The power of good, inspiring, motivating, and thought-provoking speeches can never be overlooked. If we retrospect, a good speech has not only won people’s hearts but also has been a verbal tool to conquer nations. For centuries, many leaders have used this instrument to charm audiences with their powerful speeches. Apart from vocalizing your speech perfectly, the words you choose in a speech carry immense weight, and practising speech writing begins with our school life. Speech writing is an important part of the English syllabus for Class 12th, Class 11th, and Class 8th to 10th. This blog brings you the Speech Writing format, samples, examples, tips, and tricks!
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This Blog Includes:
- What is Speech Writing?
- Speech in English Language Writing
- How Do You Begin an English-Language Speech?
- Format of Speech Writing
- Introduction
- Body
- Conclusion
- How to Write a Good Speech?
- Speech Writing Samples
- Example of a Great Speech
- English Speech Topics, Practice Time!
- FAQs
What is Speech Writing?
Speech writing is the art of using proper grammar and expression to convey a thought or message to a reader. Speech writing isn’t all that distinct from other types of narrative writing. However, students should be aware of certain distinct punctuation and writing style techniques. While writing the ideal speech might be challenging, sticking to the appropriate speech writing structure will ensure that you never fall short.
“There are three things to aim at in public speaking: first, to get into your subject, then to get your subject into yourself, and lastly, to get your subject into the heart of your audience.”- Alexander Gregg
Speech in English Language Writing
The English language includes eight parts of speech i.e. nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.
- Noun- A noun is a word that describes anything, such as an animal, a person, a place, or an emotion. Nouns are the building blocks for most sentences.
- Pronoun– Pronouns are words that can be used in place of nouns. They are used so that we don’t have to repeat words. This makes our writing and speaking much more natural.
- Verb– A verb is a term that implies activity or ‘doing.’ These are very vital for your children’s grammar studies, as a sentence cannot be complete without a verb.
- Adjective– An adjective is a term that describes something. An adjective is frequently used before a noun to add extra information or description.
- Prepositions- A preposition is a term that expresses the location or timing of something in relation to something else.
- Conjunction- Because every language has its own set of conjunctions, English conjunctions differ from those found in other languages. They’re typically used as a connecting word between two statements, concepts, or ideas.
- Interjections- Interjections are words that are used to describe a strong emotion or a sudden feeling.
How Do You Begin an English-Language Speech?
The way you start your English speech can set the tone for the remainder of it. This semester, there are a variety of options for you to begin presentations in your classes. For example, try some of these engaging speech in English language starters.
- Rhetorical questions: A rhetorical question is a figure of speech that uses a question to convey a point rather than asking for a response. The answer to a rhetorical question may be clear, yet the questioner asks it to emphasize the point. Rhetorical questions may be a good method for students to start their English speeches. This method of introducing your material might be appealing to the viewers and encourage them to consider how they personally relate to your issue.
- Statistics: When making an instructive or persuasive speech in an English class, statistics can help to strengthen the speaker’s authority and understanding of the subject. To get your point over quickly and create an emotional response, try using an unexpected statistic or fact that will resonate with the audience.
- Set up an imaginary scene: Create an imaginary situation in your audience’s thoughts if you want to persuade them to agree with you with your speech. This method of starting your speech assists each member of the audience in visualizing a fantastic scenario that you wish to see come true.
Format of Speech Writing
Here is the format of Speech Writing:
- Introduction: Greet the audience, tell them about yourself and further introduce the topic.
- Body: Present the topic in an elaborate way, explaining its key features, pros and cons, if any and the like.
- Conclusion: Summary of your speech, wrap up the topic and leave your audience with a compelling reminder to think about!
Let’s further understand each element of the format of Speech Writing in further detail:
Introduction
After the greetings, Introduction has to be attention-getting. Quickly get people’s attention. The goal of a speech is to engage the audience and persuade them to think or act in your favour. The introduction must effectively include:
- A brief preview of your topic.
- Define the outlines of your speech. (For example, I’ll be talking about…First..Second…Third)
- Begin with a story, quote, fact, joke, or observation in the room. It shouldn’t be longer than 3-4 lines. (For Example: “Mahatma Gandhi said once…”, or “This topic reminds me of an incident/story…”)
This part is also important because that’s when your audience decides if the speech is worth their time. Keep your introduction factual, interesting, and convincing.
Body
It is the most important part of any speech. You should provide a number of reasons and arguments to convince the audience to agree with you.
Handling objections is an important aspect of speech composition. There is no time for questions or concerns since a speech is a monologue. Any concerns that may occur during the speech will be addressed by a powerful speech. As a result, you’ll be able to respond to questions as they come in from the crowd. To make speech simpler you can prepare a flow chart of the details in a systematic way.
For example: If your speech is about waste management; distribute information and arrange it according to subparagraphs for your reference. It could include:
- What is Waste Management?
- Major techniques used to manage waste
- Advantages of Waste management
- Importance of Waste management
Conclusion
The conclusion should be something that the audience takes with them. It could be a reminder, a collective call to action, a summary of your speech, or a story. For example: “It is upon us to choose the fate of our home, the earth by choosing to begin waste management at our personal spaces.”
After concluding, add a few lines of gratitude to the audience for their time.
For example: “Thank you for being a wonderful audience and lending me your time. Hope this speech gave you something to take away.”
Practice Your Speech Writing with these English Speech topics for students!
How to Write a Good Speech?
A good speech is well-timed, informative, and thought-provoking. Here are the tips for writing a good school speech:
Speech Sandwich of Public Speaking
The introduction and conclusion must be crisp. People psychologically follow the primacy effect (tendency to remember the first part of the list/speech) and recency effect (tendency to recall the last part of the list/speech).
Use Concrete Facts
Make sure you thoroughly research your topic. Including facts appeals to the audience and makes your speech stronger. How much waste is managed? Give names of organisations and provide numerical data in one line.
Use Rhetorical Strategies and Humour
Include one or two open-ended or thought-provoking questions.
For Example: “Would we want our future generation to face trouble due to global warming?”
Also, make good use of humour and convenient jokes that engages your audience and keeps them listening.
Check Out: Message Writing
Know your Audience and Plan Accordingly
This is essential before writing your speech. To whom is it directed? Categorised audience on the basis of –
- Age group
- Gender
- Interests
- Knowledge of the Topic (familiar or unfamiliar)
Use the information to formulate the speech accordingly, use information that they will understand, and a sentence that they can retain.
Timing Yourself is Important
An important aspect of your speech is to time yourself. Don’t write a speech that exceeds your word limit.Here’s how can decide the right timing for your speech writing:
- A one-minute speech roughly requires around 130-150 words
- A two-minute speech requires roughly around 250-300 words
Speech Writing Samples
Speech-Writing-SamplesDownload
Recommended Read: Letter Writing
Example of a Great Speech
Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘I Have A Dream’ is one of his most famous speeches. Its impact has lasted through generations. The speech is written by utilising the techniques above. Here are some examples:
“still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” – emotive Language
“In a sense, we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check” – personalising the speech
“to stand up for freedom together” – a call to action.
Importantly, this is an example of how the listener comes first while drafting a speech. The language chosen appeals to a specific sort of audience and was widely utilised in 1963 when the speech was delivered.
English Speech Topics, Practice Time!
- The Best Day of My Life
- Social Media: Bane or Boon?
- Pros and Cons of Online Learning
- Benefits of Yoga
- If I had a Superpower
- I wish I were ______
- Environment Conservation
- Women Should Rule the World!
- The Best Lesson I have Learned
- Paperbacks vs E-books
- How to Tackle a Bad Habit
- My Favorite Pastime/Hobby
- Why should every citizen vote?
- Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): Is it real or not?
- Importance of Reading
- Importance of Books in Our Life
- My Favorite Fictional Character
- Introverts vs Extroverts
- Lessons to Learn from Sports
- Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Also Read: How to Ace IELTS Writing Section?
FAQs
What is speech writing?
Speech writing is the process of communicating a notion or message to a reader by employing proper punctuation and expression. Speech writing is similar to other types of narrative writing. However, students should be aware of some different punctuation and writing structure techniques.
What are the 5 major steps in speech writing?
Consider your topic and audience; examine or research the topic; create an outline; rehearse your speech, and adjust the outline based on comments from the rehearsal. This five-step strategy for speech planning serves as the foundation for both lessons and learning activities.
What is the importance of speech writing?
Writing down a speech is vital since it helps you better comprehend the issue, organises your thoughts, prevents errors in your speech, allows you to get more comfortable with it, and improves its overall quality.
Speech writing and public speaking are effective and influential. Hope this blog helped you know the various tips for writing the speech people would want to hear. If you need help in making the right career choices at any phase of your academic and professional journey, our Leverage Edu experts are here to guide you. Sign up for a free session now!
FAQs
How do you write a good speech for class 11? ›
A speech should begin with a catchy introduction in the form of an anecdote, quotation, statistical data or a thought provoking question. A speech must reflect the speaker's clarity of thought, accuracy of facts and a balanced view through a comparison and contrast with other viewpoints.
What is the format of speech for class 11th? ›Format: (a) Address the gathering, e.g., Respected Principal, teachers, students, Good Morning. (b) Speech in three or four paragraphs. (c) A speech ends with Thank you.
What are the best lines to start a speech? ›...
7 Memorable Ways to Open a Speech or Presentation
- Quote. ...
- “What If” Scenario. ...
- “Imagine” Scenario. ...
- Question. ...
- Silence. ...
- Statistic. ...
- Powerful Statement/Phrase.
Introduction – The early minutes of a talk are important to establish your credibility and likeability. Personal anecdotes often work well to get things started. This is also where you'll outline your main points. Body – Get to the issues you're there to address, limiting them to five points at most.
What 3 things make a speech powerful? ›However, a speech's length is only one factor. A great speech must also captivate the audience, be presented clearly and confidently, and have a well-defined message.
What are some examples of speech? ›- Entertaining Speech. ...
- Informative Speech. ...
- Demonstrative Speech. ...
- Persuasive Speech. ...
- Motivational Speech. ...
- Impromptu Speech. ...
- Oratorical Speech. ...
- Debate Speech.
- Speech About Dreams.
- Speech About Life.
- Speech On Time.
- Speech On Discipline.
- Speech On Happiness.
- Speech On Kindness.
- Speech On Value Of Time.
- Speech On Health And Fitness.
- Importance of Kindness.
- Is there Value in Homework?
- Things I learned in Lockdown.
- How can food be recycled?
- Should Art be a part of the school curriculum?
- Should schools teach sign language?
- Women make better presidents/prime ministers.
- Why books are better than their movies?
A basic speech outline should include three main sections: The Introduction -- This is where you tell them what you're going to tell them. The Body -- This is where you tell them. The Conclusion -- This is where you tell them what you've told them.
What are the 4 types of speeches examples? ›The four basic types of speeches are: to inform, to instruct, to entertain, and to persuade. These are not mutually exclusive of one another. You may have several purposes in mind when giving your presentation.
What are the 7 steps to writing a speech? ›
- Set your speech objectives.
- Know your audience.
- Know what you want your audience to take away.
- Grab, and hold, the audience's attention.
- Establish and support your key messages.
- Use visuals to reinforce and enhance your messages.
- Wrap it up nicely.
- Introduction — Establish topic and core message; list supporting points.
- Body. Supporting Point One. Supporting Point Two. Supporting Point Three.
- Conclusion — Recap main points; summarize core message; call-to-action.
My first point concerns... I'll begin/start off by... Then I'll move on to... Then/Next/After that, I'll be looking at... First/First of all, I'd like to give you an overview of... Secondly/Then/Next, I'll focus on... Thirdly/And then, we'll consider...
What are some hooks for a speech? ›- Use a contrarian approach. ...
- Ask a series of rhetorical questions. ...
- Deliver a compelling sound bite. ...
- Make a startling assertion. ...
- Provide a reference to a historical event. ...
- Use the word imagine. ...
- Add a little show business. ...
- Arouse curiosity.
Thank Your Audience
I'd like to thank you for your time and attention today. Thank you so much for your interest and attention. At this time, I'd like to have my colleague speak so I'll finish up by saying thank you for your attention. I can see that our time is just about up so to finish I'd like to say thank you.
- Prepare early. Begin gathering material for your speech well before the big day. ...
- Be audience-centered. ...
- Start at the end. ...
- Write for the ear, not the eye. ...
- Make rough drafts first, and polish later. ...
- Put your own spin on the material. ...
- Make only three main points. ...
- Craft a takeaway line.
- Consider the audience's needs. ...
- Catch the audience's attention. ...
- Hold the audience's attention for the next 15 minutes. ...
- Offer a solution to their problem. ...
- Provide a call to action.
Start with a Question
You're asking them to be involved, and to give their opinion or bring their thought to the topic. Even if you ask a rhetorical question that you don't expect them to answer out loud, by asking a question, you immediately invite participation, which will make them more likely to listen.
- Know your audience. Preparation equals confidence. ...
- Visualize success. ...
- Use a visual aid. ...
- Share personal anecdotes. ...
- Know where to look. ...
- Only write down the bullet points. ...
- Keep it simple. ...
- Identify and eliminate your verbal tics.
- Minimize the uhs, ums, likes and y'knows.
- Enunciate words clearly. Don't mumble or garble them.
- Speak with appropriate loudness and speed. Consider audience, place and topic.
- Use variations in speed, inflections, and force to enhance your meaning and hold audience attention.
What are 8 types of speech and examples? ›
- NOUN. A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea. ...
- PRONOUN. A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. ...
- VERB. A verb expresses action or being. ...
- ADJECTIVE. An adjective modifies or describes a noun or pronoun. ...
- ADVERB. ...
- PREPOSITION. ...
- CONJUNCTION. ...
- INTERJECTION.
- Each new character's speech starts on a new line.
- Speech is opened with speech marks.
- Each line of speech starts with a capital.
- The line of speech ends with a comma, exclamation mark or question mark.
- A reporting clause is used at the end (said Jane, shouted Paul, replied Mum).
- Articles: the, a.
- Adjectives: little.
- Common nouns: boy, garden, bush, finger, day, one (number)
- Proper nouns: Tom, Rose.
- Pronouns: he, his.
- Verbs: enjoyed, playing, pricked.
- Adverbs: immensely.
- Conjunctions: until.
Introduction: Introduce the topic and your views on the topic briefly. Body: Give a detailed explanation of your topic. Your focus should be to inform and educate your audience on the said topic. Conclusion: Voice out your thoughts/suggestions.
What are the 5 major steps in speech writing? ›- Identify main points and supporting material.
- Develop a working draft of the outline of the speech body.
- Prepare introduction and conclusion.
- Develop a polished draft of the speech outline.
- Prepare presentation aids.
Speeches are built by identifying the main points to be communicated and by following five structural elements (attention statement, introduction, body, conclusion, and residual message).
What are the 5 principles of speech writing? ›- Grabber. A grabber is used to open your remarks, connect with your audience and capture their attention. ...
- Subject. Explicitly state the subject of your remarks. ...
- Message. ...
- Theme. ...
- Structure. ...
- Call to action.
Your audience and writing purpose will determine your writing style. The four main types of writing styles are persuasive, narrative, expository, and descriptive.
What are the 3 techniques in speech writing? ›- MAKE YOUR MESSAGE CLEAR. Every word of your speech should have to fight for its existence. ...
- MAKE YOUR STRUCTURE COMPELLING. ...
- MAKE YOUR SPEECH CONCISE.
The best speeches include a clear, relevant message and a few great stories to illustrate it. Forget fancy PowerPoint presentations and loads of data. Instead, keep your speech simple, with a clear beginning, middle and end. Focus on one theme, and eliminate everything else.
How do you start and end a speech? ›
- Set up a question at the beginning of your speech and use your ending to answer it.
- Finish a story you started, using the anecdote to demonstrate your message.
- Close with the title of the presentation – this works best with a provocative, memorable title.
- Know Your Audience. Knowing your audience is a major key to writing and delivering an exceptional speech. ...
- Start and End Strong. The beginning and end of your speech should be symmetrical in strength. ...
- Have a Clear Purpose. ...
- Practice. ...
- Consider Time. ...
- Outline. ...
- Body Language.
- Structure. This is the big one. ...
- Tone. ...
- Simplicity. ...
- Storytelling.