COMM 301 Week 6 Discussion

COMM 301 Week 6 Discussion | Los Rios Community College

Proposition Me! Then Give Me a Makeover!

One of our objectives this week is to begin to formulate our persuasive propositions. A proposition is a clear and concise STATEMENT of the change you wish to see as a result of your speech.  In other words, it is a STATEMENT calling for change.  The proposition is not a question.  The proposition is not a general topic.

Good propositions:

·         FLC students should consider pursuing a certificate in Applied Communication Skills. (Policy)

·         The lunar landing was a hoax. (Factual)

·         Elvis is alive. (Factual)

·         Public colleges and universities should be free. (Policy)

·         College athletes should be paid. (Policy)

·         Practice random acts of kindness. (Policy)

·         Your vote matters. (Factual)

·         Employer-based health insurance is fair. (Value)

·         Private businesses running public utilities is a bad idea. (Value)

Poor propositions:

·         Child abuse.  (What about it?  What change in belief or behavior is being sought, here?  Is anyone in favor of child abuse?

·         Why we should overturn Citizens United.  ("Why " is a question word.  Just say, "We should overturn Citizens United.)

·         We should do something about plastic.  (1. "Do something" is vague.  2. Tell us what specific change we should make. 3. This is also on the forbidden topics list)

Propositions can be difficult to write so we're going to help each other out with this.  You do not have to pick big, national issues.  (These are usually pretty difficult to cover well in 8 minutes.). Think of a change you'd like so see in the world.  One of my all-time favorite persuasive speeches advocated allowing people to merge in front of you in traffic.  So think about something you care about.)

Part I:  Take a stab at a proposition.  Do your best, and no worries if it's not perfect or if you change your mind later.  The important thing is to learn how to do this, so write. your proposition.

Part II:  Proposition makeover.  Reply to a classmate who does not yet have a reply.  Attempt to rehabilitate their proposition.  Example:  Let's say a classmate writes, "We should not forgive student loans."  You might reply, "Cool topic, but this is not a statement calling for change, because the United States currently does not forgive student loans.  Perhaps you could go with a value proposition instead, like "Student loan forgiveness is a bad idea for the United States."  If you think your classmate's proposition is fine as is, tell your classmate why you think their proposition is fine as it is.