You may want to persuade an audience to DO something, or you may want to show them that something is TRUE. But, there may be times when you want to sway your audience towards your point of view, that one option is desirable or better than other options. To organize such a talk (sometimes called the “Courage” method), you still have all three parts of a speech: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. But the difference is in the Body. The Main Points of your talk would have two or ideally three points: (1) Establish ideal criteria or standards to define your proposal. (2) Measure your proposal against those standards. And if you want to persuade that your choice is better than other options, then (3) compare how your proposal compares to other options.

To see how this organization would work when you want to persuade your audience of your POINT of VIEW, let’s use the example of persuading them that swimming is the best form of exercise. Let’s say the group wants to get into an exercise program; They have already decided that they are going to DO some kind of exercise. You want to persuade them that swimming is the best option, better than running, biking, or yoga. Here’s how you can outline that presentation:

I. INTRO

A. HOOK: Get their attention and interest. You can share a funny personal anecdote about swimming, how much you hated lessons as a kid, and how you almost drowned the instructor once when he blindly jumped off the diving board because he was so scared. A fish in the water.

B. REASON TO LISTEN: “It has been clearly established that exercise is crucial to our fitness and weight loss. We all know that we will look better, feel better and be healthier if we exercise regularly. However, it is not known. has established exactly what the best form of exercise is … But I think I know the answer … “

II. BODY

A. ROAD MAP: I’d like to show you all the great benefits of swimming, so you can see which is the best fit for your exercise plan.

B. MAIN POINTS:

1. The “ideal” criteria or standards for your proposal:

Introduce the audience (or even have them contribute) the characteristics of the ideal exercise program. For example, you could suggest that its features could be a good cardiovascular workout, helping you lose weight, being gentle on your joints, strengthening and toning all of your major muscle groups, and building strong bones.

2. Measure your proposal against those standards.

Show how swimming meets those criteria: it’s great aerobic exercise, especially if you can swim for at least 30 minutes; it is gentle on the joints due to the cushioning effect of the water; Because it requires the use of the arms, legs and back, it works all muscle groups and its aerobic and general conditioning effect helps keep weight down. Build strong bones? Well, not really, so we can’t claim that.

3. Compare how your proposal compares to other options, in this case running, biking, and yoga. (Plot this visually, if you can. On a graph, list all the criteria on the left and then have columns for each form of exercise:

Aerobic Swimming Running Biking Yoga
Lose Weight
Easy on Joints
All Muscle Groups
Strong Bones

For each exercise, check the criteria that apply to it. Of course, you’ll want to have more checkmarks in your proposal column!)

“You can see that swimming meets more criteria for good exercise than these other forms. It’s a healthy and fun way to stay fit!”

III. CONCLUSION

A. SUMMARY: Finish by reviewing the criteria and how your proposal fits them and compares favorably with others.

B. CLOSURE / CALL TO ACTION: “So you can see that swimming is a better comprehensive exercise than these other forms. If you want a good exercise that is good for your heart, lungs, muscles, joints, and weight control, please I recommend to buy your bathing suit and your goggles and swim! “