Always be persuading

In public speaking courses, beginners are taught that a speech has one of three purposes: To entertain, to inform or to persuade. But what if you looked at every presentation of your message as an opportunity to persuade - even if you're informing or entertaining as well?

In this free report, To Inform Or To Persuade?, David Brenner makes exactly this point. It is easy read, and is particularly relevant for you if you make presentations in the workplace. He uses a story or case study to demonstrate the importance of framing to create a persuasive presentation. In the case study, the consultant identifies that Jane’s presentation did not answer some specific questions that would be relevant for her audience:

• Is Jane trying to inform me or persuade me? (Why this?)
• What does Jane want me to do? (Why now?)
• What does Jane want me to remember? (Why me?)
• Does Jane understand what will concern the audience most? (Why me?)

Once these were addressed her presentation became persuasive for her audience.