On Advocacy and Activism

Joshua Gunn | Speech Craft, Second Edition

•Advocacy: an attempt to persuade others to care about an idea or

issue

•Most conspicuous in legal, political, economic, and social contexts

•Community–centered persuasion focused on decision-makers

•Influence working within a system

•Activism: persuasive campaigns working outside a given system

Public Speaking and Social Movements

•“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr.

•Social movements

•Consist of like–minded individuals

•Promote a nonmainstream cause, politics, or ideology

•Not institutionalized

•Includes many activists, speakers, and leaders

•Push for social or political change

Advocates and Activists

“To be an activist is to speak. To be an advocate is to listen. Society can’t

move forward without both.” —Student activist Eva Lewis (center)

Examples of Social Movements

•Civil rights movement

•Women’s rights movement