What About You? Assessing Your Persuasive Speech

What About You? Assessing Your Persuasive Speech

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What About You?

Assessing Your Persuasive Speech

As you prepare and rehearse your persuasive speech, you will do well to remember the main points we developed in this chapter. They will guide you and help you approach your audience competently. Use the following questions to assess your speech honestly. You may also ask your friends, family, or roommates to assess your speech using these questions if you are rehearsing in front of them.

Have you selected a topic about which audience members can have a reasonable disagreement? Is it a topic that allows you to influence attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors?

Have you developed your thesis statement as a proposition of fact, value, or policy?

Have you assessed your audience’s disposition and needs? Have you considered what is most relevant to them?

Have you worked to ensure that your speech—and your delivery—will help the audience engage in central processing?

Do you demonstrate credibility to your audience? Have you effectively worked goodwill, trustworthiness, homophily, and likability into your delivery?

Have you used solid reasoning in your argument?

Have you effectively made use of emotion in your speech? Is it appropriately supported by logic and credibility?

Have you checked (and rechecked) your speech for logical fallacies? Have you addressed and removed any that you’ve identified?

Have you selected an appropriate organizational pattern for your persuasive speech? Is the organization clear and understandable to your listeners during practice sessions?

Do you make effective use of presentation aids throughout your speech? Do the aids help you achieve your persuasive goals?