To convey a message and to engage a group of people in a collection of thoughts is a task that is so immensely difficult and yet so deceivingly simple. The power of persuasive speech lies in the speaker’s ability to convince a group of individuals to believe, or at least consider, what the speaker is saying. Like any art form, it is when the audience is unaware of the performer’s challenge that invites the audience into the thinking mind of the performer. However being able to convince a group of people to believe what you believe can be somewhat difficult. How does a person go about writing a persuasive speech? Where should he begin? How should the speaker present himself? Here are some things to consider when writing and delivering a persuasive speech:

1. Find your objective and stick to it. It is always frustrating when a speaker strays off topic, or seems to be commenting on or informing about multiple topics. It is hard for the audience to comprehend what the speaker is saying, because there is no clear objective and the audience is not be able to find a pattern or some sort of cohesion. With that in mind, don’t stray off topic too much. Be concise, to the point, and clear about what you want to say.

2. Do not be fanatical. One of the reasons that Barak Obama won over his viewers in the 2008 presidential debates against John McCain is because he came across as someone who thought clearly and methodically. Many Americans thought that McCain came across as someone who was too rash to make decisions. People understood McCain to be someone who could not think clearly, because he seemed to be driven by emotion alone, and not by intellectual reasoning. Many claim that Obama gave off the impression that he thought about what McCain said before responding, and that he seemed calm and rational. So, when delivering a speech keep in mind that few people will actually pay attention to someone who seems too emotional or irrational.

3. Be passionate. If you must deliver a persuasive speech because you are hired by your profession or for other such reasons, try to find some positives in the content that you are talking about. This can be tricky, because if your speech is about a financial company that you could not care less about, it can be very difficult to find the things that attract you to the company even if you work for them. Still, try to find something that makes you genuinely smile about what you are saying. The audience will respond tremendously to a speaker who seems positive and happy, and who seems passionate about what he is talking about. If the speaker likes what he is saying, then why wouldn’t the audience?

Delivering any type of speech can be difficult and to be persuasive is definitely an acquired skill. But, it is something that with practice and patience can be extremely rewarding and can bring about much success.