Your Purpose Statement

Use this exact phrasing for a purpose statement when formulating why you are giving the speech. 

“My purpose is to persuade my audience how or why something does something.”

“How or why.” Not “to” or “how to” or “that” or “about.”
How or why makes what you’re saying a claim and that riles up the audience to where they might think “Oh yea?” And then you can swoop in and prove it.  

“Does” not “is.” Use doing (active) verbs such as creates, produces, destroys, or upends because action pulls people in and gives them something to follow. Avoid all forms of “to be” (is, are, was, were, being, been). “Tornadoes create havoc” is far more engaging than “Tornadoes are dangerous.” “Demonstrations provoke social change” is more engaging that “Demonstrations are unsettling.” Give your statement some teeth.