Persuasion Skills

Awareness & Understanding

Every day, people try to influence you — ads, news headlines, friends asking for favors, signs at the Utah State Capitol. Persuasion is the skill of changing someone's mind or moving them to act, using reasons and evidence rather than force or tricks. Watch a few short videos on YouTube by searching "what is persuasion for teens" or visit the free Khan Academy unit on rhetoric. Notice the difference between ethical persuasion, which respects the other person's thinking, and manipulation, which tries to bypass it. Keep a simple log this week: write down three times you saw someone try to persuade you and whether it felt fair or pushy. You're ready for the next step when you can explain in your own words what makes persuasion ethical versus manipulative.

Research & Investigation

Now dig into the building blocks of persuasion. Ancient Greek thinkers identified three main tools: ethos (showing you're trustworthy), pathos (connecting to feelings), and logos (using facts and logic). Read the free "Rhetorical Triangle" article on Purdue OWL (owl.purdue.edu) and explore how Utah community leaders — like city council members or school board advocates — use these tools in real speeches. Search YouTube for a recorded Salt Lake City Council public comment session and pick one speaker. Write down which tools they used and how well it worked on you as a listener. Also check out TED-Ed's free video "How to use rhetoric to get what you want." You're ready for the next step when you can identify ethos, pathos, and logos in a real speech you've watched.

Planning & Preparation

Pick an issue you genuinely care about — maybe air quality along the Wasatch Front, school lunch options, or a neighborhood park that needs improvement. Now plan a short persuasive pitch: two to three minutes long, aimed at a specific audience (a parent, a teacher, or a local official). Use the free MindMeister or a simple notebook to map out your argument: your claim, three supporting reasons, evidence for each, and a call to action. Practice the PEEL structure — Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link — which many Utah schools teach in language arts class. Record yourself on your phone and watch it back. Notice your body language and whether your voice sounds confident. You're ready for the next step when you have a written outline and a recorded practice run you've reviewed at least once.

Taking Action

Deliver your pitch to a real audience — at least three people who aren't close friends or family, so you get honest feedback. This could be a neighbor, a coach, a librarian at the Salt Lake City Public Library, or even a small group at your school. After your pitch, ask each listener two questions: "What was the strongest part?" and "What would make it more convincing?" Collect their answers in a feedback chart. If you can, attend a public meeting — Salt Lake County holds free public comment sessions open to all ages — and listen to how adults structure their spoken arguments. Compare what you see with what you practiced. Revise your outline based on the feedback you received. You're ready for the next step when you've delivered your pitch in person and collected written feedback from at least three listeners.

Leadership & Expansion

Take your persuasion skills to a bigger stage. Submit a letter to the editor of the Salt Lake Tribune or Deseret News — both accept youth voices — or sign up for a public comment slot at a city council or school board meeting in your district. Before you go, research the specific issue thoroughly using Utah.gov and the free ProPublica Local News Network. Help a younger student or a peer practice their own persuasive pitch using the feedback method you learned. Start a simple "persuasion journal" where you track every public argument you make and what the response was. Real civic advocates keep records so they can improve over time. You're ready for the next step when you have submitted at least one written or spoken public argument and helped one other person prepare theirs.

Impact & Reflection

Look back at everything you've done across this quest. Pull out your feedback charts, your persuasion journal, and any responses you received from officials or editors. Write a one-page reflection — or record a two-minute video — answering these questions: Did your argument change anyone's mind or lead to any action? Which persuasion tool (ethos, pathos, logos) felt most natural to you? What would you do differently? Share your reflection with a trusted adult or post it to a school community board. Then look ahead: what civic issue in Salt Lake Valley deserves your voice next? The Utah Civic Engagement Coalition at utahcivicdialogue.org has resources for keeping the momentum going. You're ready for the next step when you can point to at least one specific change — in your skills, in another person, or in the community — that your persuasion work helped create.