Understanding Persuasive Speech
A persuasive speech is a speech used to convince an audience or listener to believe it and want to do something about a certain topic. Persuasion is part of the exposition. Exposition is used to convince listeners or readers by presenting arguments from a proven point of view.
So what is a persuasive speech like? The following is one of the best examples of a speech made to persuade people to pay attention to and solve global warming issues that Greta Thunberg delivered at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit or Climate Summit held at UN headquarters.
Greta Thunberg Persuasive Speech Example: Global Warming
Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg caused a stir at the United Nations on Monday, 23 September 2019. Her speech went viral for her scathing criticism of world leaders' lack of action on climate change caused by global warming. The following is the text of the speech, sorted by the elements and structure of the content of the speech text.
Opening
If you ask me, what is my message, then my message is that we will be watching you. This is all wrong. I shouldn't be here. I should be in a school class across the ocean. Yet all of you have come to us, young people, to have hope. How dare you!
You have stolen my dreams and childhood through your bullshit. But I am one of the lucky ones. While out there, people are suffering, people are dying, and the whole ecosystem is collapsing. We are at the dawn of mass extinction, while all you can talk about is money and fairy tales about perpetual economic growth. How dare you!
Contents
Position statement
For more than 30 years, science has proved it very clearly. How dare you keep looking away and come here saying you've done enough when the political path and needed solutions are still nowhere to be seen.
You said you heard us, and you understand the urgency of climate change. But no matter how sad and angry I am, I don't believe any of that. Because if you really understand the situation and still keep failing to act, you are all bad people. And I still refuse to believe it.
Argument Stage
The popular idea of halving air emissions in 10 years only gives us a 50% chance of staying below 1.5 degrees Celsius and runs the risk of setting off an irreversible chain reaction beyond human control.
Fifty percent may be acceptable to you. But those numbers don't include tipping points, most feedback loops, and other additional warming caused by toxic air pollution that is an aspect of climate justice and law. They also rely on my generation to suck hundreds of billions of tons of CO2 out of the air with almost non-existent technological solutions.
So the 50% risk is totally unacceptable to us who have to live with the consequences.
To have a 67% chance of staying under a 1.5-degree global temperature rise, best effort given by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world still has 420 gigatons of CO2 left to re-emit on January 1, 2018. In fact, the current figure dropped to less than 350 gigatons.
Strengthening of Position Statement
How dare you pretend that this can all be solved with just "business as usual" and a few other minor technical solutions? The remaining CO2 budget will be completely gone in less than eight and a half years at current emission levels.
There will be no solution or plan presented according to these numbers here today because these numbers are not enough. You all seem like you're still not mature enough to say it the way it is.
Closing
You let us down. But the youths are beginning to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all generations regarding the future are on you. And if you choose to let us down, I say: We will never forgive you.
We won't let you get away with it. Here, at this point is where we draw the line. The world is waking up. And change will come, like it or not.
Thank you.
Speech Sample Analysis
Incredibly evocative, isn't it? The important point of the speech above, apart from using accurate data to support her persuasive argument, is how Greta uses criticism to motivate all groups.
Greta's persuasive speech is essentially a motivational invitation that stirs emotion but is conveyed differently for the two audiences. Namely in the form of an invitation to fight together for the younger generation and criticism in the form of sharp objective criticism (based on data) for the established generation who have become leaders of the country.
Sometimes, a speech that is too passionate like that is not suitable or appropriate to be delivered. We can take another approach, for example, instead of evoking emotions but using ethics through subtle satire that is more elegant but still catches. Use a style that we think is more suitable for use with our own character.
Several approaches can be used to persuade a person or an audience in addition to arousing their emotions. Here is the explanation.
How to persuade
Here are some approaches to persuading an audience.
- Ethics use an ethical approach which means touching the audience through moral values and the truth that must be upheld.
- Emotion touches the audience's feelings by burning their spirits or actually making the listeners feel touched by reality.
- Logic means using logic to give the effect of agreeing because the argument is reasonable and can be scientifically proven (Kemdikbud, 2017, p.37).
In the end, Greta also actually uses exposition that tries to change someone's attitude or view about something. In this case, the views and attitudes are regarding the issue of global warming.
Exposition Type
In addition to the exposition used in Greta's persuasive speech, there are other types of exposition as well. Here are the types of exposition that can be used in persuasive speech.
- Exposition that can change people's attitudes or change people's views about something.
- Expositions are used to promote or sell products or services to an activity or activity (charity concerts, art performances, etc.).
- Exposition used to defend a particular case.
Purpose of Persuasive Speech
Persuasive speech aims to convince the listener or audience to do something. A real example is how Greta's speech above wants her audience to change the views, attitudes, and actions of leaders to pay more attention to the issue of global warming. Persuasive speeches are an effective way to change and excite an audience.
Elements of Persuasive Speech
To achieve the goal of a persuasive speech, it takes the integrity of the elements that make up the speech itself. Here are the elements that must be considered in order to create a good persuasive speech. Of course, these elements can also be studied if we want to conclude and identify a persuasive speech (reverse engineering).
For example, does your speech have a strong opening that can grab the listener's attention? There are five aspects to consider from the opening:
- Grab attention
Seizing the audience's attention must still be done so that the message we convey is really heard carefully.
- Relationship with audience
It means using something (the story) that makes the audience relate and feel what the speaker means (relative).
- Appropriateness
Show that we, as speech speakers deserve to talk about the topics presented. Tell the experience or ability that we have politely and real data without being arrogant.
- Purpose
Explain what we expect after the speech has been delivered or read.
- Roadmap
It means to tell what the main idea will be delivered in the speech.
Ensure that each content is disaggregated as the main idea, which is always accompanied by logical, convincing reasons and supported by adequate and valid data. Arrange logically use trusted sources real examples that make the audience relate to their daily lives (reliable).
The closing should be made interesting and able to leave an impression so that the contents of the speech will be remembered better by the audience (Kemdikbud, 2017, p.38).
Persuasive Speech Content Structure
Because persuasive speech is included in the exposition text, this text generally begins with an introduction that provides a position statement that provides the author's opinion or point of view. The following is an explanation of each structure.
It is an opinion or position used by the author to review an issue. For example, what is the position of the speaker on an issue? Is it a victim, an expert, or just someone who cares about the issue? To make a strong position statement, we can question the following points.
- Who will be convinced?
- Who will be convinced? (change views? Attitudes? behavior?)
- What types of arguments will grab their attention? (ethics will be much more influential on certain groups in society, while it must be more logical and realistic).
- Does the statement clearly state the position?
The arguments made must be logically explained and proven with reasons, examples, expert evidence, and strong statistical data or information.
Meaning In this section, the location of the argument is highlighted. The conclusion of the position based on the arguments that have been presented strengthens the position. The stages include:
- Reinforce a position statement and emphasize the main idea by using voice, high-low, facial expressions, body language, and gestures that match the argument.
- Arguments are developed logically and supported by evidence, not just based on emotion and intuition.
- Tables, pictures, diagrams, or photos of evidence from source data can be used to produce stronger statements (MoEC, 2017, p.45).
Language Characteristics of Persuasive Speech (Exposition Text)
Again, because the persuasive speech text is part of the exposition text, the linguistic features are also based on the linguistic features of the exposition text. The following describes the linguistic features of persuasive speech (Kemdikbud, 2017, p. 46).
Nominalization is a grammatical process that converts nouns, verbs, and adjectives into nouns. This process serves to connect meanings between sentences. For example: (a) The government will enact an Anti-Violence Law. (b). The enactment is a relief for many parties in this country. Sentences (a) and (b) are related to each other through the word enforce-enforcement.
Exposition texts are generally written not using the first person form (I) but described as members of the community or those in authority in society (servant of society). For example: "This must be stopped" so that it sounds formal and does not become an arrogant party and can stop it on its own. Personal pronouns are also omitted so as not to corner a particular person or institution. Usually, the personal pronouns used are: "he, they, nation, citizen."
- The vocabulary that is often used is technical terms, and then synonyms are often used to avoid repeating words that make sentences too stiff.
- Word chain means using a lot of word pairs (synonyms and antonyms) and word families related to each other, such as land, regeneration, and natural resources.
- Abstract nouns, such as joy, fear, and technical words such as species and genus. Emotive words are used to provoke the audience's feelings, such as devastating, extraordinary, sad, etc.
- Task words, as conjunctions such as: in addition, because, because, as a result of, on the other hand, etc.
- The word task, as the creator of cohesion or linkage of forms such as: like, because, because of that, then, etc.
- The reason for the action is a conjunction between sentences: a similar thing, however, to the first reason.
Steps to Write a Persuasive Speech (Preparation for Writing a Persuasive Speech)
Writing a persuasive speech means carrying out careful preparation before writing it. Here is a preparation for writing a persuasive speech.
Know and study the topics to be delivered. Do a study as much as possible of things related to the topic. Take the time to read books on the topic to be presented. Take note of important data and sources that can strengthen the argument.
Make sure the goals to be achieved are understandable and following the topic's urgency.
Learn who the audience will be listening to; each audience has its own needs.
Other Persuasive Speech Examples
Examples of persuasive speeches and their structures with various other discussion topics can be seen in the articles below:
Read also: Examples of Persuasive Speechesand Their Structures (Various Topics)
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