speech writing outline

speech writing outline

Effective Speech Writing: A Comprehensive Guide

1. Introduction to Speech Writing

There are many types of speech and they could cover any topic under the sun, from logical and rational arguments about laws and bills, to scriptural meditations on ethical, moral, and theology. The speeches can be to pursue motley ends, such as about encouraging and discouraging, persuading and informing, questioning and answering, and satisfying and sucking interest. Regardless of the kind of speech that anyone writes, there are a few basic principles that inform the art of good speaking that everyone must remember. People must engage and win over an audience. Even a logical argument must appeal to the hearts and minds as well as the more specialized part of the brain. By getting the nth and sympathy, the audience is more likely to be receptive to the message that the speech must be about.

Humans have been making speeches and orating for thousands of years. Speech writing is the art of incorporating language with verbal oratory to create an overall effect. Good speech writing involves attempting to make people want to listen. A good speechwriter curates speeches that audiences find so engaging that they want to hear what comes next. Great leaders and prominent figures in history are known for a few memorable lines or colloquy that have stuck with their audiences through the centuries. Speeches have inspired people to change laws, create great works of art, or even fight wars. A written text can last for centuries, even gain relevance over time. A good speech can last for generations.

2. Structuring Your Speech

Part IV – Conclusion • Conclusions offer a memorable ending to what you are saying. In this portion, it restates the theme, quickly recapitulates main points, and makes a call or challenge to think.

Part III – Transitions • A transition is a bridge between the introduction and body. It creates a complete and surrounding atmosphere for the audience. • Transitions are used to link the introduction with the body of your speech.

Part II – Body • The body provides the audience with valuable information and a forecast of main points. • The majority of the known substance is delivered in the body of the speech. The body must be coherent with the thesis.

Part I – Introduction • Introduction gets the audience involved with a controversial question, a question, a story, an anecdote, or a fact outside of your speech to grab their attention. • Purpose – The purpose of the introduction is to create interest in the audience for your topic. It is also the point at which the speaker should establish some common ground and rapport with the listeners.

We write a speech to convey a message to an audience. Structuring your speech is very important. The makeup of a speech contains the following parts and what each should do or accomplish. All of these parts should accomplish a certain thing or things so that you fully convey your message to your audience. The following is a list of the different types of speeches and parts.

3. Engaging Your Audience

Non-verbal communication has become important when the speaker is trying to establish a rapport with the listener. The value of a firm handshake has been emphasized time and again; wit and intelligence are usually conveyed by eye contact, smile, tone of voice, posture, body language, and facial expressions. Studies show that the voice quality and intonation contribute up to 38% to one’s overall impact, in that words are radically transformed when they are accented in a certain way. Hence oral communication needs to be practiced well in advance by the speaker to have effective communication. Hearing what the voice would sound like and practicing intonation can bring insight into how good the content is and polish the delivery. Einstein had once said that if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. So, understanding the audience’s level of interest, their knowledge, and preferences could have a lasting impact and make them remember the presentation longer. It is essential to judge the audience’s psychology and connect well with the audience by understanding their potential.

All talks, whether spoken or written, are engaging because the speaker appears to be talking exclusively to the listener. That is as it should be. The listeners, the audience, must be convinced of the speaker’s genuine interest in their welfare. This is often done by using a story or an anecdote that is directly related to the subject and that engages the listener. It may deal with some person the listeners all know. It may tell about an accident, something that we all gloat over but are glad it happened to our neighbor rather than ourselves. It may use a good joke. It is also often done by asking a rhetorical question, the answer to which the audience all know. Stating what appears to be impossible or paradoxical and then showing how it is possible and logical also helps to create rapt attention. Indulging the public curiosity by showing them something or telling them something they do not see or hear every day also creates interest.

4. Crafting Powerful and Persuasive Arguments

The building blocks of a persuasive argument in speech writing are introduction, body, and conclusion. Just as a house cannot stand without its foundation or frame, a persuasive argument cannot exist without its claims. These are the “building blocks” of the argument, supported by the “steel girders” of evidence, supported further by the “wiring” of connections drawn between evidence. A good argument is constructed like a house: these claims, like rooms in the house, are logically linked and center around one central idea. These claims are supported by the evidence of journals, interviews, data, and so on. Construct all appeals, either emotional, logical, or evidentiary, into a house of your choosing. Rebuttal is also essential in the construction of a persuasive argument and should always be considered when position paper writing. A persuasive argument is one in which the argumentative targets can be anticipated and deflected by the speaker themselves.

Enticing an audience is one thing, but convincing them to agree with your message or take action requires the use of powerful and persuasive arguments. Persuasive arguments are of three types: those that rely on evidence, those that rely on emotional appeals, and those that rely on logic. Use of evidence can help you establish the truth of what you say, while emotional appeals can move the audience to feel something about your subject. Using emotional appeals can be extremely effective because they motivate the audience to get involved in your speech and because they can even change attitudes and lead to action as well. Logical appeals are equally important. While it may be easy to raise an emotional response, people will not act unless they are first convinced by the evidence and logic you also provide. Structuring your appeal in this way will make for a broad, multimodal approach to persuasive success.

5. Concluding Your Speech with Impact

Rhetorical devices and compelling message are also useful conventions for closings. The skills you use at different parts of your speech: repetition to reinforce the key raises; signaling shifts from one theme to another; allusions that require the audience to remember what has been said before, can all be used to full effect in a speech in conclusion. Bring it all back home to the theme if you can. The last word can be potent, so consider the effect of using humor (but only if you are funny), or a compelling example to make the last point and leave a memorable image in the minds of your audience. Once you have rung down the curtain, it is usual to take questions. Some people are wary of questions, but they can be used to great effect. A question and answer session can open things up, give a speech a life of its own, and make for a livelier post-presentation event.

At the end of your speech, learn to sum up your key points. You should then rehearse delivering that ultimate persuasive message. Use your concluding point to reflect on the central message of your speech. The best speeches leave a lasting impact on people long after they have heard them. Truly persuasive speakers know when and how to conclude, just as they know when and how to begin. The choices they make for their openings and closings are not afterthoughts. They are made strategically, to induce the audience to believe what they say. Your ending is what people will read first, so you need to make it a strong, resonant point.