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Speaking to persuade: Motivating audiences with solid arguments and moving language
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 16 hours
  • Course by University of Washington
  • Offered by

About

In the professional realm, we need to be able to argue without being argumentative. Whether you are fundraising for a nonprofit, pitching a business proposal, or suggesting a change to company policy, you are making arguments. In making the case for your topic, you often want to raise awareness, identify a pressing problem, discuss appropriate solutions, and outline specific steps for the audience. To be persuasive, you must be clear (the audience may have little to no existing knowledge), you must be convincing (you are trying to sway the audience that your argument is valid), and you must be compelling (you are trying to motivate the audience enough so that they want to take specific actions). Persuasive speaking thus requires clarity, strategy, topic mastery, plus a sense of style and presence. By the end of this course, you should be able to design persuasive speeches that address problems and solutions and that motivate audience members. You should be able to use rhetorical style strategically and deliver passionate and compelling speeches. Learners will record speeches, providing and receiving peer feedback.

Modules

Week 1 preview--start here

    • 2 Readings
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2 Readings

  • Week 1 preview
  • Get help and meet other learners. Join your Community!

Welcome and overview

    • 3 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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3 Videos

  • Welcome to persuasive speaking!
  • What’s this course about?
  • What are the assignments?

1 Readings

  • Persuasive speech assignment description

What goes into a persuasive speech?

    • 5 Videos
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Persuasion

5 Videos

  • What is persuasion?
  • Good persuasion requires careful planning.
  • Good persuasion involves logos, pathos, and ethos
  • Good persuasion responds to questions of fact, policy, and value.
  • What’s the status quo and burden of proof?

Stock issues: Our pathway to persuasive arguments

    • 6 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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6 Videos

  • What are the stock issues and how do they help?
  • Stock issue: Ill. Something demands our attention.
  • Stock issue: Blame. Why does the ill persist?
  • Stock issue: Cure. What should we do?
  • Stock issue: Consequences. What happens if we act?
  • Using these tools to build arguments for and against.

1 Readings

  • Stock issues in action--Barack Obama

Week 1 quiz and assignment check-in

    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Week one quiz

2 Readings

  • Week one lesson summaries
  • Week one assignment check-in

Introductory speech (optional)

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 PeerReview
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1 Peer Review

  • Introductory speech

1 Videos

  • How to record speech videos

Week 2 preview

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Week 2 preview

Congruent arrangement

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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2 Videos

  • What are key arrangement concerns?
  • Congruency. Everything should fit together.

1 Readings

  • Congruencey--Bill Gates on education spending

Arranging your speech well

    • 4 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Persuasive arrangement

4 Videos

  • Calls to action. What should the audience do?
  • Calls to action. Highlighting audience efficacy.
  • Stock issues arrangement. Building to the call to action.
  • Monroe's motivated sequence. Helping the audience visualize the cure.

1 Readings

  • Arrangement--driving to a clear cure

Argument tactics

    • 6 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Argument tactics

6 Videos

  • Go big. Move from policy to value.
  • Go small. Protect the argument from larger issues.
  • Challenge softly. Introduce new evidence.
  • Find your cost-benefit balance
  • Show, don't tell. Include a story.
  • Validate your argument. Include some testimony.

1 Readings

  • Argument tactics. Reading and responding to audience concerns.

Speech analysis #1

    • 1 Videos
    • 2 Readings
    • 1 PeerReview
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1 Peer Review

  • Speech analysis #1

1 Videos

  • Sample persuasive speech #1

2 Readings

  • Speech analysis #1 overview
  • Matt's feedback

Week 2 quiz and assignment check-in

    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Week two quiz

2 Readings

  • Week two lesson summaries
  • Week two assignment check-in

Week three preview

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Week three preview

That doesn’t sound right! Avoiding fallacies.

    • 5 Videos
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Fallacies

5 Videos

  • That doesn’t sound right! Avoiding fallacies.
  • Fallacies of reasoning. Something is missing
  • Fallacies of reasoning. Flawed causality.
  • Fallacies of relevance. Bad evidence.
  • Fallacies of relevance. Bad response.

Strategic language. How do we want the audience to think and feel about the topic?

    • 3 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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3 Videos

  • Framing. Building credible commonalities.
  • Identification. We're on the same side.
  • Topic value. Finding the best words for your subject.

1 Readings

  • Building common identities--Maria Ressa

That sounds great! Having moving style.

    • 5 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Style

5 Videos

  • Stylistic devices are easy equations for eloquence.
  • Sound repetition. Assonance, consonance, alliteration, asyndeton, and polysyndeton.
  • Phrasing repetition. Anaphora, epistrophe, and symploce.
  • Writing big applause lines. Anadiplosis, antimetabole, and maxims.
  • Stylistic hotspots. Where to include style in your speech.

1 Readings

  • Integrating style--Advocating for St. Jude's

Week 3 quiz and assignment check-in

    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Week three Quiz

2 Readings

  • Week three lesson summaries
  • Week three assignment check-in

Argument outline (optional assignment)

    • 1 PeerReview
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1 Peer Review

  • Argument outline

Week four preview

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Week four preview

The dreaded "um." What it is. How to avoid it.

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Um

2 Videos

  • Why do I say um?
  • How can I avoid saying um?

Interacting with your audience and the space

    • 4 Videos
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4 Videos

  • Dressing for a successful speech.
  • Preparing your speaking space.
  • Engaging the audience by working the room.
  • Making good eye contact.

Models of imitation. Who can help you bring out your best?

    • 4 Videos
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4 Videos

  • Who is a good model of imitation for you?
  • Barack Obama. A model of stylistic energy.
  • Bobby Jindal. Beware of over-relying on your scripts.
  • Stylistic delivery requires your commitment.

Speech analysis #2

    • 2 Readings
    • 1 PeerReview
Show info about module content

1 Peer Review

  • Speech analysis #2

2 Readings

  • Speech analysis #2 overview
  • Matt's feedback

Week 4 quiz and assignment check-in

    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Week four quiz

2 Readings

  • Week four lesson summaries
  • Week four assignment check-in

Course review

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • Course review
  • Other courses in this specialization

Persuasive speech-video option

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 PeerReview
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1 Peer Review

  • Persuasive speech

1 Videos

  • Sample persuasive speech

Persuasive speech--written option

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 PeerReview
Show info about module content

1 Peer Review

  • Persuasive manuscript

1 Readings

  • Sample persuasive manuscript
Dr. Matt McGarrity
Instructor

Dr. Matt McGarrity