What makes

a great

speech?

Watch this speech by Barak Obama –

it is a great speech!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFPwDe22CoY

Body Language/

Hand Gestures

Language &

Language

devices

Use of voice

\(volume, tone, pauses)

Write down what you

think is good about

the different things he

does…

Can you state your argument in one sentence?

1) What is your main message?

E.g. Obama’s Speech – his main message was: “We are the UNITED States of America. That there is only ONE America.”

-> Try to extract three main points that build your argument

2) What are your 3 key points

E.g. We can see three key points in Obama’s speech that all link back to his main message: that we are ONE America.

1) The American Dream – anything is possible 2) We are all interconnected (my story is your story, we are one nation) 3) Hope

E.g. Obama used stories, He used lots of repetition…

“We are not black states and whites states, we are not

conservative and liberal, we are not rich and poor…

we are the United States of America”

3) Less is more:

Include ONLY the most powerful

data and facts

- People can‟t handle long drawn out

explanations

- Stick to strong powerful statements

- Simplify your writing

- Not an iPad

- Not a long piece of paper

4) Cue Cards

Have key points and prompts on cue cards

(you can include your whole speech if you

need it)

• It might be a story (e.g. Obama started with the story of

his family to identify with the audience)

• It might be a „noise” e.g. “BANG”. That is the sound of a

harpoon being fired at a whale in the Pacific Ocean.

• It might be a rhetorical question – this gets the audience

thinking and engaged from the start.

5) Start with a ‘bang’!

Engage the audience immediately

-> Start with a “hook” –

something impacting that

will make your audience

sit up and listen!

6) Pause for effect

7) Hand Gestures

- Increase your volume for something exciting

or a very passionate point

- Lower your volume again for a more

thoughtful or serious point

- Use humour where appropriate – it‟s okay to

smile!

8) Tone of Voice

Use different tones of voice to emphasise your point

- Personal pronouns

- “We” statements – getting the audience

on „your side‟

E.g. Obama:

“If there is a child who can’t read, that matters to

me”

“You can make a difference!”

“I have a dream!”

9) Making powerful statements

End your speech by summing up your argument &

leaving the audience with some “food for thought”.

10) Leave the audience with a challenge

or closing thought

• A challenge: “What will you do to help?”

• Something to think about: “We have to consider what this will

mean for the future of our children…”

• A firm statement:

“We cannot ignore this issue any longer. Now is the time for change”.

• A statement of belief/hope:

Obama: “I believe this country will reclaim its promise and out of this

long political darkness a brighter day will come!”

YOUR SPEECH

It is time to convert

your research and

formal essay into an

exciting, powerful,

dynamic and

captivating speech.

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

WITH FORMAL WRITING.

SIMILARITIES: • Both will have a clear and

structured argument

• Both will make between 3 and 5

good points

• Both will use formal language

• Both will use persuasive language

techniques (e.g. rhetorical

questions, listing, rule of threes,

imperative statements, alliteration,

onomatopoeia)

• Both will make clear links to your

research (facts, figures, statistics, case studies and stories)

DIFFERENCES: • The speech may use some less formal

language where appropriate

• The speech may use humour, stories or

references to personal experiences or

opinions to capture the attention of

your audience

• The speech will involve structuring what

you say to make it easy to say – clearly

and powerfully

• The speech will need to be delivered

with hand gestures, varied tone of

voice and changes in volume and

expression.

First – Complete your Introduction

1) What will your “hook” be? What will you use to grab the attention

of the audience?

-> A question?

-> A statement?

-> A story?

-> A fact e.g. “1 in 10 NZ men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime!”

At some point in your introduction, introduce yourself and you topic

2) Gestures & Pauses

-> Mark on your page where you will:

- Use a hand gesture

- Increase the volume of your voice

- Pause for effect

3) Practice with a partner

-> In the last 10minutes we will practice our introductions with our

partner

Example Student Speech Introduction:

Take a moment and ask yourself: What do you see yourself

doing in five years? What about ten years? (use hand gestures,

pointing towards the audience. Scan the room)

If you can‟t answer that question, then maybe it is time to set

some goals.

(Pause)

Good morning, my name is_____ and I‟m here to talk to you

about why setting goals is important for everyone.

Whether you are 14 or 40, goals help us to have a vision of the

future to work towards.

Goals are objectives that help us to aim towards improving our

life in some way. Many great men and women in history are

people of great vision and mission.

This is what you will be marked on…

Achieved Merit Excellence

● voice techniques are used

with some variety

● language is formal and

includes basic techniques like

listing, rhetorical question

● language is suitably mature

● shows awareness of audience

through humour, word choice,

simple visual aid

● establishes audience attention

and interest with humour,

quotations or visual aid

● language is formal and includes

basic techniques like listing,

rhetorical question

● uses voice to support content,

such as an accent, tone, volume

● uses purposeful gestures,

language, includes statistics,

transitions, quotations

● establishes audience rapport by

using surprise, or a striking

movement

● uses voice to striking effect with

little reliance on notes

● uses language techniques such as

imperatives and irony

● integrates gestures with impact

● integrates a variety of visual aids

with confidence

● presents a topic and purpose

● demonstrates research

● summarises main points

● interprets researched material

(express your own understanding

of it)

● purpose is reiterated in

conclusion

● arranges material in a purposeful

structure using frequent links

● uses researched material to

support mature insightful points

● leaves the audience with a sense

of insight