Chapter 16 Persuasive Speaking 469statement may be debatable, but the goal of the speech is clear: you want to
align the audience’s perception or opinion of the fact with your own. Although it
may seem simple to state your belief and back up your points with research that
persuades your audience, it can actually be quite challenging. Propositions of fact
get at the heart of how you view the world, and your viewpoints may be quite
different from how members of your audience perceive reality. Consider the fol-
lowing proposition-of-fact thesis statements:
c “Single people are as capable of raising happy, healthy, well-adjusted
children as are married couples.”
c “Extending unemployment benefits actually hurts, rather than helps, peo-
ple’s ability to survive in a shaky economy.”c “Eating wheat, even whole wheat, can be dangerous for your health.”
Each statement is presented as a fact, yet audiences realize that they are really
the beliefs of the speaker, presented for the listeners’ consideration, and possibly
in conflict with their own. It’s important to be tolerant and understanding of
people’s deeply held beliefs—even if you ardently disagree with them—particularly
if you hope to get others to see your point of view.
Propositions of Value
Some speeches go beyond discussing what is or what is not and make claims
about something’s worth. Such evaluative claims are called propositions of
value. In speeches of this type, you seek to convince an audience that something
meets or does not meet a specific standard of goodness or quality or right or
wrong. For example:
c “Torturing prisoners of war is immoral.”
c “The Olympics are becoming less relevant as a sporting event.”
c “Organized religion has done a great deal of good for the world.”
Each statement offers a judgment about the overall value of the person, event,
object, way of life, condition, or action discussed. Like propositions of fact, it’s
clear to the audience that these statements of value are not absolute truths but
rather the opinion of the speaker. And as with propositions of fact, the speaker
must present arguments and evidence that will persuade listeners to align their
beliefs and attitudes with the speaker’s.
Propositions of Policy
The third type of proposition is concerned with what should happen. In propo-
sitions of policy, the speaker makes claims about what goal, policy, or course of
action should be pursued. For example: