ALL ABOUT DEBATING SERIES | DEBATING | A HOW-TO ARTICLE
How To Write A Speech
For Any Occasion
A good speech is like a pencil; it has to have a point — Unknown
For even some of the best of us, writing a speech is a Herculean task fit for only the most macho heroes. But here, it is not so. Anyone can write, provided they have the right mindset to doing it.
Speeches are used for countless occasions. Weddings, funerals, milestone events, birthdays and debates, and learning how to write one without breaking a sweat is a coveted skill in your polished portfolio.
In this article, you’ll learn how to wield your words like arrows and your pen like a sharp sword to cut down your enemies (writer’s block, fear and general laziness).
Introductory Paragraphs
Before the writing process are two important questions you must ask yourself. What type of speech am I writing? and What do I need to include in it?
Pertaining to the first question — there are many different types of speeches, but you can narrow it down to these three:
- A Persuasive/Argumentative Speech
- An Informative/Demonstrative Speech
3. An Entertainment Speech.
You’ll generally find persuasive speeches at debates and public speaking competitions, showing people why? you should rally to their cause.
Informative and Demonstrative speeches can be more or less informal depending on the situation (that is, the where and when?), but unlike demonstrative speeches Informative speeches deal with the how?
Moving on, what you include in your speech is up to you, but before that, you must consider your audience. Are you going to speak in front of high-schoolers? Is it for wedding guests? Try to set the mood of your speech to the vibe of your target audience.
Once you’ve established this, you can start your speech with a hook. A hook is something that catches your audience’s attention, and gives them an impression of how the rest of the speech is going to be.
A hook can be can be a statistic, a joke, an anecdote, a rhetorical question or quote. Introduce the topic and you have yourself an introductory paragraph.
Following this, are usually a few body paragraphs. Informative speeches are content-rich and I can guarantee if you rattle off facts your audience is going to zone out.
Preparing A Structure
Start with a strong point and build up on it. If you’re speaking with a PowerPoint or KeyNote, try using visual aids to increase the attention of your listeners.
Using concrete details will help make your speech more credible and reliable (if you’re planning on educating or informing through your speech).
I recently participated in a debate, and as the captain of my team, the hardest thing to do was to make sure they all didn’t repeat the same points.
It’s all very well to have 3 or 4 really good points that you want to defend, but when you keep repeating the same idea or link in your speech, it starts to sound repetitive. Repetition is good, but in small doses (which sounds a bit contradictory).
The main thing is to add emphasis to the key ideas you want to get across. For this, you can add personal elements — such as anecdotes from your life or case studies from people.
Concluding Your Speech
In my opinion, the ending of the speech is the hardest. You want it to flow smoothly, and cut off like a clean snip of paper, not a raggedy haircut.
But if you end it too abruptly, you run the risk of leaving the audience confused and unsatisfied. To end your speech, you can ask a rhetorical question — this will keep your speech long in the minds of your listeners.
For informative speeches, you can sum up the main points of your speech. Following the PEEL structure (Point, Evidence, Explain, Link). So the Link part of this is your conclusion. You need to link your Explanation and Evidence back to your point as concisely as possible.
So, in conclusion :D,
Writing a speech is a task that can be accomplished by anyone. If you follow these tips and tricks, I can guarantee you will write a speech worthy of the ages.
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