To inform and to persuade

The following video will introduce you to Hannah Alper.

Before you begin, reflect on what strategies you are using to predict what you are going to be learning. How are you preparing to explore this video?

There are a few questions that you will be answering after the video, either in the chart provided or in a method of your choice.

• What strategies did Hannah use to inform her audience?
• What strategies did Hannah use to attempt to persuade her audience?
• What did I learn from this video?
• Who is the target audience for this interview? How do I know?

You may complete the Video Analysis Chart in your notebook or by using the following fillable and printable document.

Now let’s reflect on how we explored the video:

• What strategies did you use while you were exploring the video to understand the content of the video?
• What strategies did you use after the video to clarify what you learned in the video?

Using strategies

In this learning activity, we will learn how to use the strategies, as Hannah did, to effectively communicate with our target audience. We will also consider what strategies we use before, during, and after listening and speaking tasks to improve our oral communication skills.

The purpose of oral texts

One of the purposes of oral texts is to persuade an audience. This means that the author of the oral text will provide a reason to do something. Another purpose of oral texts is to inform. This means that the author of the oral text will give facts or information.

Organizing our ideas to communicate our message

In the Minds On section, we analyzed and discussed the strategies that Hannah Alper used in order to inform and persuade her audience. Hannah would have planned and organized what she wanted to communicate before the interview. These are the questions she might have asked herself when planning:

• How will I inform my audience about the information in my new book?
• What is the most important information I want them to know?
• What do I think would be the most interesting for young people who want to change the world?
• How can they connect to my book?

Communication strategies

If you observed Hannah’s planning process, you might have noticed the following strategies:

Let’s organize!

Practice

Imagine you were being asked to create a short oral presentation (5 minutes), written speech, audio or video recording, or slides meant to inform your peers about one of the following:

• a new concept you learned in one of your other classes
• a social justice topic that is important to you
• being an empathetic and supportive team player in sports, a club, or an arts activity
• a school topic that interests you

Return to the planning process we discussed that Hannah would have completed when preparing her presentation. How will you plan and organize your information in order to create a clear message for your target audience? As you plan, consider the following questions, as Hannah did:

1. Who is your target audience? How will that change your message?
2. What information do you need to share? Summarize the most important points into a few sentences, thinking about the most important information you want your audience to take from your presentation. How will you organize your ideas?

1. What will you say first to capture their attention?
2. How will you support your ideas and message with facts or evidence?
3. How will you end your message for your target audience?

3. How will you connect to your target audience?
4. How will you persuade your target audience that your message is important?

You may record your thoughts using the Presentation Chart in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.

You can use the checklist below as you plan your presentation, just as Hannah might have done.

For the final step, you will decide how you would deliver this oral presentation that would be most effective for you!

Presenting our ideas

Now that you have done all that planning, it is time to put together the presentation! You have all the tools you need to inform and persuade your target audience!

BEFORE you present, record the strategies you are using to prepare for this oral presentation.

DURING your presentation, take note of how you are delivering your presentation effectively.

You can deliver your presentation live and in person, or you can record it and present your recording. You have already planned how you will present (oral presentation, written speech, audio or video recording, or slides) and what you are going to present.

Reflection questions

AFTER your presentation, take note of the strategies you are using to reflect on your presentation.

Think back to these questions that were asked in the Minds On section about the strategies used before, during, and after you explored the video. Be ready to share all of your strategies. How were they similar? How were they different?

Reflection

As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

Now, record your ideas using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.