Ch 13 14 Informative Speaking and Persuasive

Ch. 13 & 14 Informative Speaking and Persuasive Speaking

Types of Informative Speaking • By content or purpose

Content • Speeches about processes-a series of actions that leads to a specific result The process involved in traveling abroad • Speeches about objects-anything that can be seen or touched A speech about your guitar • Speeches about events-when a topic refers to anything notable that has happened A speech about the war in Iraq

Purpose • Descriptions- describing Describing the traditions of a particular culture • Explanations-explaining Explaining each of the steps involved in fire prevention • Instructions-teaching Showing students how to protect themselves

Informative Vs. Persuasive

Informative • you are not presenting info that is controversial • You are not trying to change audience attitudes • You are trying to make the audience aware of something • Usually to improve audience knowledge or ability

Persuasive • Usually involves a controversial topic • You are trying to persuade the audience to take some sort of action, or change some sort of behavior

Techniques of Informative Speaking 1. Define a specific informative purpose 2. Create information hunger

3. Make it easy for audience to listen and understand • Limit amount of info you present -stick to 3 -5 main topics • use familiar information to increase understanding of the unfamiliar • Use simple information to build understanding of complex info

4. Emphasize Important points • Use repetition -with main points -with material that is difficult to understand • Use sign posts

Characteristics of persuasion • Persuasion is the process of motivating someone, through communication to change a particular belief, attitude, or behavior.

Persuasion is interactive • Can be compared to the transactional model • It is an interaction that takes place between speaker and audience

Categorizing types of persuasion • By types of proposition or by desired outcome

By types of Proposition • Propositions of fact • Propositions of value • Propositions of policy

Propositions of fact • issues in which there are two or more sides with conflicting evidence • listeners are required to choose the truth for themselves Example: Kobe Bryant did/did not commit rape

Propositions of value • go beyond issues of truth to explore the worth of some idea, person, or object Examples: • President Bush is/ is not the best president • Animal testing is/ is not wrong

Propositions of policy • Goes a step beyond fact or value in stating a recommended course of action Example: • Animal testing is wrong, and everyone should not buy products that test on animals

Persuasive speeches based on desired outcome • Convincing- when goal of speech is to make the audience believe something -Kobe Bryant did not commit rape • Actuating- when goal of speech is to get audience members to take specific actions -don’t buy make-up that is tested on animals

Persuasion can be categorized by to approaches: 1. Direct persuasion- state the persuasive message outright (speaker’s goals are clear from the beginning) 2. Indirect persuasion- persuasive message is not clear right away (may start with a question and continue speech to prove that question and persuade audience)

Creating the persuasive message • • • Set a clear persuasive purpose Structure the message carefully Describe the problem Describe the solution Describe the desired audience response

Avoid fallacies Fallacy- Errors in logical thinking • There are numerous types of fallacies

A few of the most common fallacies • AD HOMINEM- attack on the person instead of the argument -the speaker attacks the integrity of the person in order to weaken the argument

REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM • Reduction to the absurd • Unfairly attacks an argument by extending it to such extreme lengths that it looks ridiculous Straw man argument- a variation of ad absurdum fallacy • Speaker attacks a potentially valid argument by demolishing a weak example and suggesting that it represents the entire position

EITHER-OR FALLACY • Sets up false alternatives • Suggests that if the inferior one must be rejected, then the other must be accepted

POST HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC • False Cause • Mistakenly assumes that one event causes another because they occur after one another

ARGUMENTUM AD VERECUNDIAM • Appeal to authority • Involves relying on the testimony of someone who is not an authority in the case being argued • Occur often in advertising and politics

ARGUMENTUM AD POPULUM • Bandwagon appeal • Based on idea that many other people like it or agree with it, so should you • Wide spread acceptance of an idea is no guarantee that it is correct

In conclusion • When constructing your speech be careful that it does not involve fallacious reasoning