Persuasive Speeches Outline Template (Page 4 of 6) in pdf

Perhaps the most common place for persuasive speeches on questions of policy is in legislative bodies like Congress or student

government. These types of speeches question what should be done, such as where money should be allocated, what groups

recognized, or what positions a group should announce on issues. These policies affect future activities in most instances, not past

occurrences or present values.

Refutation

In some circumstances we are called upon to respond to the arguments made by another and attempt to defend our own positions.

This is called refutation. These speeches try to disprove another’s argument while also promoting your own, and the topics can be

facts, values, or policies. In order to be successful in refuting remarks by others, you will need to understand their argument, and then

address each of the points they raised while explaining the flaws in their position. This type of speech requires significant research and

carefully planned responses.

What determines the type of persuasive speech you deliver is what you wish to accomplish. Also, realize that you will likely use facts in

any speech, refute other arguments, advocate for something to be done, or give your opinion on what you think is the best. Again, the

type of speech is determined by your speech’s goals. Your speech’s goals also influence how you choose to organize your speech, and

when advocating a position there are different organizational patterns to choose from than when explaining information to an audience.

In the next section, we will cover those patterns available for advocacy speeches.

Persuasive Speech

Organizational Patterns

There are four common ways to organize a persuasive speech that help maximize your ability to connect with and persuade an

audience. Determining which one of these is best for you depends upon your topic and your goals, but all provide a clear way to lay out

an argument for an audience in an easy-to-follow manner.

Problem-Solution

One of the more common times we present an argument is in proposing a solution to a problem we might encounter. The simplest

way to organize this type of argument is in a problem-solution format. This organizational pattern typically has only two main points,

but they are very detailed and explicitly connected to each other. The first main point presents the problem by explaining the issue in

great detail. At this point, it is important also to explain to the audience how the problem affects them. Following the presentation of

the problem, you then provide a solution to the issue and explain what it entails. For example, a local homeless shelter is running low

on money to provide services to disadvantaged people (problem) and you propose that they seek funds from the local government and

wealthy donors (solution). In laying out the solution you need to explain how it will fix the problem you established in the first point. It is

important to note, however, most problems have a root cause that, if left unfixed, will cause the problem to re-occur, and this leads us to

the second organizational pattern for persuasive arguments.

Problem-Cause-Solution

The second organizational pattern we will discuss simply adds a step to the prior problem-solution pattern. After presenting the

problem in the first main point, you discuss the root cause of the problem in the second main point before moving on to offer your

solution. Additionally, the solution you propose is not for the problem, but for the cause of the problem so that it never reoccurs. Suppose

you have several potholes on your street that damage cars as they hit them. You take this problem to the local government, but rather

than asking them to fill the potholes, you point out the potholes are there because the street was improperly sealed. So, you organize

your argument so that you propose filling the potholes and resealing the road; that way the potholes will not come back. This is an

effective example of using problem-cause-solution organization in persuasive appeal.

Comparative Advantages

In many cases, multiple solutions are offered to solve problems faced by individuals and communities. In these cases, it becomes

advantageous to organize your speech around a comparison of your solution with those proposed by other parties. This type of

organizational pattern is called comparative advantage, and it can be used to show how your solution is superior to the others. This type

of organizational pattern can be especially effective in business settings where you are competing with a rival company for an account.

You can compare that company’s product or service with yours and explain how yours is superior, thus making you look knowledgeable

and helping the audience see the benefits of what you are proposing.

Persuasive Speeches Outline Template Page 4

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