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17 Easy Ways to Be a More Persuasive Speaker
The previous article in the Ethos, Pathos, and Logos series defined logos and described why logical arguments are so important for your presentations.
Okay, that's all very good in theory, but do we need to be logical masters to build high logos?
No, not at all.
In this article, we examine simple techniques you can use in your presentations to be more persuasive by improving your logos.
- Ethos, Pathos, Logos - Introduction
- Ethos - Speaker Credibility
- Pathos - Emotional Connection
- Logos - Logical Argument
- What is Logos?
- How to Convey Logos
General Strategies for Improving Your Logos
In the last article, we identified, three general principles that you can adopt to improve your logos:
- Make it Understandable
Can your audience understand you? Or have they only absorbed half of your points? - Make it Logical
Do your arguments make sense? Or do you require your audience to make an extreme leap of faith? How easy is it for your audience to connect the dots? - Make it Real
Concrete and specific tends to win over abstract and general.
We'll now look at 17 specific techniques derived from these three general strategies.
You may wish to compare to techniques in previous articles:
Make it Understandable
If your audience doesn't understand you, they can't be persuaded by you. To be an effective communicator, you've first got to be a clear communicator. To be a clear communicator, you must use words, phrases, examples, and visuals that are understandable, and you've got to deliver them at a pace that the audience can absorb.
How can you do this? Let us count some ways…
#1: Use plain language.
Use words that your audience uses. Avoid technical jargon that your audience (or a portion of your audience) isn't familiar with.
Favor short words and phrases over long and convoluted counterparts. Don't imitate the language you might find in a legal transcript or an academic paper. Technical language is necessary for those contexts, but it isn't helpful in a conversation or presentation.
Note that "plain" language doesn't mean "boring" language. Use vivid and descriptive language where appropriate.
#2: Be explicit.
"To be an effective communicator, you've first got to be a clear communicator."
Your audience should not need a decoder ring to figure out your message. It should be obvious. Spell it out if necessary. Make sure you are not misinterpreted.
It is particularly important to make the connection between premises and conclusions explicit. Because is a magic word for this purpose: "Because premise A and premise B, we can see that conclusion must be true."
If your arguments involve more than a couple premises, be sure your audience sees the relationship between them. "And these five advantages — capital costs, scheduling, inventory control, marketing, and employee satisfaction — together make this a winning proposal."
#3: Trace sequences or processes in order.
To help your audience understand a sequence or process, march through the steps or phases in a meaningful order, usually sequential. If you jump around the steps out of order, your audience will be confused.
As the number of steps increases, so does the need to use a diagram for clarity.
#4: Use diagrams.
Carefully crafted and focused diagrams almost always enhance the understandability of your arguments. It doesn't matter if you draw in PowerPoint, on a white board, or on the back of a napkin — it only matters that you clarify concepts for your audience.
But, be careful not to introduce an unnecessarily complex diagram. In the worst case, a busy diagram or one with lots of irrelevant details will frustrate your audience and diminish your understandability.
#5: Use charts.
Like diagrams, a carefully crafted chart or graph will speak volumes and clarify a previously fuzzy relationship.
Remember the warning about unnecessary complexity applies to charts too.
#6: Use progressive disclosure.
Suppose the diagram (or chart) which best explains the concepts is a complex one. What then?
"It doesn't matter if you draw in PowerPoint, on a white board, or on the back of a napkin — it only matters that you clarify concepts for your audience."
In nearly all cases, it should be possible to use progressive disclosure. This means that you build up the entire diagram (or chart) progressively as a series of chunks, revealing only a part of the overall diagram at a time. If you are drawing the diagram as you speak, you are inherently using progressive disclosure. (You draw a few lines, explain what you've drawn, draw a few more, explain again, and repeat.) This is easy to do with PowerPoint too.
#7: Use comparisons, analogies, and metaphors.
Whenever you introduce new concepts, search for an appropriate analogy which helps the audience understand the new concept in terms of how they already understand the old one.
Make it Logical
Okay, your audience understands what you are saying, but does what you are saying make sense?
Does it pass the logical tests which your audience will be applying subconsciously?
#8: Leverage audience commonplaces.
Commonplaces often provide the most stable foundation for your argument. It's a good ideas to start with these — because your audience already believes them — and build the remainder of your argument outward.
In a similar manner, framing the issue from your audience's perspective is a great way to be more persuasive.
#9: Ask questions, and get your audience thinking.
Questions engage your audience and make them active participants in the conversation. Rather than passively waiting for you to provide answers, they'll be contributing to the answers as you go. As a result, they will collectively feel ownership when you move toward conclusions. In the best case, they will feel that they came to the conclusions themselves — a sure way to guarantee your persuasiveness.
#10: Address the opposing point of view, and refute it.
On the surface, it seems foolish to bring up the opposing arguments. What if your audience didn't think of that? Now you've just planted a seed of doubt!
On the contrary, bringing up opposing arguments makes you seem unbiased and boosts your ethos. ("You must be trustworthy; you are pointing out your opposition!") Further, and more importantly, it allows you to directly refute the opposing arguments with logical arguments of your own.
#11: Emphasize the points of most value to audience
Unless you are using only perfect, irrefutable facts as premises, and making a purely deductive argument (where the conclusions follow immediately from premises), there are going to be holes in your inductive argument. (This doesn't mean you've done a poor job. Inductive arguments have uncertainties by definition.)
Since your presentation has a finite length, you must make choices how to best spend your time. You will be most effective if you devote the majority of your presentation to discuss the issues of primary interest to your audience.
Make it Real
Concrete and specific details improve the strength of your arguments, and thus make your overall message more persuasive.
Explaining the theory behind why your new solution will raise profits is a good start; sharing a story about a company which raised profits 17% by adopting your solution is much stronger.
#12. Use props or photographs.
Talking about something in abstract terms is good, but using real objects or photographs carries more logos. Visual evidence is very hard to refute.
"Personal stories and anecdotes carry more logos than stories or anecdotes 'which happened to a friend of mine.'"
#13: Use vivid details.
In lieu of photographs, you can make your claims more real by supplying vivid details.
#14: Use facts and statistics.
Assigning numbers adds to the impact.
Compare the following statements:
- Every year, many people die of cancer.
- Every year, 3000 people in our community die of cancer.
Which one of these statements is more likely to persuade your audience to contribute money to cancer research?
#15: Cite your sources.
A statistic may be accurate, but without citing a source, your audience may dismiss it. By citing a source, you tip the scale towards believability.
(The credibility of your source is also important, but that is more closely related to ethos.)
#16: Use real examples and case studies.
You can construct convincing arguments about theories and ideas, but your audience will be left to wonder whether the theory holds in reality. Real examples and case studies show that the theory works in the real world.
#17: Use personal stories and anecdotes.
- Ethos, Pathos, Logos - Introduction
- Ethos - Speaker Credibility
- Pathos - Emotional Connection
- Logos - Logical Argument
- What is Logos?
- How to Convey Logos
A personal story combines the power of a real example with that of a cited source. Assuming you are a credible source, personal stories and anecdotes carry more logos than stories or anecdotes "which happened to a friend of mine."
What do you think?
The techniques listed here are far from complete. There are other ways to improve your logical arguments and your persuasive effectiveness.
What other techniques do you use?
When you are in the audience, what qualities of the presentation make you more likely to judge it to be a sound argument?
Please share your ideas in the comments.
This is one of many public speaking articles featured on Six Minutes.
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James Carville to Obama: repackage your economic plan
Democratic strategists Stanley Greenberg and James Carville say the Obama White House needs to do a better job explaining its economic plan as it heads toward the 2010 elections.
Melanie Stetson-Freeman/Staff/File
The Obama White House needs to do a better job communicating a coherent economic plan as it heads into the 2010 election season, according to James Carville and Stanley Greenberg – two top Democratic strategists who spoke at a Monitor-sponsored breakfast on Wednesday.
New unemployment figures coming out Friday are expected to show the economy finally gained jobs in March after months of job losses. Though that news would be welcome, the recession is still being keenly felt by voters.
"The recession has actually accelerated for people who are living in this economy," said Mr. Greenberg, chairman of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research.
For the population segments that helped sweep President Obama into office – unmarried women, Latinos, young voters – the recession "has gotten much worse for them and they have gotten more pessimistic," Greenberg said.
In this difficult climate, the Obama White House needs to improve its communications, according to Mr. Carville, a political science professor at Tulane University who ran Bill Clinton's presidential campaign.

subset: commoncrawl


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Calallen hangs on to best rival G-P for win
PORTLAND - Calallen still hasn't worked out all the kinks. Neither has Gregory-Portland.
Friday night's showdown between the two rivals featured more mistakes and miscues than memorable plays. Even so, Calallen and G-P still make for one of the better high school football matchups in South Texas.
Calallen (1-1) rebounded from last week's upset loss to Edcouch-Elsa by holding off G-P 21-15 at Portland's Wildcat Stadium. Calallen held G-P (0-2) scoreless until the third quarter and didn't seal the victory until G-P turned the ball over on downs late in the fourth quarter.
"This was big for our team," said receiver Matt Garza, who had six catches for 126 yards and scored the games first touchdown. "It was our first win of the year, which is always the hardest one to get. G-P's a tough team, but we're going to try and win any way possible, whether it's a blowout or by one point. It doesn't matter as long as we get the win.
"We came in and played hard the whole game. We almost lost it at the end, but we found some fight in ourselves and came out with the win."
Calallen took a 21-0 lead with 7 minutes, 35 seconds left in the third quarter after a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Dustin Vaughan. A bad snap on the extra point attempt sent the ball sailing over kicker Rick Salazar, causing a scramble.
G-P's Brett Parker eventually scooped it up and raced untouched 70 yards for a safety. G-P twice in the fourth quarter -- on a 17-yard run by Duck Lowrance and 4-yard run by Kevin Vento -- to cut the deficit to six points.
Vento recovered an onside kick on the kickoff after his touchdown, but made it only as far as the Calallen 44 before giving up the ball.
Despite the outcome, longtime Calallen coach Phil Danaher said the team still has plenty to work on.
"We controlled the whole game and then almost gave it away at the end," Danaher said. "We have to find a way to get the ball in the endzone more often."
G-P coach George Harris was pleased by the team's effort in the second half after giving up 21 unanswered points.
"Our kids overcame some adversity and made a tremendous comeback," said Harris, whose team was penalized 13 times for 98 yards. "We finally made some big plays in the second half. We made some progress, no question."
Calallen set the tone early by marching 70 yards for a touchdown on the game's opening series.
G-P was penalized for being offsides on the first play, which followed with a 15-yard run by Calallen fullback Chase Curry. A holding penalty then set Calallen back 10 yards, but the offense eventually picked up a first down when quarterback Vaughan hit Garza for a 36-yard completion on third and 9.
Two plays later Vaughan and Garza hooked up again, this time on a 13-yard touchdown strike. Rick Salazar added the extra point to give Calallen a 7-0 advantage with 8:53 left in the first quarter.
G-P barely had the ball for a minute before having to punt from its 25-yard line. Calallen took over at its 36 and went back to its ground attack.
Bryden McClure picked up 15 yards on first down and another four after G-P was called offsides for the second time. Calallen's drive stalled at the G-P 34, forcing a quick kick by Vaughan.
Calallen downed the ball at the 4 and again forced G-P to punt after only three plays. This time Jordan John broke through the line of scrimmaged and blocked the kick out of the back of the end zone for a safety and a 9-0 Calallen lead.
Calallen ended up with a short field after the ensuing kickoff by G-P. Working from the G-P 48, Calallen benefited from a 10-yard defensive holding penalty by G-P on first down.
Calallen continued to chip away with short runs by Curry and McClure, but had help when G-P was called for a personal foul for a face mask. The penalty put the ball at the G-P 12, but Calallen was left to try a 27 yard field goal after being stopped at the 10.
Salazar's kick was blocked at the line of scrimmage, leaving Calallen in front 9-0 early in the second quarter.


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Here at The Linux Foundation, we're preparing for next month's Collaboration Summit, where we're going to have a number of sessions dedicated to Open Compliance. We are hosting a FOSS Compliance track with talks reflecting the current state of compliance and new resources just over the horizon. We're also hosting SPDX working sessions that will work on key technical and business issues prior to release of version 1.0 of the SPDX spec.
In parallel, our Director of Technology & Alliances, Ibrahim Haddad, will be participating at the IP Counsel Café April 7 at the Sheraton Palo Alto. We hope some of you can join us south of the city that day to hear Ibrahim discuss Open Compliance with co-panelists Alyssa Harvey, Associate General Counsel at Netflix, and Diane Honda, Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of Extreme Networks. The three of them will be discussing the legal side of open source software and open source compliance programs. I know Ibrahim is planning to discuss the practical steps involved in building a corporate compliance program to manage the consumption of open source software while ensuring the fulfillment of license obligations.
I'm really looking forward to these face-to-face opportunities given how much work the community has been doing on Open Compliance since we launched the program last August. Here are a few of the resources we've produced that we know companies and individuals are already putting to use:
- Open source compliance training - 4 different course options for professional compliance training, varying in detail and delivery mechanism.
- Compliance tools to help with compliance due diligence.
- Compliance Directory and Rapid Alert System that facilitates communications between companies and open source developers on compliance matters when other escalation attempts have failed. The directory and response system has been used numerous times with 100% success rate.
- SPDXTM (Software Package Data ExchangeTM) workgroup that is standardizing how companies report their open source bills of material to ease the discovery and labeling of open source components in their products.
Free educational material:
7 compliance papers, including
- Keys to Managing FOSS Compliance Program
- Achieving FOSS Compliance in the Enterprise
- A Glimpse into Recommended Practices in a FOSS Compliance Management Process
- More papers, as well as the ones above, can be downloaded from http://www.linuxfoundation.org/publications
- 3 papers on compliance tools
- Data sheets on the open compliance program and on compliance training
7 compliance papers, including
I hope to see many of you at the upcoming Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit April 6-8. For those of you who can join Ibrahim in Palo Alto on April 7, we welcome you and your questions. The week is certain to be a great opportunity to immerse yourself in open compliance resources.


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GOD'S WORD Translation (GW) | New International Version (NIV) |
11 We ask him to strengthen you by his glorious might with all the power you need to patiently endure everything with joy. | 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully |
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission. (God's Word Translation -Online Bible) | Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |


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