How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

Thesis Statement

Techniques > Public speaking > Parts of the Presentation > Thesis Statement

Description | Example | Discussion | See also

Description

Near the beginning of the presentation, set out your thesis. This is the point you are going to prove, explain or otherwise elaborate upon in your speech.

Example

In this presentation I am going to try to convince you that AIDS is important to all businesses and important to you. This is something that we cannot sweep under the carpet. It impacts you now and will continue to do so in many unexpected ways.

Discussion

Some presentations have a central or significant objective of convincing the audience about something. Classically, this is a scientific or academic presentation although any form of public speaking that seeks to change minds may well benefit from a thesis statement.

Sometimes presenting a thesis can be counter-productive as it may create resistance and lead to a mind-set where certain people decide before your argument that this must be wrong and consequently set their minds firmly against the speaker. This especially happens when strongly-held beliefs or values are challenged and the evaluation becomes personal, with the speaker being considered 'bad' in some way for presenting on something that is 'wrong'.

When you set out a thesis at the start of a presentation, it is normal to revisit it during the closing stages to explain how you have now proved it or otherwise given the audience an insight into it.