Date:  Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Host Club: Tale Weavers

In the book “Peter and Wendy” (better known as “Peter Pan”), Captain Hook tried unsuccessfully to encourage the Lost Boys to join his crew.  He threatened the boys by giving them a choice: Join Captain Hook, or walk the plank!  When the boys decided to walk the plank, all I could think is how poor Captain Hook’s persuasion skills are.  In this speech, I use the softer skills of selling.  No threats!  Well, maybe only if the grammar is poor!

About Project #09 – Persuade with Power

To have influence in life, persuasion is a skill that a person must have.  The objective of this speech is to persuade listeners by appealing to their interests, and lead them to adopting the speaker’s viewpoints and/or call them to take action.

Specifics –

Word of Day: Expeditious

Speech Time Limit: 5-7 Minutes

Actual Speech time: 7:17

Evaluation Notes –

It is often difficult for a newer member to give an evaluation that is both encouraging and helpful to the speaker.  At the time that the video was taken, Ron had been a member with us for about 6 months.  The improvements he has made with his public speaking skills is incredible.  He didn’t leave me with anything to improve upon, but there were quite a few things that he liked:

– Usage of pirate vernacular with common day expressions (ex, Planking, “What’s in Your Wallet?”, Booty and Boody)

– The costume

– The persuasiveness of the speech

Personal Comments –

My favorite comment that came back to me was from the General Evaluator: “I wasn’t crazy about the idea of becoming a mother to the Lost Boys, but then you said, ‘I could tell them where to go’, and then I was persuaded.”

I’m not the kind of man who really enjoys wearing costumes, but I will admit this was quite fun.  When I went hunting for a costume, this speech wasn’t even written.  When I first put on that costume to try it on, the speech started to come together in my head.  I also noticed that once I rented it, brought it home, and started practicing the speech, the speech also became easier to deliver.  It feels good that I don’t always have to be myself!

Do you have any comments, suggestions, or improvements about the speech? Please leave a comment and tell me what you think: