The Speech

Guidelines for writing a successful speech

Friends, I want to thank your teachers for inviting me to share some tips for writing speeches with you today. If you keep these tips in mind, not only will you write an engaging speech, but your audience will remember what you say!

Tip #1: know your purpose

The most common purposes in KY schools are:

to narrate an incident for a specific purpose to inform to persuade

You will need to maintain a clear sense of why you are writing your speech

Tip #2: Engage your audience

The first thirty seconds of your speech are probably the most important. You must grab the attention of the audience, and engage their interest in what you have to say. For example, you could raise a thoughtprovoking question, make an interesting or controversial statement, use a relevant quote or even tell a joke, if appropriate. Once you have hooked your audience, your speech should move seamlessly to the body of your speech.

Tip #3: Tell them what youre going to tell them

Since your audience will hear your words instead of reading them, they wont be able to go back and re-listen if they dont understand Explain quickly what your main point is going to be, for example
Today I want to talk to you about the importance of physical activity and why we should have more gym time

Tip #4: Choose your main ideas

Dont try to put too many ideas into your speech Develop and support all your main points in the body of your speech

Provide a controlling idea, such as

A viewpoint or position An opinion A specific statement of purpose An angle or special approach to the subject

Offer relevant support, such as

Facts, statistics Examples Reference to personal experience Comparisons, contrasts Causes, effects Reasons Quotes Summary of others ideas

Be sure to reveal your thinking by one or more of the following

Explaining Reasoning Analyzing Making connections Interpreting Evaluating

Discussing problems Drawing conclusions Persuading Discussing advantages, disadvantages Offering advice, solutions

To use your powers of persuasion Problem-Solution is a classic

In the first part of the body of your speech you state the problem

Physical activity is very important but the problem is we dont have enough gym time (followed by relevant support) A solution would be to shorten the time we spend in home room in the morning and add fifteen minutes to the end of the day to create more time for gym (followed by relevant support)

In the second part, you offer a solution

Tip #5: Write in a conversational tone

Use short sentences. Its better to write two simple sentences than one long, complicated sentence. Use contractions. Say Im, were, etc. Read your speech aloud while youre writing it. Youll hear if you sound like a book or a real person talking!

Tip #6: Use concrete words and examples

Concrete details keep your audience interested. Which is more effective?

a vague sentence like time for physical activity is limited or the more concrete like we need more time in our school day to be active in sports.

Tip # 7: A few no-nos

Dont overstate

This is absolutely and positively essential! It is indeed an honor and a privilege to address you What Im trying to get at is What I mean is

Dont grope

Dont be repetitive

As I said before, and so I again repeat, let me say again

Tip #8: The conclusion

Close with a strong or memorable remark

If we can make physical activity a daily activity at our school, our students will not only feel and look better, they will be on their way to developing healthy lifestyles for a lifetime! Please help me spread the word.

Information adapted from:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/speech/index.htm http://www.speechtips.com/preparation.html Dr. Charles Whitaker, Prof of English Emeritus, EKU

Prepared by: Jennifer Bernhard Reading/Writing Specialist Clark County Schools [email protected]

Paper leads to Problems! If you use sheets of paper to help you remember a speech it will give you problems: You will be tempted to read the speech word for word and will sound boring and stilted Words may 'swim' in front of you and you might lose your place and disrupt the flow of the speech Papers can get out of order and you could drop sheets You will concentrate on reading rather than delivering Use postcards as prompt cards to avoid all of these problems

Break your speech down into short sections: Your Opener - the opening, ice-breaker or attention grabber Your Introduction - Tell them what the speech is about and what your main point will be The Main Body - Create a prompt card for each of your main points. Sort your prompt cards into order of importance and effectiveness Your Conclusion - Try to 'Go out with a Bang' or end with a punch line Linking Sections - Think of ways you can link each of the sections together so your speech will flow When you're happy with the order, links and content of your speech clearly number each of the Prompt Cards

Time your Speech

OK, you've written your speech, you've put the main points on your prompt cards and you've made sure that your speech flows with good links between the sections Now make your speech and Time your Speech A good formal speech takes, on average, between 5 and 10 minutes to deliver A good informal speech can range from just 1 to 4 minutes and remember for informal speeches...

Presenting your Speech

Successful Speech Presentation is dependent on a just a few good rules: Know your subject and be well prepared Use positive Body Language and Gestures Vary and Change your voice Vary your speed of delivery Know your audience We've covered the first element, the preparation, so let's take a look at the other subjects We'll start with everyone's favorite subject... Body Language!

Body Language

Stand upright in a confident position with your feet slightly apart and firmly planted on the ground! This is your home position. The audience will expect you to be there if their attention wanders! Returning to your home helps reassert your authority. The subject of Body Language is complex click Body Language for a full, free online presentation

Gestures

Hands, gestures & mannerisms! Good gestures helps to underline what is said Elbow movement gives strength to gestures Wrist movement conveys precision Hands contain power and control Bad Gestures distract! Twitches, fidgets and repetitious movements are fatal! DON'T Jingle your change Play with your hair/pen/pointer Scratch anything!

A Successful Speech Maker

How the presenter moves and speaks has an impact on the success of the speech! Move around a little Or to aid participation - move into the audience Eye Contact helps! So does the voice!

Speed of Delivery

Speed and Volume... Vary the speed of your delivery Fast to excite and stimulate Slow to emphasise and control Use increased volume to get attention Speaking quietly conveys confidentiality and sincerity to what youre saying Easy techniques to improve effectiveness

Delivering a Good Speech

There are really only three keys to delivering a good speech Prepare! Plan! Practice! Practice! Practice When you know what youre going to say & how youre going to say it you will feel completely in control! We've just one thing left to say...

In the words of Mark Twain

It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech!"