Types of Persuasive Speeches

When thinking about the topic of your presentation, you will want to consider what kind of persuasive speech you want to give. There are three types:

  1. A speech 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 speech of value proposes 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 speech 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 speech you’ll give helps you develop your speech thesis during the composing step of your preparation.