Giving Speeches

Types of Speeches Speech to Inform: Give information (facts, figures, history) Speech to demonstrate: Show others how to do something. Speech to Persuade: Present facts and arguments to change people’s minds.

The Steps in the Process Pick the topic carefully. Narrow your topic. Gather enough information. Prepare an exciting introduction. Write an outline. Write your speech. Practice your delivery. Present your speech.

Pick the Topic Carefully When you are asked to write and give a speech, you should begin by picking a good topic. Ask yourself: What do I know much about? What would I like to know more about? What do I do for fun? What do I read about?

Narrow the Topic Limit your topic to suit your talk. Do not pick a topic that is to big or general. The purpose of your speech will help you limit the topic. For example, Horses would be too wide a topic. But, if you are giving a demonstration talk you might have narrowed it to “How to Put a Saddle on a Horse.”

If you were asked to give an information speech, you might talk about, “The Care and Cost of Keeping a Horse.” If you were asked to give a persuasive speech, you might try to convince your audience that, “Anyone Can Enjoy Riding a Horse.”

Gather Information Remember, books and magazines are not the only sources of information. Talk or write to experts in your school, family or neighbourhood. Observe and take notes on people, places and events. Watch videos, movies and TV programs. Read the newspapers; scan the internet. Remember things from your own experience.

Prepare an Exciting Introduction Now that you have chosen and narrowed your topic and gathered information, it’s time to prepare an introduction. Writing an introduction will help you think about what you want to say and how you're going to say it. Here are some tips:

Use a famous quote. “Any election is like a horserace, in that you can tell more about it the next day.” Ask an interesting question. Did you know that horses have a language of their own? Tell a story. One day two summers ago, I was riding my horse in the field down the road when suddenly…..

Make a striking statement. Horses understand body language better than people do. The slightest twitch of your body can tell a horse to move. Refer to a recent incident. Recently, over 1200 wild horses were removed from Canadian Forces Base, Suffield, in southern Alberta.

Write an Outline After you’ve written your introduction, you should write an outline of what you plan to say in your speech. You can do this on index cards, on a sheet of paper, or on your laptop. Introduction Body conclusion

Write Your Speech When you write your speech, follow your outline and write it the same way you would any other piece of writing. Keep your purpose in mind – to inform or to persuade. Keep your audience in mind and remember to use words and phrases that will sound good to your audience.

Practice your Delivery Practice in a quiet place where you can listen to yourself. Practice in front of a mirror. Practice in front of friends or family and ask for their suggestions. Practice with an audio or video tape recorder and pick out the spots you need to practice more.

Present Your Speech When you are ready to give your speech, remember these points: Look at the audience. Speak loudly and clearly. Speak in a slow natural tone. Look at your notes only when you need a reminder. Use clear, correct language. Do not use slang or such sounds as ah, eh, or um. Stand tall. Do not slouch, sway or lean.

The Final speech If you follow all eight steps in the process, you should end up with a speech that is interesting to both you and your audience.