Step
1 - Purposes
Before
you start writing a speech, you first have to know what kind of speech
you're going to write, in other words, what's the purpose. (Not to be confused
with the aquatic animal) There are three general purposes into which all
speeches fall. They are listed below, with appropriate definition.
Inform
- to increase knowledge
Entertain
- a mental escape
Persuade
- a mental match
But
wait, there's more. There are three sub-types of persuasion, which are
listed below, with definitions. I tried to make them brief.
Stimulate
- (audience mostly agrees) - to heighten awareness
Convince
- (audience is mixed in its opinion) - to change existing beliefs
Actuate
- (audience mostly agrees or is highly motivated to agree) - to get the
audience to do something.
Now
that you have chosen what kind of speech your going to do, you have to
get focused on it. This process is called informally, (drum roll please),
your "specific purpose statement". It something like a thesis statement
for a paper. The catch is that your "specific purpose statement" is not
ever said during your speech. Yes it cruel, but it's a critical part of
the
thinking
process that goes before a speech. Here is the formula for the specific
purpose statement:
I plan
to ____(general purpose)___ the audience ___(topic clearly stated)___.
Samples:
I plan to inform the audience about the alien spaceships.
I plan to entertain the audience by doing magic tricks.
I plan to persuade the class to pick up garbage on the freeway.
Step
2 - Choose a topic
Now
that you have your (drum roll) specific purpose statement, it's time to
narrow it down. This is choosing your topic. When choosing what to speak
about, there are five things to consider:
1.
Your audience - you have to consider the level of background your audience
has, their beliefs, age, gender, and size.
2.
Yourself - You have to consider your beliefs and interests.
3.
Your time - You have to consider the length of the assigned speech, as
well as how much preparation time is available to you.
4.
The occasion - What's the occasion?? Is it somebody's wedding?? Does a
group of whiny kindergarten students want you to talk about dolphins??
This is an important thing to consider.
5.
Your purpose - (Here we go again) You have to consider what your purpose
is. If your trying to get people to clean up the highway, don't talk about
how many cars drive on it.
Step
3 - Gather Information
Now
that you have a topic, you now can start the "fun" stuff:
research.
Ah yes, the age long process of humans gathering bits of
information.
They're many examples you can look up. Here are just a few...
1.
Facts - A fact is something that can be proven true. Many facts are in
books (nonfiction, of course), magazines, and the tags of many fashionable
shirts.
2.
Illustrations - These are photographs only!! Any photograph can do.|
3.
Questions - Any question that you run across is research. If it is a nicely
written one, it can be part of your introduction. (explained more in later
steps)
4.
Statistics - Any numerical fact. This could be, for example, "47% of all
cows have been given money for the 'Got Milk' commercials," or "The gas
in my lawnmower is at a 16:1 ratio."
5.
Visual Aids - This is anything other than a photograph. This could be a
poster, a key chain from the biggest ball of twine, or a sweaty gym sock.
6.
Examples - Anything that you show/tell that can elaborate the topic. Maybe
a story of you visiting the largest can of SPAM.
7.
Definitions - Explaining the meaning of a word, or phrase, in more detail.
Example: The iniquity of the cabalistic coadjutors's incredulity was scurrilous
to the prophetic potentate of the unobtrusive, yet vixenly, Locofoco. (Try
to figure that out!!)
8.
Analogies - Verbal comparison of like things. Example: Clinton : cheeseburgers
as The Professor on Gillian's Island : squid.
Step
4 - Decide on an Organizational Pattern
Now
that you have most of your research done, it's time to start organizing
your information. For most speeches, you will be using sequential (crowd
applause) types of outlines. These are only used to inform or entertain:
1.
Chronological - Has to do with time, or
in the order that it occurs.
Sample
of Chronological:
Elvis
I.
Early childhood
II.
Teenage years
III.
Early career
a. Songs
b. Movies
c. Marriage
IV.
Late career
V.
Death
2.
Spacial (or Spatial) - This outline is
in a visual sequence. Mainly used for describing a place.
Sample
of Spacial:
My
House
I.
Main Floor
a. Living room
b. Kitchen
c. Dining room
d. Family room
II.
Upstairs
a. Master bedroom
b. Child's bedroom
c. Office/guest room
3.
Order of Importance - This outline puts
more emphasis on your speech topics.
Sample
of Order of Importance:
Favorite
Foods
I.
Mexican
a. Taco bell
b. Taco Johns
II.
Pizza
a. Pizza Hut
b. Godfathers
III.Hamburger
a. McDonalds
b. Burger King
4.
Topical - (Also referred to as logical
or "common sense") This outline is basically breaking your information
into it's natural pieces.
Sample
of Topical Outline:
Sharks
I.
Characteristics of the breed
a. Size
b. Habitat
c. Types
II.
Feeding habits and diet
III.Attacks
on humans
Now
if your doing a persuasive speech, there are totally different types of
outlines. Remember, these are only used for persuasive speeches.
1.
Deductive - (logical deductive) - This is basically from general information
to specific.
2.
Inductive - (logical inductive) - This is from specific to general.
3.
Problem Solving - To get your audience to be motivated to do things.
a.
Dewey - Do stuff in a group and discuss the topic further.
b.
Monroe Motivation Sequence - To get the audience to do something. (Ex.
Clean up a park, vote for president, etc.)
Step
5 - Write a Working Outline
Now
that you've picked an outline form, you need to start writing it. Brainstorm
a little bit, get a few idea flowing, and work with them.
Remember,
this is not permanent, it's just a rough copy. Yet you can not go all-out
spontaneous, there are a few rules:
Rule
of doubles--
Rule
of indentation--
Rule
of continuing on the next line--
Rule
of capitalization--1st letter of 1st word
Rule
of punctuation--
Here
is an example of proper outline form:
I.
The first letter of each phrase is capitalized
a. The indentation must be exact
b. If you continue on more than one line you must indent even with the
beginning of the line
II.
Every one must have a two--every A must have a B
Step
6 - Decide on and Write an Introduction
Once
you have a working outline, you need to start thinking about an introduction.
This will tell all about your speech, your main points, and your opinion,
in about 4 sentences. There is no set number on how long your introduction
can be, but experts think that a minimum of two sentences is substantial.
When
you start writing, keep in mind there are three goals that you must achieve
in your introduction. Here they are (in no particular order),
1.
Gain favorable attention
2.
Set the mood or tone for the speech
3.
Provide background for speaker credibility
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Types
of introductions:
1.
Refer to the occasion--it is saying something about the date of when the
speech is presented.
Sample:
Today marks the invention of the ball-point pen.
2.
Refer to other speakers--tieing your speech to another one the audience
has heard
Sample:
Yesterday Jon told you about the game of darts. Knowing the different kinds
of dart boards will help you to understand the game better.
3.
Startling statement or action--get their attention
Sample:
Boom! The atomic bomb exploded on the fireworks store.
4.
Question of fact--"How many of you..." Calls for a response. Asks an easy
yes or no answer...
Sample:
How many of you have been trapped in a rock?
5.
Question of opinion--"How many of you..." Calls for a response.
(This
response is typically raising hands) Uses words like "feel" "think"
"like,"
etc...
Sample:
How many of you think that soccer should become a professional sport in
the United States?
6.
Individualized question--can begin with any other words. Does not call
for a response.
Sample:
Do you like to squash yams?
7.
Rhetorical question--Has an implied answer about a serious matter. Or it
gives information in the form of a question.
Sample:
Do you realize that if every student could make a million dollars a
year, that America's future would be promising?
8.
The Vital--it touches the lives of every person.
Sample:
All of us are paying the price for not paying taxes.
9.
Direct Approach--
Sample:
Fiber optics is the future of communication.
10.
Humor--organized as a joke, pun, ect.
Guidelines:
Not
offensive by race, religion, anisity, etc.
Be
a topic joke
Be
funny
11.
Quotation--(who said it follows the quotation)--exact words
Sample:
"Ask not what your country can do for you." JFK said these words in the
60's, but they're still true today.
12.
Example--(must be separate from the body of the speech)--
Sample:
Last summer my brother and I were walking down the sidewalk in front
of our house when...
13.
Familiar saying--
Sample:
To err is human. (Except for androids and animatronic people.)
Step
7 - Conclusion
Here
is probably the hardest part of writing a speech, the conclusion. The main
things you want to talk about are the main points of your speech, so that
it sticks in the audience's mind. Like introductions, there are also goals
you must follow to make a well-written conclusion. Here they are:
1.
Summarize the main idea(s)
2.
Reinforce the specific purpose
3.
Gain audience acceptance of the ideas
One
of the easiest ways to make a conclusion is to just summarize your introduction.
In fact, that's one of the conclusion types. The others are below:
1.
Main (Central) Point Summary-- paraphrasing your specific purpose
statement
Sample:
Those are the three reasons why I think the Earth should orbit the moon.
2.
Single sentence summary (can be a personal opinion)-- it is ending your
speech
without adding new info.
Sample:
I really enjoyed eating your liver and I hope to finish your brain soon.
3.
Point-by-Point summary-- It is restating the roman numerals of the
speech
(using numbers).
Sample:
So first, you find a place to hide the body; second, you stick the body
in your trunk; third, you dig a hole in the ground; fourth, you put the
body into the hole, and last, you add the dirt to the body to fill in the
hole.
4.
Quotation-- (who said it precedes the quotation in the conclusion) exact
words.
Sample:
As John F. Kennedy once said, "Ask not what your country can do for you..."
5.
Example-- (must be separate from the body of the speech)
Sample:
My brother and I went to the Grand Canyon and I slipped on a banana peel
and fell in.
6.
Repetition of the Introduction (by type or by key words)
Sample:
Now you can see that Halloween is marked with many ceremonies that give
the candy factories such a good profit.
7.
Humor-- organized as a joke, pun, etc.
Guidelines:
Not
offensive by race, religion, anisity, etc.
Be
a topic joke
Has
to be funny
The
following conclusions are only to be used in speeches to persuade:
8.
Appeal to emotions-- saying something that touches people
Sample:
These small, starving hands continue to reach for the candy in your
hands to save the lives of the children all over the world.
9.
Visualize the future-- painting a verbal picture
Sample:
If we do not clean up the air in Rochester, by 2000 we will all have
one eye, three arms, and no legs.
10.
Suggest a definite action-- Tell the audience what to do
Sample:
Write to your legislators today to let them know that the world is
coming to an end because of a huge spaceship coming out of the ocean.
Step
8 - The Title and Other Misc. Stuff
Well,
your at the last step. But you are not done yet. After you have gotten
it tweaked, read it out loud. If it just doesn't sound right, fix it up.
Then you have to pick a title. Choose something that will get the audience's
attention. The more creative, the more the audience will want to listen.
Finally,
it's all done. You practiced this thing a million times, you know it by
heart, you are the topic. Then the big day comes. You are on in five minutes,
and you have butterflies in your stomach, your palms are sweaty, and you
are pumped up with adrenaline. What do you do?? There are many things you
can do in this situation. Here are a few to calm you down:
Close
your eyes, take deep breaths, and think of something else. Fold your hands
together, and push as hard as you can
Push
your feet against the ground as hard as you can. Walk around, just to anything
with action or force. When presenting, walk around when you speak, don't
stand in one spot.
I believe
one of the most relieving feelings of the human body is the feeling you
get after taking a speech. I hope you have enjoyed your time here, and
happy speaking!
How
to Document a Source
To
most people, this is the most boring and the most frustrating part of writing
a speech or composing a paper. It's documenting your sources. It's giving
people credit for using thier information. Yet not many people know how
to do it. Never fear, beacuse there are six basic ways to document your
source, depending on where you got it. Below are the following forms:
1.
Book: Author, Title of the Book. Date.
2.
Magazine: "Title of Article". Author. Title of Magazine. Date. Page.
3.
Newspaper: (like a magazine but without the page number)
4.
Pamphlet: Write the word : Pamphlet" and then document it like you would
a book (information is frequently missing)
5.
Encyclopedia: Title of Encyclopedia. Year. Vol. #.
6.
Computer generated information: http://www.webpage.com. Date.
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