Speech Persuasion

Overview

Lesson 1 of 12 in Persuade with Purpose. Students explore why people give persuasive speeches and how speakers influence listeners through ideas, language and delivery, using familiar Aotearoa New Zealand issues.

Learning intentions

• WALT explain the purpose of a persuasive speech.
• WALT identify an intended audience and the action a speaker wants.
• WALT notice how ideas, language and delivery can influence listeners.
• WALT discuss examples using evidence from what we hear and see.

Success criteria

• I can explain that persuasive speakers try to influence people.
• I can identify who a speech is for and what the speaker wants them to do.
• I can identify one persuasive idea or language choice.
• I can describe how delivery helps a message sound convincing.

Curriculum links

• Oral language: listening attentively, responding to texts and sharing ideas clearly.
• Purposes and audiences: recognising how language changes according to purpose and audience.
• Ideas and language features: identifying main ideas, supporting details and persuasive language.
• Speaking and presenting: noticing how voice, pace, expression and gesture affect meaning.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 minutes – Hook: “Would you be convinced?” Open with the hook and first speech example. Read or play two brief versions of the same message: “Please put rubbish in the bin” and “Let’s protect our beautiful beaches—every piece of rubbish we remove helps sea life.” Students show thumbs up, sideways or down to indicate which is more convincing. Invite two or three quick reasons.

2. 4–8 minutes – Establish purpose and audience Explain that a persuasive speech aims to influence listeners to think, feel or do something. Introduce the words purpose and audience using the author purpose anchor chart as a visual reminder, focusing on “persuade”. Ask: “Who might the speaker be talking to?” and “What action or opinion might the speaker want?” Clarify that the same topic can be presented differently for younger children, whānau or the school leadership team.

3. 8–13 minutes – Notice three ways speakers persuade Use the ideas, language and delivery teaching slides to model three features:

• Ideas: a clear opinion supported by a reason or example.
• Language: strong verbs, descriptive words, inclusive words such as “we”, and questions.
• Delivery: volume, pace, emphasis, expression, eye contact and gesture. Demonstrate a short speech about reducing lunchbox waste, first in a flat voice and then with purposeful delivery. Students tell a partner what changed.

4. 13–21 minutes – Partner listening investigation Distribute the persuasive speech listening worksheet to pairs. Read or play two short age-appropriate speeches from the slides: one encouraging students to care for a local stream and one asking the school to create a native planting area. For each, pairs identify the purpose, audience, requested action, one persuasive idea or language choice, and one delivery feature they noticed. Pause after each speech so students can discuss and record evidence.

5. 21–26 minutes – Share and compare Bring the class together. Invite pairs to share one answer, asking them to begin with “I noticed…” or “The speaker wanted…” Record responses under the headings Ideas, Language and Delivery on the board or the class discussion and comparison slide. Discuss which speech would be most effective for its audience and why. Accept different answers when students give a sensible reason.

6. 26–30 minutes – Individual reflection and preview Students complete the final reflection on the persuasive speech listening worksheet: “A persuasive speaker can influence listeners by…” and name one feature they will listen for in the next lesson. Take two or three responses, recap the three features, and explain that the unit will build towards planning and presenting a purposeful speech.

Resources

• the complete lesson slide deck
• the persuasive speech listening worksheet
• the author purpose anchor chart
• Whiteboard and pens
• Optional audio playback or teacher-read speech scripts
• Pencils

Assessment

• Listen to partner discussions for accurate identification of purpose, audience and requested action.
• Check worksheet responses for evidence that students can recognise ideas, language and delivery.
• Use the final reflection to identify students who need further modelling of persuasive purpose or audience.

Differentiation

• Provide a small word bank on the worksheet: persuade, audience, purpose, reason, example, voice, pace, expression.
• Read each speech twice and allow students to draw or dictate responses; pair students thoughtfully and provide sentence starters such as “The speaker wants…”.
• For EAL learners, pre-teach key words with gestures and visuals, and accept oral responses before written recording.
• Extend confident students by asking them to explain which feature had the greatest influence and how the speech could be changed for a different audience.