speech writing techniques

speech writing techniques

Effective Speech Writing Techniques

1. Introduction to Speech Writing

Every speaker tries to write their speech in a captivating and resonating manner. This article envelops the conventional process of drafting one and provides help at every stage starting from deciding on a topic to finding authentic sources for your address. In an order of sequential steps and sub-steps, the whole process is divided into five elements. These are purpose, audience/reader, structure, edit to perfect, and deliver.

According to Charles Spurgeon, “Small words are the soul of language.” This simple quote perfectly encapsulates what speech writing is and how crucial it is to capture the attention of the audience and facilitate comprehension. No matter how good you are as a reader, you cannot resist the urge to yawn when faced with a stock speech that serves no purpose and overshadows good writing. Speeches have been an inspiration for people since time immemorial. A long speech has the power to hold the audience spellbound and allows the speaker to significantly influence the thoughts and actions of those present at the moment. Every Trump, Hans Rosling, and Winston Churchill has a single skill in common that helped them execute their agendas, be it radical or humanitarian on a global platform – effective speech writing.

2. Understanding the Audience

Such an analytical presentation of the audience will give a good insight into the audience. Audience analysis is a vital part of this prewriting point. We all have a peculiarity in the sense that we love or accept those who love and welcome us. Once we understand who the audience is, we may considerably change our approach to speech writing. Our text will be different, and the method of delivering it will get modified in the light of our audience. The audience is a passive transitory floating kin who fill up an assortment of chairs on which are written attending names. Our aim should make them regulate the quality of the entertainment we offer. Our mode of communication should be made adaptable to their known levels that engage attention, win assent, and preserve harmony.

The audience’s preferences determine the focus and essence of the speech. A good speech is one that appeals to the audience. A speaker can catch and hold the attention of his audience only if he knows for whom the speech is intended. The contemporary speech writing experts are now unanimous in holding that the audience has to be taken into consideration if an effective speech is to be prepared. Many speakers fail to achieve the desired results mainly because they ignore this elementary need. One of the proven techniques for making an analytical study regarding the audience is to have a preliminary survey of the physical and psychological background of the audience. This involves the nature and size of the audience, its geographical location, educational levels, social backgrounds, and mental attitudes.

3. Structuring Your Speech

In the body of the speech, a common technique is to overview the main points before developing each point. This is called ‘Signposting’ – a critical technique to establish clear organization and flow. In the body of the speech, each main point is presented as x1 formula: point – explanation – example – link back to the main point. The speech must be written with some variation in the sentence length, simple, robust language with a compelling rhythmic pattern.

Start with a warm welcome and an introduction – explain the structure of your speech, where you have been and where you will be going – right from the start so your speech can be followed. Reveal in the body of the speech the main points that you want to talk about. Use the order of importance to structure the speech, always trying to create a logical flow toward the conclusion; sometimes there are logical orders or chronology. Finish with a strong conclusion summarizing the main points – what you have heard, and the implications of it.

The way you arrange the words and thoughts in your speech helps the audience to remember the speech better. The best approach is to create a ‘Document Map’ of your speech in the introduction, root body of the speech, and the conclusion. Three is the best number of points in the body of the speech – enough to be meaningful, not too many to be memorable. You are a director. The audience are your actors, you have a message for them – so how do you want them to ‘move’ during the speech? This is the basic structure for a speech.

4. Incorporating Persuasive Techniques

The number of rhetorical devices a speaker might deploy is extensive. Rhetorical structures can draw attention to sequences, comparisons and contrasts, cause/effect relationships, conceptual continuities, and lists and accumulations, for example. Beyond muting appeals to pathos, contemporary speakers also recognize an ethical responsibility to use emotional appeals in moderation. Remember, just as a good argument depends on emotional strength; emotions depend on valid reasoning. If, on the other hand, you want to make an emotional rather than a logical appeal, always use solid data and other support systems to emphasize your point. Emotional advertisements, for example, usually operate with aesthetically pleasing images, which, combined with logic-based, simple, and easy-to-remember slogans make the product being sold more memorable. Before a speech writer cites statistics or testimony, it is also important to make clear the source of that evidence and to establish the credibility and reliability of it.

Masterful speeches not only make compelling points through logical and reasoned arguments, but they position the speaker’s case convincingly. Persuasion efforts work most effectively when speakers are also credible, approachable, and open-minded about counterarguments along the way. There are a variety of persuasive strategies one might use in constructing a speech, including crafting powerful emotional appeals, reason and logic, and encouraging the development of insightful emotional appeals. A poignant, compelling, and heartfelt story can drive an emotional appeal. Economic data tends to support logical argumentation. Yet it is important to establish credibility therein by developing and using your own personal ethos.

5. Practicing and Delivering Your Speech

4. Overcoming fear during delivery. This feature is important: how you manage stress, fear, or anxiety when delivering a speech. If we think and behave like that, it will increase our self-confidence. Sometimes we also imagine that if we are not successful in communicating with the audience, then we are the ones who are wrong and not good.

3. Voice qualities include volume, pitch, pace, and voice quality. It is important to vary the sound of the speaker’s voice. Think about using pitch, volume, and pace of voice for emphasis. Nervousness can affect the pitch or loudness of your voice due to tension in the throat. Be conscious of this. Essentially, varied intonation for effect serves to communicate to the audience. Speak clearly so that your audience can hear you. Mulled wine or honey mixed with warm water is helpful to clear the voice.

2. Body language includes non-verbal communication including eye contact, facial expressions, and gestures. Stand and sit tall, with an open and strong posture. Make a good and positive impression on your audience by smiling and making good eye contact. You are giving a performance in this role, so maximize audience attention with positive use of gesture and movement. Eye contact engages your audience, builds trust, and credibility. Remember to hold your audience in the palm of your hand.

1. Rehearse your speech before the big day to check you have included all the information you intended. Think about how you sound and look. A lack of practice and preparation may affect your speech delivery style and the confidence of your audience.

This next stage of speech writing is delivering your speech to an audience – an exciting and potentially nerve-wracking experience. This guide offers practical advice for preparing and practicing a speech to boost your confidence, calm your nerves, and ensure a good job.