Persuasive Presenting
Persuasive presenting—the ability to clearly and convincingly present one’s ideas to others and to connect
deeply, both emotionally and thoughtfully, with an audience—is a highly valuable lifelong skill that promotes
deeper learning for both the presenter and the audience.
Key Method
A well-researched, six-criteria presentation design, captured by the acronym SUCCES (simple, unexpected,
concrete, credible, emotional stories), and ample presentation rehearsals with supportive feedback can lead to
highly effective and persuasive presentations.
Method Components
With educator support, students design a persuasive presentation using the SUCCES model. This activity can
be conducted individually, in small groups, or during whole-group instruction.
The SUCCES model of persuasive presentations
§ Persuasive presentations (and writings) that are “sticky,” memorable, and lingering in the minds and
hearts of audiences, have been shown to have the following characteristics, as summarized in Made to
Stick by Chip and Dan Heath:
- Simple: having a clear, simple core message and focus, captured in a compelling phrase or
metaphor
- Unexpected: doing or saying something unexpected that builds interest and captures audience
attention and relates back to the core focus or a key point of the presentation
- Concrete: using real-life, everyday examples, stories, or even physical objects to illustrate and
demonstrate key messages
- Credible: establishing personal credibility or the credibility of other experts that support the core
message early in the presentation
- Emotional: giving the audience the opportunity to feel what the presenter is talking about,
especially through video or first-hand accounts of the kind of experiences being spoken about
- Stories: using the most powerful tool to communicate both ideas and feelings, stories that go to
the core of the message
Suggested activity
§ Design a presentation with these criteria in mind, then rehearse it with a coach or kind critiquing friend
(see the Kind Critiquing micro-credential).
Suggested preparation
§
Students think about presentations they have experienced that were captivating and persuasive and list the
key characteristics of persuasive presentations.
Suggested Review
§ Students critique and reflect on the presentations given by other students to learn more deeply what
makes for highly effective presentations that truly move an audience to deeper understanding or action.
Published April 17, 2015
1
Supporting Research
Research on persuasive messaging through speaking and visual design in presentation graphics highlights why
some ideas and messages “stick” and others don’t. Particularly important elements in sticky presentations
include stories, concrete examples, the use of emotion, compelling images and video, and tactics to build
credibility, plus occasional unexpected twist and turns to keep attention, are effective techniques for
increasing the impact of presentations.
§ Yates, Persuasion: What the Research Tells Us, http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-ofmanagement/15-279-management-communication-for-undergraduates-fall-2012/lecturenotes/MIT15_279F12_prsuasnRsrch.pdf
§ Broda-Bahm, Show, Don’t Just Tell: The Persuasion Strategies Visual Persuasion Study,
http://www.persuasionstrategies.com/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/Visual_Presentation.pdf
§ Heath and Heath, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die,
http://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/1400064287
Resources
§
§
§
The Teaching Channel, Persuasive Speeches Series, videos
- Examining Elements of Persuasive Speeches,
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/brainstorm-persuasive-speeches
- Delivering and Evaluating Persuasive Speeches
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/students-delivering-persuasive-speeches
Giving a Persuasive Speech: How to Communicate Effectively and Compellingly,
https://career.ucsf.edu/sites/career.ucsf.edu/files/PDF/Howtogiveapersuasivespeech.pdf
Teaching and Persuasive Communications: Class Presentation Skills, Brown University,
http://brown.edu/about/administration/sheridancenter/sites/brown.edu.about.administration.sheridan-center/files/uploads/Teaching and
Persuasive Communication.pdf
Submission Guidelines & Evaluation Criteria
Following are the items you must submit to earn this micro-credential and the criteria by which they will be
evaluated. To earn the micro-credential, you must receive a passing evaluation for Parts 1, 3, and 4 and a “Yes”
for Part 2.
Part 1. Overview questions
(200-word limit for each response)
§ Activity Description: What kind of project activities did you and your students engage in to become
more proficient in persuasive presenting? Please describe the learning activities and strategies you
used.
Passing: Activity description is clear with sufficient detail to illustrate what the students did to
gain competencies.
§ Activity Evaluation: How do you know your students increased their proficiency by engaging in the
persuasive presenting activities and what evidence did you collect that demonstrates these learning
gains?
Passing: Activity evaluation process and evidence are clear, appropriate, and sufficient to
evaluate the competencies.
Published April 17, 2015
2
Part 2. Evidence/artifacts
Please submit work examples from two students (such as links to writing, audio, images, video, and other
media) that demonstrate progress toward the persuasive presenting competency, including items such as
examples of criteria for persuasive communications, multiple drafts of a presentation designs, examples of
critiques and reflections on the presentations, and other relevant items.
“Yes”
“Almost”
“Not Yet”
Student work clearly demonstrates
learning from applying the persuasive
presenting strategies through:
1. Many examples of the ways
persuasive criteria and
strategies were used to
improve focus, credibility,
concreteness, storytelling,
and emotional impact of
presentations
2. Convincing evidence of the
effectiveness of the
persuasive presentation
strategies through evaluations
by audience members
3. Many examples of productive
individual and group analyses
and discussions that
increased understanding of
how to craft more persuasive
and effective presentations
4. Individual and group critiques
of persuasive presentations,
the design process, the
critiques, and the lessons
learned
Student work demonstrates
learning from the persuasive
presenting strategies through
examples of improved designs
and presentation delivery and
individual and group
commentary and critiques of
the presentations, but few
examples of discussions and
evaluations of how the
presenting skills improved or
commentary on the value of
the lessons learned
Student work shows some learning
from the persuasive presenting
strategies, with a few examples of
how the SUCCES criteria improved
the presentations, but few
examples of group discussions and
critiques, and no examples of
student evaluations or discussions
of the lessons learned from the
presentation activities
Part 3. Student reflections
For the two students whose work examples were included above, submit student-created reflections on their
experience of the persuasive presenting activities. Use the following questions as a guide (200-word limit):
§ How did the persuasive presenting activities help you use the SUCCES strategies to improve the clarity
and impact of your presentation?
§ How did the persuasive presenting strategies change your view of the value of careful presentation
design, rehearsal, supportive feedback, revision, evaluation, and reflection in crafting and presenting
compelling presentations and deepening one’s learning?
- Passing: Student reflections clearly indicate how the persuasive presenting strategies helped
them focus on the SUCCES factors, clarity, and impact of their presentations, and the
reflections are specific and convincing. Student reflections clearly discuss how the activities
changed the students’ views on the value of careful design, rehearsal, and evaluative feedback
strategies to improve both the presentations and the learning, and the reflections are specific
and convincing.
Published April 17, 2015
3
Part 4. Teacher reflection
Provide a reflection on what you learned, using the following questions as a guide (200-word limit):
§ What was the impact of engaging your students in the persuasive presenting activity?
§ How will experiencing these project activities shape your daily teaching practice in the future?
- Passing: Teacher reflections clearly indicate how the activity affected both the students and
the teacher, and the reflections are specific and convincing. Teacher reflection also clearly
states how the experience will affect the teacher’s future practice, and the reflections are
specific and convincing.
Published April 17, 2015
4