Chapter 16: Persuasive Speaking

Chapter 16: Persuasive Speaking

• Argument
  A proposition supported by one or more reasons or pieces of evidence.

• Backing
  Foundational evidence which supports a claim, such as examples, statistics, or testimony.

• Causal Pattern
  A speech designed to explain a cause-effect relationship between two phenomena.

• Causal Reasoning
  The process of formulating an argument by examining related events to determine which one caused the other.

• Claim
  The proposition you want the audience to accept.

• Coercion
  A process whereby thoughts or behaviors are altered through deceptive or harmful methods.

• Data
  Preliminary evidence on which a claim is based.

• Deductive Reasoning
  The process of formulating an argument by moving from a general premise to a specific conclusion.

• Demographics
  Statistical information that reflects the make-up of a group, often including:

  • Age
  • Sex
  • Ethnic or cultural background
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Religion
  • Political affiliation

• Direct Method Pattern
  A speech designed to present a claim with a list of several supporting pieces of data.

• Ethos
  The audience's perception of a speaker's credibility and moral character.

• Evaluation Criteria
  A set of standards for judging the merit of a proposition.

• Fallacies
  Errors in reasoning that occur when a speaker fails to use appropriate or applicable evidence for their argument.

• Hostile Audience
  An audience that is opposed to the speaker or to the persuasive proposition.

• Identification
  A connection that is fostered between the speaker and their audience by highlighting shared attributes or attitudes.

• Inductive Reasoning
  The process of formulating an argument by moving from specific instances to a generalization.

• Logos
  The logical means of proving an argument.

• Monroe's Motivated Sequence
  An organizational pattern that attempts to convince the audience to respond to a need that is delineated in the speech through five sequential steps:

  1. Attention
  2. Need
  3. Satisfaction
  4. Visualization
  5. Action

• Neutral Audience
  An audience that is neither open nor opposed to the persuasive proposition.

• Pathos
  The use of emotional appeals to persuade an audience.

• Persuasion
  The art of influencing or reinforcing people's beliefs, attitudes, values, or actions.

• Persuasive Speeches
  Speeches which aim to convince an audience to think or behave in a particular way.

• Proposition of Fact
  An argument that seeks to establish whether something is true or false.

• Proposition of Policy
  An argument that seeks to establish an appropriate course of action.

• Proposition of Value
  An argument that seeks to establish the relative worth of something.

• Receptive Audience
  An audience that is generally supportive of, or open to, the persuasive proposition.

• Refutation Pattern
  A speech designed to anticipate the negative response of an audience, to bring attention to the tensions between the two sides of the argument, and to explain why the audience should change their views.

• Speeches to Actuate
  Persuasive speeches which seek to change or motivate particular behaviors.

• Speeches to Convince
  Persuasive speeches which seek to establish agreement about a particular topic.

• Status Quo
  The current situation.

• Syllogisms
  Reasoning beginning with a major premise, then moving to a minor premise, before establishing a specific claim.

• Warrant
  The (often unstated) connection between data and claim.

Common Fallacies

• a. Begging the question
• b. Causal fallacy
• c. Bandwagon fallacy
• d. Poisoning the well