Public Speaking Skills - How To Persuade People

Persuasion is the key to accomplishment, not only for politicians or stockbrokers, but for everyone of us. In a job interview, you have to persuade your interviewers why they should hire you and not the other candidates. In a classroom presentation, you have to convince your classmates and professor to believe that what you are talking about is worth listening to, and your hard work deserves a good grade. In a workplace, you need to be able to pitch your ideas persuasively in order to prosper in your career. If you look at highly successful people, you will see that they are not only hard workers and creative thinkers, but also great persuaders.

In public speaking, it all comes down to this question: how can you win over your audience? And the answer is one word: CREDIBILITY.

Imagine Bill Gates saying the following hypothetical sentences:

"Within ten years, all laptop computers will also be used as televisions. The televisions we use nowadays will turn into something completely old-fashioned."

Now imagine Britney Spears saying the same thing. You would probably nod at Gates and shrug at Spears, right? You would choose to trust his judgment rather than hers because you know that he is a guru of the computer industry and she is not. This is called "initial credibility", meaning the credibility that the speaker has even before he/she begins speaking.

Initial credibility is a blissful advantage for public speakers. If your audience already knows you are an expert in something and already trusts you, you won't have to try so hard to create credibility in your speech. But what if you are not really an expert in anything and your audience doesn't even know who you are? The answer is simple: you will have to build your credibility during your speech.

1. Advertise your competence - At the beginning of your presentation, tell your audience about your expertise on the speech topic. If you have done a lot of research about the topic, tell them so. If you have a certain experience that gives you special knowledge or insight, go ahead and say so. But keep in mind; you don't want to sound boastful to your audience. Do not over-advertise yourself. Keep it short and simple. Say it as a matter of fact, not a boast.

2. Connect to the audience - Try to identify with your audience early in your speech. Even if you are going to talk about something very controversial or something your listeners may disagree with, you still have to make them feel that you share the same common ground and values.

Four years ago, I watched Senator John Kerry give a speech about keeping women's rights to abortion in one of the "red" states, in a room full of conservative voters who were probably strongly against such an idea. At the start of his speech, he made a very smart move by saying that he himself is also a true Christian who believes abortion is not the right thing to do. Then he explained further that even though that is what he believes, there are also a lot of people in America who do not consider abortion a sinful thing; there are a number of Americans who are not Christians and do not share his religious principles. And since America is a democratic country, we have to respect those people's values as well.

I think Senator Kerry was impressive that day. By establishing common ground with the audience early, he was able to get off on the right foot. I don't know how many people in the audience he had successfully convinced, but at least he pulled off that extremely controversial speech with such poise and more importantly, without getting booed.

3. Speak eloquently and express your ideas with conviction - Practice your persuasive speech ahead of time so that you can perform it well. Moderately fast speakers tend to be considered more intelligent and confident than slow speakers. If you sound hesitant or say "uh" and "um" too much, you will appear less competent.

4. Use evidence - For amateur public speakers with no initial credibility, it is very helpful to use examples, statistics, facts or testimonies to support their ideas. No matter what type of evidence you use in your speech, just remember these two things:

First, use specific evidence. For example, if you use statistics, indicate the exact number. Saying "Ten million Americans suffer from obesity" will make your point more effectively than just saying "Millions of Americans suffer from obesity." It will make your listeners aware that you have a good firm grip of factual information. Second, always cite evidence from well-known, reliable and non-biased sources.

5. Reason clearly and persuasively - Even if you use a bunch of strong evidence, you still won't be able to persuade your audience unless they grasp your reasoning. Don't assume that supportive evidence is enough. Throwing a lengthy list of statistics and examples at your listeners without drawing a logical conclusion to your main idea won't do you any good.

6. Appeal to emotions - Some people say that serious public speakers should avoid emotional appeal entirely and only stick to reason. I disagree with that. Humans are not like automatons or Mr. Spock in Star Trek. We think and feel at the same time. By adding intensity of feeling to your logical speech, you can be a much more compelling speaker. A rational persuasive speech that can change some people's attitudes may not arouse those same people enough to take action. In order to convince your listeners not only to agree with your ideas but also adopt them in real life, you must evoke their passion.

How to create emotional appeal

• Use words or phrases that tend to reinforce emotional power. It is hard to pinpoint what words can sentimentally influence people more than others. It depends mostly on what topic you are talking about and what kind of emotion you would like to arouse in the audience. However, try not to be too wordy or say something overly melodramatic. Your passionate language must suit your speech, otherwise it may strike the audience as ridiculous.
• Use vivid personal experience. By telling the audience about your captivating real life story that is relevant to the speech topic, you automatically let your emotional appeal grow. The video below is a great example of how a public speaker can use one's personal experience to one's own advantage.
• Unless you are a really competent actor, don't act. Speak with sincerity and your true emotion. Using emotional language and vivid experience can be pointless if you don't actually feel the emotion yourself.