A student reading a speech to her class. Photo by Blend Images - Hill Street Studios from Getty Images

In a persuasive speech, a person tries to get an audience to agree with an idea.

First, you'll select a side on a topic. Then you will write a speech to explain your opinion or idea.

Your first job as a speaker is to make your audience believe that a particular problem is important. Then you must convince them that you have the solution to make things better.

Note: The problem can be just about anything. For example, you could tell them why they need to wash their hands, or why they should play a certain sport.

For example, let's say you have chosen "Getting Up Early" as your topic. You will try to persuade classmates to get themselves out of bed an hour earlier every morning. For this, the problem could be summed up as "morning madness."

A good speech starts with an introduction with a great hook statement. Then it has three main points and a summary at the end.

Before you write your speech, create an outline. It includes your hook statement and three main points.

Writing The Text

The introduction of your speech must be well written. Within a few minutes, your audience will decide if they are interested or bored.

You should also have a greeting. It can be as simple as "Good morning, everyone. My name is Frank."

Then, you will offer a hook to capture attention. A hook sentence for the "morning madness" speech could be a question:

-How many times have you been late to school?

-Does your day begin with shouts and arguments?

-Have you ever missed the bus?

Your hook could also be some interesting numbers, or a surprising statement:

-More than half of students skip breakfast because they just don't have time to eat.

-Late kids drop out of school more often than kids who are on time.

Once you have the attention of your audience, you then define the topic and introduce your solution. Here's an example of what you would have so far:

Good afternoon, class. My name is Frank Godfrey. I have a question for you. Does your day begin with shouts and arguments with your parents? Do you often miss the bus? The madness you experience in the morning can put you in a bad mood. It can affect how you do at school.

Add the solution:

You can improve your mood and your school performance by adding more time to your morning. You do this by setting your alarm clock to go off one hour earlier.

Next, write the body of the speech. It will contain the three main points you've come up with to argue your position.

Each point will be followed by supporting evidence or stories. Each body paragraph will need to end with a transition statement. It leads the listener to the next part.

Here is a sample of three main statements:

-Bad moods caused by morning madness will affect how you work during the day.

-Maybe you skip breakfast to give yourself more time. If you skip breakfast, you're making an unhealthy choice.

-(Ending on a cheerful note) You'll feel much better when you reduce the morning madness.

You've written three body paragraphs with strong transition statements. Now, you are ready to work on your summary.

Your summary will say your argument, or reason, over again.

This can be a little tricky. You need to repeat your argument, but you don't want it to sound exactly the same. Just find a way to re-word the same main points.

Finally, make sure to write a clear final sentence.

A few examples of good endings:

-We all like to sleep. I know it's hard to get up some mornings. I promise you that the reward is worth the effort.

-If you follow my guidelines and make the effort to get up a little bit earlier every day, you'll be rewarded at home and on your report card.

Tips For Writing Your Speech

Don't be mean in your argument. You don't need to put down the other side, just tell your audience why your side is right.

Keep it simple. Too much information could confuse your audience.

Don't go outside the usual "three points" format. It is proven to work for an audience that is listening and not reading. It won't sound silly to listeners.

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