William Carroll

(T/TR 2:00 PM)

Persuasive Prep Questionnaire
October 27, 2022

1. WHAT TOPIC HAVE YOU CHOSEN? WHY IS THIS TOPIC IMPORTANT TO

YOU?

I’ve chosen the topic of Vinyl records and how they are a superior way of listening to any
type of music genre in relation to other means like CD’s or streaming services. This topic was
inspired by a recent experience of comparison between purchasing a new album through vinyl
and listening to that same album through a streaming service. I feel like vinyl as a means of
listening to music is highly glossed over and is rarely appreciated due to the added conveniences
of streaming services or more portable mediums.

2. HOW IS THIS TOPIC CURRENTLY RELEVANT TO YOUR AUDIENCE?

With Belmont providing an environment of shared musical interest, the latter is a

common link between students. Therefore, a generalization can be placed that a large body of
students have a little more background with music listening or production than the average
college student. This heightened knowledge of music creates some contrast between whether
music is best streamed or is best listened through vinyl. This creates an audience that is receptive
to my chosen topic and will already have some background knowledge behind the production or
streaming of music.

3. PLEASE WRITE OUT YOUR COMPLETE PURPOSE STATEMENT IN THE

CORRECT FORMAT and INDICATE IF IT IS A STIMULATE, CONVINCE, or
ACTUATE. ALSO STATE WHETHER YOUR OVERALL CLAIM IS A FACT,
VALUE, or POLICY CLAIM.

My purpose statement is to persuade my audience that vinyl is the best way to

listen to all music forms and genres as opposed to conventional CDs or streaming services.
My purpose statement is best categorized as a “convince” statement. In addition, my
overall claim is a value claim since it isn’t as quantifiable and it doesn’t necessarily equate
to a standardized policy.
 William Carroll
(T/TR 2:00 PM)
Persuasive Prep Questionnaire
October 27, 2022

4. GIVE ME (1) EXAMPLE OF LOGICAL APPEAL (LOGOS) THAT YOU

PLAN TO or MIGHT USE IN YOUR UPCOMING SPEECH.

I’m thinking about using testimonials about how Vinyl produces a better sound quality
than other streaming services. Recently, I’ve encountered some facts revealing how the process
of creating vinyl records best preserves the sound that the producer wants and mitigates the
effects of technical errors. This would provide a streamline sense of logical facts to create a
conclusion that vinyl does provide an exceptional quality of sound.

5. GIVE ME (1) EXAMPLE OF EMOTIONAL APPEAL (PATHOS) THAT YOU

PLAN TO or MIGHT USE IN YOUR UPCOMING SPEECH.

In regards to the inspiration of my topic, I can come into the generalization that a lot of
my audience members have probably bought a vinyl or have gone into a record store. I could use
rhetorical imagery to paint a story for my audience to bring the surreal and nostalgic experience
of purchasing vinyl back to the front of their minds and have it stimulate the rest of my speech. I
could probably add this towards the beginning of the speech as an attention grabber, or as a
credible statement as it reveals that I have experience with vinyls in the past.

6. REGARDING YOUR SPEAKER CREDIBILITY (ETHOS) WHAT SOURCES

OF YOUR CREDIBILITY (from the list of 7) DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE
MOST IMPORTANT FOR YOU AND YOUR SPEECH?

I think the most important source of my credibility will be through competence. Since I’m
making a claim that heavily draws on factual information, having backed sources and
establishing credible information within my speech will have the most effect upon my overall
speaker credibility.

7. PLEASE DEFINE/EXPLAIN "CLAIMS" and "PROOFS"/EVIDENCE.

“Claims” is a logical statement of whether a fact, value, or policy is correct, true, or ethical.
“Proofs”, or evidence, is material that is used to either support the claim or disprove that claim.
 William Carroll
(T/TR 2:00 PM)
Persuasive Prep Questionnaire
October 27, 2022

8. PROVIDE (1) CLAIM THAT YOU WILL BE MAKING and WHAT

EVIDENCE/PROOF YOU WILL NEED TO PROVE IT.

One claim that I’ll be making is that Vinyl is superior to other formats due to its qualities in
revealing subtleties about the music that is hard to decipher through other modes of streaming.
For this, my proofs will heavily involve a credible testimonial or statistic that can sufficiently
back my claim.

9. a. WITH REGARD TO YOUR AUDIENCE ANALYSIS, WHAT DO YOU SEE

TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT CONCERNS?
b. WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO TO ADDRESS THEM?

My most important concern is where my audience stands with the purpose statement that I’ve
chosen. As of now, I’ve given generalities to my audience and their opinions on music played on
vinyl. My plan is to create a questionnaire to them asking about their straightforward opinions
about vinyl to fully gauge my speech to fit their notions. If they turn out “hostile” to my topic,
then I would place emphasis on just getting them on board with my topic and vice versa.

10. WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO FOCUS ON REGARDING YOUR OWN

DELIVERY FOR THIS PARTICULAR SPEECH?

My focus is to cite my sources correctly and thoroughly to provide a sense of acknowledgement

and credibility. I will focus on talking with more confidence and wording my speech with a more
persuasive undertone.