Communication Faculty Publications

What We Value: Trends in Value Appeals of Interstate Oratory Contest Final Round Speeches

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-9-2020

Journal Title

National Forensic Journal

ISSN

0749-1042

Volume

37

Issue

1

First Page

93

Last Page

120

Abstract

Value appeals are crucial to persuasion. However, we wonder if forensic educators prioritize certain values. This content analysis examines the value appeals in the introductions of the three highest-placing persuasive speeches (N = 56) from the 1996-2016 Interstate Oratory Contests. Our two-decade comparison reveals that the diversity of values to which the finalists appealed decreased in the last decade. Drawing upon the Interstate Oratorical Association’s historical context, Rokeach’s (1973) value appeals, and Social Judgment Theory, we explain this trend and explore practical implications regarding exclusivity and judge bias, as well as methodological implications for future content analyses of value appeals

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