Persuasive Speaking Speaking is a very important part of our society today. You present yourself and your attitude in what you say and how you act. Your tone of voice controls the way people perceive you and can greatly enhance or detract from the message you are trying to get across to someone. When speaking to someone you must first gain their attention. Let's face it, it's no use trying to tell a baseball fan anything if he's watching television during the 9th inning of a tie ball game. Your message either won't be interpreted properly or won't be interpreted at all. The volume at which you talk can be a great attention gette