The persuasive presentation will be a 5:00 minute speech to address a question of policy. Although the topic can be global or national, it does not have to be. Think closer to home. What issues in your professional life are important to you? Can you speak passionately about any of them? For example, a communication student might want to speak about an issue of free speech; a healthcare student might want to speak to persuade others to give blood or get yearly mammograms; a criminal justice major may want to persuade parents concerning the importance of monitoring their children's internet usage or being fingerprinted in case of abduction. If you cannot choose a topic related to your field of study, then you may choose another topic that you support. Think in terms of a topic that motivates your audience to action; make sure you can clearly state what you want your audience to do when you are done speaking.

Delivery of the speech is to be extemporaneous - no reading or memorizing word for word. The assertions made in this speech must be supported with at least five credible sources from the Kaplan Library or other reputable source. You are highly encouraged to create a speaking outline to organize your ideas first. Refer to the Unit 9 Project Checklist in Doc Sharing as you create your outline and practice your delivery.

In addition, a PowerPoint needs to be developed to augment the presentation. Your PowerPoint should contain 4-6 slides, including an introduction and conclusion slide.

In your speech, you will refer the listener to the appropriate slide by saying, "if you could turn to slide one," or some other similar phrase. It may not be possible for you to physically show your slides in your recording so referring to them during your speech is very important.