The best persuasive speech ideas & tips

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Persuasive speech is a form of communication where you convince the audience to agree with your argument and motivate them to take action. The best speeches will feature topics that are thought provoking and interesting to both you and your audience. Check out our list of great persuasive speech ideas to help you get started, as well as general tips to make any presentation more persuasive. 

Top 8 persuasive speech ideas 

Below are 8 persuasive speech ideas, each with the potential to spark discussion and engagement with your audience.

  1. Does the working environment affect employee productivity? Many have heard the old adage, “A happy worker is a productive worker.” Much of an employee’s happiness can come down to the environment they work in. Discuss how improving the company work environment can help increase employee happiness and, in turn, their productivity. Make suggestions on ways certain businesses can improve their work environment.  
  2. Are innovation and adaptation crucial to driving a business forward? In almost any market, it’s important to stay on top of current trends as well as to continue to innovate, offering products and services that your company’s target market will need. Discuss the importance of adapting to the changing market and focusing on innovation to stay competitive in the industry. Talk about some ways in which a company can drive innovation.
  3. Is brand awareness the most important part of a marketing strategy? Marketing is how you present your company to your desired target market. While there are a number of factors of marketing that create this presence for your customers, brand awareness can be one of the most critical. Discuss the ways in which a company can improve its brand presence and how consistency is vital to success.
  4. Should businesses outsource more or keep all they can in-house? Outsourcing is becoming more and more prevalent in business. Many companies try to tackle all they can in-house, whether to save money or to maintain total control over how the company is presented. Discuss the pros and cons that come from outsourcing and make some suggestions on which types of work are more commonly outsourced than others.
  5. Is it better to cater your business marketing to a niche audience? Determining your company’s target market is one of the most critical steps when establishing a marketing plan. While all companies are happy to have every consumer as their customer, trying to cater to everyone is often difficult. Discuss the pros and cons of catering to a niche market versus a wider market.
  6. Should all businesses eventually focus on global expansion? Businesses are designed to grow and evolve, and often that means the possibility of  global expansion. But is this option right for every type of company? Discuss some situations and business models where global expansion should be a primary focus and situations and businesses where it does not need to be the end goal.
  7. Is online marketing as effective as it once was? In the modern workplace, the quickest and easiest way to reach your target market is through digital means. Yet, with an increasing barrage of emails and online ads, it’s hard to tell how effective this type of marketing still is. Discuss when online marketing can still be effective and other marketing methods that can support it and help improve your marketing plan.
  8. Should a business focus on its online presence more than any other marketing facet? Some companies rely completely on an online presence while others make online marketing a key component of their marketing plan. Discuss the benefits of maintaining an effective online presence in the digital world and provide some ways that a company can improve its online presence and strengthen it.

Persuasive speech tips 

When preparing a persuasive speech, try to keep the following tips in mind so that you stay focused on your goal and deliver a convincing speech. 

Always keep your end goals in mind

The purpose of a persuasive speech is to engage your audience and convince them to believe in something that you believe in. Keep your goal in mind throughout the whole presentation and make sure that your word choice and each fact you share backs up your argument. A key persuasive speech tip is to stay focused – avoid spending too much time on backstory and anything that can be construed as a complaint. Your audience needs to know why they should side with your argument. If there is something bad you are mentioning in your speech, don’t just inform them about it or complain about it, convince them to take action. 

Speak to your audience

Man speaking to audience

Know the audience that you will be speaking to. Your material should be in a format that can directly speak to them. For instance, if your audience knows little about the topic of your speech, use a problem-solution format to first inform the audience of a problem and then provide a valid solution. This, along with citing credible sources, will give your argument more sway.

Grab their attention by making your presentation more interactive

Use persuasive language

Word choice is an extremely important element of a persuasive speech. In order to convince your audience to side with your argument, you need to convey confidence and evoke emotions. Some types of persuasive language include: 

  • Exaggerations
  • Expert opinions
  • Alliteration
  • Anecdotes
  • Appeals
  • Rhetorical connotations

Support your message with visuals 

You can use as many words as you want to articulate your argument, but one powerful image can evoke strong emotions and shift a person’s mindset in a second. For this reason, make sure to incorporate a visual element in your persuasive speech. Prezi’s storytelling format and zoom animations weave visuals into your presentation seamlessly and give your presentation a more conversational feel. This is important in a persuasive speech when you want your audience to feel comfortable and open to new ideas. Learn more about incorporating visual design into your Prezi presentation.

Establish credibility in your opening

You will want to establish yourself as a reliable source as early as possible at the beginning of your speech. The sooner you gain your audience’s trust, the easier it will be for them to see the validity of your points. You can build credibility through storytelling – use a specific instance where a situation occurred or provide examples that resonate with people on an emotional level.

Practice as much as possible

Child practices piano

The more you practice, the more comfortable you’ll feel and the more confidence you’ll project. Practice with friends or family members and ask them to provide constructive feedback on areas that can be improved. If you prefer to practice alone, consider recording yourself or delivering your speech in front of a mirror. 

The best persuasive speech ideas are almost always something that is interesting to the speaker. Their natural excitement about the topic helps them win the audience over with their argument. Choose a topic that is close to your heart and use Prezi to bring your ideas to life. 

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