Persuasive speech Essay

PURPOSE: The purpose of this speech is to make a claim of value based on your ideas as to whether a topic is good or bad, right or wrong, moral or immoral, etc. A persuasive speech can only occur in a situation in which two or more points of view exist. Therefore, you must take a stance on the value of a particular issue or idea.

TOPIC: For a value speech, most topics are generally issued based. However, you could choose to advocate the value of an object or product (Zaxby’s has the best chicken fingers, Ford make the best car, etc.). For issue-based speeches, there are several topics that are off limits for this speech as they have been overused and really do not have “new” arguments that can be developed. These topics include:

Legalizing Marijuana, Seatbelts Organ/Blood Donation, Abortion, Gun Control, Euthanasia, Death Penalty, Lowering the Drinking Age, Same Sex Marriage, Why to Exercise, Why not to Smoke, Drink, Engage in Unsafe Sexual Practices. Be unique.

When choosing your topic, try to pick a subject that foremost interests you. Then, based on the information you read from your textbook about audience adaptation, try to make that subject interesting to your classmates. The ultimate power of making your speech engaging and interesting lies in your hands. Remember, the more you care about your topic, the more likely the audience is going to be interested in it, even if they weren’t before your speech. Keep in mind for this speech that if your topic does not directly affect your audience in some way, they won’t care enough to be persuaded.

DELIVERY: You should be delivering your speeches extemporaneously from a keyword outline (3 notecards) which can only contain key words and phrases; no full sentences. You may only have writing on the front side of each notecard.