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The Evaluation of Persuasive Speech Paper

The Evaluation of Persuasive Speech Paper

Why Having a College Degree is More Beneficial Than Not Having One?

My topic for the persuasive speech is to evaluate the importance of having a college degree as opposed to not having one. This topic attracts divided opinions considering the levels of discrepancies in education systems and individual academic targets. The potential audience for this speech is high school students who are contemplating pursuing higher education. I will target to influence learners who have negative perceptions regarding the applicability of higher education degrees in transforming their lives. Therefore, I will need to apply persuasive elements such as logos, pathos, and ethos to convince the audience about the topic.

 Pathos, Ethos, and Logos

Pathos refers to the process of persuasively appealing for emotions and senses from the audience. Often speakers should present arguments that activate senses for the listeners. To exercise pathos in my speech, I will use nostalgia and create collective responsibility about the importance of having a college degree as opposed to not having one. On the other hand, ethos in a persuasive speech refers to the speaker’s credibility and reliability. In this sense, the audience will spend their time listening to core concepts depending on whether they have the prerequisite experience to convince them about a particular topic.

To capitalize on appeal for credibility, I will start with proper audience analysis then proceed to a proper introduction, including my level of expertise in higher education and any other information that would support my reliability and exposure to the topic. Finally, logos create appeal for the audience’s sense of logic and reasoning. For example, speakers require supportive evidence and baselines for their arguments to convince the audience and argue logically. I will use scholarly research and subsequent articles to convince the listeners about the importance of having a college degree compared to not having.

Support Materials

Before settling on various academic research papers that support my thesis, it is essential to select them based on their reliability, validity, and authenticity. I will use recent journals from reputable scholars and recommendable databases to support my arguments in this context. In his article titled “Relative education and the advantage of a college degree,” Horowitz (2018) argues that individuals with higher education levels have less competition to enter highly skilled occupations compared to people lacking prerequisite qualifications. Therefore, the author views a college degree from an employment perspective.

On the other hand, Elizabeth Lawrence (2017) introduces the essentiality of having a higher education degree by establishing the link between higher education and improved health. She highlights that college and university education is crucial in improving individual health and bolstering self-esteem. Finally, McMahon (2018), in his article “Social benefits of higher education,” presents the arguments about the topic from a social dimension. He contends that people with higher education degrees benefit their communities by exercising proper leadership, creativity, and innovation. These materials are fundamental in supporting my topic and convincing the audience to embrace my arguments for higher education.

How to Avoid Defective Persuasion

Defective persuasion exists where speakers fail to incorporate appropriate evidence to support their core concepts. Further, it may prevail when they opt to deviate from the fact and concentrate on unreliable arguments. To avoid such incidences, I will use the stipulated scholarly sources and speech aiding material such as charts, graphs, pie charts, and other diagrams to portray employment statistics based on academic qualification to convince the audience and present arguments with supportive data.

References