Introduction to building line of reasoning and possible routes: learning from Michelle Obama's F
StartFragmentWhen making any argumentative speech, it is extremely important to maintain a clear line of reasoning. Today we'll be looking at a recent speech delivered by Michelle Obama and how she developed her line of reasoning.
What is a line of reasoning you may ask? It is a collation of claims and evidence that is used to prove a point or reach a conclusion. Simply put, it is a map of the speaker’s thought process; a list of the different reasons that speaker uses to convince their audience of their conclusion.
The most important aspect of a clear line of reasoning is ensuring that all your points are relevant to your conclusion. In a speech, less is usually more, so choose three or four substantial reasons that demonstrate why your stance is correct, and use your speech to thoroughly flush out those reasons.
You can present your reasons in two ways: You can either provide credible and relevant evidence to justify your reason, or, if the reason is more complicated, simply explain how your reason is connected to your conclusion. If you go down the evidence route, you can use statistics, personal experiences, or expert opinions to back up your reason. If you go down the logic route, always make sure to connect your reason back to your conclusion.
Choosing routes often depends on speech topic. Say you're talking about whether or not an environmental policy should be implemented, statistics may be your best friend. But if its a topic like "Should movie periods be made a must for schools to celebrate Fridays?". The lack of experience with movie periods in the past may have you consider the logical route.
One very good example of a speech with an explicit and coherent line of reasoning is Michelle Obama’s final speech as first lady. She gave this speech at the 2017 Counselor of the Year Event, an event which is part of the Reach Higher education initiative that Michelle launched in 2015. The primary purpose of this speech was to acknowledge the various school counsellors for all their hard work in promoting higher education among America’s youth, and taking the evidence route, Michelle skillfully uses stories to send more far-reaching messages.
Message 1: Everybody has a place in this country
(to School counselors at the event, taking a story approach to the evidence route)
"You see the promise in each of your students. You believe in them even when they can't believe in themselves, and you work tirelessly to help them be who they were truly meant to be. And you do it all in the face of some overwhelming challenges -- tight budgets, impossible student- counselor ratios -- yeah, amen -- (laughter) -- endless demands on your time.
You all come in early, you stay late. You reach into your own pockets -- and see, we've got the amen corner. (Laughter.) You stick with students in their darkest moments, when they're most anxious and afraid. And if anyone is dealing with a college [high school] senior or junior, you know what this feels like. These men and women show them that those kids matter; that they have something to offer; that no matter where they're from or how much money their parents have, no matter what they look like or who they love or how they worship or what language they speak at home, they have a place in this country."
Message 2: You can’t take the diversity out of America (to young people of different races and religions, taking the historical approach under the evidence route)
"If you are a person of faith, know that religious diversity is a great American tradition, too. In fact, that's why people first came to this country -- to worship freely. And whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh -- these religions are teaching our young people about justice, and compassion, and honesty. So I want our young people to continue to learn and practice those values with pride. You see, our glorious diversity -- our diversities of faiths and colors and creeds -- that is not a threat to who we are, it makes us who we are. (Applause.) So the young people here and the young people out there: Do not ever let anyone make you feel like you don't matter, or like you don't have a place in our American story -- because you do."
Message 3: The right to be who you are is a right that must be earned
(to young people, taking a personal story approach under the evidence route)
"Right now, you need to be preparing yourself to add your voice to our national conversation. You need to prepare yourself to be informed and engaged as a citizen, to serve and to lead, to stand up for our proud American values and to honor them in your daily lives. And that means getting the best education possible so you can think critically, so you can express yourself clearly, so you can get a good job and support yourself and your family, so you can be a positive force in your communities.
And when you encounter obstacles -- because I guarantee you, you will, and many of you already have -- when you are struggling and you start thinking about giving up, I want you to remember something that my husband and I have talked about since we first started this journey nearly a decade ago, something that has carried us through every moment in this White House and every moment of our lives, and that is the power of hope -- the belief that something better is always possible if you're willing to work for it and fight for it."
You can watch Michelle's full speech here:
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