Two Organizational Approaches

There is not just one way to prepare and deliver an invitational speech.  Two approaches seem well suited although perhaps other variations are possible.  The first approach is to explore an issue from multiple perspectives; the second is to share one’s own position while seeking to understand others’ perspectives.

The multiple perspectives approach works well when speaker is unclear of their own position or is interested in exploring an issue.  This could be approached from the perspective of exploring the known pros and cons of an issue and then inviting discussion or one could also investigate multiple perspectives leading to the discussion.

The second approach assumes the speaker has an established perspective on the topic but is open to hearing different perspectives.  It is important that the speaker is actually open to hearing different views on the topic authentically.  If one is not then a different topic might be more appropriate.  The ability to share one’s own perspective while leaving room for other ideas can be difficult.  When and how the speaker shares his or her own view can impact how willing others are to share their perspective.  Often language choices are critical at this point.  For instance, taking ownership of a statement by saying, “I believe…” can help to communicate that others need come to that same conclusion.  Use of provisional language can help to ensure room for others to have different perspectives.  For instance, saying, “it may not always be true, but in this case…” makes the statement less certain, more provisional, so that others might able to come to a different conclusion.  Perhaps most importantly one must decide when to share their perspective.  In some cases, it would be better to hear other people’s views on an issue before sharing one’s own.  That way one’s own feelings or beliefs won’t influence what other people are comfortable sharing.  In some cases, it might be wise to hold off sharing one’s own views until the conclusion of an invitational speech.