M1 Intro to Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking

Communication & Art of Public Speaking: Introduction to Art of Persuasive Writing & Public Speaking UNIT- 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE ART OF PERSUASIVE WRITING AND PUBLIC SPEAKING Structure: 1.0 Learning Objectives 1.1 Introduction to Persuasive Writing 1.2 Importance of Persuasive Writing 1.3 Persuasive Writing format 1.4 Public Speaking 1.5 6 Ps of Public Speaking 1.6 An Effective Argument 1.7 6 Core elements to construct and defend an argument 1.8 Summary 1.9 Reference 1.0 Learning Objectives After studying this unit, you will be able to: ● Understanding the theory and practice of persuasive writing and speech ● Learn to construct and defend effective arguments 1.1 Introduction to Persuasive Writing Persuasive writing is a form of nonfiction writing that encourages careful word choice, the development of logical arguments, and a cohesive summary. Young children can be guided through a series of simple steps to develop their persuasive writing skills. Persuasive essays are most closely related to argumentative essays, in that both discuss a serious issue with logical arguments and offer conclusive resolutions. The main difference between a persuasive Page 1 of 10 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Communication & Art of Public Speaking: Introduction to Art of Persuasive Writing & Public Speaking essay and an argumentative essay is that persuasive essays focus more on personal experience and appeal to emotions, whereas argumentative essays mostly stick to the facts. Moreover, argumentative essays discuss both sides of an issue, whereas persuasive essays focus only on the author’s point of view. The language and tone in persuasive essays tend to be more conversational as well—a tactic of persuasive speech intended to build a more personal and intimate relationship between the author and reader. 1.2 Importance of Persuasive Writing Persuasive writing is used to: - Convince the reader to support a cause - Urge the reader for a certain action - create interest in the reader - Push the reader for agreement - Initiate change 1.3 Persuasive Writing Format 1.3.1 Introduction Consists of a hook, background info, and a thesis statement. It should be straight to the point, engaging, and concise. The main purpose of the introductory paragraph is to define your topic and position, grab the reader’s attention, and give a sneak peek into the topic’s background. 1.3.2 Body Consists of several paragraphs, each focusing on a separate idea with supporting evidence. It should be logical, contain valid arguments, and be interesting. As a general rule, such an essay has from 3 to 5 body paragraphs. In the final body paragraph of your paper, you can also state the opposing opinion and provide counterarguments—this will strengthen the persuasive effect of the text. Page 2 of 10 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Communication & Art of Public Speaking: Introduction to Art of Persuasive Writing & Public Speaking 1.3.3 The Conclusion Consists of a summary of key points, a restated thesis, and additional information to leave readers some food for thought. To consolidate the convincing effect of your paper, it should be clear, logical, and powerful. 1.4 Public Speaking Public speaking is the act of presenting an idea to the public, using your voice. The ‘public’ can range from a very small group of people to an huge audience. For most people, a bigger audience equates to more fear, but some people are just as terrified of presenting to a small group. When we think about public speaking, the first thing that comes to mind is someone giving an inspirational or educational speech, TED-talk style, but the definition isn’t as narrow as that. Public speaking can take the form of giving a work presentation, pitching an idea to an investor, leading a school assembly, or even taking part in a job interview. Now we’ve thought about the wide scope of public speaking, we can start to see why it’s such an important skill. The reality is, that everyone will have to speak in front of an audience at multiple points in their lives. Therefore, it’s important to work on these skills so you don’t feel restricted by anxiety, and can thrive in different circumstances. Taking a wider perspective, public speaking is important because we can use our voices as forces for good. Talking about diverse and interesting topics is an educational tool, and a good speech can be very powerful. 1.5 6Ps of Public Speaking 1.5 .1 Pace and Pitch A faster pace and higher pitch convey excitement and a slower pace and lower pitch convey gravitas and seriousness. As you may remember from the film ”The Iron Lady”, Margaret Thatcher had voice coaching to lower the pitch of her voice to be taken more seriously. Ask yourself, where is your natural pitch and pace? The pace is easier to change than Page 3 of 10 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Communication & Art of Public Speaking: Introduction to Art of Persuasive Writing & Public Speaking pitch if you need to adjust! 1.5.2 Power Power (volume) is one of the hardest to judge as we hear our own voice very differently from how others hear us. If in any doubt ask for feedback or record yourself and listen that way. If you do need to make yourself heard, move your whole self closer to the audience. Don’t lift your chin or push your face forward, which is what you might think will help, as this can strain the larynx and has the opposite effect, making your voice sound thin. Remember too that you don’t need to shout to be heard. Lowering the pitch and volume of your voice can be used to draw your audience in. And variety in volume is the key to keeping attention. 1.5.3 Pronunciation Pronunciation is all about the clarity with which we speak. Ask yourself if you open your mouth wide enough to be heard? Are you missing the consonants off the ends of words or trailing away at the end of your sentences? Audiences find it hard to process words or sentences that lose their endings. Be careful about inflection at the end of your sentences. Use upward inflection when you want to open a discussion or ask a question and downward inflection when there is no debate. 1.5.4 Passion Passion is another take on emphasis – anyone who has a genuine passion for their subject will automatically emphasize keywords. Monotone is one of the biggest giveaways of someone who is over- rehearsed or has said the words too many times (cold callers this is one for you to be aware of!). So add emphasis (and vary the volume and pace) – to show passion even if you don’t feel it. 1.5.5 Pause Page 4 of 10 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Communication & Art of Public Speaking: Introduction to Art of Persuasive Writing & Public Speaking Pausing as we think it implies we don’t know what we’re talking about or have forgotten something – but quite the opposite is usually the case. It takes real confidence not to fill the silence! The people we are talking to need pauses to take on board what we have said and have time to process it properly. So although a pause may feel long to us, it is vital if we are to get a real connection to what we say. And I’m not alone in thinking this. I was working recently with a partner in a global professional services firm and he said that one of the (many) things that differentiated highly successful people in his organization was their ability to put their case across and then keep quiet and wait. So, in an organization that sells expert knowledge, one of the secrets of success appears to be that less is more! 1.6 An Effective Arguement When writing a report or paper, an argument simply refers to the statement of a viewpoint on a topic that is then supported with evidence. Crafting a strong argument allows you to develop documents that are both informative and compelling. Effectively developing an argument requires that you take a stance about a particular issue, introduce the topic in a way that establishes your viewpoint as reasonable and provide reasoning and evidence that supports your point of view. To write a well-developed argument, follow these simple steps: 1-Research the topic. Before you can develop an effective argument, you have to understand it completely. That's why your first and most important step should be to gain a comprehensive understanding by researching all sides of the issue or topic. As you research, make special note of how your previously held opinions are impacted by this new knowledge. 2- Introduce your claim. Your paper or report must start with an introduction, which prepares your audience for the rest of your argument. When crafting an introduction, you must establish a common ground for your readers by giving them the information they might need to understand the topic and your claim. Page 5 of 10 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Communication & Art of Public Speaking: Introduction to Art of Persuasive Writing & Public Speaking 3- Give your argument context. While developing your argument's introduction, make sure that you establish the context by describing the issue, supplying opposing viewpoints, and detailing your claim. By doing this in your introduction, you ensure that every reader approaches your paper with equal knowledge of the topic. A great way to provide an argument's context is by defining the topic and then introducing the issue that relates to the topic's common definition. 4- Establish your credibility. When presenting an argument, you must emphasize that you're a credible source because it increases the chances that your audience will be persuaded by your argument and adopt your point of view. You can do this using several different methods, such as by sharing a personal experience, but perhaps one of the most effective strategies is by citing relevant and authoritative sources that bolster your claim. Additionally, this shows that you have conducted research and approached the issue thoughtfully. 5- Make it compelling. You can increase the chances of convincing your audience by crafting a compelling argument. A great way to do this is by asking yourself why your audience should care about the topic or the issue. This allows you to address the importance of your claim and tailor it to create a compelling argument. You can then include an interesting quote or statistic, identify a general concern, or supply an anecdote. 6- Connect your audience with the issue. You can attract your audience's interest by showing them how an issue impacts or has impacted them. Some strategies for establishing this connection include making an emotional appeal or presenting your claim as a new solution to a well-known issue. 7- Supply evidence. You must spend a good portion of your argument presenting evidence that supports your claim and/or refutes opposing positions. The evidence you supply should come from reputable sources and appeal to your audience's emotions, ethics, and logic. 8- Outline the opposing position. When you discuss the opposition in your argument, it allows you to refute other claims, establishing that your argument is well-founded and credible. Page 6 of 10 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Communication & Art of Public Speaking: Introduction to Art of Persuasive Writing & Public Speaking 9- Craft a conclusion. Your argument's conclusion should justify your claim, summarize the key points of your argument, provide a call to action and convince your audience that you have presented an indisputable case. 10- Cite your sources. It's vital that you provide the proper documentation for your sources because it can impact you and your argument's credibility. Use the appropriate citation format for any quotes, opinions, paraphrases, figures, or facts that you mention in your report. These citations usually come in the form of bibliographies, end-notes, in-text notes, and footnotes. 1.7 Core Elements to construct and defend an Argument Claims Your claim serves as the main point of your report or paper and should have the sole purpose of influencing how the reader acts or thinks. Your audience should understand why the claim is necessary and develop their own opinion about it, regardless of whether they agree with it. That's why it's vital that you appropriately communicate why the claim is important by: • Explaining the issue. • Stating the claim concisely and clearly. • Detailing how the claim addresses an issue or need. Well-developed claims typically have a narrow focus. Additionally, they often utilize words like \"often,\" \"most\" and \"many\" instead of words like \"always\" or \"all.\" Reason Your reasons explain why you are making your claim and they can be experiential, ethical, or logical. Though reasoning itself is important, it should be founded on evidence. Warrants Warrants are the assumptions, shared beliefs, and justifying principles Page 7 of 10 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Communication & Art of Public Speaking: Introduction to Art of Persuasive Writing & Public Speaking that connect your evidence to your reasoning. Though warrants are based on logic, whether spoken or unspoken, you still must provide sufficient evidence to connect your claim with the warrant. For example, you could make an argument like: \"I need a new coat because it's getting cold and mine is too big on me.\" In this case, your warrant, or shared belief, is that when clothes no longer fit appropriately, they should be replaced. Though this warrant is common sense for most people and is ample justification for your claim that you need a new coat, you still have to supply evidence that your coat is ineffective to convince your audience to support your claim. Supporting your warrant with evidence is important because even when an audience shares your warrant, they could disagree with the evidence you present. Conversely, some might disagree with your claim because they don't share your warrant. For instance, members of your audience could believe that your coat should be altered to fit you better rather than replaced altogether. Acknowledgement and Response An effective argument acknowledges opposing positions and responds to them. This can benefit your argument because it: • Allows you to find commonalities. • Encourages you to qualify or moderate your claim. • Provides additional context for your argument. • Fosters a trusting relationship between you and your audience. When introducing an opposing point of view, you must do so fairly and objectively to avoid misrepresentation. In addition to being an ethical strategy, this also helps you build trust with your readers. Once you present the opposing viewpoint, acknowledge the parts of the argument that seem valid. This could cause you to concede certain points, challenging you to find common ground and moderate your claim. You should also state and respond to points that you feel are invalid. Support your counterpoints and refutations with evidence. Page 8 of 10 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Communication & Art of Public Speaking: Introduction to Art of Persuasive Writing & Public Speaking Evidence To convince readers to adopt your point of view, you have to provide evidence that supports your claim. Evidence can come in the form of data or facts that enable you to interpret or analyze your reasons. You must supply evidence that is appropriate for your specific audience and has a higher likelihood of convincing them of the validity of your claim. To accomplish this, you should familiarize yourself with your audience's general priorities and values. Aside from choosing evidence that is compelling for your readers, you should also make sure that you are gathering reliable information from trustworthy and authoritative sources. Make sure that you provide enough evidence to convince your audience and appropriately cite your sources. Some additional strategies for finding and using evidence that support your claims include: • Explain the significance of the evidence, even if it seems obvious. • Utilize visuals, such as graphs and diagrams, when relevant and appropriate. • Make sure your supporting evidence is clear and relevant. • Start with general evidence and then become more specific. • Build on the existing knowledge of your audience. 1.8 Summary Persuasive writing is a form of nonfiction writing that encourages careful word choice, the development of logical arguments, and a cohesive summary. Participants can be guided through a series of simple steps to develop their persuasive writing skills This public speaking course is designed to help you re-program the fear you feel when asked to speak in public and will allow you to stand up and speak from a position of genuine, easy confidence and poise, using simple but immensely-powerful techniques. If it doesn’t do that, your Page 9 of 10 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022

Communication & Art of Public Speaking: Introduction to Art of Persuasive Writing & Public Speaking money will be refunded in full – and that’s a guarantee. The argument, while based on logic, is ultimately an exercise in language. Thus, the argument is not exclusively the study of deductive or inductive reasoning—these are tasks reserved for philosophical inquiry. Instead, the argument investigates the communicative aspects of reasoning. Arguments can be divided into four general components: claim, reason, support, and warrant. 1.9 Reference ● https://www.takecareofmoney.com/advantages-and- disadvantages-of-verbal- communication/ ● https://www.englishmate.com/blog/developing-the-four- essential-skills-listening-speaking- reading-writing Page 10 of 10 All Rights Reserved. Vol. TLE001/03-2022