MW Speaking Dates

PERSUASION SPEECH

This your opportunity to convince us about a truly important issue--how to vote. You can choose a single (ONLY ONE) issue from the November ballot OR ONE candidate for any election. Your job is to integrate persuasive theories and strategies into a single persuasive speech. You are not going to be telling us about the persuasive strategies, but will be giving us a speech to convince us how to vote. I will discuss specific persuasive outlines and post them on-line.

You will sign up for the issue or person you be be discussing and the side you are taking. I may arrange the speaking dates around the number of people on any given topic. I may also have several pro speakers followed by the negative or con speakers on the same day.

Part of this assignment is also to assess the audience through a questionnaire to measure their attitudes and feelings and understanding of the topics or candidates. You will need to choose an outline that will best allow you to address the audience. After the speeches the class will take a post questionnaire to see what, if any, differences were made by the presentations. The post-questionnaires will NOT affect anyone's grade.

Persuasive Speech.

You will speak about one of the ballot initiatives or a candidate for office. There are two responsibilities: 1, to give a 6-8:00 speech to try to convince us to vote a specific way and 2, to give a written analysis of the persuasive aspects, techniques, etc. that you will use in your speech and why. 

The written analysis responsibilities:

I. The two major book theories

1. Choose central, peripheral, or a combination of the two ELM routes. Identify the specific areas in your speech in which you will use these strategies. You might also use ELM as a broad approach to your entire speech. For example, you might want to use a peripheral route in your introduction to get our attention.
2. Choose aspects of Aristotle’s model—Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.

II. Your choice book theories.

A.     After you have analyzed the class data from the questionnaires decide if your audience is primarily positive, neutral, or negative.

B.     Find theories which match the audience views (positive, neutral, or negative)

C.     Choose the theories that BEST match your needs.

D.     Match the theories to an appropriate outline.

III. Persuasive Outlines.

            A. Refutation. Appropriate for an somewhat negative audience that is a least

                 somewhat knowledgeable. You need to disprove or refute their views and then

                 discuss your views.

       B. Policy. This is a standard approach for a neutral/undecided and only somewhat

     to not knowledgeable audience. You present the problem (either Ca. has a  

     problem that the proposition will solve, or Ca doesn’t have a problem and the

     proposition will make things worse.

           C. Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. This is for an audience that already supports

     your position. If your audience is at opposite ends on how they will vote then you

     will pick the side that supports your position and reinforce their views and

     convince them how important it is to vote.

            Grade sheet

QUESTIONNAIRES

OUTLINES

POLICY OUTLINES