What is Persuasive Writing?• Argumentative writing• Used to convince the reader to believe the

writer’s view point on a debatable issue• Want to convince the reader to do something

or believe something

Persuasive Writing Must…• Know both sides of an argument• Present both different sides then TAKE A

STAND• Give evidence to back up your position• Offer more than one reason• Save the best argument for last• Tone is important for this type of writing

Where do we see it?• Essays• Debates• Informational writing• Articles• Court cases• Studies or investigations (science)

Where else do we see persuasive language?

• Commercials• Documentaries• Political speeches• Protests and demonstrations• Interviews on the news

Watch Severn Suzuki’s Speech• David Suzuki’s daughter at 12 years old• Spoke to the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio

de Janeiro in 1992• She and 3 classmates from Vancouver fundraised

to attend the conference• Watch, try to pick out some reasons her speech is

effective– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I6ljzaY9k&index=4

&list=PLYe9yW1cgGG1ifpSkv6K3ZzgDzmMQ-sg0 (5 min)

Using Rhetoric and Effective Speech Delivery

Adapted from Dr. Lisa Watson

Persuasive Appeals“People buy on emotion and justify with facts”

-Bert Decker

• Ethos– the credibility or character (ethic) of the speaker

• Speaker’s own expertise, pedigree, objectivity, intelligence, etc.

– The appeal to authority• Credibility of expert sources as support

• Pathos– The emotional appeal

• Striking an emotional chord with audience (e.g., empathy, indignation, etc.)• story telling, evocative examples, analogies, choice of language

• Logos– The appeal to logic & listeners’ rational side

• Statistics, facts and analogous examples (e.g., historical, literal) as support

The 5 Canons of Rhetoric• Invention: Developing and refining arguments

– Consider your audience, evidence, types of appeal, order, format

• Arrangement: Organizing arguments for maximum impact– Introduction & establishing credibility, establishing context as necessary,

constructive arguments, addressing weaknesses, memorable conclusion

• Memory: Not needing notes increases credibility– Leave your audience with something memorable– Build a treasury of quotes, facts & anecdotes to include in speeches

• Style: Using language to make people want to listen– correctness, clarity (simple, strong, short), vivid description, propriety (context),

clever use (using double meanings, alliteration, metaphor, etc.)

• Delivery: Strategic choices around how to deliver a speech– body language, eye contact, enunciation, use of gestures, pausing, match pace to

emotion, varying force, tone & inflection of voice, etc.

Rhetorical Devices: Structural• Epigraph

– Quote set at the beginning of a work or section of a work to set a tone or suggest a theme• May also take the form of a rhetorical question or statement

• Theme– Central or dominant idea or concern of a work

• Your core message (e.g., impact, benefit, paradigm shift)

• Foreshadowing– Hinting at or presenting things to come in a story

• Various forms of the recommendation first approach

• Juxtaposition– Placing two items side by side for effect

Rhetorical Devices: Linguistic• Anaphora

– regular repetition of the same word of phrase at the beginning of successive sentences or clauses• e.g., We are thorough. We are driven. We are right.

• Alliteration– repetition of same initial consonant (or any vowel) in proximal

words• e.g., this solution is practical, principled and profitable

• Asyndeton– removing conjunctions (often replaced with pauses)

• This man was negligent, thoughtless, unethical.

• Parallel structure– Using syntactically similar grammatical structure

• e.g., “I once was lost, but now I’m found”, the costs far outweigh the benefits

Rhetorical Devices: Substantive• Analogy

– A comparison of two different things to make a point about their similarity (can include metaphor and simile)

– Used to communicate new, complex or controversial ideas• e.g., business and war, “band-aid” solutions, throwing a monkey wrench in the system

• Personification/animism– Giving something inanimate human or animal characteristics

• e.g., numbers don’t lie, profits will soar

• Axiom– Statement that is regarded as true or self evident

• e.g., “He who fails to plan, plans to fail”

• Aphorism– Short memorable philosophical statements designed to illustrate a

commonly held belief• e.g., “Hire slowly, fire quickly”, “A business that makes nothing but money is a poor

kind of business”

– Adage: an aphorism that has gained credibility through longevity• e.g., “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched”

Vocabulary & Phrasing Examples• Maintain an appropriate level of formality to be

taken seriously– You or your firm instead of you guys

• Enunciate clearly and finish all words– Going to instead of gonna

• Use strong language– Recommend, demonstrate and prove instead of feel – Will do instead of kinda, maybe, sorta, like

• Use active voice– Somebody killed him instead of he was killed

Analyze Severn Suzuki’s Speech• We’ll watch it one more time

– How does she use Ethos, Pathos, and Logos?– Pick out some examples of rhetorical devices

• Structural• Linguistic• Substantive

• Then you’ll work in your groups to fill out the analysis worksheet, using a transcript of the speech– Find specific examples

Passion & Conviction

• Show conviction in everything you say, even if you don’t believe it– It has to sound like you prepared your own

speech and are speaking straight from the heart

• Makes you memorable– What is going to make judges remember what

you had to say instead of your competitors?

Style & Delivery Reminders• Vocabulary

– Short, simple, strong– Correct, clear, clever– Vividness

• Voice modulation• Gestures• Develop a rapport with the audience

– Eye contact, humour, etc.

Use of Voice• Modulation (volume and pitch)

– project without yelling – use inflection or tone to emphasize key points

• The poignant pause– Not just to gather thoughts, but to drive points home

• Pace– persuasive speeches generally average about 150 words per minute (25 words

per 10 seconds)• more sounds glib, less sound preachy

– Slow down to make serious, controversial, or complex points– Speed up slightly to inspire and incite emotional response

• Knowing how to combine all of these techniques for full emotional impact is an art form – Variance is necessary, but it really has to be the right type

Gestures & Body Language• Stance

– Don’t cross anything (including legs) when speaking• Posture

– Generally stand tall with head up– Can slouch (deflate) to make a point

• Eye contact– This may mean getting very good at looking at tops of heads

• Gestures– Hand gestures to reinforce key points– Inclination or shaking of head– Active use versus nervous ticks

• Facial Expressions– turn a plain speech into an emotional and convincing one– confusion, disappointment, enthusiasm, conviction, etc.

Presidential Debate Speeches

Persuasive techniques in actionFirst presidential debate 2012