ORAL COMM | Principle of Speech Writing

Steps to Speech Writing

1. Select your topic

2. Analyze Audience

3. Gather Data

4. Prepare Outline

5. Edit/Revise

Choosing the Topic

selecting a topic or focus that is relevant to the theme and relatable to the audience

Four Characteristics of a Good Topic

Sincerity, enthusiasm, confidence, simplicity

Analyzing the Audience

Determine the important situational, demographic, and psychological information regarding your audience to narrow down your chosen topic.

Situational Information

includes the number of people in the audience; technical aspects such as visual aid and sound system; and background knowledge of the topic

Demographic Information

age, gender, education, economic status, occupation

Psychological Information

values, beliefs, attitude

Sourcing the Information

Research and note important, credible, updated, and accurate information about your topic. Acknowledge one’s sources during the speech for the audience to verify and learn more about the topic.

Reliability of Information

information must be consistent and credible

Validity of Information

soundness of the logic underlying the information

Currency of Information

the recentness of the information

Outlining and Organizing the Speech Contents

Use an outline to flesh out ideas and keep them organized in a logical order, allowing you focus on the objective and stay within the allotted time frame.

Steps to Outlining

1. Start with key points you want your audience to remember.

2. Provide a clear thesis statement and details that will support it.

3. Identify the main points of your arguments and provide details.

4. Outline your speech following a specific pattern depending on the type of speech.

Introduction

commonly contains the purpose of the speech; has a hook/grabber, background of the topic, and a thesis statement

Preparing Introduction

1. Attract the audience’s attraction.

2. Focus attention on the subject.

3. Gain the audience’s goodwill.

Body

expands on the topic through detailed information and realistic examples; discusses three key points

Chronological Order

details and events in the order in which they occur in time

Topical Order

a topic is broken down into its parts and then arranged in an order.

Climatic Order

arranges items according to their order of importance. Save the best, most vivid, or most interesting for last.

Cause and Effect Order

information is arranged to show causes or conditions and the effects or results of those conditions.

Conclusion

wraps up all the information and emphasizes the main points; has a summary of the key points, a restatement of the thesis statement, and a punch

Closing Strategies

1. Reinforce/restate the ideas you’ve developed in the paper’s body.

2. Recommend a course of action.

3. Use a quotation or an open-ended question.

Points to Consider for Outlining

• recall the general and specific purpose of the speech

• present the necessary information that will help you expound your thesis

• choose the most appropriate organizing pattern

Speech Unity

Each body paragraph should have a clear relationship to the thesis statement and each paragraph should have a strong topic sentence.

Paragraph Unity

Each sentence should support and develop the idea in the topic sentence, each sentence should only discuss a single idea.

Editing and Revising

Look for any grammar or mechanics errors in your work and revise,