Speaking Persuasively

Transcription

1 1 Persuasive Speaking Chapter 19 Speaking Persuasively 2 Persuasive speaking goal is to change or reinforce the attitudes, beliefs, values, and/or behaviors of receivers Purpose of Persuasion 3 Proposition summarizes the purpose of a persuasive speech Speakers typically want one of two general outcomes To change the way audience members think To change the way audience members act Persuasive goals Adoption accept new idea or belief Discontinuance stop doing something they are now doing Deterrence avoid some activity or way of thinking Continuance continue to think or behave as they do now 1

2 Types of Persuasive Speeches 4 Proposition of Fact What is or what is not Proposition of Value The worth of an idea, person, or object Proposition of Policy What ought to be Identify Your Goal 5 Have a clearly defined purpose You should be able to answer these questions: What response do I want from my audience members? Would I like them to think differently, act different, or both? Which of their attitudes or beliefs am I trying to alter? Why? Know the Receivers You Are Trying to Reach 6 Have some idea of how the audience members feel about whatever change you are proposing The more ego-involved the audience members are, the more committed they will be to their current position, and the harder it will be for you to affect them 2

3 Understand Factors Affecting Your Listeners Attitudes 7 Family Strong influence exerted by our families Religion Both believers and nonbelievers are affected by religion Education The role of school has expanded and helps shape attitudes Socioeconomics Economic and social status both shape our attitudes Culture We shape our social institutions and are reciprocally shaped by them Understand Your Listeners Beliefs 8 Beliefs confidence in the truth of something Measured on a probable improbable scale Belief system everything you agree is true Disbelief system all things you think are not true Understand not only your listeners attitudes, but also their beliefs The more central a belief, the harder audience members will work to defend it, and less willing they will be to change it Use Two Principles of Influence 9 Consistency the desire to maintain balance in our lives by behaving according to commitments already formed Social proof the determination of what is right by finding out what other people think is right 3

4 Reason Logically 10 Give your listeners logical reasons why they should support what you advocate Deduction move from general to specific Induction move from specific to general Causal reasoning speculation about reasons for and effects of occurrences Reasoning from analogy reasoning by comparison Reason Ethically 11 Ethical speakers do not employ logical fallacies Most common fallacies speakers should avoid: Argumentum ad Hominem Red Herring The False Division Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc (False Cause) Argumentum ad Populum (Bandwagon Appeal) Argumentum ad Verecudiam (Appeal to Authority) Gain Your Listeners Attention 12 Find ways to encourage your audience to listen to you Compliment them Question them Relate your message directly to their interests Surprise them by relating to them in an unexpected way Work to hold their attention once you have it 4

5 Make Your Listeners Feel As Well As Think 13 Few people will change their attitudes or take action if they are unmoved or bored Compel your listeners to remember your ideas and proposals Appeal to your listeners hearts as well as their heads Build your speech on feelings as well as logic Evoke Relevant Needs and Issues 14 Balance a state of psychological comfort on which one s actions, feelings, and beliefs are related to each other as one would like them to be Demonstrate to your audience that some current situation or state of affairs has created an imbalance in their lives and that you can help restore their balance Make your message appeal to their needs and goals Maslow s Hierarchy of Needs 15 5

6 Promise a Reward 16 Make your listeners believe that your proposal will supply a reward People are usually preoccupied with how something will benefit them personally Remember that different audiences value different types of rewards A Framework for Persuasive Speaking 17 Monroe s motivated sequence meets the needs of speakers who desire to move audience members to action Attention Need Satisfaction Visualization Action Becoming a More Credible Persuader 18 Credibility the receiver s assessment of the competence, trustworthiness, and dynamism of a speaker An audience s assessment of your credibility can change during your presentation or as a result of it Initial before you actually begin speaking Derived during your speech Terminal at the end of your speech 6

7 Technology and the Persuader 19 The emotional power of virtual reality may become a powerful, though ethically questionable, tool for persuasive speakers It is neither good nor bad in itself How it will be used is what matters Delivering a Persuasive Speech 20 You must show a great deal of interest in and enthusiasm for your topic Be aware that audience members may object to what you say Be prepared for opposing points of view Consider the source of objections Answer any argument in a professional manner Maintain control 7