ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to explain various theoretical perspectives related to persuasive communication and how they can relate to public speaking. Persuasive communication is an area where Social Psychology and Pragmatics interact. Therefore, this chapter reviews some of the most relevant theories in Social Psychology and Pragmatics in order to acquaint the reader with various theoretical aspects of persuasive communication. An effort is also made to interpret the relevance of these theories in relation to persuasive oratory. In this way, this chapter explains to the reader the theoretical base of the persuasive strategies used in public speaking.
