Guidelines for writing a successful speech The 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 thought- provoking 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 you’re going to tell them Since your audience will hear your words instead of reading them, they won’t be able to go back and re-listen if they don’t 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 Don’t 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 don’t have enough gym time” (followed by relevant support) In the second part, you offer a solution “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)

Tip #5: Write in a conversational tone Use short sentences. It’s better to write two simple sentences than one long, complicated sentence. Use contractions. Say “I’m,” “we’re,” etc. Read your speech aloud while you’re writing it. You’ll 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-no’s Don’t overstate… “This is absolutely and positively essential!” “It is indeed an honor and a privilege to address you” Don’t grope… “What I’m trying to get at is…” “What I mean is…” Don’t 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: Dr. Charles Whitaker, Prof of English Emeritus, EKU Prepared by: Jennifer Bernhard Reading/Writing Specialist Clark County Schools

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 Body Language

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 you’re 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 you’re going to say & how you’re 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!"