Persuading

What is Your Goal When Persuading in Public Speaking

First, What’s it’s Not

Persuading is often confused with manipulation. Manipulation involves subterfuge of the thinking process to guide someone into thoughts or actions that are not in their best interest.

Speech and Your MWR

The goal of your speech should be attaining your MWR

What is your MWR or Most Wanted Response?

The goal is to influence your audience. What is the nature of the influence? What do you hope to accomplish? You need to know what it is you want to accomplish or persuade the audience to believe. What do you want your speaking to accomplish in attitude, action, or motivation.

How do you want to influence their thinking?

Do they already have an opinion you are trying to change?

Are you trying to change the attitude of an audience?


Now not only evidence but argumentation will need to be brought into play.

Are they open minded and considering all the options?

Are you trying to direct, guide or influence the attitude of the audience? When an audience has no prejudice or pre-formed conclusion, the primary burden falls on the evidence and proof’s.

Do you want to influence their actions or lack of action?

If you want the audience to act on the what you say, then motivation will be required.

Are you trying to reinforce the thinking of the audience?

Persuasive speech can reinforce attitudes, beliefs, values and ideals. Persuasive speech can serve to protect from potential dissuasion.

You need to know what your MWR is. You can find out what the audience wants by listening. You need to get to know your audience and find out what they think and feel. This is because the closer your MWR is to what the audience wants, the easier it will be to be persuasive.

This is the first step before you put pen to paper. You need to…

Get to Know Your Audience to improve your persuasiveness. This section will give you a deeper view of the subject.

• How many will be in attendance.

• What backgrounds and experience do they have?
  Are they educators, in business, management, worker bees?
  What is their social and economic background?
  What are the age groups you will be speaking to.
• What’s important to them? What things keep them awake at night?

• What are their opinions or beliefs on the topic to be discussed?

• What are their motivators?

• What is the motivation dérailleur for them?

• What’s their learning preference? This can be individually and collectively.

• What’s in it for them? Although most important, leave this for last so as not to cloud the other questions.

  Persuading involves knowing the answers to these questions. Answers will be the basis for tailoring how the audience will be helped to change the way they think.

  The Art of Persuasion and the Audience Mindset will consider the same material only from a different angle. The goal will be to overcome the mind set or audience professed values.

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