Page 320 - Essentials of Human Communication

Three Types of Persuasive Speeches 299

Skill DevelOpment experienCe

Developing persuasive Speeches

Select one of the following thesis statements and (1) identify the type of persuasive speech it is—fact, value, or
policy; (2) from this thesis, generate two, three, or four main points for a persuasive speech; (3) identify a few
forms of supporting material that might prove useful; and (4) select a suitable organizational pattern.
Practicing the art of
1. Condoms should be distributed to students in junior and senior high school. persuasion will prove
2. Sports involving cruelty to animals, such as bullfighting, cockfighting, and foxhunting, should be univer-
sally condemned and declared illegal. useful in a wide variety
3. All states should recognize same-sex marriage. of communication
situations.

not discriminate. Whether you can prove either option, however, is another issue and the
subject of your speech.
Once you’ve formulated your thesis, you can generate your main points by asking the
simple question “How do you know this?” or “Why would you believe this is true [or fac-
tual]?” The answers to one of these questions will enable you to develop your main points.
The bare bones of your speech might then look something like this:
General purpose: To persuade
Specific purpose: To persuade my listeners that this company discriminates against women
Thesis: This company discriminates against women. (How can we tell that this
company discriminates against women?)

I. Women earn less than men.
II. Women are hired less often than men.
III. Women occupy fewer managerial positions than men.
Make sure that you clearly connect your main points to your thesis in your introduction,
when introducing each of the points, and again in your summary. Don’t allow the audience
to forget that when women earn lower salaries than men, it directly supports the thesis that
this company discriminates against women.
Support Once you’ve identified your main points you can then use the supporting mate-
rials you’ve collected to flesh out and develop the main points. Taking the first point, you
might develop it something like this:

I. Women earn less than men.
A. Over the past five years, the average salary for editorial assistants was $6,000 less for
women than it was for men.
B. Over the past five years, the entry-level salaries for women averaged $4,500 less than
the entry-level salaries for men.
C. Over the past five years, the bonuses earned by women were 20 percent below the
bonuses earned by men.
In a speech on questions of fact, you’d want to emphasize logical support. Facts are your
best support. The more facts you have, the more persuasive you’ll be in dealing with ques-
tions of fact. For example, the more evidence you can find that women earn less than men,
the more convincing you will be in proving that women do in fact earn less and, ultimately,
that women are discriminated against.
Use the most recent materials possible. The more recent your materials, the more rele-
vant they will be to the present time and the more persuasive they’re likely to be. Note that, in
this example, if you were to say that in 1980 women earned on average $13,000 less than men,
it would be meaningless in proving that the company discriminates against women now.