As we have learned throughout the course so far, presentations serve many different purposes. For example, some presentations seek to inform, sell, or inspire. The presentation for this unit seeks to persuade. Persuasion is influencing people to change their thinking or to change their actions. For this persuasive presentation, you will review some tips to help you effectively organize your presentation.
Tips for Organizing a Persausive Presentation:
In your introduction, you should:
- Begin with a hook ("a hook" is something interesting, like a surprising fact or statement, a quote, an anecdote or an eye-catching visual)
- Motivate your audience (give your audience a reason to listen to you, perhaps by explaining the value of your idea or arousing their sense of curiosity)
- Preview your main points (just like you would in the thesis statement of an essay)
In your first body section, you should:
- Point out what’s wrong with present condition (this is why we need change)
You can do this by:
- Illustration: Tell of one or more incidents to illustrate the need.
- Ramifications: Employ as many additional facts, examples, and quotations as are required to make the need convincingly impressive.
- Pointing: Show its importance to the individuals in the audience.
In your second body section, you should:
- State your solution (give a brief statement of the attitude, belief, or action you wish the audience to adopt)
- Explain your solution (Make sure that your proposal is understood)
- Offer ractical experience: (actual examples showing where this proposal has worked effectively or where the belief has proven correct)
- Show you understand the opposite opinion (but make sure the audience knows that your idea is still better.
In your third body section, you should:
- Sell your idea!
You can do this by focusing on:
- Positive: Describe the conditions if your solution is actually carried out. Picture the listeners in that situation and actually enjoying the safety, pleasure, or pride that your proposal will produce.
- Negative: Describe conditions if your solution is not carried out. Picture the audience feeling the worst effects or unpleasantness that the failure to effect your solution will produce.
- Contrast: Combination of 1 and 2. Begin with the negative method (undesirable situation) and conclude with the positive method (desirable solution).
In your conclusion, you should:
- Restate the main idea and summarize main points.
- Ask your audience to make a change in their lives or opinions.
- Offer a concluding statement to recapture the interest (a reason to remember).
Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.