Formal Outline for Persuasive Speech - 5-7 minutes

Name: _____________________________________________________

The Steps To Follow In Order to Finish the Project:

1. Choose a topic with a should/should not statement in it.
2. Choose a stance
3. Produce five supporting reasons for the stance
4. Rank them from strongest to weakest – keep the best three
5. Produce an opposing argument that will be answered by the strongest argument

REMEMBER: Audience/reader is someone who has not made up his mind on the issue (not someone who disagrees with a stance and the author is trying to bring over to the preferred side.

Specific goal: (what are you trying to accomplish with this speech.

Example: To discuss the war in Iraq.

Thesis statement: The main idea of the speech.

Example: The United States should/should not continue to allocate money for the reconstruction of Iraq.

I. Intro (write out): Include organizational sentence with three parts.

Include thesis as last sentence. Should be about 30 seconds long.

YOU MUST DO THE FOLLOWING: validate the issue, state stance, and briefly state the supports for the argument.

Introduction methods: Begin with a quotation. Just make sure you explain its relevance; begin with a question; begin with an acknowledgment of an opinion opposite to the one you plan to take; begin with a very short narrative or anecdote that has a direct bearing on your paper; begin with an interesting fact; begin with a definition or explanation of a term relevant to your paper; begin with irony or paradox; begin with an analogy; make sure it's original but not too far-fetched.

A. Weakest argument

1. Sentence one

2. Sentence two

3. Sentence three

2. Middle argument

1. Sentence one

2. Sentence two

3. Sentence three

3. State the opposition’s stance
1. Strongest argument
2. Explain the argument with an example

a. Sentence one

b. Sentence two

c. Sentence three

III. Conclusion (write out): Conclusion methods:

• Echoing the introduction: Echoing your introduction can be a good strategy if it is meant to bring the reader full-circle. If you begin by describing a scenario, you can end with the same scenario as proof that your essay was helpful in creating a new understanding.

• Challenging the reader: By issuing a challenge to your readers, you are helping them to redirect the information in the paper, and they may apply it to their own lives.

• Looking to the future: Looking to the future can emphasize the importance of your paper or redirect the readers' thought process. It may help them apply the new information to their lives or see things more globally.

• Posing questions: Posing questions, either to your readers or in general, may help your readers gain a new perspective on the topic, which they may not have held before reading your conclusion. It may also bring your main ideas together to create a new meaning.