Check List for Persuasive/Informative/Research/ Speeches Topic Choice Have you chosen a topic that's appropriate for THIS audience? (not too technical, not to specialized for a general audience? Not too trivial for a college-level audience?) What is your real intention? In an informative speech you must take a neutral position.. You must educate and enlighten us, not try to persuade us to agree with your opinion about a controversial topic. Nor must you try to get us to DO something as a result of your speech. (Note: merely using the phrase, "to inform," doesn't make it an informative speech if what you're really after is persuading your audience to agree with your point of view.) Have you chosen a topic that is narrow enough to allow you to cover it in depth in a 4-to-6 minute speech? Have you chosen a topic that will present us with new information (Tell us something we don't already know)? Have you chosen a good, snappy title for your speech? Audience Analysis Have you checked to see what your audience knows and/or believes about your topic? Have you checked to see how important the topic is to your audience? Have you checked to see if your audience really understands any technical or complicated words or terms that you might use? Specific Purpose Statement Have you written it correctly -- "To inform my audience about ________"? Does you Specific Purpose Statement contain no more than one idea (no use of “and”) Organization Have you organized the BODY of the speech effectively, according to one of the organization patterns discussed (Chronological, Spatial, Causal, Topical)? Have you chosen the best organizational pattern for your topic and audience? Will your organization pattern help your audience to follow the logical flow of your presentation? Research If this is a research speech, have you made sure to include the required minimum number of VERBAL references to research in the BODY of your speech? Remember, you must cite those research sources (mention them aloud), otherwise it's the same as if you haven't done any research. Presentation Aids If this speech requires presentation aids, have you made sure to include the required minimum number of presentation aids in the BODY of your speech? Do your presentation aids meet the criteria discussed in class? Introduction DO NOT BEGIN YOUR SPEECH BY ANNOUNCING YOUR TOPIC OR YOUR PURPOSE! Do you have a powerful opening sentence that will “grab” the audience? Have you included statements in your introduction that will establish your credibility or authority to speak about your topic indicate the importance of your topic to this audience Have you included your Preview Statement at the end of your introduction so that your audience will know exactly what it can expect to hear? Remember, the audience must hear this Preview Statement Does your Preview Statement flow naturally from your specific purpose statement? Does your Preview Statement matchand preview the main points in the body of your speech? Conclusion DO NOT BEGIN YOUR CONCLUSION BY SAYING “IN CONCLUSION” OR ANY WORDS LIKE THAT Does your conclusion meet the criteria discussed in class? Have you chosen at least one of the suggested devices for effectively concluding your speech? Transitions Have you included simple clear transitions going into the 1st Main Point of the Body and between each of the Main Points? HAVE YOU MADE SURE NOT TO INCLUDE A TRANSITION GOING INTO THE CONCLUSION? Planning Outline (this is your Formal Outline -- the one you hand in) Have you formatted your preparation outline properly? Anything that you divide must be divided into a minimum of two parts. Each subdivision must be indented properly. Have you a minimum of 3 typewritten (double-spaced) pages? All introductory material as per the "Oatmeal Outline" Page 2, 3, etc. The Body(may take more than one page) Last page All conclusion material including bibliography (if required) Have you stapled your outline in the upper left-hand corner? Rehearsal and Speaking Outline Have you prepared effective speaking notes -- the speaking outline? (Refer to the text) Have you practiced a minimum of 1 hour for every minute of speech length? Have you recorded your rehearsal and played the tape back for logical flow of ideas, timing, etc? Persuasive Speech Tips Steve Iman, College of Business, Cal Poly Pomona Gain attention and interest. Try a quote? Try humor(see below)? Shock or startle? ("Before this speech is finish, 5 recent students will have lost jobs in the new depression.") Try a direct question? ("What sort of internet addict are you?") Stress a key word or symbol? (Get dialog going on the symbolic meaning of the logo?) Try humor, depending on the overall purpose of the presentation. Old editions of Readers Digest are great sources since the material is clean and people will probably have forgotten the jokes. Establish your credibility early Demonstrate audience analysis and understanding. Make relevant, direct contact with audience - why does it matter? Preview main points? (an arguments can be made that solutions shouldn't emerge until at least half way through your speech in order to avoid having your position pre-judged) Create cognitive dissonance. Your audience must feel involved in the problem before they'll be moved to accept a solution Make effective transitions between ideas Demonstrate enthusiasm and/or passion Provoke thought through questions Construct a logical case with evidence in support of what you're trying to sell Avoid verbal fillers/disfluency Close with a memorable summary, perhaps request a specific act or action from the audience . Be declarative, maybe firm and demanding in your close. What do we mean by persuasive speaking? Persuasive speaking urges us to do something. Informative speaking, on the other hand, reveals and clarifies options. Informative speakers teach. Persuasive speakers lead, evoke emotions and ask for audience commitment. Sometimes persuasive speeches are aimed at earning passive agreement, as in persuading an audience of the importance of some policy, value, or service. At other times, persuasive speeches aim for personal action, as in getting people to join an organization, buy a product or service, or support a cause. Methods of Persuasion People have been trying to influence one another for a long time. Maybe one of the most articulate early speakers was the Greek Philosopher Aristotle. His ideas are as relevant today as they were when he was teaching at the Lyceum around 300 B.C. He thought there were basically three ways to influence people: Credibility -- "ethos". Sometimes we believe something simply because we trust the person telling us. You want to look like you know what you're talking about. Emotional appeal -- "pathos". Sometimes we do things because of a "gut feeling" or an appeal to our emotions, whether those of compassion or fear. Advertisers make great headway tweaking our concerns about what others might think about us. Rational appeal -- "logos". Providing good reasons is important. Providing evidence and reasoning are a strong part of the persuasive process. Appealing to logic may be the hardest of the three sources of influence for the speaker to use. What's important here is the development of relevant "support material". Three types of support material commonly used include examples, statistics, and testimony. Examples are useful in clarifying, reinforcing, or personalizing ideas. These could involve case studies or anecdotal examples &emdash; slices of life to prove the point. Ethically, you should help your audience gauge the credibility of your sources, the representativeness of examples and samples, etc. Using examples without other types of support material can come across as weak evidence. Statistics can help. Combing them with examples can be powerful. Using too many statistics can be deadly. You should qualify the sample, translate the statistics that you use so the audience can understand fairly. Relevant visual display of statistics can be a powerful aid in making an argument. Personal testimony can also provide dramatic support material. Testimony can give emotional life to the issues you're focusing on. You should of course quote or paraphrase accurately and fairly, identify and qualify the source's credentials. A common pattern used in formulating persuasive speeches is called "Monroe's Motivated Sequence". Though particularly appropriate when you're seeking a commitment to personal action, the suggested sequence can provide good structural ideas for any sort of persuasive presentation. The five parts identified in the sequence below include: Attention, Need, Satisfaction, Visualization, Action; but only three main points. For fun, I'll illustrate the points around an appeal for MHR students to join and support PIHRA. ATTENTION In the Introduction… A. A scenario of a recent graduate who cannot get hired to a position in Human Resources requiring "experience" and evidence of community involvement and leadership. Maybe in the form of a letter or quote from the student? NEED: I. Students seeking careers in HR often have a problem. A. Every year many jobs are available, but require appropriate internship experiences as a bare minimum. B. Only a small number of graduating seniors in MHR have career-oriented professional experience. SATISFACTION: II. If more students had solid internship experiences, professional success of graduates would be multiplied. A. Involvement in PIHRA is a sound resume item in the eyes of employers. B. PIHRA students meet monthly with regional professionals in order to develop networks and identify opportunities. VISUALIZATION: III. With an internship you'll be able to launch one of the most exciting careers that a young person in business can have. A. Let's look again at the opening scenario and see if you can really afford to continue with the non-professional employment you have. B. Statistics show that MHR graduates who prepare well launch professional careers, and that after about five years of on-the-job growth are prepared for major career steps. ACTION: In the conclusion… Call to the audience to join PIHRA and share in helping to develop internship learning opportunities for MHR students Instructions 1 Assess how much time your speech should take. If you don't have a time limit, try to keep your speech brief yet informative. 2 Think about your audience and let your perception of the audience shape the tone of your speech as you write it. 3 Begin with an introduction that establishes who you are, what your purpose is, what you'll be talking about and how long you're going to take. You may want to include a joke, anecdote or interesting fact to grab the audience's attention. 4 Organize your information into three to seven main points and prioritize them according to importance and effectiveness. 5 Delete points that aren't crucial to your speech if you have too many for your time frame. 6 Start with your most important point, then go to your least important point and move slowly back toward the most important. For example, if you have five points with No. 5 being the most important and No. 1 being the least important, your presentation order would be 5-1-2-3-4. 7 Add support to each point using statistics, facts, examples, anecdotes, quotations or other supporting material. 8 Link your introduction, points and conclusions together with smooth transitions. 9 Write a conclusion that summarizes each of your points, restates your main purpose and leaves the audience with a lasting impression. A speech can help you communicate a message, bore your audience, confuse people, or be funny. The way you present and speak contributes to your end result. Practicing the correct way and gaining more and more experience will help you build your skills and give a great presentation. Language Be comfortable and confident with what you are going to say and the words you will use to do so. This language should also be something your audience will understand and be comfortable with The language you use should be comfortable for both you and the audience. Use words that come to you naturally. Get to the point Less is more! Don’t tell the audience everything you know, but only what they need to hear to understand your point or argument. Choose the most relevant information to include in your speech is an invaluable skill. Also be sure to arrange your speech in a way that is quick, clear ,and understandable. Mix it up If you are comfortable with things like engaging your audience, go for it! Maintain their attention by sharing stories that fit in your speech, or asking a question. en writing your speech try to think of how you can bring your topic back to the everyday. Back up parts of your speech that could be hard to understand with examples that relate to everyday life. Examples will also help your audience remember what you said. Tone It’s important to say what you say in the right tone. Your speech’s content should match how you present it. Practice saying serious things in a more serious tone, and alerting things in a manner that will shock the audience. You should also be sure not to sound monotone (sounding emotionless) . Part of giving a speech involves being convincing. hen delivering a speech, how you say something can be just as important as what you say. Try not to put your audience to sleep by practicing speaking in a way that complements and emphasises what you are trying to say. Pace Slow it down! Its often natural for new speakers to speed along. Monitor yourself, takea deep breath and pretend like you are having a serious conversation with your friend. Make a conscious effort to speak slowly and clearly. Volume Your voice should be loud enough to carry to the back wall, but not ta loud that makes you seem like you are shouting. If you have time beforehand, ask a friend to stand in the back of the room and monitor your voice’s volume and projection. Body language Be aware of how you are standing. Are you slumping over, too stiff, or fidgety? Practice in the mirror and stay calm. While you are on the stage be aware of where your body is. Be careful not to lean on the podium, in addition to losing your balance, and looking like you’re slouching- audience members might find this intimidating. Stand with both feet in line with your shoulders. This will help you keep your balance. Go ahead and use your arms, facial expressions, and hands to gesturing. This is natural and might help you emphasize parts of your speech or better connect with the audience. Yet, some speeches might not call for this, they might be more poignant or serious. This is up to you to decide. But, no matter what- don’t over do it on the gesturing- too much will distract your audience. Let it be natural and again, make an effort to be aware of what you do with your hands. Do not put your hands in your pockets or behind you— this will disconnect you from the audience and make you seem uncomfortable. Let your arms be comfortable by your side and ready to gesture and convey! Dress Add to your first impression by wearing something that is comfortable for both you and the audience. Don’t under dress for the event, you want your audience listening, not looking at a hot pink shirt. But also don’t over dressed. If you need to, ask the event coordinator what the dress code is. Yet, don’t be afraid to be yourself. If you are going to a __________ event and representing a youth mentoring organization, dress formally, but keep it fun and youthful. Blending in is not always the goal. Eye contact This is key! You don’t want to stare anyone down, but be sure to look into the audience and make a connection. Look up from your notes and have a conversation with your audience. Move If you have a handheld mic, no mic, or one on a wire, move around! You don’t have to walk around the entire time, but give some special attention to the different sides of the room! Speech aids Rehearse! Anyone and too many people read from a paper. It’s okay if you skip a few words here and there. You are probably giving a speech because you where asked to share something that you are good at or know a lot about, so this information should come out of you naturally. Reading from your paper will also decrease your opportunity to connect with the audience. Try using index cards with your main points on them instead. Visuals If you have the opportunity and want to add another level to your presentation, make a powerpoint, bring posters, pictures, or infographics that will wow the audience! If you do use a powerpoint, be sure to not stare at the slides- take a glance and present what you want to, or have a printed copy. You should also never read the powerpoint to your audience, tell them the bigger picture or smaller details. They can read and listen at the same time. Go easy, don’t use too many slide transitions, noises, pictures, or moving parts. Also try to keep things uniform and use clear colors that will be easy to read in the back of the room. Really spend time on what ever visuals you want to use. Just having something doesn’t mean your speech will be better. It should be quality and you should be comfortable incorporating your visual into your presentation. Nerves If you normally get nervous or slightly anxious, here are some tips: take deep breaths (seriously!) before and during your speech, when you first step on stage ground yourself and take a moment to get comfortable with the audience, remember you believe in the cause and that this is your passion, and pretend that you are talking to your friends. Also remember that its normal to be nervous and the more you present the better and more comfortable you will be. Also know that everyone makes mistakes, and if you make one, no one will know unless you tell them or show it on your face! Before the big day make sure you practice lots! You might be uncomfortable asking neighbors and friends to listen, but you should- if you might mess up, get it out of your system now and do it with people who will laugh with you! Arrive early Arriving early to the occasion is a must for any public speaker. Allowing yourself this extra time, gives you the chance to familiarise yourself with both the audience and venue, and check up on significant details such as: the size and shape of the room whether or not there is a podium whether there is a microphone the type of technical assistance that is available to you By doing this, you reduce the chances of running in to any technical difficulties. More Tips Don’t drink too much caffeine before giving your speech—it tends to give people the shakes and nerves will make this worse. Preparation prevents panic—knowing your material well will really boost your confidence. If you make a mistake don’t worry. The chances are the audience didn’t notice. If it is obvious, don’t apologise, simply make the correction and continue with the rest of your speech. Remember—no matter how large an audience seems—it is made up of individuals.