1.

Persuasive Presentation
2. Requirements of Writing Persuasive Messages
3. Writing a Persuasive Request

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify the ways on how to develop a persuasive request
2. Determine the uses and importance of persuasion
3. Write and deliver a persuasive request

I. Persuasion

Persuasion is an integral part of our life. From convincing our parents to give us money; urging
our classmates join us in a cause-oriented event; or even influencing our friends not to drink and
smoke – persuasion is being generally used.
Kendra Cherry (2020) says that persuasion is a powerful force in our everyday life and
does a major influence on society and a whole. Politics, legal decisions, mass media, news, and
advertising are all influenced by the power of persuasion and influence us in turn.
Moreover, Perloff defines persuasion as "...a symbolic process in which communicators
try to convince other people to change their attitudes or behaviors regarding an issue through the
transmission of a message in an atmosphere of free choice."

II. Characteristics of Persuasion

 Persuasion as communicative device hopes to bring forth preferred response from the
audience.
 Persuasion is an individuals’ conscious effort to influence and change the mind-set of
the audience – attitudes, beliefs, preferences, or behaviours through the message
being shared within the speech to be delivered.
 Persuasion is an activity that represents the very purpose of the speaker and that is to
influence the audiences’ level of acceptance of new learning or updates of present
knowledge through the content of persuasive speech.
 Persuasion is the clear intent to influence the mental state of the audience using
communication with some degree of freedom.

III. Components of Persuasion

 Highly symbolic as a process. Because it is a process, the audiences’ change of mind and
change of heart demands time for absorption and acceptance of the message
eventually occur.
  Act of influence.
 Ultimate self-decision. The audience almost always have firm stands about the subject
and the topic, thus, the speaker may just either challenge or validate what they know.
 Involves transmitting and sharing of messages.
 It requires free choice. Provide a leeway for the audience to think, adjust, weigh, and
be free to choose whether or not they will lean towards your recommendation as a
speaker or decide to take the opposite route.

IV. Effects of Persuasion

Miller (1980) provided three effects of persuasion as follows:

1. Shaping
Persuasive speeches can mould the disposition of the audience by connecting
developments, characteristics, components, factors, and aspects of subject and to that of the
audiences’ perception.
Example: Liquor ads that use young men and women to show that it is cool.
2. Reinforcing
As said, speeches can either provide new learning or update present knowledge. This
is true in the case of persuasive speeches. Although the more popular purpose of persuasion is to
influence, another equally important function is to validate and strengthen the disposition of the
audience as regards the subject and topic being discussed.
As the maxim goes, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” This tells us that instead
of going against our audiences’ mind-set, we provide reinforcement.
Example: True during elections as politicians need people to vote them.
3. Changing
Having to present them the similarities and differences of the disposition of the
message you are trying to send, the risk of their present choice and benefits they will enjoy from
your proposition, the disadvantages they have from their present standpoint and the advantages
they will gain from your messages will increase the chances of your influencing them and
eventually changing their learning.
 V. Process of Persuasion

Persuasion is not a simple process. It requires not only powerful presentation of message
and use of evidences but moreover requires other factors as follows:
1. Pleasing personal traits
2. Physical Appearance and Demeanor
3. Voice and Manner of Self-Expression
4. Awareness of Audience and Context

1. Pleasing personal traits

Speakers may become more effective persuaders when they possess qualities that
speakers may favor and thus make them more believable. These traits may include self-
confidence, sincerity, competence, and friendliness. However, as they say, too much of a good
thing is bad. These qualities, when used in moderation can lead us a long way.
a. Self-confidence.
Self-confidence is a skill that cannot be acquired overnight – it takes a lot of time and
effort to build confidence in oneself.As said by Robert Staubach “Confidence comes from hours
and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication.”
If we firmly believe in our abilities, we are also more likely to explore new things.
Similarly, if we have trust in ourselves, people also find it easy to believe in us.
b. Sincerity.
As said by Somerset Maugham, “Sincerity is like an iron girder in a house of cards.” As
suggested, if you want to sound and look sincere, be sincere. You have to be calm and be natural
as possible. Being natural may help you express your feelings and thoughts as accurately as
possible.
c. Competence.
 God is ever fair to every individual that He gave each of us expertise on one or two things.
Just like self-confidence and sincerity, our competence could also entice listeners to engage in
listening. As listeners, once we sensed that the speaker is skilled and knowledgeable on the topic
at hand, we tend to build trust, and detect sincerity. The professional and business worlds do not
just look into confidence and sincerity but also consider competence as one of the major qualities
to be hired and promoted.
d. Friendliness
People who are arrogant are very hard to deal with – but someone who is friendly is very
fun to be with. It is important to smile and see audience through their eyes. By this, the speaker
is able to acknowledge their presence in the venue is very much appreciated. A friendly speaker
with a heart listens.
2. Physical Appearance and Demeanor
Their impression of both the speaker and the immediate environment will, of course, be
part of the message, which may make or break the presentation. Moreover, the speaker should
show the highest degree of professionalism in his movement, gestures and facial expression.
a. Immediate Environment. Whether it is an online of actual presentation, the background and
environment shall look professional.
b. Personal Appearance. The speaker should make sure that his clothing is appropriate and that
nothing in his overall appearance (hairstyle, jewelry, etc.) may distract the listeners.
c. Facial Expression.. The golden rule is that whatever the speaker says should be manifested in
his face, and that none of his facial expressions should contradict his pronouncements.
d. Posture. A speaker should maintain good posture because it is a vital part of his overall
personality, and it is even more obvious than his facial expression. Even people who are not
close enough to examine his facial expression can get a good view of his posture from afar.
e. Walking. The audience also tends to judge a speaker based on the way he walks. The moment
a speaker leaves his seat to go to the podium, or to the stage, he is already being observed by
his audience. Strong sure steps convey a feeling of confidence. Hesitation is felt by the
audience as lack of self-confidence on the part of the speaker. When presenting, it is okay to
walk forward and to the sides, as long as the walking accomplishes certain purposes such as
emphasis on certain points of discussion. However, the speaker should make sure that his
voice is audible enough even when he walks. A lapel is most suitable for this purpose.
f. Gestures. Unlike facial expression, gestures may be planned ahead, and practiced. Gestures
are strong means of supporting the ideas laid down by the speaker. Shaking one's head shows
disagreement, a shrug means not paying a particular attention to an issue at hand, a dosed
fist means a strong conviction, palms on both cheeks means being overwhelmed, etc. The
meanings of these gestures. however, may vary from country to country. This means that the
meaning conveyed by a particular gesture may be different if it is done in Japan, in Korea, in
Germany, in Australia, in the Philippines. or In another country. Before the introduction of the
American culture where the middle finger is a bad gesture, the middle finger meant "brother"
in Japanese. One may want to spread peace and love using the "V" sign but in Great Britain,
it depends as to where the hand is facing because the message may be the exact opposite of
what one intends to express.

3. Voice and Manner of Self-Expression

A speaker should constantly work on having a pleasant voice that is interesting to his
listeners. Interesting means that the voice keeps the listeners’ attention focused on the speaker
because of vocal quality, vocal emphasis, variation in speed, and variation in pitch.
 a. Voice Quality. Some voices may be more pleasant than those of other people. A speaker
who is a businessman may resort to voice therapy if he needs to, or work on varying his
pitch, getting the right volume. and speed in delivery to improve his voice. He can try to
assess his speaking voice by recording it, or by taking a video of him so he can see where
he has to improve. Observing and listening to professors, television hosts, professional
speakers, trainers, and other careful educated speakers of the English language will help
a great deal in being able to improve on voice quality.
b. Vocal Emphasis. Varying the manner of speaking is a great way to achieve vocal emphasis.
This can be achieved by changing the pitch once in a while, varying the pace while
presenting, and varying the volume of voice.
c. Pitch Variation. Variation in pitch keeps the audience from being bored and helps the
speaker avoid talking in a monotone. A speaker may intentionally vary his pitch depending
on what he is discussing so he can hold the interest of his listeners. A seasoned speaker
does this technique in a more natural way because of constant practice.
d. Variation in Speaking Speed. The lack of variation in the speed of speaking tends to bore
the listeners. As a rule, the easy parts of a speaker's message should be presented at a
fairly fast speed while the difficult parts or the parts that need to be emphasized should
be delivered at a moderate speed. so the listeners can catch up or thoroughly under-stand
the message. The minds of the listeners may also wander when easy information is
presented in a very slow manner, or when the speaker has given away the information
just before he writes it on a white board or a flip chart.
e. Language Register. This is the level of formality with which a person speaks. Different
situations and different people call for different registers. T bee are language registers:
frozen, formal, consultative, casual, and Intimate. The decision as to what language
register should be used depends on the situation, audience, and subject. For topic
presentations, the formal language register should be used.

4. Awareness of Audience and Context

In advance, a speaker or precentor should be fully aware of his audience and of the
perspective from which he is going to deliver his presentation. These are highly crucial in the
effective delivery of the message. The speaker must ensure that the audience pay attention and
listen. A good understanding of the background information about the audience is definitely a
plus.

“THE VLOG CRITICS”

We all watch vlogs of our favorite influencers. There are moments when these vloggers
are already sponsored and hence talk about the good sides of the product so as to endorse the
product.
For this activity, you are going to look for a vlog in YouTube that is too good to be true.
Evaluate the said vlog using the following:
1. Is the vlog informative?
2. Does the speaker speak clearly?
 3. Does the speaker use logical persuasion?
4. Would you buy/use the product being endorsed?

“THE ONLINE SELLERS”

Online selling is the new trend at this age. People sell products through online
platforms as Facebook and Instagram.
For this activity, you will be the online sellers.
Rubrics:
Directions: Clarity of Presentation – 30%
Content of Presentation – 30%
1. Choose a product you want to sell
Use of Persuasion – 30%
2. Identify the good traits of the product
Grammar – 10%
3. Persuade viewers to buy the product
This may be an FB/IG post or a video.
100%

In the world of work, whatever one writes has some sort of persuasive purpose. Whether
it be to encourage a positive company image, to convince the reader of the writer’s
professionalism, or to build goodwill, each of these pieces of writing is highly challenging and
necessitates strategic thinking, careful analysis and skillful writing.
REQUIREMENTS OF WRITING PERSUASIVE MESSAGES (Chelsi Nakano, 2016)

A successful, persuasive presentation can completely change the trajectory of your

career. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur trying to convince a group of venture capitalists to fund
your new company, or maybe you’d like your board to approve an expansion overseas.
It’s easier said than done, of course—but far from impossible, with the right preparation.
With that in mind, here are 10 tips to help bring any audience over to your side.
1. Research your audience. Who will be attending your presentation? What are their goals? What
motivates them? What values do they most care about? Tailor the content of your presentation
to your audience. Speak in a way that makes them feel like you are addressing them individually.
This will raise your credibility and show that you’ve done your homework in advance.
2. Choose 1-3 goals. A good persuasive speech focuses on a handful of things—and that’s it. You
may have a slew of other ideas that relate to the point you want to get across, but if you talk
about too many things, you will confuse your audience. Write your speech in a way that guides
them through the most important ones.
3. Incorporate obstacles. Think hard about the challenges to your idea that are likely to come
from members of your audience. Instead of dismissing them (this can hurt feelings of goodwill),
proactively acknowledge these points in your speech and then carefully address how your solution
will meet the goals of all involved.
4. Create an attention-grabbing story. You want to capture the attention of your attendees with
your very first words. Do this by telling a short story to illustrate the goal of your speech. Make
the story relatable to everyone involved. This can help soften the mood in the room, especially if
you are dealing with a group that may be fundamentally opposed to your idea.
5. Practice like crazy. Conviction is the key to giving a solid persuasive speech. It is vital that you
do not waver while speaking or lose your train of thought. Start your speech not with a friendly
“thank you for coming,” but instead with a story to grab everyone’s attention. Keep your intensity
high to help sustain the attention of attendees throughout—do this by practicing over and over
and over again. Ask friends to listen to your speech and give you feedback. Then, incorporate their
comments.
6. Memorize. Reading off a card will just distract your audience. Practice enough that you know
your speech inside and out. Don’t focus on memorizing every word—instead, focus on
memorizing the flow of your key points and the examples you use to illustrate them. To learn a
simple trick that will help you memorize any presentation, check out this blog post.
7. Make eye contact. Successful persuasion happens when you are able to connect with another
person. Do this by making eye contact throughout your speech. Don’t just stare at one person—
scan the room and focus on various people for short bursts.
8. Use repetition. Don’t rush through your presentation. Speak in a slow and measured way. After
explaining each of your handful of primary points, go back and explain them again. Repetition will
help drive home your goals.
9. Finish strong. Think of yourself as an attorney arguing a case in front of the jury. Structure your
closing statements the way a lawyer would—with flair and gravity. Once you’ve delivered your
final, impactful line, don’t say “thank you” right away. Instead, wait six or seven seconds and then
say, “I’m happy to take questions.”
10. Take feedback graciously. Listen intently to audience questions. Spend time with each one
and don’t exaggerate or pounce on ideas that vigorously challenge your thesis. Staying calm and
in control will help your case.

Congratulations! You have reached the end of the Chapter. Your task for this Chapter is
to encourage SSG to conduct a cause oriented event.

Directions:
1. Think of a cause-oriented event that you may organize in the future addressed to the
Supreme Student Government Federation which aim to adapt an island school
2. Write down the event’s significance and the beneficiaries
3. Draft a persuasive request with a central emotion appeal to character and logic to
encourage the Federation to organize the event
You will be graded through this rubric:
 Content and presentation - 30%
 Purpose and audience - 20%
 Support and synthesis - 20%
 Organization, fluency and style - 20%
 Grammar, spelling and punctuation - 10%
100%