Module
16

Principles of Speech Writing

At the end of this module, I can:

• enumerate the principles of speech writing; and
• write an effective speech using the principles of speech writing.

A good speech often comes from good writing. Speech writing is an important stage where the speech is developed and organized in order to craft and transform a speaker’s message into a speech that appeals to his or her audience. Bear the following in mind when writing a speech:

1. Know your audience so that you can appropriate the language and content of your speech according to their age, gender, educational attainment, cultural background, needs, and inclination.
2. Organize your ideas logically so that your audience will be able to follow the flow of your speech from beginning to end. Choose an organizational method that suits your speech objectives: chronological, spatial, topical, cause-and-effect, or problem-solution order. If it is a short speech, it is best to limit the main ideas to three at most. If it is a long speech, outline the ideas into main ideas and supporting points, and use appropriate transition devices between each. Some transition devices you can use are ordinal numbers (first, second, third, and so on), short previews of what you are about to discuss, and short summaries of what you have just discussed followed by a preview of the next section of your speech.
3. Keep in mind the length and duration of your speech. Is there a time limit? How long are you expected to speak? How long will you be able to keep the attention of your audience?
4. Mind your word choice. What language will you use? Will you use formal or informal language? Will you use technical terms, jargons, or slang? Your language and word choice will depend on your audience and the context of your speech. For instance, if you are speaking before your peers in a graduation ball, you may use informal language and words that your fellow students can relate to. If you are speaking to grade school pupils, then you must use simple, easy-to-understand, and age-appropriate words.
5. Check your grammar. An effective speech should have no errors in grammar and word usage. So, make sure you proofread and edit your speech several times to ensure that there are no such errors. Remember, every lapse in grammar can lessen your overall credibility as a speaker.
Big Idea

Speeches are both an interpersonal and intrapersonal communication process. Writing the speech is an intrapersonal process, while delivering the speech is an interpersonal process.

Principles of Speech Writing

To craft an effective and relevant speech, the following principles of speech writing can serve as your guide:

1. audience profile
2. choosing a topic
3. sourcing information
4. outlining and organizing the content
5. logical organization
6. duration
7. word choice
8. grammatical correctness

Audience Profile

An audience profile pertains to the important details about your audience that will help you plan your speech. Take, for example, the following situation: an alumnus receives an invitation to speak before the graduating class of his elementary school. In planning his speech, he considers the age of his audience, which, in this case, are 11- to 12-year-old grade 6 pupils. Included also in the audience are their parents and loved ones who will come to witness a milestone in their children’s education. As such, the alumnus decides to use language that both the graduates and their parents and loved ones will understand and relate to.

Big Idea

Aside from knowing your audience, find a way to build rapport and relationship with them through your message.

In the situation cited previously, the speaker considered the event, age, and previous knowledge of the audience. By doing so, he or she will be able to write a speech that is comprehensible and relevant to the pupils, their parents, and everyone else in the event. In addition, a speaker may even consider the audience’s gender, educational level, occupation, and religious affiliation in planning his or her speech. Taking such things into consideration allows a speaker to come up with a relevant, understandable, relatable, and even enjoyable speech. Moreover, this prevents a speaker from saying offensive or biased remarks and/or topics.

It is also important that you know how big your audience will be since speaking in front of 10 to 20 people is different from speaking in front of hundreds or even thousands of people. For instance, when speaking to a smaller audience, you might use more intimate and casual language; but if you are speaking to a larger audience, you might be inclined to use formal language.

Knowing your audience profile or characteristics helps you plan your speech in terms of topic, word choice, examples, language, and duration.

Reflect Upon

Have you ever listened to a speech that you feel was intended to be delivered to a different set of audience? How did you feel while listening? If ever you experience a similar situation in the future, what would you do as part of the audience?

What Have I Learned So Far?

Knowing the demographics of your audience helps you prepare for writing your speech. Consider your class as your audience. To get an idea of the general demographics of your class, interview 10 randomly selected classmates. Formulate interview questions to get the characteristics (age, sex, religion) or demographic profile of the class.

Interview questions:

1.

 

2.

 

3.

 

4.

 

5.

 

Classmates’ demographics:

Name:
Profile:

Name:
Profile:

Name:
Profile:

Name:
Profile:

Name:
Profile:

Name:
Profile:

Name:
Profile:

Name:
Profile:

Name:
Profile:

Name:
Profile:

 

Reflect Upon

What should a speaker do if he or she will speak before an audience with various demographics or characteristics?

Choosing a Topic

If you are allowed to choose a topic for your speech, go for a topic that you know or are interested to know. Then, if you have something in mind already, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is the topic interesting to my audience?
2. Is it timely and relevant?
3. Are there available sources of information about it?

If your answer is yes to all the given questions, then you have a potentially good topic in mind. Note that the answers to questions 1 and 2 entail knowledge of your audience profile.

Big Idea

In choosing and writing the topic for your speech, recall your past lessons on topic control and topic shifting, as well as the important considerations for speeches for special occasions.

Sourcing Information

When you have decided on a topic and are set to start compiling information about it, think of the possible sources that you can consult. If your speech is about basketball, consider if the history of the sport can be found online or if there are published books about it. If your speech is about origami, where will you get new patterns to follow? Do you know an origami expert whom you can interview?

With your topic in mind, list as many information sources as possible: video documentaries; textbooks; other print sources such as magazines, journals, and newspapers; surveys/questionnaires; microfilms; and other similar materials. Once you have determined your possible information sources, begin your research. However, make sure that you take note of each source and that you cite all of them when you deliver your speech. Failure to properly cite your sources is tantamount to plagiarism, which may compromise your credibility as a speaker.

Outlining and Organizing Speech Content

There is a common and effective practice of outlining and organizing a speech. This practice is referred to as the rule of three. Many great speakers are able to deliver substantial and coherent speeches by limiting their main talking points or ideas to three. For example, if your speech is about basketball, what are the three things about basketball that interest you the most or who are the three greatest basketball players you want to talk about? If your speech is on origami, what three benefits can one get from learning this art? Simply put, limiting your main points to three allows you to better organize your speech. In turn, a focused and well-organized speech is developed.

Beyond Walls 16.1 Read and Answer

Using available information sources, read about the topic cognitive dissonance. Afterward, make your own fact sheet about this topic by listing down at least 10 essential facts about it. Make sure to use and cite reliable sources.

1.

 

 

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Sources:

 

 

Logical Organization

Your speech must follow a certain flow if you intend to communicate your ideas clearly and effectively. The following are some patterns that you may use to organize your speech:

1. Categorical/Topical – This is the most common pattern for organizing a speech. In this pattern, the categories help the speaker organize the message in a consistent manner. The goal of using this pattern is to create categories (or chunks) of information that go together to help support the main idea.
2. Comparison/Contrast – This pattern is used to compare and contrast subjects or ideas.
3. Spatial – This pattern organizes information according to how things fit together in physical space. The spatial pattern is appropriate when your main points are oriented to various locations that can exist independently. This pattern is best used if your goal is to show that your main points have clear locations.
4. Chronological – This pattern places the main idea in the time order in which supporting ideas appear. Here, you present information in the order in which they occurred.
5. Biographical – This pattern is usually employed when you want to describe a person’s life—either your own life (autobiographical), the life of someone you know personally, or the life of a famous person. A speech using this pattern is mainly informative or entertaining.
6. Causal – This pattern is used to explain cause-and-effect relationships. When you use a causal speech pattern, your speech will have two main points: cause and effect. In the first main point, you will typically talk about the causes of an event; in the second main point, you will usually show how the causes lead to either a specific effect or a small set of effects.
7. Problem-Cause Solution – In this pattern, you will describe a problem, identify what you believe is causing the problem, and then recommend a solution to correct the problem.
8. Psychological – In this pattern, A leads to B and B leads to C. This speech format is often used in persuasive speeches as it is designed to follow a logical argument.

Each of the patterns mentioned is only useful for a specific purpose or goal. Thus, not all organizational patterns work for all speeches. For instance, the biographical pattern is useful only if you are sharing about the life of a person. If your purpose is to persuade, then the biographical pattern will not be useful. The challenge then is to identify the goal or purpose of your speech and then choose the organizational pattern that will best serve your goal or purpose.

Beyond Walls 16.2 Go Online

Read the following speeches at http://www.famous-speeches-and-speech-topics.info/famous-short-speeches/. Identify the pattern of organization used in each one of them.

1. “Light on the Hill” by Ben Chifley

 

2. Russell Crowe’s tribute speech to Steve Irwin

 

3. “Two Americas” by John Edwards

 

4. “A Drink Problem” by Charles Kennedy

 

5. “Draft Speech” by Tim Ryan

 

Duration

Time is important, and a speaker should always bear that in mind. Hence, a speech must be just long enough to fulfill your speech goals but short enough to hold your audience’s attention. For example, the president’s state of the nation address (SONA) lasts between 30 and 90 minutes to give him or her enough time for a comprehensive delivery of relevant information. A very short SONA might not include all the details that the citizens would like to hear. On the other hand, a very long SONA might bore the audience.

Another example is a toast speech that is delivered on important occasions such as a birthday to honor a celebrant. In such a situation, the toast is expected to be short and sweet, rather than long and winding. In many ways, such is the case for other speeches like welcome remarks and speaker or guest introduction.

In addition, some speeches require speakers to finish within an allotted time. For instance, speakers in impromptu speech contests are given only a certain number of minutes for their speeches. Thus, the speakers must make sure that they finish within that time frame or they lose points or—worse—get disqualified.

Word Choice

As discussed already, your choice of words will depend primarily on your audience. Aside from this, you must also consider the situation, event, or occasion on which you will deliver the speech. As such, you should always keep in mind that there are appropriate words to say on specific occasions. Moreover, the formality of the language you will use will depend on the occasion. A graduation speech, for instance, often requires the use of formal language. A send-off speech, on the other hand, allows for more informal language.

What Have I Learned So Far?

Complete each sentence. Choose the correct word from the given set of words in the box.

reciprocate

reply

interchange

counter

share

  

bite

chew

nibble

peck

gnaw

  
1. The professor advised me to _____ the subheadings since the second one is more fitting to serve as an introduction.
2. I will _____ his allegations with proofs like bank account statements and statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth.
3. It is only natural for us to _____ the love and care that our parents give to us.
4. The bar examinations passer told us to _____ to the claims of the other party using unfabricated evidence.
5. I decided to _____ my earnings with my parents because they worked hard to help me get where I am now.
6. The baby loves to _____ cookies and biscuits.
7. The medium-rare steak was hard to _____.
8. The tiger at Zoobic Safari would _____ at the raw chicken.
9. Can I have a _____ of that burger, please?
10. The little bird tried to _____ at the bamboo tree hoping this could become its shelter.
Beyond Walls 16.3 Apply It in Real Life

The Commission on the Filipino Language (Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino) has invited experts in languages, communication, and education to write an updated version of a dictionary that will include modern English and Filipino words that are commonly used in the country. Given your stature in the field of communication, you are invited to be one of those experts. Thus, you are to submit to the commission five words whose meanings have evolved over the years. Think of your daily conversations and observe words that are used differently from their original meanings. Copy and complete the following table on a separate sheet of paper.

Word Original Meaning New Meaning Context in Which New Meaning Is Used Sample Sentence
 



  



  



  



  
 



  



  



  



  
 



  



  



  



  
 



  



  



  



  
 



  



  



  



  

 

Grammatical Correctness

As a second language speaker of English, you are not expected to be perfectly proficient in it. Nevertheless, you should strive to learn and master the language to avoid grammatical lapses. Lapses in grammar may make it difficult for your audience to completely grasp the message that you want to convey. Moreover, a discerning audience will notice your mistakes and may be less inclined to listen to you either because they cannot completely understand what you are trying to say or they do not think that you are a credible speaker.

If you are to deliver a prepared speech, make time to edit it or have it edited for grammatical correctness. If you are to deliver an extemporaneous speech, practice thinking and expounding on ideas based on an outline. Record your practice speeches and listen to yourself. Better yet, have somebody listen to you speak and ask for feedback so that you may avoid repeating the grammatical mistakes you are making. Whatever the situation is, keep in mind that learning and practicing the use of the English language will help you become a better speaker.

Reflect Upon
1. What will you do if the person whom you are talking to commits grammatical errors?
2. Have you experienced listening to a speech with bad grammar? How did it affect your attention to the speaker’s message?
What Have I Learned So Far?

Based on the demographics of your classmates whom you interviewed previously and using the information you have researched about cognitive dissonance, write a short speech about the topic “Cognitive Dissonance among Filipinos.” Apply the principles of speech writing.

Extend Your Knowledge

Among the best ways to learn how to speak is to watch and learn from those who are good at delivering speeches. Go to the following websites and watch effective speakers deliver their speeches.

• http://www.englishtrackers.com/english-blog/10-famous-speeches-in-english-and-what-you-can-learn-from-them/
• http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/tag/speech-examples/
Essential Learning

After you have profiled your audience and done research on the topic, make an outline to organize your speech. Keep in mind that your speech should have a good introduction that will catch and hold your audience’s attention. The body of your speech should, ideally, focus on only three things about the topic regardless of how much time you are given to discuss it. Such focus ensures that your audience will remember most of the things that you will say. Your word choice and type of language will also be of utmost importance as your listeners’ ability to completely understand your message is directly intertwined with the words and the language that you will use. Lastly, make it a point to rid your speech of grammatical errors that will not only compromise your own credibility but will also make it difficult for your audience to understand your message.