A persuasive speech aims,
on a high degree to persuade the audience to take action.
Most persuasive speech
topics on Reddit will require you to utilize credibility, logic (reasoning +
evidence) and emotion to convince your audience of a question of face, value or
policy and thus initiate, change in or reinforcement of their beliefs,
attitudes, values and/or behavior.
Whether you want to
change the audience opinion regarding a particular issue, you want people to
vote you into office or to show them the importance of caring for the
environment; a persuasive speech is the best and most effective way to sway an
audience. It is, therefore, a very important piece of writing and should follow
the right procedure. Many students make a lot of mistakes while writing and
delivering a persuasive speech. Read on to get an idea of what you should avoid
if you find yourself with the task of writing this kind of speech.
How do you write a good
persuasive speech when you already have the topic?
1.
Failure to understand the topic
In order to write a good
persuasive speech, you have to find out as much as you can about the topic.
This is done through thorough research. You have to get as much information as
you can regarding your topic and fully understand what you are required to come
up with.
Failure to understand your
topic will be evident in the speech that you write. The information that you
relay to the audience will be insufficient and lacking. You may also end up
having a really short and basic speech due to a lack of information since you
failed to understand the subject and what you were expected to write about.
2. Lack
of a clear focus
To write the best
persuasive essay, you should have a clear focus and goal in mind. This means
that you should have a clear understanding of what you hope to achieve when
writing your speech. Lack of a clear focus will sabotage the quality of the
speech you produce. You might end up including unnecessary information which is
not related in any way whatsoever to the speech you are writing.
3.
Writing without the audience in mind
The audience is very
important in a persuasive speech. They should be the main focus in your essay
since your goal is to try and convince them to view the subject from your
perspective. When writing your speech, you should consider the audience’s
knowledge about the topic, what their stand is on the issue and in which way
you can change their views. Failure to follow this step will cause the audience
to get bored or lose interest in the speech simply because they do not
understand or relate to the subject you are addressing.
4. Using
unreliable sources
The audience should have
confidence in the information you are relaying. They should be able to trust
you and believe that the information you are giving to them is accurate,
reliable and true. Your goal as the writer should be to guide the audience to
support your viewpoint using reliable information. You could use unreliable
sources without realizing it. However, providing unreliable information with
the aim of deceiving the audience to get them to support your viewpoint is
wrong and will hurt your credibility as a writer. You should, therefore, be
very cautious with the sources you use when researching to ensure that they are
reliable.
5.
Choosing a topic that you do not find interesting
All experts on speech
writing insist on one thing; choose a topic that you find interesting. This is
because your passion for the subject will be evident in the way that you write
the speech. The audience can be able to tell whether you truly care about what
you are writing about or you are simply doing it out of obligation. Basing your
speech on something you like also means that you will be able to come up with
the best argument to persuade the audience about the subject.
Having some knowledge on
the topic, you are writing about can also come in handy. Avoid choosing a topic
that you know absolutely nothing about. If you don’t understand something, how
will you explain it to your audience?
6.
Writing the speech like an essay
When writing your
persuasive speech, consider using the same language you would use if you were
giving it orally. Remember, this is not an essay. You should, therefore, try to
give it the same features you would use if you were relaying it physically.
This could be in the form of brief sentences and short words.
7. Using
the wrong persuasive approach
Persuasive speeches use a
certain kind of approach to try and convince the audience to support the
writer’s viewpoint about a subject. There are three persuasive approaches,
namely; ethos, pathos, and logos.
Ethos: It involves
appealing to the audience’s morals. That is, trying to convince them to engage
in something for the good of everyone.
Pathos: It involves appealing to the audience’s emotions.
Logos: Involves appealing to an audience’s logic
When writing a persuasive
speech, you should be able to tap into these three approaches and use them
effectively. Relating to the subject of the speech you are writing, one
or two of these should help you. As an illustration, if you are trying to
convince your audience to adopt a pet and give them a home, the right balance
of pathos and ethos could be used to work in your favor.
These are just a few points
to guide you on what you should avoid when writing a persuasive speech. If you
want to completely perfect this skill, you should read through some of the best
speeches to fully perfect your writing skills. You should also do a lot of
practice, especially if this is a skill you will require in the future when you
begin your career path.
Just a recap on what you
should avoid:
1.
Failure to understand the topic
2. Lack
of a clear focus
3.
Writing without the audience in mind
4. Using
unreliable sources
5.
Choosing a topic that you do not find interesting
6.
Writing the speech like an essay
7. Using
the wrong persuasive approach
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