Argumentative speeches typically identify an issue and then try to convince listeners to view the issue in a particular way — to change their attitudes or beliefs, for example, to change their position on the issue, or to take action. The subject of the speech reflects the speaker’s purpose as well as the needs, interests, and backgrounds of the people in the audience. It also reflects on the occasion for which the speech is given. For example, a speech before a local school board is likely to focus on an issue related to educational practices in the school district.

Speakers have the advantage of directly appealing to their listeners in a human voice, and speechwriters usually write with the awareness that the speech will be heard, rather than read. Their choice of words and style, as well as their decisions about the order in which to present ideas and information, will be strongly influenced by their awareness that listeners cannot stop and reread a passage that is difficult to understand. As a result, speechwriters are more willing to repeat points than are writers of other types of documents. Similarly, they often try to capture their listeners’ attention — and imagination — with memorable anecdotes or images that illustrate the meaning or purpose of their speeches. Speechwriters might provide evidence in the form of brief mentions of statistics or relevant quotations, but they usually do so less extensively than if they were writing a document intended primarily for readers.