There are three main points that should be taken into account in persuasive speech writing. First of all, the writer has to be selective to topic: choose the one which is engaging and focused on a current issue. Secondly, the structure of the speech plays a great role: you may receive certain requirements about your speech format or follow the basic rules. Thirdly, in order to convince the audience, you should use certain persuasive techniques. Find more information about all 3 components of persuasive speech in our article.
Persuasive Speech About Friendship: Specifying the Topic
- Although friendship seems to be a good topic for speech, it is factually a very broad field for reflections. Consider that friendship is an abstract concept that has numerous variation and aspects. We recommend you to select one of them.
- When choosing your viewpoint, think of the topic and issues which are really enthusing. A good speech can be made only if the author is passionate about it.
Topics for persuasive speech about friendship:
- Spiritual love in friendship.
- The role of love in the friendship relationships.
- The most important emotions brought by friendship.
- Support as one of the basic friendship requirements.
- Does friendship impose duties?
- Corporate friendship.
- Has the friendship transformed through ages?
- Non-romantic relationships among men and women.
- Women friendship: does it exist?
- Cross-cultural friendship: overcoming racial stereotypes.
- How friendship helps in psychological improvement.
- Is friendship a significant component of love?
- Are siblings usually friends “by default”?
- Relationships between animal and human: friendship and care.
- Getting bind to pets: can animal be friends in reality?
- Do pets guarantee happiness?
How to Structure a Persuasive Speech?
- As it has been mentioned, structure is one of the must-have speech components. Once you structure your address to public coherently and logically, you can be sure that you will easily grab the audience interest, attention and understanding.
- In fact, the format of speech is quite standard and similar to the writings that you have done before. It must consist of an introduction, a main body and a conclusion.
- While the introductory part opens the discussion and draws the attention of audience, the main body must demonstrate your most thorough claims. Remember that usually you are limited in time. This is why the body of the speech (not introduction) is the part which you should concentrate on.
- Conclusion is, actually, the easiest section to build up: summarize your arguments and refer to the points, touched upon in the first part.
Persuasive Techniques and Tools
- The tool for persuading, which will work for sure, is an argument. Basically, your speech must be constructed of arguments which are clear and logical.
- Once you have chosen and explicated the arguments that reveal your position, find the evidence that will support them. You can use here facts, quotations, expert’s opinions, statistic data, and real life example. Make sure that all the information you provide as evidence is accurate and true to life.
- There are certain rhetorical figures which are helpful in persuading, such as repetitions, questions, antithesis, anaphora, complexion, disjunction etc.
Consider These Things When Giving Your Speech
Let’s stay optimistic and consider that if you feel slightly nervous before giving a speech, then you are absolutely fine. It would be very strange actually if you didn’t. Some of us can cope with emotions in the very course of the speech and finish it with total confidence in its success, and not with their voices shaking and thoughts confused. However, the process of speaking may also worsen the situation significantly when a person cannot manage their agitation or fear.
Nevertheless, if we think about what makes us worry about our performance, we all will come up with almost the same ideas:
- we find ourselves afraid to forget or even just to make a mistake in what we want to say;
- we think that our audiences will not agree with our opinions;
- we believe that there may something wrong with our clothes or hair, shoes, make-up (underline what applicable).
However, you should always remember that
- you are really unlikely to forget your speech provided that you have written it yourself and learned it by heart (or at least if you have rehearsed it several times);
- your audience does not have to agree with you, so put up with it; it is you who must convince them that your personal opinion have the right to exist as well as theirs do (however, as long as your arguments and examples are sound, you can be sure that a few guys will definitely applaud your speech);
- well, everything is fine with your suit, so you shouldn’t worry about it; if your listener pays more attention to what you are wearing and not to what you are saying, then he or she might need to enter the next room where the fashion show is taking place (sorry for sarcasm).
P.S. Definitely, you want to sound persuasive and natural when giving a speech, regardless of its topic. So, in order to feel more relaxed, treat your audience just as those guys who you could meet at a cafe or in a camp, but not as your judges who are waiting to object to your every word. Just tell them what friendship is in your opinion but consider that they may also have some ideas on it. Just remember that they do not want you to speak and act as a politician or a very clever scientist. They need a cozy, smart and captivating talk seasoned with humor and sincerity.