I am giving a persuasive speech on global warming, and need a good attention grabber to start off with..?

Question

I've thought about talking about drowning polar bears, or talking about the elimination of several species in years to come. I've also considered putting up a picture of a certain place many years ago, and show how drastically it has changed over the years.
What do you think? I want it to really be a shocker, and really grab the attention of the listeners!
Anything would help!

Answer 1

I recomend that you state your position, either you believe that Global Warming is happening or that it's just a natural cycle and will end soon enough.

I used this in my persuasive paper.
Glaciers melting, extreme weather changes, sea level rising. They are all signs of one thing: Global Warming. I believe global warming is happening...

I would also recommend that you place a picture of a glacier. Glaciers have been melting over many years. For example the Upsala Glacier in Argentina. Check it out.

Hope this helps and good luck on writing your paper.

Answer 2

Finaly Apple will take action




THE CONCEPT – " Apple-trees "


The concept is this: On Apple's outstanding internet store, ITunes they will set up the possibility to buy an "Apple-tree". This will be a non-profit project where the income goes to funding the project itself, aside from a small handling charge. (I know that this sounds bad for a commercial enterprise, but I predict that this will really establish Apple as an environmentally conscious company.)


An "Apple-tree" is an audio- and/or a video-file where (hopefully!) Al Gore will thank you for buying an "Apple-tree". He will then explain to you that by buying an "Apple-tree" you are actually buying endangered rainforests in the tropical belt around the world, which by itself is not enough to save the world but is an important contribution. Then he will give you a new tip with every purchase of an "Apple-tree", of what you can do yourself to give the earth the upper hand in the battle against oblivion. There are several enterprises today that are planting or protecting the rainforest, so Apple would mainly be the front-end marketing arm.



I predict that with Apple's impact on society, and how the conscientious consumers want to participate; this would be a way of getting control over the situation. In the near future people would meet at work, in school, in the neighbourhood and at home to compare the number of trees they have "planted".



This is good brand-building. Apple will make even more money while they are saving the planet.



Now, doesn't that sound cool?

Dag Skaug

[e-mail]

Answer 3

A few years ago I produced a fairly light hearted prresentation that was handed out to people, the front cover showed a picture of a polar bear holding up a banner which read 'Save Me'.

The picture keeps cropping up on the internet from time to time so you may be able to find it, or you could always Photoshop your own picture.

Polar bears and seal pups are always good for the 'aww factor'. Another possibility would be to show a city underwater or a famous landmark, just the top of the Statue of Liberty sticking up out of the ocean for example - not realistic but should get some attention.

You could start by telling your audience that some people think they'll all be dead within 20 years because of global warming. That's not realistic either but it is what some people think.

I've made several presentations and I think it's important that you're accurate in what you say. If you start off with a 'shocker' be sure to put your audience straight on the real facts, you don't want them leaving thinking New York is about to be flooded or they're going to die soon.

Good comparison pictures are often the ones of receding glaciers as these clearly show just what effect global warming has had - there's plenty of these such pictures on the internet.

If you have video facilities you might want to start off with one of the Ad Council videos on global warming, one is called 'Train' and another is called 'Tick'. If the audience is young there's a couple of vidoes set to the soundtrack of Eric Prydz Vs Floyd "Proper Education" and a montage of images based on "George Bush - Show Me The Evidence" set to Crazy by Gnarls Barkley. All these videos and others are on this page - http://profend.com/global-warming/pages/videos.html

Answer 4

General recommendations:

I recommend first get out in front of the lectern, center stage, no notes in your hand.

Learn your speech well enough that you can give it without notes, but do not memorize it.

You will have much more credibility with your audience if the members of the audience can clearly see that you are giving your speech without notes.

But If you memorize your speech it will sound canned, and if you forget your place it will stop you dead in your tracks.


Your openiing:

I recommend, open with a startling but well documented factual question.

It gets the audience thinking about the subject.

Then pause for approximately five seconds of silence. No more no less.


I would look directly at the audience and ask my opening question.


The opening question that I would ask is:

" Did you know that as recently as 10,000 years ago most of North America, including what is now the United States was under a sheet of ice over one mile thick?"

This is a well documented fact and it is surprising because most members of the audience do not know this. A surprising fact in the form of a question gets the attention of the audience as long as the fact is true and well documented.


You can use the question that I have given you, or you can make up one of your own.

Whatever you do, make absolutely certain that your statement is factual and well documented.

For example you made the comment about drowning Polar Bears.

Polar Bears are very good swimmers and are known to swim for over 50 to 60 miles. I would fact check that source about drowning Polar Bears very carefully.

You do not want to start your speech with a fact that is not correct.

I guarantee there will be someone in the audience who will speak up very loudly in the middle of the opening of your speech and challenge your facts, if your facts are not accurate and not well documented.

In fact, I recommend that you have the documentation of your facts available in the room where you are giving your speech.

This is what I do. I find it to be very effective. If a member of the audience challenges my facts I bring him or her up on stage with me and I insist that they read my factual documentation out loud to the audience and nothing more.

I do not permit them to give their own speech because at the moment this is my stage. I only permit them to read my documented facts to the audience.

Then I tell them to leave the stage go back to their seat and be quiet or leave the room.


There are few things that will damage your credibility more than an audience member who can challenge your facts at the openiing of your speech.


Then pause for approximately 5 seconds, saying nothing, continuing to look straight at the audience. Raise your eyebrows a little and slowly scan the audience.

Do not break eye contact with the audience. Let them break eye contact with you.

Keep your time by counting silently to your self one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand, four one thousand, five one thousand.

Do not let the time go beyond five seconds or the audience will begin to lose interest.

I have found through experience with public speaking that five seconds is the optimal time.


The audience will find the silence to be uncomfortable epecially with you looking straight at them.

I have found this to be a very dramatic yet subtle attention getting opening.



Then launch into your speech.


I recommend also that when you close your speech, in the last 15 seconds tie it back to your attention getting opening question.

Follow your close again with 5 seconds of silence, raising your eyebrows slightly and again scanning the audience.

Then state crisply: Mr. Chair!

Note:
Do not under any circumstance say thank you to the audience. Many beginning speakers make this mistake because their parents taught them that it is the polite thing to no.

That is not the case when speaking to an audience.

It is the members of the audience who owe you their thanks for taking your time to research your topic and learn it well enough that you can present it to them.


Replace the statement "Mr. Chair" with the proper title of the person that you are returning control of the stage or the lectern to.

For example, if the person that you are returning control to is named Gerorge Brown. I would say "Mr. Brown!" or if his proper title is Dr., then I say "Dr;. Brown!"

Make arrangements with him or her beforehand so that he or she knows that this is his cue to return and take control of the stage.

Also, do not leave the stage until he returns and takes control back from you. Never permit the stage to be empty during the event..


Remember also, a podium is the stage that you stand on.

The lectern is what you place your notes on and stand behind if you are an inexperienced speaker.

Congratulations! you have taken your first step toward learning the very important art of public apeaking.

I wish you great success!

Answer 5

Glaciers are actually growing by 3 feet a day some places.
before you persuade a bunch of people to fear everything go back and lot at some 70's national geographic back then they were talking about the exact opposite. Of today. truth is no one knows what is happening our why what we do to try and stop it could cause more harm then leaving it alone.
Like when they tried to clean up that oil spill in 90's it caused more damage then if they let mother earth take care of it herself.

Answer 6

What about an about face go to youtube and put in the great global warming swindle. Unfortunately both of these are false Polar bears are thriving and about 500 years ago the earth was significantly warmer than it is now so extinction due to GW is not valid.

Answer 7

You have to show them that global warming exist and that it's really bad.

Go to this page and show them the chart on it
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f4/Instrumental_Temperature_Record.png

Also try watching "An Inconvenient Truth" for some ideas.

Good Luck

Answer 8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming