How do you choose a topic for a persuasive speech?
First of all, the root of a good speech topic is the passion that you bring to the table.
When writing on a persuasive speech topic, one should remember that more often than not, your listeners will not particularly care about your viewpoint. It is your duty to first grab their attention and to present your credibility in order to make the audience care about your viewpoint. If your audience does not know anything about your product or your political platform, it is impossible for them to care about it. Thus, you have to educate the audience before you convince them. Speakers almost always forget this step.
In the persuasive speech topic in the video above, Chip Conley educates the audience about the Gross Domestic product, Buddhism and the Gross National Happiness index before he tries to persuade the audience to adopt his viewpoint. Without the background information, the audience would have been lost. Conley didn’t just dive into the speech with his persuasive powers – instead he educated the audience for about fourteen minutes before he started persuading the audience. The persuasion part of his speech was only two or three minutes.
Topics For a Persuasive Speech Will Challenge The Audience
Your audience will already have their own biases, opinions and beliefs. You have to think of them as though they are all stubborn old men stuck in their ways. In order for you to influence their behavior and thoughts you are going to have to appeal to both their logic and their motion. You cannot tell someone what to think. If you try to impose your opinion by saying “I am now going to prove this…” you will merely arouse stubbornness. You are better off stressing what you know the audience believes in first and then pose a question. You will then present evidence. Your goal is to have the audience form their own conclusions. It is similar to the modern sales approach. You always look for affirmative answers. For example, you would try and get six affirmations before you launch into the pitch.
To persuade an audience you will need to rely on evidence. You will have to research the facts, statistics and outside expert opinion that supports your viewpoint. In Conley’s speech above, he cites famous psychologist Abraham Maslow. It is rare that you will have the credibility to make statements without any reference to outside sources. Listeners want credibility. Unless they trust that the information is reputable, they will not change their minds.
You may be tempted to focus your presentation to “win over” their logical minds. However, you must win over the audience’s hearts and emotions as well. Facts and statistics are not enough. The two most powerful emotions are fear and greed. Now, more than ever, members of the audience are self-interested meaning that you need to appeal to their emotion. What is important to them? What do they fear? Job loss? Retirement savings? Poor health care? What do they desire either secretly or openly? To be rich? Fame? Recognition from their peers? It is your job to craft the presentation that appeals to the self-interest of the audience.