WEEK 6:

Beginning and ending of a speech

Methods of persuasion

THE BEGINNING AND ENDING OF A SPEECH

The Introduction

Get attention and interest

Reveal the topic
Establish credibility and goodwill
Preview the body of the speech

Methods of
Gaining Attention

Relate your topic to the audience

State the importance of your topic
Startle the audience
Arouse the curiosity of the audience
Question the audience
Begin with a quotation
Tell a story

Credibility
The audiences perception of whether
a speaker is qualified to speak on a
given topic.

Goodwill
The audiences perception of whether
the speaker has the best interests of
the audience in mind.

Rhetorical Question
A question that the audience answers
mentally rather than out loud.

Preview Statement
A statement in the introduction of a
speech that identifies the main points
to be discussed in the body of the
speech.

Tips for Preparing the Introduction

Be concise: Usually no more than
10-20 percent of the total speech
Look for possible introductory
materials as you do your research
Be creative in devising your
introduction

Tips for Preparing the Introduction

Finalize the exact wording of your
introduction after you have finished
preparing the body of the speech
Work out the content and delivery
of your introduction in detail

The Conclusion
Signal the end of the speech
Reinforce the central idea

Crescendo Ending
A conclusion in which the speech
builds to a zenith of power and
intensity.

Dissolve Ending
A conclusion that generates emotional
appeal by fading step by step to a
dramatic final statement.

Methods of Reinforcing the

Central Idea
Summarize your speech
End with a quotation
Make a dramatic statement

Tips for Preparing the Conclusion

Look for possible concluding
materials as you do your research
Conclude with a bang, not a whimper
Be brief: Usually no more than 5-10
percent of the total speech
Work out the content and delivery of
your conclusion in detail

METHODS OF PERSUASION

Building credibility
Using evidence
Reasoning
Appealing to emotions

Credibility
The audience's perception of whether
a speaker is qualified to speak on a
given topic.

Ethos
The name used by Aristotle for what
modern students of communication
refer to as credibility.

Factors of Credibility
Competence
Character

Competence
How an audience regards a
speakers intelligence,
expertise, and knowledge of
the subject.

Character
How an audience regards a
speakers sincerity, trustworthiness,
and concern for the well-being of the
audience.

Types of Credibility
Initial
Derived
Terminal

Initial Credibility
The credibility of a speaker before
she or he starts to speak.

Derived Credibility
The credibility of a speaker produced
by everything she or he says and
does during the speech.

Terminal Credibility
The credibility of a speaker at the end
of the speech.

Tips for Enhancing Credibility

Explain your competence
Establish common ground with
your audience
Deliver your speeches fluently,
expressively, and with conviction

Logos
The name used by Aristotle for the
logical appeal of a speaker. The two
major elements of logos are evidence
and reasoning.

Evidence
Supporting materials used to prove
or disprove something.

Tips for Using Evidence

Use specific evidence

Use novel evidence
Use evidence from credible sources
Make clear the point of your evidence

Reasoning
The process of drawing a conclusion
on the basis of evidence.

Four Types of Reasoning

Reasoning from specific instances

Reasoning from principle
Causal reasoning
Analogical reasoning

Reasoning from Specific

Instances
Reasoning that moves from particular
facts to a general conclusion.

Guidelines for Reasoning from

Specific Instances
Avoid hasty generalizations
If your evidence does not justify a
sweeping conclusion, qualify your
argument
Reinforce your argument with
statistics or testimony

Reasoning from Principle

Reasoning that moves from a general
principle to a specific conclusion.

Guidelines for Reasoning

from Principle
Make sure listeners will accept your
general principle
Provide evidence to support your
minor premise

Causal Reasoning
Reasoning that seeks to establish
the relationship between causes
and effects.

Guidelines for Causal

Reasoning
Avoid the fallacy of false cause
Do not assume that events have
only a single cause

Analogical Reasoning
Reasoning in which a speaker
compares two similar cases and
infers that what is true for the first
case is also true for the second.

Guidelines for Analogical Reasoning

Above all, make sure the two cases
being compared are essentially alike

Fallacy
An error in reasoning.

Fallacies

Hasty generalization
False cause
Invalid analogy
Red herring

Fallacies

Ad hominem
Either-or
Bandwagon
Slippery slope

Hasty Generalization
A fallacy in which a speaker jumps
to a general conclusion on the basis
of insufficient evidence.

Hasty Generalization
Last year alone three members of
our state legislature were convicted
of corruption. We can conclude, then,
that all of our state's politicians are
corrupt.

False Cause
A fallacy in which a speaker
mistakenly assumes that because
one event follows another, the first
event is the cause of the second.

False Cause
I'm sure the stock market will rise
this year. It usually goes up when
the American League wins the
World Series.

Invalid Analogy
An analogy in which the two
cases being compared are not
essentially alike.

Invalid Analogy
Of course Lisheng can prepare
great Italian food; his Chinese
cooking is fabulous.

Red Herring
A fallacy that introduces an irrelevant
issue to divert attention from the
subject under discussion.

Red Herring
Why should we worry about
endangered animal species when
thousands of people are killed in
automobile accidents each year?

Ad Hominem
A fallacy that attacks the person
rather than dealing with the real
issue in dispute.

Ad Hominem
The governor has a number of
interesting economic proposals, but
lets not forget that she comes from
a very wealthy family.

Either-Or
A fallacy that forces listeners to
choose between two alternatives when
more than two alternatives exist.

Either-Or
The government must either
raise taxes or reduce services
for the poor.

Bandwagon
A fallacy that assumes that because
something is popular, it is therefore
good, correct, or desirable.

Bandwagon
The President must be correct in his
approach to domestic policy; after
all, polls show that 60 percent of the
people support him.

Slippery Slope
A fallacy that assumes that taking
a first step will lead to subsequent
steps that cannot be prevented.

Slippery Slope
Passing federal laws to control
the amount of violence on
television is the first step in a
process that will result in absolute
government control of the media
and total censorship over all forms
of artistic expression.

Emotional Appeals
Appeals that are intended to make
listeners feel sad, angry, guilty, afraid,
happy, proud, sympathetic, reverent,
or the like.

Pathos
The name used by Aristotle for what
modern students of communication
refer to as emotional appeal.

Tips for Generating

Emotional Appeal
Use emotional language
Develop vivid examples
Speak with sincerity and
conviction

Using Emotional Appeal

Ethically
Make sure emotional appeal is
appropriate to the speech topic
Do not substitute emotional appeal
for evidence and reasoning

Homework:
- Post the detailed outline of your
informative speech in Section 6 forum,
Thread: Detailed outline for informative
speeches.
Deadline: 24:00 Sunday 2/11/2014
- Review for the midterm test.