Speech
ü What you say and how you say it depend on where you are (the place), who you are talking to (the audience), and why you are making the speech (the purpose).
ü Think about your audience and let your perception of the audience shape the tone of your speech as you write it. Speeches are generally addressed to fellow students, parents, guests, or the general public. Try to identify with them.
ü If you are writing an informal speech, use some colloquialisms; otherwise avoid slang. You may use jargon if appropriate but keep it minimal.
ü Organise your information into four or five main points and prioritise them according to importance and effectiveness.
ü Plan the order of your points carefully. Delete points in your plan that aren’t crucial to your speech if you have too many. Don’t overdo minor points. One possible method is to start with your most important point, then go to your least important point and move slowly back towards the most important. For example, if you have five points, with the first being the most important and the fifth being the least important, your presentation order could be 1, 3, 4, 5, 2.
ü Begin with an introduction welcoming your audience, establishing who you are, what your purpose is (i.e. to inform, persuade, entertain, or advise) and what you’ll be talking about. You may want to include a joke, anecdote or interesting fact to grab the audience’s attention.
ü Support each point you make using statistics, facts, examples, anecdotes, quotations, references to reports / surveys / newspaper articles, etc. [Note: personal anecdotes should be brief, descriptive, and may be humorous]. At times you may challenge your audience by asking rhetorical questions.
ü Link your introduction, points, and conclusion with smooth transitions.
ü Vary the length of your sentences.
ü Near the end of your speech, inform the audience of the benefit of accepting your advice or point of view. Allay the audience’s doubts and fears.
ü In your conclusion, summarise your main points, restate your main purpose and leave the audience with a lasting impression.
ü Be clear and concise throughout.
ü Think about your audience and let your perception of the audience shape the tone of your speech as you write it. Speeches are generally addressed to fellow students, parents, guests, or the general public. Try to identify with them.
ü If you are writing an informal speech, use some colloquialisms; otherwise avoid slang. You may use jargon if appropriate but keep it minimal.
ü Organise your information into four or five main points and prioritise them according to importance and effectiveness.
ü Plan the order of your points carefully. Delete points in your plan that aren’t crucial to your speech if you have too many. Don’t overdo minor points. One possible method is to start with your most important point, then go to your least important point and move slowly back towards the most important. For example, if you have five points, with the first being the most important and the fifth being the least important, your presentation order could be 1, 3, 4, 5, 2.
ü Begin with an introduction welcoming your audience, establishing who you are, what your purpose is (i.e. to inform, persuade, entertain, or advise) and what you’ll be talking about. You may want to include a joke, anecdote or interesting fact to grab the audience’s attention.
ü Support each point you make using statistics, facts, examples, anecdotes, quotations, references to reports / surveys / newspaper articles, etc. [Note: personal anecdotes should be brief, descriptive, and may be humorous]. At times you may challenge your audience by asking rhetorical questions.
ü Link your introduction, points, and conclusion with smooth transitions.
ü Vary the length of your sentences.
ü Near the end of your speech, inform the audience of the benefit of accepting your advice or point of view. Allay the audience’s doubts and fears.
ü In your conclusion, summarise your main points, restate your main purpose and leave the audience with a lasting impression.
ü Be clear and concise throughout.