Prompt
In the persuasive speech, you will be taking a position on an argumentative topic and attempting to persuade your audience through the use of strong and credible evidence. You will be asked to choose a topic that you feel is problematic or needs to receive more public attention. You will address what the current problems are, causes of the problem and then propose a solution/policy that may alleviate these problems. Remember that one of the most important aspects of this assignment will be how well you support your arguments using credible sources. Make sure your statements are backed up with strong evidence.
Here is brief overview of the main sections of the persuasive speech. Refer to the persuasive outline template on the following page to organize your speech.
Main Point 1: Address current problems associated with the issue. Show that a significant problem exists and that there are harms associated with this problem. Discuss who is affected by the problem and how. Provide facts, statistics, examples, etc. The idea is to heighten the problem and the need for change in the mind of your audience before offering solutions.
Main Point 2: State the cause or causes of the problem or even what the problem ends up causing to happen. Provide facts, statistics, examples, etc. to prove your case. If possible, demonstrate why current solutions or ways of doing things are not helping solve the problem.
Main Point 3: Provide a solution/policy and address how the solution will change or benefit the public. Explain how the solution will work and any other details to make speech convincing. Provide facts, statistics, examples, testimonies, etc. to show why your solution is a good one.
Below are other general requirements for this assignment:
At least 1 visual aid-power-point, pictures, graphs, charts, objects, etc.
At least 4 oral citations.
Speech/Outline must be organized using the problem-cause-solution organization format.
Be mindful of the sources used-this will add or take away from your credibility.
At least 4 credible sources must be used-use at least 1 scholarly article (ex. journal found on ebscohost)
Each source must be documented within outline and on reference page in MLA format.
Provide strong credible evidence to support each main point. Be concrete and specific. Use facts, statistics, expert testimonies, examples, etc.-do not simply rely on your own thoughts.
Include a variety of evidence.
Review tips and suggestions on speech delivery in the following link Speech Delivery Tips
Make sure you have at least 4 audience members
Along with completing a persuasive speech, you will need to submit a full sentence persuasive outline. Outlines should be in size 12 and Times New Roman font. I do not have specific page requirements but a thorough persuasive outline is typically at least 2.5 pages. Please look at the examples provided to get a better idea of what a “good” outline looks like.
There are sample persuasive outlines provided in this module. Please take a look at them to get a better idea of what your outlines should look like. Remember that this speech/outline will be organized in the problem-cause-solution format. Include appropriate headings, indentations, alignment, and spacing to create a neat and organized outline.
In-text citations and a work cited page must be included.
