Learn to Create a Persuasive Speech: How to Apply These Tools to Investigate Your Topic (Part 2)

Hi there! Welcome back. In the first part of this article, you learned about how you can start investigating your topics. In this part, you’ll learn how to put them to work so you can start writing your persuasive speech.

So how do you understand what you know, what you think you may know, and what you need to know? Once you’ve written down what you know, use key terms from this information to search and prove it. You may find that some of the information you thought you knew, actually turned out to be false or is just difficult to prove. Move this information either off your list or onto the third list of “need to know or not sure yet.”

For the information on the third list of what you need to know or have not objectively proven yet, ask yourself the following questions:

· First, what is it that you don't understand?

· Second, what exactly do you need to find out so that you can understand it?

· Third, what types of sources would be most credible for this information? (for example, scientific studies, opinion surveys, articles written by experts)

· And fourth, how can you express what you need to find out? In other words, what questions should you be asking and what search terms should you use? (You will write this on the fourth list.)

For example, suppose you're investigating a topic about the benefits of plastic. You may know that one of the benefits is that plastic is waterproof. Raincoats repel water because they’re made out of plastic, but you can't explain why or how they repel water. You need to find out what kind of plastic raincoats are made of. How does the chemistry or physics of that plastic and of water make the water run off instead of soaking through? You could search online using the search term "why plastic is waterproof," or “properties of plastic” and find trusted scientific sources for answers.

Let's look at an example you might hear in a debate or a persuasive speech. Suppose you're arguing against the topic “Zoos should be banned.” You can apply the same strategy that we used in the raincoat example. Perhaps you read an article from National Geographic magazine about a new study that proves the majority of animal species living in zoos live longer than animals in the wild. But there are still lots of information that you need to understand the topic.

Your audience will want to know this information too. Which factors contribute to longer life in zoos? How much longer do the animals live? Which animals do not live longer in zoos than in the wild? What do animals in zoos experience that animals in the wild do not and vice versa? Some other themes you might want to explore are extinction, education, and public opinion of zoos. Write down the questions you want to find answers to for each of these areas, as well as the types of sources and possible keywords which will be useful when searching. By asking a wide range of questions and investigating methodically, it will allow you to gain a much better understanding of the topic and help you form credible and rational opinions to persuade your audience. As you work through this process, your list of what you know and can prove should continue to grow.

Once you have this information, you can start building your speech. Remember, assume nothing and prove everything. Investigate “the whole elephant” so you don't end up claiming it's a snake. Good luck with your investigations.