Page 322 - Essentials of Human Communication

Three Types of Persuasive Speeches 301

As with speeches on questions of fact, you can generate the main points for a
speech on a question of value by asking a strategic question of your thesis, such as
“Why is this good?” or “Why is this immoral?” For example, you can take the first thesis
given above and ask, “Why is the death penalty unjustifiable?” The answers to this ques-
tion will give you the speech’s main points. The body of your speech might then look
something like this:
General purpose: To persuade
Specific purpose: To persuade my listeners that the death penalty is unjustifiable
Thesis: The death penalty is unjustifiable. (Why is the death penalty unjustifiable?)
I. The criminal justice system can make mistakes.
II. The death penalty constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
III. No one has the moral right to take another’s life.

Support Once you’ve identified your main points, you can then use the supporting
materials you’ve collected to develop the main points. For example, to show that mis-
takes have been made (your first main point), you might itemize three or four high-
profile cases in which people were put to death and later, through DNA, found to have
been innocent.
At times, and with certain topics, it may be useful to identify the standards you
would use to judge something moral, justified, fair, or good. For example, in the “bull-
fighting is inhumane” speech, you might devote your first main point to defining when
an action can be considered inhumane. In this case, your main points and subpoints
might look like this:

I. An inhumane act has two qualities.
A. It is cruel and painful.
B. It serves no human necessity.
II. Bullfighting is inhumane.
A. It is cruel and painful.
B. It serves no necessary function.
Notice that in the example of capital punishment the speaker aims to strengthen
or change the listeners’ beliefs about the death penalty. The speaker is not asking the
audience to do anything about capital punishment, but merely to believe that it’s not justi-
fied. However, you might also follow up your goal of changing their beliefs by persuading
them to take some action—for example, to support an anti–death-penalty politician, to
vote for or against a particular proposition, or to join an organization fighting against the
death penalty.
Communication
Choice Point
Organization Like speeches on questions of fact, speeches on questions of value value Strategies
often lend themselves to topical organization. For example, the speech on capital You want to give a persuasive
punishment outlined earlier uses a topical order. But within this topical order there is speech on a question of value, specifically
another level of organization that begins with those items on which there is least dis- arguing that violent computer games
agreement or opposition and moves on to the items that your listeners are likely to should be banned for children under 16
see very differently. It’s likely that even those in favor of the death penalty would years of age. You know your audience of
agree that mistakes can be made; in fact, they probably would be willing to accept ev- software developers will be against your
idence that mistakes have been made, especially if you cite reliable statistical evi- position and so you wonder how you might
dence and expert testimony. By starting with this issue, you secure initial agreement win them over to your side. What are some
and can use that as a basis for approaching aspects on which you and the audience of your options for stimulating positive re-
are more likely to disagree. sponses in your listeners?