Pushing or Persuasion?

It was as a freshman in college that many of us were forced to take Kutztown's public speaking course and what an eye opener it was! For my class the persuasion speech proved to be to biggest undertaking of the entire semester and it wasn't until now that I realized why. What types of references to persuasion to we actually have? Yes, it is true that there have been speakers in the past that have used persuasion as a useful tool and in doing so changed their audience, yet as a college freshman it seemed as if students were either overloading you with facts or screaming their ideas in hopes of an emotional response. Persuasion in that grey area in between. None of us are the late night preachers that have the dramatic backdrop or impressive lighting but instead we fall heavily on facts. On the other hand, none of us are Jeopardy contestants with the never ending flowing of information and here lies the problem. How do we find that happy medium?

Take it slow. Ramage speaks of persuasion as a slow walk, much like slow cooking and I would have to agree. Persuasion is not for those to stand up and "wing it" although many have and their outcomes have proved to be less than appealing. It is when an arguement is put through a process of trying and testing that allows it to become more than a person's opinion. It changes an opinion into a impressive point that would stop even the most stubborn listener; whether you have changed their outlook is really up to how open the listener is. So, to get to the title of the blog. I feel that much of the persuasion that is encountered by audiences is not persuasion at all and instead it is a speaker pushing their ideas into the minds of their listeners. Yes, each arguement needs a little nug but there is a difference between a nug to get it moving and pushing it off the cliff.