Making a persuasive Speech

1. What makes
a great
speech?

2. Watch this speech by Barak Obama –
it is a great speech!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFPwDe22CoY

3. Body Language/
Hand Gestures
Language &
Language
devices
Use of voice
(volume, tone, pauses)
Write down what you
think is good about
the different things he
does…

4. Can you state your argument in one sentence?
1) What is your main message?
E.g. Obama’s Speech – his main message was:
“We are the UNITED States of America. That there is only ONE America.”

5. -> Try to extract three main points that build your argument
2) What are your 3 key points
E.g. We can see three key points in Obama’s speech that all link back to his main message:
that we are ONE America.
1) The American Dream – anything is possible
2) We are all interconnected (my story is your
story, we are one nation)
3) Hope

6. E.g. Obama used stories, He used lots of repetition…
“We are not black states and whites states, we are not
conservative and liberal, we are not rich and poor…
we are the United States of America”
3) Less is more:
Include ONLY the most powerful
data and facts
- People can‟t handle long drawn out
explanations
- Stick to strong powerful statements
- Simplify your writing

7. - Not an iPad
- Not a long piece of paper
4) Cue Cards
Have key points and prompts on cue cards
(you can include your whole speech if you
need it)

8. • It might be a story (e.g. Obama started with the story of
his family to identify with the audience)
• It might be a „noise” e.g. “BANG”. That is the sound of a
harpoon being fired at a whale in the Pacific Ocean.
• It might be a rhetorical question – this gets the audience
thinking and engaged from the start.
5) Start with a ‘bang’!
Engage the audience immediately
-> Start with a “hook” –
something impacting that
will make your audience
sit up and listen!

9. 6) Pause for effect

10. 7) Hand Gestures

11. - Increase your volume for something exciting
or a very passionate point
- Lower your volume again for a more
thoughtful or serious point
- Use humour where appropriate – it‟s okay to
smile!
8) Tone of Voice
Use different tones of voice to emphasise your point

12. - Personal pronouns
- “We” statements – getting the audience
on „your side‟
E.g. Obama:
“If there is a child who can’t read, that matters to
me”
“You can make a difference!”
“I have a dream!”
9) Making powerful statements

13. End your speech by summing up your argument &
leaving the audience with some “food for thought”.
10) Leave the audience with a challenge
or closing thought
• A challenge: “What will you do to help?”
• Something to think about: “We have to consider what this will
mean for the future of our children…”
• A firm statement:
“We cannot ignore this issue any longer. Now is the time for change”.
• A statement of belief/hope:
Obama: “I believe this country will reclaim its promise and out of this
long political darkness a brighter day will come!”

14. YOUR SPEECH
It is time to convert
your research and
formal essay into an
exciting, powerful,
dynamic and
captivating speech.

15. SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
WITH FORMAL WRITING.
SIMILARITIES:
• Both will have a clear and
structured argument
• Both will make between 3 and 5
good points
• Both will use formal language
• Both will use persuasive language
techniques (e.g. rhetorical
questions, listing, rule of threes,
imperative statements, alliteration,
onomatopoeia)
• Both will make clear links to your
research (facts, figures, statistics,
case studies and stories)
DIFFERENCES:
• The speech may use some less formal
language where appropriate
• The speech may use humour, stories or
references to personal experiences or
opinions to capture the attention of
your audience
• The speech will involve structuring what
you say to make it easy to say – clearly
and powerfully
• The speech will need to be delivered
with hand gestures, varied tone of
voice and changes in volume and
expression.

16. First – Complete your Introduction
1) What will your “hook” be? What will you use to grab the attention
of the audience?
-> A question?
-> A statement?
-> A story?
-> A fact e.g. “1 in 10 NZ men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime!”
At some point in your introduction, introduce yourself and you topic
2) Gestures & Pauses
-> Mark on your page where you will:
- Use a hand gesture
- Increase the volume of your voice
- Pause for effect
3) Practice with a partner
-> In the last 10minutes we will practice our introductions with our
partner

17. Example Student Speech Introduction:
Take a moment and ask yourself: What do you see yourself
doing in five years? What about ten years? (use hand gestures,
pointing towards the audience. Scan the room)
If you can‟t answer that question, then maybe it is time to set
some goals.
(Pause)
Good morning, my name is_____ and I‟m here to talk to you
about why setting goals is important for everyone.
Whether you are 14 or 40, goals help us to have a vision of the
future to work towards.
Goals are objectives that help us to aim towards improving our
life in some way. Many great men and women in history are
people of great vision and mission.

18. This is what you will be marked on…
Achieved Merit Excellence
● voice techniques are used
with some variety
● language is formal and
includes basic techniques like
listing, rhetorical question
● language is suitably mature
● shows awareness of audience
through humour, word choice,
simple visual aid
● establishes audience attention
and interest with humour,
quotations or visual aid
● language is formal and includes
basic techniques like listing,
rhetorical question
● uses voice to support content,
such as an accent, tone, volume
● uses purposeful gestures,
language, includes statistics,
transitions, quotations
● establishes audience rapport by
using surprise, or a striking
movement
● uses voice to striking effect with
little reliance on notes
● uses language techniques such as
imperatives and irony
● integrates gestures with impact
● integrates a variety of visual aids
with confidence
● presents a topic and purpose
● demonstrates research
● summarises main points
● interprets researched material
(express your own understanding
of it)
● purpose is reiterated in
conclusion
● arranges material in a purposeful
structure using frequent links
● uses researched material to
support mature insightful points
● leaves the audience with a sense
of insight