Persuasive Speech Guidelines and Tips
Persuasive Speech Topic Guidelines:
The Persuasive speech must follow a proposition of policy, meaning that you are seeking action from
your audience. Persuasion is divided into three propositions: Fact, Value and Policy. A Question of Fact
is seeking to establish a belief (Example: In a court case, the establishment of guilt.) A Question of Value
seeks to change an Attitude/Opinion (Example: The State Legislature should not cut funding to
Community Colleges.) A Question of Policy combines the focus of the other two and extends them. In a
policy proposal, you are seeking to establish a belief that an issue exists, strengthen the opinion that
something needs to be done about the problem/issue, and then propose a plan of action for your specific
audience to follow. The points are to have a need, a plan, and an explanation as to why that plan is
practical for this audience. Because this form uses all the tools of persuasion, it is the format required for
the Persuasive Speech for this course.
Topic Options:
You can select an issue or a non-profit organization for this speech. Remember that the solution must be
one that the audience can implement.
There are some topics that should be avoided due to either the sensitivity of the topic, the time needed to
successfully address the topic, those that are so overdone the audience avoids listening, or the
assumptions that are made by using the topic.
Sensitivity and time: Avoid topics that address core values such as religion and life-issues. You cannot
get someone to change those core values/beliefs in a 5 - 7 minute speech. That is just enough time to get
them really angry with you.
Overdone topics are those that we have all heard over and over again. These include stop smoking,
drinking and driving; legalize drugs, teenage pregnancy, and the like. For the topic of smoking and
drinking and driving, you are assuming that the audience members do those acts because you are
persuading them to stop. The “legalize drugs” topic has been done for years and they are not legal yet.
How do you propose that the few people who see your speech are going to make that action occur?
Topics such as “Wear your Seatbelts” assume the audience members are willingly breaking the law and
not wearing their belts. Think about the resistance you may meet from your target audience with your
topic before you lock yourself into one.
Persuasive Speech Structure:
The structure you are required to follow is Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. The sequence calls for five
steps:
Attention
Attention Getter in the Introduction
Need
Statement and illustration of the problem/issue
(Need)
Satisfaction
Statement and explanation of the solution/proposal (Plan)
Visualization
Examination of the benefits of using the proposal (Practicality)
Action
Replaces the reinforcement step in the conc. Calls the audience to
implement the proposal steps
(See below the outline samples for a more detailed description of the Sequence steps.)
These will fit into the outline format as follows:
Introduction:
I. Attention Getter – Attention Step (A story combined with a statistic works best here.)
II. Relevancy Links
A. Audience link to topic
B. Speaker link to topic
III. Thesis Statement (Statement of the overall message focus)
Preview: To gain a better understanding of (issue title), we will examine the problem and its impacts,
look at what we can all do to make a change, and discuss the benefits of following this proposal.
Body:
I. Statement of the problem
A.
(All sub-points should detail the elements of the problem and establish why it affects
your audience. Research should be used here to prove the problem exists.)
B.
C.
Transition: Now that we have some insight into the problem, what can we do about it?
II. Statement of your proposal. (Example: Three possible solutions that you can follow will solve this
problem.)
A.
(Each sub-point should detail the elements of your proposal. Include examples of how
these proposals have worked in the past and explain how they will work for the audience.
Provide detailing of the specific steps to be taken.)
B.
C.
Transition: We now understand the problem and we have a solution proposal, however nothing will
happen if we do not follow through.
III. Explanation of the benefits of following, and the consequences of not following, the proposal.
A. If we follow the plan, what happens?
B. If we do not follow the plan, what happens?
Conclusion:
I. Summary of main points: To our effort to gain a better understanding of (issue title), we examined the
problem and its impacts, looked at what we can all do to make a change, and discussed the benefits of
following this proposal.
II. Call to Action: Nothing will happen if you do not get involved. I challenge you to . . . . .
III. Closure: Refer back to your opening story from the attention getter.
Nonprofit Organization as your topic:
If you select a nonprofit organization, you can split the Need step into two points. (See below)
Body:
I. What is the issue? Here you would describe the problem for which the organization was created to
solve.
Sub-points will detail and illustrate the issue. Provide History, Impacts, etc.
II. Information about the organization.
Sub-points will address How were they formed, what is the mission, how do they operate, what
programs do they have in place for involvement, and what do they need from the community?
III. Proposal for your audience.
Provide information about getting involved. If volunteering is one of the options, explain the
training, time commitment, etc. If donations are your plan, where do we donate, how much, what,
etc? If becoming an advocate (voice) for the organization, what is involved there?
IV. What are the benefits of becoming involved for the issue, organization and participant?
Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
Alan Monroe's design of the motivated sequence was influenced by John Dewey's reflective thinking sequence (a
problem-solving method) and Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs (addressing human motivation). The motivated
sequence is a very popular and useful method for organizing messages that seek to influence audiences or move
them to action. You need to address all of the functions under each step to assure potential persuasion of your
audience.
I. Attention
The functions of the attention are to create interest in the topic and desire to attend to the problem, to
establish your credibility and connection to the topic, and to address the audience's psychological states or
predispositions to the topic.
II. Need
The purpose of the need step is to create or develop the problem. It is an
analysis of what is wrong and how these wrongs affect the individual's
interests and desires. In this step you relate your subject to the vital
concerns and interests of your audience. The need step should:
1. State need-a clear statement of need or problem
2. Illustrate-use examples that describe the need
3. Elaborate-use additional examples and supporting materials (statistics
and testimony) to show extent of need; you must show your audience
how this is a severe problem
4. Point-use convincing demonstrations of how the need directly affects
the audience's health, happiness, welfare-motivational appeals work
well here
III. Satisfaction
The purpose of this statement is to state the proposition (what you want audience to think, believe, or do)
that will alleviate the problem and satisfy individuals' interests, wants, desires. In this step you should:
1. State the proposition-what you want from the audience
2. Explain your proposal
3. Show how it meets the problem pointed out in the need step
4. Give examples showing how the proposal (your idea) has worked or can
work effectively-use facts, figures, and the testimony of experts
IV. Visualization
The function of the visualization step is to intensify desire and seek belief or action from your audience. To
accomplish this you need to project into the future and describe the results of your solution (the satisfaction
step). The visualization step should describe:
1. Vividly what the world would look like and/or feel like if the proposition was believed or
followed or
2. What the world would look like if the proposition was not believed or followed. You must state
the benefits of the proposition; it is optional to describe the dangers of not accepting the
proposition.
V. Action
This step is a final call for commitment or a call to action. As in the
conclusion of an informative speech, you should restate the proposition or
thesis and end with a clincher-type statement. The action step may use one
or more of the following devices:
1. Challenge or appeal
2. Quotation
3 . Illustration
4. Summary of proposition
5. Steps to achieving proposition