Chapter 16: Persuasive Speaking

Propositions of Policy

FROM PROPOSING to improve the quality of campus dining to championing for more money for student events, propositions of policy are common in student government elections. Image Source Plus/Alamy

The third type of proposition is concerned with what should happen. In propositions of policy, the speaker makes claims about what goal, policy, or course of action should be pursued. For example:

“LGBTQ individuals should have the same rights as all other Americans.”
“Colleges and universities should not consider race when making admissions decisions.”
“Any vehicle that gets poor gas mileage (say, less than twenty-five miles per gallon) should be banned in the United States.”

In advocating for any of these statements, your task as the speaker would be to persuade the audience that a current policy is not working or that a new policy is needed. Propositions of policy are common during election campaigns as candidates—especially challengers—offer their ideas and plans for what a government should do and how they would do it.

No matter what your topic, and no matter which type of proposition you are advocating, you’ll need to know as much as possible about your listeners in order to persuade them effectively. This is the topic of the next section.

AND YOU?

Question

During a campaign season, pay attention to the candidates’ speeches and debates, or visit presidentialrhetoric.com to view current and past presidential speeches. How often does the speaker put forth propositions of fact? Of value? Of policy? Does one type of proposition seem to cause more debate or controversy than others?