Persuasive Speech Unit

Logical Fallacies Fallacy: A mistake in an argument that automatically invalidates it.

Attack Ad Hominem This occurs when a speaker attacks the man or woman, rather than the issues. Example: “He can’t be right because he was a drunk driver in 1980.”

Bandwagon This occurs when the speaker tries to get the audience to do something simply because “everyone else is doing it.”

False Cause Improperly concluding that one thing is a cause of another. Example: All superstitions “I passed a test because I wore my lucky socks.”

Red Herring This is a digression that leads the reasoner / listener off the track of considering only relevant information. Example: Something random to throw you off track. “I told my husband to go to the store. He brought me red roses and did not go to the store.”

Hasty Generalization This is when the speaker jumps to conclusions in which the conclusion is a generalization. Example: “All Asians are good at math.”

Circular Reasoning This occurs when the reasoner begins with what he or she is trying to end up with. Re-stating the beginning. Example: “He’s a good speaker because he gives good speeches.”

Either/Or This fallacy unfairly limits you to only two choices. The choices are usually extremely ridiculous. Example: “Either you pass this class or you will die in a ditch.”

Types of Arguments

Argument by Authority Writers and speakers can support an assertion or claim by invoking the words of an expert.

Argument by Emotion When a speaker or writer appeals to the heart rather than the mind in order to convince his/her audience.

Argument by Analogy The speaker or writer supports or proves some unknown by comparing it to something known or already proven OR explains or describes something unfamiliar by comparing it to something familiar. The speaker is making comparisons to prove a point.

Argument by Causation This is based on the assumption that event A leads directly to event B.

Argument by Logic This attempts to demonstrate the truth or validity of an assertion or conclusion through the relating of a set of premises or body of evidence. Example: “There were 4 million Americans in a union of 13 States. Today we are 60 times as many in a union of 50 States. So much has changed. And yet we stand together as we did centuries ago.”

Other Persuasive Techniques

Call to Action The speaker will try to motivate the audience by using emotionally charged words or phrases and by suggesting a course of action.

Enunciation and Pauses The speaker enunciates clearly and leaves plenty of pauses to allow the audiences to think and applaud.

anecdote The short story the speaker may use to help support his/her main point.

Rhetorical Question The speaker poses a question without expecting an answer.

allusions The speaker refers to events, people, or places in history or literature.

Repetition The speaker repeats important words and phrases (whole phrases; not pronouns).

Parallelism The speaker uses the same syntax, or sentence structure, to point out similarities in ideas. Example: “History is a ribbon, always unfurling; history is a journey.”

Gestures and Facial Expressions The speaker uses gestures and facial expressions to emphasize ideas and emotions or to create a mood.