Do you understand the power of persuasion?
Having the ability to influence a group of people to perform the action that you desire is one of life’s most valuable skills.
Learning and implementing the strategies of persuasive speech is a game-changer. Whether you are a student or an entrepreneur these techniques will put you on a fast track to success.
You can level up your communication skills by learning what persuasive speaking is, the best topics for persuasive speeches, and even learning persuasive speaking techniques. Does this sound interesting to you?
Well – Big Impact University can help you master the art of giving persuasive speeches to ensure that you get the outcome you want for your audience.
What Is Persuasive Speaking?
Persuasive speaking is the art of inspiring other people to take a particular action. Whether that’s purchasing a service, joining a cause, or changing someone’s opinion.
Getting someone to buy or “buy in” is the exact same persuasive process.
How To Choose A Persuasive Speech Topic For Your Talk
Choose A Topic That You’re Passionate About
Choosing a topic that you are passionate about makes everything easier.
In fact, choose a topic in which you have a high level of expertise. Experts understand the value of positioning their authority and your audience is seeking to find an expert that provides real solutions.
Not to mention, speaking about topics that truly resonate with you will unlock your natural enthusiasm and you will deliver a presentation so good that it will motivate your audience to take action.
Choose A Goal And Tailor Your Speech To Achieve That Goal
Understanding what your goals are will help you modify your speech and make use of the best persuasive speech strategies to turn your goals into a reality.
Sales – If your goal is to sell a product (or service), tailor your speech by emphasizing the problems your product solves and how much better your audience’s lives will be after they’ve made the purchase.
Recruitment – If your goal is to be hired, you are essentially selling yourself. Adjust your speech to emphasize your achievements and qualifications while focusing on crises that you have successfully handled.
5 Powerful Persuasive Speaking Techniques To Incorporate Into Your Speeches
Use Storytelling To Resonate With Your Audience
Nobody wants their audience to be bored during their talk and an easy way to overcome this is by packaging your presentation as a story.
Not only do stories keep audiences engaged but they also make key pieces of information easier to understand and remember.
An easy way to tell a story is by drawing directly from your own experiences.
Sharing your own experiences helps build credibility in the eyes of your audience as it feels natural and it allows people to connect with you on a personal level.
If you’re a professional selling a service, it’s a good idea to tell the story of a problem you faced, one that relates to the audience, and how you found a solution to that problem.
The solution, of course, is your services.
Then stress how you can’t wait to solve the same problem for your audience.
Presenting your services in this way feels organic and less like a sales pitch – your building relations here not hard selling a product. The difference this will make to your conversions is staggering.
Keep Your Talk Focused By Following The Rule of Three
A key rule is to stick to the main points, do not overload your audience with information about your product or service.
If you list every single benefit of your product or service to the audience they’ll suffer information overload and forget 90% of what you’ve just said.
To avoid this, only focus on your product/service’s top 3 most unique benefits.
Information presented in thirds is easily digestible and will be easier to retain for your audience.
Use Emotive And Inclusive Language To Build A Siege Mentality
Keep this in mind, ‘people don’t remember what you say, they remember how you make them feel.’
You want your audience to leave your persuasive speech feeling inspired, motivated, and ready to take action.
One of the ways that you can do this is by using emotionally charged words that will make people feel part of something bigger – part of a community.
Using words like “us and them” in your argument will evoke emotion in your audience, especially if you’re uniting to defeat a common foe.
A foe can be something tangible such as a huge competitor in your industry, who’s squeezing profits from smaller stores. Or it can be a concept, such as climate change.
Make sure that you select the right words in your persuasive speech to evoke the correct emotions that you would like your audience to have.
Emotional appeals inspire action.
Leverage Rhetorical Questions
When used correctly, rhetorical questions create suspense. When you pause from it forces the audience to ponder your question.
It’s a method of audience engagement that highlights a specific point the speaker would like to make, whilst also feeling personal as if you’re speaking to the audience individually.
Some examples might be… “And with fewer plastic bottles, wouldn’t the ocean be a lot happier?” or “And who can’t use more money?”
Consider adding more rhetorical questions into your speech if it currently lacks audience participation or runs too fast.
Build Your Attractive Character From The Stage
An effective persuasive speaker will make their audience feel like they already know you and can easily have a conversation with you.
Important characteristics that all effective persuasive speakers should have include:
- Confidence
- Charisma
- Authenticity
- Audience awareness
- Passion for the topic
- An ability to display and connect with the audience through shared values and beliefs
Displaying these characteristics will make it easier for your audience to invest in you.
Examples of Persuasive Speeches
Hillary Clinton’s speech at the United Nations in 1995
In 1995, Hillary Clinton spoke at the United Nations Fourth Women’s Conference in Beijing. Her speech, referred to as, “Women’s Rights are Human’s Rights” had an undeniable influence on the progress of women’s rights.
During a time when the ideas of feminism were not so widely embraced, how did Hillary Clinton manage to influence her audience to make a change and stand up for women’s rights?
Well, not only was she aware of her audience but it was clear that women’s rights were a topic that she was very passionate and informed about.
The reason this speech has been listed as one of the most memorable speeches is due to its content and delivery.
Hilary made use of persuasive speaking techniques such as appealing to the audience’s emotions. Specifically, she addressed the injustices that women face in society as well as referring to the audience’s own family members.
The speech was informative and it educated the audience on the injustices that women face. The speech had a direct call to action, Hillary stating that the audience needed to “act on behalf of women”. Looking at how the former first lady presented herself on stage, she was confident and she articulated herself well.
By utilizing persuasive public speaking techniques not only did Hilary Clinton convince her audience to believe and share her point of view. She was also able to influence people around the world to take a stand for feminism.
Greta Thunberg delivered a TED Talk called “The Disarming case to act right now on climate change” in 2018.
The environmental activist was just 16-years-old at the time and she was able to deliver a passionate and moving speech on the climate crisis.
Greta narrated what the environment would look like for her, her child and how it will be too late by then to do anything about the climate crisis. This was supported by factual information.
What makes this speech so impactful is Greta’s use of persuasive speaking techniques used throughout this article:
- She’s talking about a topic she’s passionate about
- She has a clear goal in mind (to inspire people to take up a more environmentally friendly lifestyle)
- She uses emotive language and storytelling
- And she leverages rhetorical questions
All of these points combined are what builds Greta’s attractive character and helps her to deliver a talk which impacted people around the globe to change their lifestyle to help the planet.
Tip: If you need inspiration for persuasive speech topics, watch these speeches.
Conclusion
By becoming a master of persuasive speech you will be able to achieve the outcome that you want for your audience. From understanding the techniques and strategies you will be able to influence and persuade your audience through the strategic use of words.
Big Impact University’s “Speak Your Path To Cash” membership course and mentoring program will teach all that you will need to know to effectively master public speaking.
Once you have completed the Speak Your Path To Cash online course you will be able to turn 10 minutes of stage time into $10,000 plus and convert a higher percentage of your audience on stage and online.
You will learn how to create your online stage presence, develop a market research system, and undergo profitability training and virtual speaking training equipping you to be an effective persuasive speaker.
You will also have the opportunity to work directly with the co-founders of the Big ImpactHQ Mark and Shannon as well as join a community of other well-established “big impact” speakers.
Start mastering the art of persuasive speaking today by signing up for Big Impact University’s Speak Your Path To Cash course.
