Speaking to Persuade

How to present an ideal 

Communicating To External Stakeholders

Persuasive presentations are designed to influence your audiences’ opinions, behaviors, or beliefs.

Unlike informative speaking, persuasive speaking tells the audience what it is they should think, feel, or do.

Asking senior management to increase your department’s annual budget, convincing employees to adopt a new contract, and convincing the public that a Government plan is cost effective are examples of persuasive speaking situations.

 Key things to consider when preparing a presentation to persuade:

 •           What it is that you hope to accomplish through your presentation (what are your goals?).

 •           Who is your target audience (the part of the whole audience you most want to reach; usually made up of those who are uncommitted to either side).

 •           How you can adapt the presentation to fit the needs, values, and concerns of that target audience.

 •           What the rest of the audience thinks and feels about your topic.

Persuasive speaking begins with much of the same guidelines as informative speaking; however persuasive speaking requires a careful construction of an argument as well. Here you need greater detail as to how you can construct effective persuasive arguments: Guidelines for Building Effective Persuasive Arguments