36 Drafting a Speech
Qing Mao
Preparing a preliminary version of a speech creates a solid foundation for what you want to address and focus on in your speech.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to pick ideas and impress the audience
- How to organize ideas
- How to choose a language style
If you want to give a speech on e-learning, what main points would you include?
All about E-Learning
| CAUSES | ADVANTAGES | DISADVANTAGES | SOLUTIONS TO POTENTIAL PROBLEMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Technological development • Saves cost and time • Higher level of accessibility |
• Convenient • Efficient • Inclusive • Flexible • Affordable |
• Social isolation • Limited feedback • Lack of communication skill development • Lack of face-to-face communication • Requires strong time management skills |
• Create awareness about e-learning • Set clear objectives for learners • Stimulate learner’s curiosity • Create effective assessments |
Talking about all these points in your speech is not effective. You want to avoid “all-about” speeches; try to focus on one aspect of a topic instead.
| FOCUS ON ONE OR TWO IDEAS | CREATE A MEMORABLE PHRASE | |
|---|---|---|
| Why | Do not try to put too many ideas into your speech. The audience will likely recall only three points from your presentation (“Presentation Skills 3: The Rule of Three,” 2009). | Clearly state your main argument and provide a memorable phrase. This can help you reinforce the ideas throughout your speech. |
| How | For the e-learning topic, you could discuss problems created by online education and try to come up with solutions. Or you could address the differences between e-learning and in-class learning. Watch the first two minutes of this TED talk here and consider the following questions. What are the main ideas of the talk? What topics related to happiness will not be addressed in this talk? |
The phrase “I have a dream” is repeated throughout Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech, which created a great impact on the audience. In Mark Zuckerberg’s Harvard commencement address, he states at the beginning, “I’m here to tell you finding your purpose isn’t enough. The challenge for our generation is creating a world where everyone has a sense of purpose” (Harvard University, 2017). He returns to this message—that we need to make a difference in the world, not just in our own lives—throughout the speech. You can see Mark Zuckerberg’s full address here. |
Have a structure
A disorganized speech will cause your audience to lose interest. In his article “10 Keys to Writing a Speech,” Jeff Schmitt (2013) says, “Audiences expect two things from a speaker: A path and a destination. They want to know where you’re going and why.”
Split your speech into three sections: introduction, main body, and conclusion.
| STRUCTURE OF A SPEECH | |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Your aim is to tell your audience who you are and what you’re talking about. You want to grab their attention. |
| Body | You make your argument. Divide the main body into 2–3 points and use adequate and reliable examples to support these points. |
| Conclusion | A good conclusion summarizes what you said and reinforces the main arguments. |
See more on how to structure a speech here.
Make an impressive opening statement
Your audience will be most receptive at the beginning of your speech.
Design an engaging introduction. You can share a shocking fact or statistic. You can tell a humorous anecdote related to your core message. You can open with a question and have your audience raise their hands. Get your listeners engaged early.
Techniques to Open a Speech
| AN ANECDOTE | A SURPRISING STATEMENT | A CONTRAST |
|---|---|---|
| An anecdote is a short, interesting story about a person or an incident. Use it to intrigue an audience at the beginning of your speech. | “Surprise is a powerful tool in any speech. It makes your audience sit up and pay attention” (Ogahara, 2019). Think of the most surprising opinion or fact you want to convey in your speech and use it right at the beginning. | You can start your speech with a contrast that is relevant to your topic. You can make the audience think by creating images in their minds. |
| I’m here to talk to you about how to reduce stress in our daily life. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, wears the same T-shirt every day. The reason is that he wants to focus on more important decisions at work. Why? Small decisions such as what to eat or wear can consume our energy and make us mentally fatigued. | We are experiencing a biodiversity crisis. The rapid loss of species we’re seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate. | Thirty years ago, we had to leave home to do many things. We went to the library to borrow books and restaurants to enjoy a meal. Now, all these can be done on the internet. Many services are available at the click of a mouse. Technology has revolutionized our life. |
Watch the first three minutes of the TED Talk “Searching for Love to Escape Ourselves.” How does the speaker Hayley Quinn start her talk?
Learn more ways to start your speech here.
End strong
Your ending note is what your audience will remember. So add your biggest takeaway. Tie everything together. Share a success story. Make a call to action.
In the TED Talk “Programming Your Mind for Success,” Carrie Green, founder of the Female Entrepreneur Association, argues that fear, obstacles, and lack of motivation prevent people from achieving their goals. At the end of the speech, she calls on people to remember their purpose in life and take action to make their dreams come true.
Keep it short
Remember your audience’s attention will naturally disappear after seven minutes. The longer you stay on the stage, the more likely you are to stray or make mistakes. Therefore, cut unnecessary words. Keep your speech short.
A study by Harvard psychologists Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert found that 46.9 percent of waking hours are spent thinking about what isn’t going on (Bradt, 2010).
Set the right tone
Given your purpose and the audience’s needs, choose an appropriate tone for your speech. You want to sound trustworthy, confident, and resourceful. Be careful with humour. Appropriate use of humour can attract interest, but inappropriate jokes can distract from your goal.
Simplify your speech
Remove anything confusing and contradictory.
In this TED Talk “The Psychology of Self-Motivation,” Scott Geller, a behavioural psychologist, sets a very clear goal at the beginning of the talk and uses simple language to walk the audience through the talk.
Use conversational language
“Remember that you’re writing a speech, not an essay. People will hear the speech, not read it. The more conversational you can make it sound, the better” (“Tips from the Pros,” n.d.). Having a heartfelt conversation with your audience can bring your speech to life.
Now look at the differences between conversational language and written language.
| Conversational Language | Written Language |
|---|---|
| Use short sentences | Use more complex sentences |
| Use contractions | Avoid contractions |
| Don’t use big words that you wouldn’t use when talking to people | Use academic words to communicate ideas |
| Don’t have to follow all the rules of written English grammar | Follow written English grammar rules |
| Write in the first person and engage your audience | Always try to write in the third person to stay objective |
| Always read your speech aloud when you’re writing it | Reading aloud while writing an essay may disrupt your thoughts |
In an essay about writing, you may write: “Strong writers are not always eloquent speakers. My passion for writing dates back to my middle-school years. Writing short stories in the old library in my school is one of my fondest memories.”
In a speech about writing, you may say: “I was never a good public speaker. But writing? My school’s old rundown library is where I found my true calling.”
Use contrast
Contrast brings flavour to your figurative language. It highlights your points because it creates a clash of imagery in your audience’s mind.
For example, you may say, “I love music, but I hate loud and noisy music.” Or you could describe one person as “fiery and passionate” and another as “cold-hearted.”
Use repetition
In a speech, repetition leaves an impression. Emphasize keywords, phrases, and themes. Always try to reinforce earlier points and repeat critical points.
If you start your speech by saying, “Silence is gold,” repeat that phrase in the conclusion to your speech.
Use transitions
Use transition words and phrases to signal important points.
“Likewise” and “however” indicate comparison and contrast. When you say, “What does this mean?” and follow it with a pause, you will get attention from the audience. When you say, “So here is the lesson,” you highlight that what you are about to say is important.
Use concrete words and examples
Concrete language can help you send your message to the audience quickly. Concrete words refer to things that we know through our senses. “If a word is concrete, you will know which of the five senses it appeals to. Does it appeal to sight, smell, touch, taste, or hearing? This kind of description is often more useful to readers because it offers more vivid details” (Hill, 2017).
ABSTRACT LANGUAGE
The views in Banff National Park are wonderful.
CONCRETE LANGUAGE
Banff National Park’s towering peaks and flower-strewn meadows make it one of the most popular holiday areas in Canada.
Now, you’ve got a draft of your speech. Rehearsing and preparing to deliver your speech will be the next steps.
Try it!
Watch the TED Talk “Power Foods for the Brain.”
In his talk, Neal Barnard, professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine, lists some food that is healthy for our brains.
Choose the correct answers for the following questions.
We explored how to draft a speech by focusing and structuring ideas, and by using appropriate language. It’s important to zero in on a limited set of ideas in most speeches, and to have a strong sense of beginning, middle, and end. Language can be used to attract listeners and reinforce ideas—for example, figurative language, contrast, and repetition.
The word “wonderful” is abstract. It does not evoke the experience of being in the park. The use of the concrete words “towering” and “flower-strewn” creates a sensory experience, so your audience visualize the high mountains and colourful grassland.