Arbeitsblatt: Writing a speech

Writing speech Like any earnest endeavor, there is only one place to start when writing speech, and that with plan. The purpose of planning speech phase is to discover what you want to write, what you ought to write, and what you should omit from your completed speech. Dont be the best man who forgets to close his speech with toast to the Bride and Groom, the eulogist who omits their fondest memory of the deceased, or the speechmaker who is babbling on or worse, lost for words. First of all, you need to know the occasion of your speech. The occasion will dictate not only the content of your speech, but also the duration, the tone, and the expectations of your audience. For example, humor may be inappropriate during business presentation or eulogy, while it may be welcome during wedding speech, or sports event. At the heart of every speech is message. Your job as public speaker is to pass that message to your audience and in so doing, convey theme, evoke an emotion or elicit response be it emotional or otherwise. This message obviously is directly linked to the occasion of your speech. For example, if the occasion is the retirement of much loved lifelong company man, some potential themes you identify may include: • Family (grandson grandfather, also the company family) • Gratitude • Respect • The future Once you have identified 3-7 potential themes, it time to decide which of theme will be the dominant one. There is no right and wrong answer. It your speech, pick the theme that resonates most with you. It important to note that the themes not selected as your primary theme should still play part in your speech. DON‘T discard them just yet. Of course, you may be asked to speak about things too, be it product, country, an argumentative thesis, and so on. of course in those instances you should consult authoritative sources such as encyclopedias, college professors and local library resources, to name but few. Note that even when the topic is non-human, compelling story can often be told by focusing on the people involved for example the inventors or engineers of product, modern or historical figures of country, or proponents or opponents of an argumentative thesis. When you start jotting down ideas or while you are writing your speech, always keepthe audience in mind. At this stage of planning, it is important to realize that your audience are not there to be lectured at. Your public speaking goal is to do one or more of the following: • Engage your audience • Stimulate your audience • Entertain your audience • Pique your audience interest • Convey message, theme or order Now, that you have considered all the things above, you are ready to place them in the outline of your speech. Use three paragraphs to write your speech. Opening The first thirty seconds of your speech are probably the most important. In that period of time you must grab the attention of the audience, and engage their interest in what you have to say in your speech. This can be achieved in several ways. For example you could raise thought-provoking question, make an interesting or controversial statement, recite relevant quotation or even recount joke. Once you have won the attention of the audience, your speech should move seamlessly to the middle of your speech. Body The body of your speech will always be the largest part of your speech. At this point your audience will have been introduced to you and the subject of your speech and will hopefully be ready to hear your arguments and your thoughts on the subject of your speech. Here you will write to the theme(s) you picked. Several different points can be made to one topic. The points should be organized so that related points follow one another so that each point builds upon the previous one. This will also give your speech more logical progression, and make the job of the listener far easier one. Dont try to overwhelm your audience with countless points. It is better to make small number of points well, than to have too many points, none of which are made satisfactorily. Closing Like your Opening, the Closing of your speech must contain some of your strongest material. You should view the closing of your speech as an opportunity. It is an opportunity to: • Summarize the main points of your speech • Provide some further food for thought for your listeners • Leave your audience with positive memories of your speech • End with final thought/emotion (e.g. With well wishes to the Bride and Groom, with fond memories of departed friend, with admiration for winners and losers at an awards ceremony, with recommendation of the book you just talked about). Now, that your speech is written, get feedback for it from someone else in order to make the last improvements. Your turn: Write 3 to 5min speech about one of the following topics: • • • • The opening of new Zara store of which you are the manager The wedding of your best friend Graduation from St. Andrews College historic event (World War II,) Time reference: • Standard keynote speaker: 18 22 minutes (est. 1800 to 2970 words) • Motivator: 12 15 minutes (est. 1200 to 2025 words) • Ceremonial speaker: 5 7 minutes (est. 500 to 945 words) • News conference: 2 3 minutes (est. 200 to 405 words) • Wedding toast: 2 3 minutes (est. 200 to 405 words) For wedding: First impressions Fond memories Favorite Quotes Funny moments Features Characteristics Obama: Yes we can: 4min Twilight Graduation speech