What makes a good speech? And a good speaker?
A good speech has a clear purpose. It’s engaging. The speaker knows the subject, makes it interesting, and cares about it. They want the audience to care about it too. Finally, it’s simply structured—beginning, middle, end.
1. Thinking and planning
Pick your topic carefully
A teacher may say ‘Choose a topic you care about’ or give you a specific topic.
2. Write a purpose statement and your main messages
What’s the one thing you want your audience to do, or think about, when you’ve finished your speech? Write yourself a ‘purpose statement’. Here’s an example of a purpose statement for a speech about ‘Why my class needs to remember me (Natalie) as a class leader’.
3. Have a brainstorm
Make a mindmap, do pictures, create lists. Everyone has a different way to brainstorm—do what works for you.
4. Plan your structure
Draw up a draft plan with a beginning, three main messages, and an end.
Write first, edit later
First of all, write without editing. Just let it flow. Write as if you’re talking to someone. Imagine a member of your audience, and write just for them. Just be who you are. Keep it simple—for you and your audience.
Secondly. whatever your topic, make it interesting
Here are three ideas to get you started.
- Tell stories. People love stories.
- Spend extra time on the start and finish. The start and finish make a lasting impression.
- At the start, make your audience sit up and pay attention.
Try:
- a story; whether it’s true or not, make sure it illustrates a point that’s close to your main message
- a question—a question that’s on the minds of your audience
- a fact—choose something that will get an emotional reaction.
The ending should be one of the strongest pieces of writing in your speech. Therefore, take time to get it right. Here are some approaches to try:
- give the answer to the question you began with; or restate the question, and leave your audience to ponder.
- round up with a summary of the information you’ve covered
- if you want your audience to do something—like vote for you—give them a call to action
- if you’ve been telling stories, round up with a final, strong theme or lesson.
You’ve written, now edit
Edit your speech when you’ve written your first full draft—and not before. Look out for things like:
- cutting out repetition
- bringing important points nearer the beginning
- checking facts
- writing in plain English
Plain English helps you and your audience
Plain English focuses on the needs of the audience. It uses words and terms your audience knows. What’s more, use short sentences, make it easy to read, understand, and recall.
Lastly, we would like to credit Write.co for their amazing article. In our next part, we will be talking about how to deliver a speech with ease. Look out for it!