Communication and Persuasive Speech
Directions and Analysis
Communication is the process of sharing information and expressing your thoughts and emotions. How you communicate determines the quality of relationships you have with people in your environment. It can affect how you feel about yourself and others and can even contribute to your success at school and on the job. Often, how you say something is equally as important as what you say.
There are four main types of communication: passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, and assertive. Assertive communication is the most desirable form of communication. Assertive communicators are open and honest. They are clear and direct when trying to get their point across. Unlike aggressive communicators, they respect the rights of all parties involved in a discussion. Assertive communicators stay focused on issues, not people, and they do not blame. They persuade people in a respectful way and create win-win situations for everyone involved. Use assertive communication when speaking with others, and expect the same from them.
Communication is much more than the words you speak. Nonverbal communication is just as important in expressing your attitudes and emotions. Nonverbal communication is the body language that you use to convey meaning during interpersonal discussions. It includes your gestures, facial expressions, patterns of behavior, and posture. Read more about nonverbal communication.
Another aspect of communication is persuasive speech. Whenever you try to get someone to do something or change their beliefs or behaviors, you’re engaging in persuasive communication. Most everyone uses persuasive speech in their daily lives. Because persuasive speech is almost second nature, you might not notice you’re even speaking any differently. Read more about persuasive speech; then, answer the questions that follow.
Question 1
Think about the types of conversations you’ve had recently (in the past 2-3 weeks) or a memorable conversation you had in the past. Then, fill in the table below as if you are writing in a journal.
In a recent conversation, were you assertive? If so, how? If not, what could you have said or done to be more assertive? Why did you choose to be assertive or not assertive?
In a recent conversation, what kinds of nonverbal communication did you use? Do you think you could have used more nonverbal codes to better express your thoughts or feelings? If so, what would you have done differently?
In a recent persuasive conversation, how did you speak persuasively? What was your goal when persuading the other person or people? Were you successful in persuading the person or people? If so, how? If not, what could you have done differently?