Launchpad Activity 7

For when you need to express your point of view and/or influence others. 

Activity 7 – I feel strongly about...

Duration: 4 mins
Pre-requisites: Activity 1-6

Outcomes

By the end of this activity, you will be able to:

  1. Present an idea you hold strongly in a manner which persuades your audience towards your point of view 

Objectives

To do this, you will need to keep the following objectives in mind:

  • Decide on an idea or opinion that you feel strongly about.
  • Develop your argument.
  • Design your structure and sequence.
  • Present a conclusion which influences the audience to think, feel or act differently.

The Why…

For when you need to express your point of view and/or influence others.

Where do I start?

This activity, or one very similar, is one you will find in nearly all courses in public speaking. It allows you to build your confidence by speaking on something you feel strongly about. The task is not to challenge or upset anybody, but to logically and sensibly put forward your point of view. The subject does not have to be topical and can be in an area of interest to you.

This is your first opportunity to present a persuasive speech so remember when you are planning that you need to give a well-reasoned argument to try to persuade your audience to agree with you. It’s not just a “rant”. A good place to start this activity is to think about what makes you angry. Your family and friends will be good sources to ask as well – they will know what you feel strongly about!

Your task is to embody those ideas in a speech that will interest your audience. They will be interested not only in what you say, but why you hold that opinion. It is often effective to seek action at the conclusion, so think about what you would like other members to do to help them understand your view.

The How

Specific guidelines on how to tackle this activity.

Decide on an idea or opinion that you feel strongly about

  1. Have you had an experience that might be of interest to others? Do you have some philosophical views to express? Do you wish to improve society in anyway? 
  2. Gather all the thoughts you have on the topic, thinking about all the reasons you feel strongly about it. 
  3. Think back through experiences you’ve had in the past in different workplaces or study environments that may give you examples you can use to demonstrate your point.

Develop your argument

  1. Do some research, and find statistics or data that reinforces your view.
  2. Think back through recent current affairs, or major historical events which may also support your view, including things like a news story, a social issue that’s ‘trending’ at the moment , or a radio or television program that has sparked interest lately. 


Design your structure and sequence

  1. Choose your three strongest points, and put them in order, weakest to strongest – remember, you want to build your argument and finish off with the most powerful point.
  2. Make sure they all have supporting evidence, facts or a story that demonstrates your point of view.
  3. Write a brief introduction that summarises the situation/topic/ theme, and your 3 main points.


Present a conclusion which influences the audience to think, feel or act differently

  1. Summarise the situation/topic/theme and your opinion on it.
  2. Summarise the three reasons that support your view.
  3. Finish with a statement that will encourage your audience to think, feel or act differently in the future, based on what you’ve just presented.

Examples:

Global warming is a hoax (or real).
Capital punishment – for or against.
Mobile phones in restaurants.
Organ donation – for or against.

Hints, tips and traps

  1. Choose something you believe in – something you’re positive or passionate about.
  2. Think of something you are really passionate about and your presentation will be more engaging for the audience.
  3. Make it crystal clear at the front of the presentation, what it is you are talking about – don’t leave it until the last paragraph.
  4. Come across with passion and enthusiasm – use verbal language, body language, vocal expression.
  5. You may wish to use a “call to action” or strong message.
  6. Think about what you want your audience to think, feel or do. 
  7. Avoid boring your audience (with a rant).
  8. Beware of leaving your audience “mystified” about what it is you are asking them to change in the way they are thinking, feeling or acting. 
  9. The biggest trap is when people use inappropriate material for the audience. 

Guidelines for Program Director:

  • This is not an activity for which you would dictate a topic for the first attempt.  For subsequent speeches, you could set up a specific topic (as in a debate) and allocate speakers to speak in the affirmative or negative.

Resources that may be helpful

  1. Links to speaking hacks (#7, #9 etc)
  2. video links
  3. how to sheets