Best Ways on How to Structure Persuasive Speeches (Crafting The Body of Your Speech and Ending it With a Bang!)

Hi there! Welcome to the second part of this article where you will be learning how to craft the body of your speech and how you can end it with a bang!

The middle of your speech is where you explain more about your main points. These main points make up most of your speech and should contain the details to support your opinion. Most speeches typically include two or three main points.

Each of your main points can be divided into sub-points. This is important because mentioning specific details will help entertain and persuade your audience. These sub-points can be facts, examples, or interesting personal stories. Having multiple sub-points is highly encouraged. Let’s look at an example of a fully developed main point:

Climate change is already happening and is damaging to human life. According to a recent study by “The Lancet” which tracks the effect of climate change on human health, problems such as rising temperatures — combined with more and more elderly people in cities — have increased heat-related deaths. This will only get worse if nothing is done to fight it, especially for countries facing an aging population. One of my grandfather’s friends was hospitalized last year for this reason.

Notice how facts and examples can be incorporated together, supported by reliable sources to improve the credibility and persuasiveness of your speech.

Lastly, let's discuss how to have a strong ending for your speech. This is extremely important, as your conclusion is the last thing your audience will hear from you and is therefore your final opportunity to create a lasting impression. Your conclusion should help your audience step back and see the bigger picture of your speech, and how all the main points are tied together to create a specific message.

Do not add important new information during the conclusion of your speech. This is the time to answer all unanswered questions and create a sense of ending. Adding new information here will only confuse your audience and raise more questions. One final thing you should add at the end of your speech is a call to action. A call to action is urging your audience to take action on the cause you have presented. Hopefully, your speech inspires and motivates them enough to do so. To continue the previous example on climate change, a call to action might be:

The fate of our future generations lies in our hands. If we all do our part to reduce our carbon footprint, raise awareness on this issue, and empower others to do the same, the effects of climate change can be reduced. Individually, we may be one drop. Together, we are an ocean. Let’s save our planet, for ourselves, and for our future generations!

To conclude, having an organized speech is crucial to keep your audience’s attention and help them understand your speech. Your persuasive speech should begin with an introduction and a preview, followed by detailed points, and conclude with a call to action. The structure of an organized persuasive speech can be summarized as: “Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you’ve told them!” Can you say this sentence in less than five seconds?

You are now ready to go pick a topic you care about and start structuring your persuasive speech. Good luck!