is most effective when it strives for small changes and works over
a period of time. Put in terms of the continuum of persuasion shown in Fig-
ure 14.1, this guideline suggests that you’ll be more successful if you ask for
small (rather than large) movements. The greater and more important the
change you want your audience to make, the more difficult your task will be.
The reason is simple: Listeners demand a greater number of reasons and a
lot more evidence before making big changes such as changing careers,
moving to another state, or committing to an investment strategy.
When you’re addressing an audience that is opposed to your position
and your goal is to change their attitudes, beliefs, or values, it is especially
important that you focus on small changes. Let’s say, for example, that your
ultimate goal is to get a pro-life group to favor abortion on demand. Obvi-
ously, this goal is too great to achieve in one speech. Therefore, you need to
ViewPOinTS strive for small changes. Here, for example, is an excerpt in which the
gender and Persuasion speaker tries to get a pro-life audience to agree that at least some abortions
You’re planning to give a speech urging more conscien- should be legal. Notice that the speaker does not state a pro-choice position
tious recycling to two separate audiences. One audience but instead focuses on one situation involving abortion and attempts to get
will be composed solely of women and the other of men. the audience to agree that in some cases abortion should be legal.
Otherwise the audience members will be similar:
college-educated professionals about 30 years old. In One of the great lessons I learned in college was that most extreme positions
what ways would you make the two speeches differ? are wrong. Most of the important truths lie somewhere between the extreme
What general principles or assumptions about gender opposites. And today I want to talk with you about one of these truths. I want
are you making as you differentiate these two speeches? to talk with you about rape and the problems faced by the mother carrying a
child conceived in this most violent of all violent crimes.

AnTiCiPATe SeleCTive exPOSure
As discussed in Chapter 2, perception follows the principle of selective exposure, which
states that (1) listeners actively seek out information that supports their opinions, beliefs, val-
ues, decisions, and behaviors; and (2) listeners actively avoid information that contradicts
Take a look at “Communication
Strategies: Foot-in-the-Door and their existing opinions, beliefs, attitudes, values, decisions, and behaviors.
Door-in-the-Face” at tcbdevito Let’s say you’re giving a speech on the need to reduce spending on college athletic programs.
.blogspot.com. How useful do If your audience consists largely of people who agree with you, you can lead with your thesis and
you think these techniques are? show them that you’re on the same side. Your introduction might go something like this: