How to write a persuasive speech

If you´re supposed to write a persuasive speech as part of a subject you are studying then you´re probably asking yourself the following questions:

What is a persuasive speech?

Persuasive speech is a manner in which a person attempts to get the listener or reader to agree with their point of view on something or to even change their own opinion or attitude about the subject in question. Persuasive speech essays often rely on good facts coupled with strong opinions that induce emotional reactions.

What are the elements of a good persuasive speech?

Good persuasive speeches will:

• Start off on a good footing. First impressions are everything.  A good solid foundation will make you more likely to be heard and understood.
• Make the audience trust them. Stating your credibility matter-of-factly will gain their confidence in you.
• Make the fundamentals important. If what you are saying is not attached a certain amount of importance you can forget that anyone will listen.
• Use inspirational quotes to engage the audience.
• Tell a great story that relates well to the subject. People like to witness raw emotion. It will give it an air of genuineness.
• Use strong examples that are specific.
• Reinforce the main idea and finish on a good line that will shock people and hence make them take a step back and think about what they have been left with.

The best persuasive speeches will always make themselves relatable. If someone can identify with what they are listening to or reading, the more attention they will pay, and the more likely it is that they will agree. The best persuasive speech will definitely have a modicum of emotion-inducing material and some great relevant stories. However, writing a persuasive speech is a little more difficult that just talking about it.

How do I even start writing?

First of all, you need to think about the topic you are going to write about. You need to find what you care about enough to write a persuasive essay on it. This might pose some difficulty a first. Make some lists and do some research. Also think about your audience as this could have an effect on how your essay comes across.

What are the top 10 persuasive speech topics?

This is a rather subjective point of view. What is interesting for someone, might be a bore fest for someone else. It´s better to go with a subject that interests you personally, that way you will find yourself being a lot more passionate when it comes to writing about it. The more passion in you speech, the more enjoyment you will derive from doing it and hence the people listening to it will be more engaged.  Your speech itself and the persuasive topics you choose will have to be both engaging on their own and yet together.

Where can I find persuasive speech samples?

So you´ve finally pinpointed the subject you are going to write about in your persuasive essay but you´re still not totally confident about how you´re going to tackle it. The good news is that you can find lots of sample persuasive speeches online. They´re always just a click away and having them by your side as a guide can´t hurt. These persuasive speech examples can be a blessing to you in times of stress and worry. A persuasive speech template could be followed online too. This will make sure that you are using the correct structure and it will also help your audience to stay focused. The more structured and clear you are, the less confused your audience will be. Here is one example to help you:

• Introduction

• Grab attention by opening with a dramatic statement or shocking statistic
• A line on where you stand on the matter
• Specifically establish your credibility

• Main body

• Define your topic clearly
• Include all of your points, both strongest and weakest too, and back them all up with statistics and/or facts.

• Conclusion

• Summarize your main idea
• Final line about something inspirational, passionate and/or shocking

One final point is that the more emotional and identifiable material you use, the better the reaction you will receive.

A word of warning

Free persuasive speeches are offered online but they will always come at a cost, a cost in the form of an error you will not want to repeat. If you do need some help for a quality speech, then you´ll always have to pay.