364 16.4 Understanding PrinciPles of PersUasive sPeaking
it useful to state their central idea in the form of a proposition. A proposition is
a statement with which you want your audience to agree. In the following list,
note how each proposition is actually the central idea of the speech:
All students should be required to take a foreign language.
Organic gardening is better for the environment than gardening using
chemicals.
The United States should not provide economic aid to other countries.
The three categories of propositions are propositions of fact, propositions of
value, and propositions of policy. These three types of propositions are summa-
rized in Table 16.2. Determining which category your persuasive proposition fits
into not only can help you clarify your central idea but can also give you an idea
of how to select specific persuasive strategies that will help you to achieve your
specific purpose. Let’s examine each type of proposition in more detail.
ProPosition of fact A proposition of fact focuses on whether something
is true or false or on whether it did or did not happen. Some propositions of
fact are undebatable: Barack Obama received more popular votes than did Mitt
Romney in the 2012 presidential election. The Baltimore Ravens won the 2013
Super Bowl. Texas is bigger than Poland. Each of these statements is a proposi-
tion of fact that can be verified simply by consulting an appropriate source. For
that reason, they do not make good topics for persuasive speeches.
Other propositions of fact will take more time and skill—perhaps an entire
persuasive speech—to prove. Here are examples of debatable propositions of
fact that would make good topics:
When women joined the military, the quality of the military improved.
Adults who were abused as children by their parents are more likely to
abuse their own children.
U.S. foreign policy has decreased the probability that the United States will
experience more terrorist attacks.
Global climate change is not occurring in our atmosphere.Table 16.2 Persuasive Propositions: developing Your central idea
Type Definition Examples
Proposition of fact A statement that focuses on whether
something is true or false. Debatable
propositions of fact can be good topics for
persuasive speeches.Undebatable: The state legislature has raised tuition
10 percent during the last three years.
Debatable: There are more terrorist attacks occurring in the
world today than at any previous time in human history.
Proposition of value A statement that either asserts that
something is better than something else
or presumes what is right or wrong or
good or bad.The electoral college is a better way to elect presidents than
a direct popular vote would be.
It is better to keep your financial records on a personal
computer than to make calculations by hand.
Proposition of policy A statement that advocates a change in
policy or procedures.Our community should adopt a curfew for all citizens under
age eighteen.
All handguns should be abolished.copyrighted by Pearson education, Upper saddle river, nJ