GIVING A SPEECH

GIVING A SPEECH

How do I compose and deliver a speech?

How do you feel about speaking in public?

A speech

• Can inform, persuade, evaluate, and entertain.

• Uses language that suits the occasion, audience, and purpose.

• Is clearly organized and easy for audience to

  follow.

• Uses rhythm, repetition, and variety to help keep an audience’s attention

• Is delivered in relaxed manner, with careful attention given to voice quality and audience reaction.

Follow these steps as you prepare a speech:

Step1:

Consider purpose and audience and choose a suitable topic.

Make your speech fit the occasion and audience.

The occasion, purpose, and audience will determine your subject, your words, the organization of your ideas, the length of your talk.

Questions that will help you plan your speech:

• Where and why am I giving this speech? What is the occasion?

• What is my purpose? Do I want my audience to laugh? To learn something?

• What age is my audience? What topic would suit them?

• How long should my speech be to maintain my audience’s interest?

• What language should I choose for this occasion and this audience?

Step2: Organize ideas

Arrange you ideas in either chronological order or order of importance. Use chronological, or time, order to talk about a series of events or a process, as in a speech about programming .

Use order of importance to analyze a topic or to present argument in a persuasive speech.

Step 3: Use speech –making strategies

Use sentence variety. Make your speech interesting by varying the length and structure of your sentences.

Repeat key words and phrases. Stress key points by repeating words and phrases and by summarizing ideas.

Use parallelism. The use of similar words, phrases, and clauses to express similar ideas is called parallelism. When you use parallel structures in a speech, listeners will remember your words more easily.

Step 4: Practice your speech

Practice aloud. Rehearse your speech in front of a mirror while you time it.

Memorize the speech but outline key points on note cards.

Step 5: Deliver your speech

Relax while delivering the speech. Stand up straight.

Use natural gestures and facial expressions to emphasize your points.

Look at audience.

Speak so that you can be understood and heard.

Pause when appropriate. Give you audience at least three or four seconds to think about an idea before you go on the next one. Dramatic pauses help emphasize your important pointing.

Multiple Choice

It's important that you can stop and give the audience some seconds between ideas so they can think and analyze them.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

A speech can...

• inform

• persuade

• evaluate

• all of the above

Multiple Choice

A speech has to be easy for the audience to follow.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The occasion, purpose, and audience will determine your subject, your words, the organization of your ideas, the length of your talk.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

It's not necessary to arrange you ideas in either chronological order or order of importance.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

You can't use any key note to help you remember important points in your speech.

• True

• False