46 - COMM 111: Speech #3 and #4 Instructions

Assignment Introduction

The last two speeches of the course are persuasive in nature. In a persuasive speech you want to change a person’s thoughts, beliefs, and/or actions.

• There are several approaches to facilitating this change. One approach is to argue your persuasive position in one of three different ways.One, you may argue to reinforce people’s beliefs, values, or positions.
  Two, you may argue to convince people there is a problem or issue which needs addressing.
  Three, you may argue to advocate a call to action. (Speech #4 only)
  

• Another approach is to facilitate change by developing your arguments based on differing claims of Fact, Value, or Policy.You will develop persuasive Speech #3 following the claim of fact or value as discussed in the text or in class.
  Speech #4 (your final speech) should be a claim of policy.
  

You might be asked by your instructor to view the last two speeches of the semester as a unit; if so, they will be on the same topic but have different purposes/ outcomes and time frames.

Speech #3

For Speech #3, you will approach the topic as a claim of fact or value.

• If you present Speech #3 as a claim of fact, you will examine the evidence, draw a conclusion, and then provide arguments to support your particular stance.Persuasive speeches based on a claim of fact argue whether something is true or not, whether something happened or didn’t, or whether something exists or does not exist.
  As in a court of law—acting as a juror.
  

• If you choose to present Speech #3 as a claim of value, you will still examine the evidence, draw a conclusion, and provide arguments to support your particular stance, but you will go a step further by addressing the value judgments of the particular issue.Persuasive speeches based on a claim of value argue whether something is right or wrong, good or bad, adding a moral/ethical aspect to your argument and intent.
  

Speech #4

For Speech #4 you will approach the topic you have chosen as a claim of policy.

• Speech #4 will inherently contain all the issues of the fact or value speech, but your focus now is on presenting your position, providing a solution and a call to action (mentally or physically) using one of the specific patterns of organization for policy speeches.Persuasive speeches based on a claim of policy argue for a change of action (mentally or physically)—for or against a particular action to be taken by your audience, something that should or should not be done. They may argue a problem and provide a workable, practical, ethical solution to alleviate the problem.