When you are choosing a topic for you speech, you need to take into consideration how you are actually going to change your listeners’ views, and convince them to agree with what you are actually trying to say.

Once you have your initial persuasive topic, you need to then work on narrowing down your ideas, and pick out your points on what you can say to convince your listeners to agree with what you are saying.

• The main thing that you need to always remember is who your listeners are, and then you can start narrowing down your topic. You may be working with a rather controversial topic, and you need to take this step by step and tackle it at a very practical level. Remember that the more controversial topic you are working with, the harder it might be to actually convince your listeners.

• Once you have an understanding of who your listeners are, you want to then do your research and take very thorough notes on how you are going to start convincing them. Write everything down, making notes beside the most important topics. Make sure that you can answer any questions they may already have, give them hard evidence, and facts, and even use pictures to show them why you are trying to persuade them.

• Keep in mind that you too are considered a listener, and answer any questions that your audience might have. If you can, then present your audience with a strong cause and effect argument, as well as showing your listeners how you are going to solve a particular problem within you persuasive speech topic.

• Make sure that you have a very strong goal set within your topic, show them a fact claim that allows them to see where you are going to guide them. Then set your value claim and your policy claim, so that your points are valid and logical. This will help you convince your audience, and will give you the appearance of an expert.

• You should also make sure that you do your research thoroughly so you know where you need to start and where you need to go to persuade your audience with your persuasive speech topic.

• A good persuasive speech also addresses the other side of your argument. Be sure to anticipate opposing views and address them.