A persuasive speech is aimed at assuring your audience that they have to consent that your idea or a solution you offer is right. The topic you choose should be disputable, but your point of view is to be clear and confident. Once you pick your side, you have to stick to your point and bring your listeners to follow your lead.
Arguably the most effective way to do so is to provide a solution in your persuasive speech. First of all, the solution presupposes having a problem, and you have to convince the audience that there is one. After that, you are to demonstrate that it concerns every listener and that what you suggest will make all the difference.
Please mind that it is not necessary for you to touch upon real-life challenges that are problems in the literary sense. It can be any issue, like people’s needs and desires. For example, you may talk about keeping fit or the need of a maintained home. The point is to expose it as a problem. If you select the everyday routines as a topic of your persuasive speech, for example, you have to convince your audience of their importance. Thus, showing the negative consequences of their absence will be the problem to solve.
There is no other type of speech that needs to be written in the strict accordance with the structure as much as a persuasive one. The structure enterprises an introduction in which you have to grab the audience’s attention, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion which is also a call for an action in a persuasive speech.
Don’t lose your time by putting random thoughts on paper. The first thing you have to do is to create an outline.
You do want your persuasive speech to be effective, so you need to pay great attention to your introduction. It should be concise and strong. This is the defining moment for your audience to decide whether they are going to listen further. You are to greet your audience before you start. A simple ‘hello’ and introducing yourself is usually enough, although it depends on the situation.
Then, you have to make a catchy opening. In the case with everyday routines, you may start by asking:
- Have you ever felt like you are a complete mess not knowing how to do everything you need to do?
- Do you think you spend with your friends and family?
- Has it ever occurred to you how much time you could save, if some things in your life were done automatically?
You may also surprise your audience with some facts or statistics:
- 32% of people snooze their alarms, so they have less time in the morning to get ready.
- More than a half of students check their smartphones right after they wake up, which causes procrastination at the very beginning of the day.
- Implementing an evening routine makes the next day more productive.
After you’ve made your audience interested, you are to state the problem and suggest the way to solve it. You can do this as follows:
Hello! My name is Hank Thomas, and I want to talk to you about something of great importance. Do you have enough time to do anything you have to do, not to mention what you want to do? Do you sometimes consider how much time you could save if some things in your life were done automatically? Besides, have you ever thought that there are things that just kill your time? For example, more than a half of students check their smartphones right after they wake up, which causes procrastination at the very beginning of the day. It happens because the majority of people don’t have proper routines.
Then, continue with a solution:
If you schedule the basic routines, you will have more time for your studies, hobbies, family, and friends.
After a solid introduction, it is time to create the main body. As mentioned above, it includes three paragraphs, one for each statement. According to your topic, you can add some testimonies, stories from your life, and even some humor. You should arrange your paragraphs logically, and there should be a smooth transition from one to another. Below, there is an example of the three main points of a persuasive speech
- The absence of routines makes you spend an enormous amount of time on the things that are not worth it.
- A constant lack of time causes depression and anxiety.
- It is possible to break through by arranging seemingly simple actions into a sequence.
- The next step for you is to come up with a conclusion.
Just like any other type of paper, a persuasive speech draft requires a summarizing and repeating your main point. The easiest way to do it is paraphrasing. Of course, you can’t just copy and paste it from the previous passages.
At the very end of your persuasive speech, you should call your audience for the action. Sound confident!
Everyday routines are a powerful time-management tool. If you want to change your life, having them is a must.
How to Make Your Speech Successful
- Don’t contradict your own arguments. Don’t leave room for a contradiction at all. This is not a discussion!
- The harder the statistics you use to remember, the less impact it will make.
- There is no need to make the structure of your speech more complex. This will confuse the audience.
There are 6 six more principles of writing a top-notch persuasive speech that works:
1. Don’t write anything you can’t say. Your speech should be fluent and lack difficult words. 2. Include a narrative that will inspire your audience. 3. Stick to the structure. Always. 4. Don’t make your speech too long. 5. Believe in your own words. Speaking from your heart will make your speech more PERSUASIVE. 6. Never write anything you consider to be superficial. If you want it to be remembered, you should write a great speech with a strong message.