Tips for Giving a Great Persuasive Speech

Public speaking is dreaded among a vast majority of people worldwide. In a survey of Americans it was shown that public speaking is feared more than even death. When it is necessary to give a persuasive speech it makes matters even worse, as persuasion is generally considered the hardest thing to accomplish within the field of public speaking. Here are four guidelines to follow that can help you create a better speech and improve your power to persuade.

1. Establish your credibility. Credibility is the view of the audience on whether you are qualified to talk about a certain topic. This can either work for you or against you. For example, a truck driver giving a speech about open heart surgery will probably not be perceived as very credible. To establish credibility within your speech, you can take a few simple measures. First, explain the reason why you know what you're talking about in the introduction of your presentation. Second, make some common ground with yourself and the audience. And third, speak with conviction so the audience understands why the view or issue you are talking about is so important to you.

2. Use evidence. Using hard evidence in your speech as much as possible, statistics, rates, facts, etc. will help to both strengthen credibility and give those members of the audience who may disagree with you information they can't ignore. When using evidence, make sure it is specific, is recent, and is from credible sources. For instance, using census data from the 1980's will effectively destroy a speech about today's economy. Also, be sure to make sure the audience understands what the evidence means.

3. Use logical reasoning. After giving the audience your evidence, make sure there is a logical pathway of reasoning that leads directly to the point you are trying to make within your speech. This requires that you really know the details of evidential support, because any false cause-effect relationships or sweeping generalizations may very well invalidate your argument in the eyes of the audience.

4. Try to appeal to the audience's emotions. Truthfully, you probably won't always be able to back up what you are trying to prove with many hard facts. To make up for this, use emotional appeal. It's very effective, and can be accomplished pretty easily. You can tell a vivid or sad story in the beginning of your speech, You can use language that conveys emotion, and you could speak with sincerity. All three will give you an edge in the audience's emotional process while considering your point.

Using these four guidelines, you can have a ton of success in convincing your audience to share your point of view. Whether it be at a business meeting or in a classroom, persuasion is a very powerful tool. Relax, and don't let your ability to persuade go to waste.