speech writers near me

speech writers near me

The Art of Persuasion: A Comprehensive Guide to Speechwriting

1. Introduction to the Power of Speechwriting

A well-delivered speech can plant the freedom of expression and open communication deep within those who hear it, and persuade them to firmly stand their ground during adversity. However, you have to take a succinct, inspirational piece of oratory and turn it into an attention-grabbing, persuasive essay that stands the test of time. Good speechwriters know to craft a compelling narrative, compelling images, and they use them to provide context for the emotional appeal of the message. They aim to take the audience to a place of common ground.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing a political stump speech, a rock music anthem, a high school graduation address, or for a corporate executive – the ultimate goal is to inspire change. At the very least, a shell-shocked audience. And then it doesn’t matter if what you’re doing is changing their hearts, their minds, their attitudes, or their shopping habits. It’s all about moving and connecting at its heart, and the most enduring way of doing that is through the living speech.

Speechwriting is, at its core, the art of persuasion. Yet frequently, many modern-day orators miss the mark with their speeches because they haven’t mastered the art of speaking and writing in such a way that moves their audience. That is what truly makes the art of speechwriting so powerful. A good speechwriter knows how to make the written word move within hearts and souls, to inspire change, and to fire a rallying cry.

2. Understanding Your Audience and Purpose

Audience and purpose should guide the selection and organization of content. A highly general piece of advice offered by Aristotle is that the examination of any event, policy, or person brings different rewards: from the perspective of moral choice. Persuaders convince people to accept, reject, do, or believe something because of the way they present their arguments, rather than the arguments themselves. Although certain ethical issues modify, the study of the character of the speaker or writer, the disposition of the listener, and the effective and persuasive choice of language remain relevant. Ethos, pathos, and logos are essentially concerned with the speaker’s or writer’s character and emotional appeals, and the art of advancing sound and persuasive arguments. The longer the speech, then the more detailed an outline will need to be. The best and most detailed outlines tend to get lost in the final draft. But the thinking through the speech and the order in which the topic is introduced should be crystal-clear.

Less sure-footed writers sometimes start by thinking about what they want to say. Instead, you should start by thinking about who you want to say it to, why, and over what period of time. Every speech should target the particular audience who has to help you get from where you are now to where you want to be after they have heard your speech. Never try to do everything. Focus on the speech’s most plausible and realistic function. Decide whether your goal is merely to inform the audience about an issue, or where your speech is the first of other measurements and needs to attain special outcomes, such as ensuring that another meeting takes place, that some convent meets a decision, that you stay in position, and that you resign from one position and take up another.

3. Crafting a Compelling Message

You must also be captivating, no easy feat in today’s attention-demanding world. Researching your topic, knowing your audience, addressing claims and counterclaims, and finally collecting your arguments are the best ways to make a captivating speech. All of these are equally important. It is not easy to have a strong impact on a large audience, and doing so requires one to make some adjustments to the arguments. Remember that controversial ideas immediately engage an audience’s attention—agreeable sentiment will not force your audience to think.

The more people believe in your message, the more they will believe in you. Your message in a speech should be directed to two audiences: the audience that hears your speech and the reader of your speech. Even though your speech is addressed to your audience, the ultimate goal of your message is to appeal to the reader. No matter where and when your speech is reprinted, the reader should read it and be convinced by it.

As mentioned above, understanding who you are trying to convince can determine how you write your speech. Your message is exactly what you are trying to get across to your audience. It must be clear and concise, while still being possible.

Crafting a compelling message can be one of the most difficult, yet most rewarding, tasks when it comes to writing a speech. All too often, speechwriters focus on just getting their point across that they forget to make their message shine. When you focus solely on the language of your message, you are cutting your speech’s potential in half. Make your speeches not only informative, but persuasive and appealing. So, what are some things that you should keep in mind when trying to make your message captivating?

4. Structuring Your Speech for Maximum Impact

Transitions throughout the speeches are essential, as you are leading your audience from one argument to the next and they need to be aware when the speeches develop from one point to another, especially if they do not directly flow. Making sure that the language and word choice in your speech are professional and diplomatic is also important. When you are persuasive, you will still want to seem friendly and credible. Often the debaters you are trying to persuade will need to vote or act to fulfill your criteria. However, they may need to do a different action (including inaction) to have their criteria fulfilled. Each speech should end in a ‘tagline’: the last thing that the audience hears from you should be poignant and resounding, making them realize why you have won or settle them in for their own analysis which matches yours.

In addition to having a big idea, a speech must be structured in a clear and logical way. It will normally be complex and need to take your audience by the hand, so to speak, through the arguments. It should generally have a three-part structure: an introduction, a development, and a conclusion. The introduction is your opportunity to present and define the motion, your stance, and your broad arguments. The development of the speech is your supporting arguments mixed in with any prebuttals, refutation, and evidence. Your conclusion will briefly summarize your stance and arguments before restating the motion. The speeches thereafter will explain how the content of the speech applies to or advances the argument.

5. Mastering the Art of Delivery

The volume of your speech should be appropriate to the size of your audience. A standard rule of thumb is raising the volume of your voice by one decibel per foot of distance from your audience. If you are leading a large and noisy group, you should increase your volume by two to three decibels. You will also need to vary your pitch or tone; the middle register of 220Hz (the ‘A’ string on a bass guitar) is most effective for spurring action or instigating passion. Vocal modulation, directness and intonation are the key to a winning persuasion. Eye contact is also very important when trying to persuade your audience, because it influences them to trust you. Einsen and Wakin write that audiences tend to freely forgive speakers “for virtually anything – if the speaker is perceived as being likeable.” But any mistakes in communication will “be magnified and used against a speaker if an audience dislikes the speaker.” Whether our goal is simply cooperation or something more specific, such as influencing decision-making, swaying opinion, persuading an audience to see things from your point of view, or other specific behavior, we must be able to effectively articulate our position, and there are three key components to being able to do so: taking the time to put together a coherent, compelling argument that appropriately modulates and nuances what the speaker is presenting; being appropriately poised when speaking to an audience, whether one-on-one or to a group; and practicing the speech multiple times in a variety of different contexts so the speaker knows how to skillfully overcome any stress or anxiety that would derail the delivery.

As we’ve already established earlier in this guide, delivering a speech is different from writing one, and one of the most important things to remember is to not memorize your speech in full. You can, however, memorize dialogues or power statements to emphasize salient points in your speech. The reverse of this is preparing a speech and then not rehearsing it at all. Rehearsal is necessary so you can maintain eye contact with your audience, be convincing, and pause effectively in all the right places. You should avoid a monotonous sound, boring your audience to death, and limit the use of buzzwords, slang, or filler words such as “uh,” “um,” and “you know”; using them detracts from your persuasive abilities.