Types of Persuasive Propositions

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When thinking about the topic of your presentation, consider what type of proposal you want your listeners to accept. There are three types:

  1. A proposition of fact establishes whether something is true or not (“Chocolate can reduce the onset of heart disease”) or whether an event will or won’t happen (“The polarity of the earth will be reversed by the year 3000”).

  2. A proposition of value urges a judgment on a topic (“Euthanasia is morally wrong”) or explains why something is good or bad (“Here is why the Batman movies are better films than the Superman franchise”).

  3. A proposition of policy argues about whether an action should or should not be taken (“First-year students should be required to live on campus”).

Choosing which type of persuasive proposition you want the audience to accept helps you develop your speech thesis during the composing step of your preparation.