Guidelines for Persuasive Speaking

There’s no doubt that persuading an audience is challenging. But careful preparation can lead to success. While preparing, composing, and delivering your speech, it is important to be realistic about what you’re trying to accomplish and to maintain high ethical standards by giving your audience fair and objective information.

The unique goals of persuasive speeches—reinforcing or changing listeners’ attitudes and beliefs, and possibly motivating them to take action—require that you keep in mind specific guidelines when preparing your presentation.