How to Write a Persuasive Speech


This article is about how to write a persuasive speech. Hi there! If you are reading this article then you are in need of a little help and guidance in your work.

Before we start, there are a couple of points that I need to make clear about a persuasive speech. Firstly, although you are trying to make a point, or several, you are not out to tarnish the opposition’s views or beliefs. By all means give factual evidence for why one is better that the other, but do not under any circumstances make up facts to increase any part of your speech’s impact.

Secondly, never get too aggressive in your speech. Emotion and passion are the key to writing the best material that you can; but consider a boxer or any other martial artist –  the moment they lose concentration and begin to show signs of anger and loss of control, they are punished for it. So keep your facts effective and to the point.
Right, now let’s begin to write your speech. For the purpose of this advisory article, I am going to use saving the rainforests as my argument.

Whenever I have to give a persuasive speech, I always start with an introduction, similar to the one below:

“During August 2006 to July 2007, the Brazilian government carried out a survey on the decrease of the Brazilian rainforests. In this time, more than 2.7 million acres disappeared – equalling about four football fields of rainforest per minute. Not only did this harm local villagers and their livelihoods, and the hundreds of millions of animals and insects that lived there, but it also directly affected everyone you and I know by filling the atmosphere with billions of tonnes of CO2.”

In that short paragraph, I have grabbed the audience’s or reader’s attention, made it personal to them and given factual evidence to support my case. You will find that this is a very effective opening to your speech.

After the opening paragraph, you should aim to follow it up with two to three more paragraphs, using factual evidence supporting your case. You should also make it personal to the audience, not individually, but as a whole. Tell them that if they don’t do something to stop this decrease of natural resources, that not them, not their children, but somewhere down the line, someone  will have to pay the price of our generation poisoning our own environment.

After you have made your points, you must give an understanding reason why the rainforests are being demolished. Something like the paragraph below is what you should be aiming to say:

“The rainforests of the world are being cut down and demolished for us. For the newspapers that you read, for the paper our children draw pictures on, and even the toilet roll we use. We cannot change what has happened, but we can change the future-”

After the above paragraph you have to give a solution. This does not have to be a solution that involves donating money, or going miles out of their way to help. They can be little changes, that can quite literally change the world. For example, carrying on from the above paragraph:

“-We can help to plant trees and plants in our own gardens, or send seeds to a charity who will do this for us. We can recycle the paper that we use, so fewer trees have to be demolished to satisfy our needs, and we can watch our carbon footprint, and do what we can to decrease it. These changes won’t change your life, but they will change the world we live in for the better.”
The above paragraph is an ideal way to end your speech.

If you use the above help and advice you can add your own passion and desire to it, use real facts that are easily found on the web or in books.

If you follow the above points, you cannot go wrong.

Good luck with your speeches.

By Ryan Marshall

 

Published On: 2nd Apr 2009

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44 Comments
  1. like your story

    Anonymous 20 Oct at 11:07 pm
  2. hello i like your story very much

    but if you can i need your help if i want to make a presentation about opening a new branch how can i make it??

    wemo 31 Oct at 10:26 am
  3. i want to write a speech against smoking ..the audience age would be based on around 13-15 year olds…how can i make them think deeply about my point?

    Thnx

    Zoey 8 Nov at 7:08 pm
  4. i think that is a good story.
    god loves you
    🙂

    caleb 12 Nov at 9:46 pm
  5. hello!i liked your story and i need help from you…. can you help me?…..i need a speech on the topic: listen to head not to heart.i need two speeches….one in favor of this topic and one in against of it….thank you

    emma 13 Nov at 7:04 pm
  6. zoey you must use visual aids expecially the photos which includes the the bad effect of smoking to apperiance the 13-15 age people are wery interested in their apperiance. for example wery dirty yellow teeth. god helps you. good bye

    hawa 18 Nov at 10:52 am
  7. hello,i like every thing abou presentations, i want u to help me,in aspeech about sales techniques…please i want visual aids…thanks

    bosy 22 Nov at 6:32 pm
  8. Couldn’t smoking companies say they were green companies for planting so many tobacco plants?

    Cigarette smoker 24 Nov at 10:59 pm
  9. hey! ok so right now im writing a speech that due……. well tomorrow. hehehe. oops. anyway just wanted to let you know i thought was really helpful and for future reference find so inspiration music to listen to. it gets your brain a pumpin!!!!

    t-dawg 25 Nov at 12:06 am
  10. i want to write a speeach for weman power …can u helpme

    Women Power 29 Nov at 7:12 am
  11. gud suggestions

    hhh 1 Dec at 3:42 pm
  12. i want to write speech about labor cost and location decision

    irakli 5 Dec at 1:17 pm
  13. hi…i want to write a speech about “MOVE WITH THE TIMES”..thanks would u help me for it????god bless.

    yahkie 13 Dec at 2:44 am
  14. speech on death penalty

    marvia 13 Dec at 2:56 am
  15. im writing a persuasive speech with free the selection of the subject. all the mentioned in your website have already been presented.. HELP!!!!

    Josh 14 Dec at 2:55 pm
  16. how to end a persuasive speech?

    Anonymous 15 Dec at 5:18 am
  17. wow i thought why the hell didn’t he use bullet points it’s not going to be good then i read it and thanx.
    sorry for “judging a book by it’s cover”.

    lita 1 Jan at 2:22 pm
  18. can you make a persuasive speech about increasing of tuition fee in 25% in this year… plzzzzzzzz

    smarty 5 Jan at 3:56 am
  19. hi i really liked u r story so much !
    it was awesome and i need ssome help with writing a persuasive speech plzz coz i need to do this 3min speech in front of the class and i m really worried if they would like my speech or not!

    vava 7 Jan at 12:20 am
  20. nice story it helped me with school

    jim 19 Mar at 1:43 pm
  21. hey you have too much to read. just do points so that it is easier for me. thank you

    lio mrs brezzy 19 Mar at 2:47 pm
  22. thank you so much do you think i shoul;d do a 3 min speech on

    cool 28 Mar at 4:07 am
  23. i want to write a speech but idonot know any persuasive topic please give me one

    ghada 6 May at 6:31 pm
  24. love your speech and it really helped me in my own speech writing

    shayal 10 Aug at 6:15 am
  25. Nice points and ideas. Thanks!

    Aseem 30 Aug at 5:10 am
  26. Really helped. Thanks!

    Reader101 31 Aug at 1:22 pm
  27. I need help in writing a speech about being yourself

    Anonymous2004 3 Sep at 5:54 am
  28. thanks..
    you gave me lot of idea..

    🙂

    man 30 Sep at 5:15 pm
  29. what the purposes of persuasive?

    Anonymous 4 Oct at 9:57 am
  30. it’s to persuade some one else to think about the subject that you do. i’m usuong this as an examply but adding the animals that it harms by cutting down the forest.

    so i’ll let you all know how it goes tomorrow.

    Anonymous 9 Jan at 7:06 pm
  31. ssweeet

    vty 20 Jan at 7:00 pm
  32. even sweeter………….. ultra tasty

    vty 20 Jan at 7:01 pm
  33. Hey should i do my persuasive speech on saving the rainforests the harm of abortion (so many weman want a baby) or teen drinking ANY OTHER IDEAS!!! please help mee

    Eliza 17 Jun at 9:35 am
  34. it was good

    Anonymous 11 Aug at 1:32 am
  35. This page helped me with my speech! I found everything i needed to know to win over the crowd and i won Best Speech and Public speaker! thanks to tghis website

    Hannah 19 Aug at 1:51 am
  36. You information was helpful but can you help me with the topic “Teenagers Have More Responsibilities Than Rights” aiming at teenagers between the age of 13-15.If you could that would be great. Thanks.

    Anonymous 19 Feb at 1:34 am
  37. I really liked this presentation because it gives ideas about persuasive techniques . I just need help in good connectives and emotive words .
    Thank you .

    selena 3 Apr at 12:58 pm
  38. i like the way you put the persuasive speech in words.But i have a question if i wanted to write a persuasive essay about telling pre teens and teens about using drugs.How woulld i come about doing so?

    suaveya williams 5 Apr at 2:32 pm
  39. Great guideline it really helped me out with my persuasive speech thank you.

    Anonymous 12 Apr at 12:15 pm
  40. i need to prasent a speech infront of my english class but im nervous how should i get a good mark and be brave???

    tanxx for ur tips they help but ather problem neede to be resolved..
    thanks again ….

    soni 26 May at 1:14 am
  41. i want a already speech about or for “move with the times”

    mary rose 4 Dec at 6:13 am
  42. cool and thank you!!!

    Anonymous 18 Jun at 7:57 am
  43. I want to right a speech about that there is more then just putting on makeup could u help me.

    kayley 9 Sep at 5:35 am
  44. I want a write a speech on VACATION ON THE SEA OR MOUNTAIN ,help pls!thank you so much…

    Belle 1 Feb at 3:17 am