How to Write Your Own Speech

Reminder: A speech is a formal talk given to an audience. Speeches are used to raise or address issues the speaker cares deeply about and to clearly present arguments. The words are important but so too is their delivery. The ultimate goal is for the speaker to engage with and to persuade the audience that their argument or viewpoint is absolutely right.

The language of a speech should target and interest the listeners. There are a range of language techniques that can help to make a speech more powerful.

THINK: Do you recognise any of the famous speech makers from the title slide?

From top left to bottom right: Ill Sami He Rake A Spew (as played by Joseph Fiennes), Kenny Fed John. , Oh Llama Be Mice, No Bosh Sir Jon.

Answers: William Shakespeare, John F. Kennedy, Michelle Obama, Boris Johnson.

Previously you looked at some examples of well-known speeches and identified some of the literary devices used before assessing how effective you thought the speeches were.

This week, you are going to write your own speech which could also be recorded for submission. We would like you to email us your speeches so that we can give you some feedback. You could also record yourself delivering your speech, either audio only or audio and visual - although this is optional.

Your finished speech is due by the end of Friday 19th June, 2019.

In this power point, you will find help with:

• choosing a suitable topic

• using effective language devices

• Structuring your speech

Song Lyric Language device

“Fix You” - Coldplay “Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones.” metaphor

“Boom, Clap” - Charlie XCX “Boom, Clap,

The sound of my heart.”

“Good Riddance

(Time of Your Life)” – Green Day

“Time grabs you by the wrist,

directs you where to go.”

“Firework” – Katy Perry “Baby I’m a firework.”

“Back to Black” – Amy Winehouse “I died a hundred times.”

“Pompeii” – Bastille “How am I gonna be

an optimist about this?”

“When We Were Young” - Adele “You look like a movie.

You sound like a song.”

“Signed, Sealed, Delivered” –

Stevie Wonder

“Signed, sealed, delivered.

I’m yours.”

“Big Yellow Taxi” - Joni Mitchell “They paved paradise

and put up a parking lot.”

TASK 1: First some revision! Match the correct language device to the song lyric. One is

already done for you! (Answers on Slide 17)

personification

triple

(rule of three)

metaphor

metaphor

simile

rhetorical

questionhyperbole

(exaggeration)

onomatopoeia

alliteration

Remember you need to be persuasive one way or the other. This is not a balanced argument!

THINK: Next you need to choose a subject for your speech. You should think of a topic that

you care about as this will help you deliver a speech with passion, sincerity and commitment.

Remember, you are going to need to persuade people that your point of view is right.

You could pick one of the following topics to argue for or against:

• Year 8 should return to school before the summer holiday

• Mobile phones should be allowed in the classroom

• Visitors should not come to Dorset’s beaches during lockdown

• Schools should switch to online learning full time

• Protests by Black Lives Matter highlight the need to address racial inequality in our society

• The summer holidays should be reduced or scrapped altogether so that pupils can catch up with the

learning they have missed during lockdown

So how will you make your speech “great”?

EduNote (https://www.iedunote.com/top-10-qualities-good-speech) lists 10 qualities every good speech should have:

Clarity Consideration of the audience

Definiteness of message Speaking slowly

Conciseness Freedom from emotion

Be interesting Use of body language

An informal touch Ensuring participation of the audience

For the purposes of your speech, you should use emotion as without passion you will find it harder to

deliver you message and persuade others of your point of view.

7 Tips for Giving a Killer Speech

1.Deliver a performance, rather than a speech. A speech is primarily about the words that

you speak, but a performance is so much more.

2.Use the power of eye contact.

3.Don't hide behind the lectern.

4.Posture matters.

5.Tell compelling stories.

6.Vary your cadence.

7.Speak about what you know and care about.

1) Engage your audience

• Think carefully about your audience.

Choose language to target and interest your listeners. A speech to a group of teenagers may use very different

language compared to a speech for local councillors.

• Think about the purpose of your speech.

Are you hoping to persuade, inform, advise, entertain or argue? Many speeches will have more than one purpose.

BBC Bitesize offers a really useful guide on how to write a great speech:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zv7fqp3/articles/z4w96v4

From BBC Bitesize

2) Structuring your speech

Keep the structure simple to help the audience follow your points and ideas. Think about which points are more

important and focus on reinforcing them. You may want to put your most important points near the beginning of the

speech. Include supporting examples and facts, but don’t overload the speech with too much detail.

The opening

Start with an opening that hooks your audience. Get their attention and prepare them to focus on the words that

will follow. For example, you could use:

• A powerful image - ‘Imagine a huge clock - the slow, steady tick filling this room. Counting away the seconds

and minutes we have left to act.’

• Humour - ‘You can take my advice … I’m not using it!’

• A shocking or surprising fact - ‘Did you know that a million species have already vanished from our world?’

Think carefully about how you want your audience to feel. Humour may work well for some topics or audiences but

might not with others.

From BBC Bitesize

Keep listeners engaged

Here are just a few language techniques which can be used to keep listeners engaged during a speech and make

points memorable.

Repetition - try repeating a key word or phrase to reinforce a point.

For example, ‘We have seen what we need to do. Now we need to do it and do it together.’

Quote an expert or use a statistic - these details can make your speech more convincing and give authority to

your arguments.

For example, ‘70 per cent of young people say being online helps them understand what’s happening in the world.’

Alliteration - repeating a sound in your speech could give your point more impact.

For example, repeating an ‘s’ sound, ‘This situation should send shock waves across our society.’

From BBC Bitesize

The ending

It could be useful to include phrases directed at the audience that highlight you’re ending the speech:

‘I hope these ideas I’ve shared today will fill your thoughts on the way home.’

‘Thank you all for listening today.’

‘My final message to you is …’

Or you may want to finish your speech with a powerful image, question or memorable idea:

‘You hold our fragile future in your hands - don’t break it.’

‘Do we really have any other choice?’

‘When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you have done?

From BBC Bitesize

3) Remember

An effective speech takes careful planning. Even the most powerful politicians who seem to be speaking

spontaneously may have spent time preparing what to say. What you say, the order in which you say it, and the

techniques you use to get your points across will all add impact to your speech.

Focus on what you want the audience to know and how you want them to feel at the end of the speech.

From BBC Bitesize

TECHNIQUE DEFINITION EXAMPLE EFFECT ON THE READER

Direct address

Referring to the reader directly using the pronouns ‘we’ or ‘you’.

‘You need to do some revision.'

Engages the reader to read on as they feel that, by being addressed directly, the text is specifically for them.

Alliteration A group of words beginning with the same letter or sound.

‘Revision rules!' Makes the text catchy – it sticks in the reader’s head.

Facts Something which can be proven to be true.

‘80% of teens perform better if they revise.'

Make the text seem authoritative, accurate and therefore believable.

Opinions A belief which cannot be proven to be true – someone’s own ideas.

‘People who don't revise are lazy.’

Sways the reader towards the writer’s viewpoint.

Rhetorical Questions

Any question in a piece of writing which does not require an answer.

‘Do you want to fail your exams?’

Engages the reader to read on as they feel that, by being addressed directly, the text is relevant to them.

Emotive Language

Words which elicit a powerful response.

‘Failing exams is painful and demoralising.’

Makes the topic of the text seem overly good or bad, depending on the purpose of the text.

Statistics Numerical facts and data used to support a point.

‘8/10 students have tried to revise.’

Make the text seem authoritative, accurate and therefore believable.

Three (rule of)

Lists of three things in a sentence.

‘Revising is sensible, productive and smart.’

Makes the text catchy – it sticks in the reader’s head.

Remember, you could also use DAFOREST! to help you write your speech

Introduce yourself

Make sure that you organise your ideas/paragraphs so the speech is cohesive

Get the audience’s attention

Leave the audience with a final message/something to leave an impact on them

Dedicate one paragraph to exploring each of the points you wish to talk about

Conclude the speech by recapping the main ideas

Introduce your topic

TASK 2: Sort the following into the correct order to plan the structure of your speech.

You could print them off and cut them out if it helps! (Answers on Slide 17)

TASK 3: Now you are ready to write your speech. There is a writing frame on the next slide to help you. Good luck and we look forward to reading and hearing your speeches!

Remember, they are due by the end of Friday 19th June and can be emailed to your English teacher (either Mrs Hall or Mr Yeates) for feedback.

NOTE: There is a writing frame to help you on the next slide (Slide 15).

Writing Frame for Structuring a Speech

Decide which persuasive techniques you will include in your speech:

Asking your listeners a question

Would you like it if…?

Using exaggeration (hyperbole)

If this happens, I’ll go wild!

Involving facts or figures to support your ideas

75% of children think that…

Sentences with groups of 3 adjectives (triples)

Television is fab, fun and informative.

Words that evoke emotions or feelings

Poor helpless animals suffer when they are abandoned…

Repeating phrases using pronouns

We have listened. We have learned. We have tried to make things better.

Paragraph 2

What is your first point?

Paragraph 1

Who are you and why are you making this speech?

Paragraph 3

What is your next point?

Paragraph 4

What is your third point?

Paragraph 5

What is the final point that you want your listeners

to hear from you?

Song Lyric Language device

“Fix You” - Coldplay “Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones.” metaphor

“Boom, Clap” - Charlie XCX “Boom, Clap,

The sound of my heart.”onomatopoeia

“Good Riddance

(Time of Your Life)” – Green Day

“Time grabs you by the wrist,

directs you where to go.”personification

“Firework” – Katy Perry “Baby I’m a firework.” metaphor

“Back to Black” – Amy Winehouse “I died a hundred times.” hyperbole

(exaggeration)“Pompeii” – Bastille “How am I gonna be

an optimist about this?”rhetorical

question“When We Were Young” - Adele “You look like a movie.

You sound like a song.”simile

“Signed, Sealed, Delivered” –

Stevie Wonder

“Signed, sealed, delivered.

I’m yours.”triple (rule of three)

“Big Yellow Taxi” - Joni Mitchell “They paved paradise

and put up a parking lot.”alliteration

Answers to Slide 4.

Introduce yourself

Make sure that you organise your ideas/paragraphs so the speech is cohesive

Get the audience’s attention

Leave the audience with a final message/something to leave an impact on them

Dedicate one paragraph to exploring each of the points you wish to talk about

Conclude the speech by recapping the main ideas

Introduce your topic

Answers to Slide 13. Use the following order to help you plan the structure your

speech: