Speech Writing
Outline
A hierarchical list that shows the relationship
of your ideas.
Experts in public speaking state that once
your outline is ready, two-thirds of your
speech writing is finished
A good outline helps you see that all the ideas
are in line with your main idea or message.
The elements of an outline include
introduction, body and conclusion.
Table format
List format
Introduction
The foundation of your speech
Here, your primary goal is to get the
attention of your audience and present the
subject or main idea of your speech.
Your first few words should do so.
Introduction
Strategies:
Use real-life experience and connect that
experience to your subject
Use practical examples and explain their
connection to your subject
Start with a familiar or strong quote and then
explain what it means
Use facts or statistics and highlight their
importance to your subject
Tell a personal story to illustrate your point
Body of the speech
The body of the speech provides
explanations, examples, or any details that
can help you deliver your purpose and explain
the main idea of your speech.
One major consideration in developing the
body of your speech is the focus or central
idea.
The body of your speech should only have
one central idea.
Main idea
The following are some strategies to
highlight your main idea:
Present real-life or practical examples
Show statistics
Present comparisons
Share ideas from the experts or practitioners
Conclusion
Restates the main idea of your speech.
Furthermore, it provides a summary,
emphasizes the message, and calls for action.
When the primary goal of the introduction is
to get the attention of your audience, the
conclusion aims to leave the audience with a
memorable statement.
Conclusion
Strategies:
Begin your conclusion with a restatement of
your message
Use positive examples, encouraging words, or
memorable lines from songs or stories familiar
to your audience
Ask a question or series of questions that can
make your audience reflect or ponder
Editing/Revising
Your written speech involves correcting errors in
mechanics, such as grammar, punctuation,
capitalization, unity, coherence, and others.
Andrew Dlugan (2013), an award-winning public
speake, lists six power principles for speech
editing:
Edit for focus
Edit for clarity
Edit for concision
Edit for continuity
Edit for variety
Edit for conclusion
Edit for Focus
“So, what’s the point? What’s the message of
your speech?”
Ensure that everything you have written,
from introduction to conclusion, is related to
your central message.
Edit for clarity
“I don’t understand the message because the
examples or supporting details were
confusing.”
Make all ideas in your speech clear by
arranging them in logical order.
Order:
Main idea
Supporting details
Edit for Concision
“The speech was all over the place; the
speaker kept talking endlessly as if no one
was listening to him/her.”
Keep your speech short, simple, and clear by
eliminating unrelated stories and sentences
and by using simple words.
Edit for Continuity
“The speech was all over the place; the
speaker kept talking endlessly as if no one
was listening to him/her.”
Keep your speech short, simple, and clear by
eliminating unrelated stories and sentences
and by using simple words.
Edit for Variety
“I didn’t enjoy the speech because it was
boring.”
Add spice to your speech by shifting tone and
style from formal to conversational and vice-
versa, moving around the stage, or adding
humor.
Edit for Impact and Beauty
“There’s nothing really special about the
speech.”
Make your speech memorable by using these
strategies: surprise the audience, use vivid
descriptive images, write well-crafted and
memorable lines, and use figures of speech.
Rehearsing
Gives you an opportunity to identify what
works and what does not work for you and for
your target audience.
Some strategies include reading your speech
aloud, recording for your own analysis or for
your peers or coaches to give feedback on
your delivery.
The best thing to remember at this stage is:
Constant Practice makes perfect.
Guidelines in Speech Writing
Speech Writing
