Speech writing is a crucial part of the academic curriculum. You need to prepare a speech, probably at some point of time. Whether informative, instructive, persuading, motivating or entertaining, all speeches have the same goal: to reach the audience and communicate clearly. So, one should learn the correct methodology for writing a proper speech.
From the beginning of their academic life, students should learn how to write a perfect speech. It will help them in their exam as well as in future. So, to understand the appropriate structure of writing a speech, they can refer to speech topics available on the web or the school provides. In this article, we have provided a few points about writing or drafting a good speech.
- Understand the audience
While drafting a speech, make sure you know what the listeners want. Prepare your speech as per their interest and knowledge. While communicating with a general audience, always explain your terms. As a manager, while speaking with your staff who has experienced lay-offs recently, acknowledge them by saying that you understand their concerns.
- Narrow your topic
Make sure your speech explains or talks about one thing. It focuses on the topic, and every claim you make supports it. For example, if you are raising a toast to wish a newlywed, your speech should focus on the bride and groom.
- Outline your speech
While narrating your speech, inform the audience about what you will say, and explain it in detail. It is said that repetition is considered a powerful tool when talking about speech. So, it is always helpful to repeat a few points because the audience always remembers small details of the entire speech.
- Grab the attention of the room
As soon as you open your speech, the listeners should engage immediately. Always engage the audience by sharing a personal story relevant to the topic or referring to the location.
- Structure your speech
Always remember to organise your speech according to your goal. For example, if you write the speech to inform the audience, structure it alphabetically or chronologically. If, through your speech, you want to support a cause or opinion, then highlight the problem along with the solution. When you explain something with examples, use transitions in between so that audience can understand the logic.
- Explain with examples, statistics, and quotations
You should have evidence related to the content of your speech. Pull out samples from current events, history or your own life. You can refer to government sources for statistical data and insert expert quotations from that field. Before wrapping up your speech, always cross-check your facts not to question your credibility.
- Conclusion should be powerful
Always keep your conclusion short, to the points and memorable. Conclude your speech with a concrete, vivid image that illustrates your topic. In the end, you can request your audience to take a stand and contribute to the cause or problem.
- Use appropriate presentation aids
It is always impactful to include tables and charts that show data, and photographs can work as a positive influence. To make your speech more powerful, add visuals and ensure through which equipment you will share the visuals so that at the last moment, nothing goes wrong.
- Make it sound natural.
After you finish drafting your speech, read it aloud, and f you find anything that sounds inappropriate, change it. Revise your speech to be confident on the stage. Make your speech sound natural irrespective of the occasion.
- Manage your time
While giving your speech, run a stopwatch. If you’re over your time limit, you’ll need to edit to shorten your speech. Always read out slowly and clearly so that the audience can understand what you want to communicate. In-between, include pauses if you’re going to highlight something and give the audience some space for them to react.
Along with learning how to write a speech, students should also learn how to learn letters, such as formal letters format and informal letters.
