Speaking to Persuade

SPEAKING TO PERSUADE

Public speaking is an art. Though many may appear to have a natural gift for the gab, some of us have worked hard for years to get the butterflies to fly in formation, as the toastmasters would say. In addition to my stint at the Bridgetown Toastmaster Club, I credit much of my skills in public speaking to accepting every opportunity to practice, improved research skills and gradually increasing self-awareness. This edition is dedicated equally to those of you who would wish to be more confident in front of a crowd and those seeking to get on the professional speaking circuit. ~ Editor, Christal P. Austin, PGDip., BSc.

THE ART OF PERSUASIVE SPEAKING

Persuasion is not a gift but a skill that can be learned by anyone.?One great tool you can employ is the Monroe Motivated Sequence. Purdue professor, Alan Monroe, popularized this sequence as a great way to quickly write speeches packed with punch.

1. Attention

Why start with the usual greeting when you can grab their attention with a quote or an emotive statement that evokes concern, fear or even humour.?E.g. "It should never happen!"?Use your first few words to get the audience to sit up and listen.

2. Need

Now you have their attention, convince them that there is a problem or an ill that needs to be addressed.? Some may choose to start with who or what is to blame and then highlight the problem or vice versa.?The former approach narrows down the issue in a great way that allows you to move smoothly to the next step.

3. Satisfaction

Identify your solution at this stage.?The best way is to determine how convincing you are is whether you can summarize your solution into one sentence.?E.g. "We have to reduce our use of plastic."

4. Visualization

Get our audience to see the benefits of your solution.?Use experts, figures, credible laypersons, quality research and other proof to build your case.?Be sure to use visual language, as well as examples of what failure to act would look like.

5. Action

This is your opportunity to highlight a strong call-to-action. ?It should be clearly stated so that there is no doubt in the audience's mind how they can get on board.?These suggestions can range from opportunities for involvement and ways to make a donation to tips for changing behaviours or information on how to join a movement.

How will you change your next speech?

CELEBRATING WORLD ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS DAY

Today, LLPR's founder, Christal P. Austin, was pleased to serve as guest speaker during today's online conference by the Barbados Association of Administrative Professionals (BAAP) to mark World Administrative Professionals Day 2022!

View the full presentation here: Sustaining your Organization Beyond the Pandemic: Building Human Resilience . It is a story about resilience in business through the years and the dynamics of diversity, equality and inclusivity. May we all commit to playing a personal role in the fight for justice toward attaining true human resilience.

MANAGING PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL BRANDS ON LINKEDIN, AN IABC BARBADOS PRODUCTION

LLPR's lead consultant, Christal P. Austin, was among the panellists at IABC Barbados ' webinar on Managing Personal and Professional Brands on LinkedIn last evening, April 26, 2022. The event, which was supported by IABC Toronto, the IABC Southern Region and the Human Resources Management Association of Barbados (HRMAB), attracted an international audience. Pending the release of the event video, here is a snippet from Austin's opening presentation.

RESOURCES

Interested in building your public speaking skills? Here is a fantastic resource offered via Coursera by the University of Washington called Speaking to persuade: Motivating audiences with solid arguments and moving language: Sign up here .

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