Chapter 19.3 Speech Preparation Notes

Speech Preparation

Second Tier of the Public Speaking Pyramid

  • Focuses on the preparation of the speech itself.
  • Comprises three major building blocks:
    • Research
    • Organization
    • Support

Research

  • Investigating a range of sources to determine relevant facts, theories, examples, quotations, and arguments.
  • Goal: To become very familiar with a specific topic area.
  • Start with a general review of the topic using popular press magazines (e.g., Vogue, Sports Illustrated, Ebony, The Advocate), newspapers, or news websites.
  • Identify commonly cited people, who are often thought leaders on the topic.
  • Search for what the thought leaders have written and said directly via academic journals and books.
  • Time Limit: Set a time limit for research to ensure enough time for other stages of speech preparation.

Organization

  • Determining the basic structure of the speech.
  • Basic Structure: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion.
Introduction
  • Sets up the main idea/thesis and gets the audience interested.
  • Components:
    • Attention Getter: An interesting quotation or story to pique audience interest.
    • Thesis Statement: The basic idea of the speech; clarity is key to avoid audience confusion.
Body
  • The bulk of the speech, segmented into main points.
  • Recommendation: For speeches less than 10 minutes, limit to two or three main points to increase audience recall.
  • Question to ask yourself: "If I could only say three sentences, what would they be?" to identify the main points.
  • Develop the main points into segments that work individually but are more meaningful when combined.
Conclusion
  • Restates the thesis to put everything back into perspective and show how the main points support the thesis.
  • Persuasive Speeches: Include a direct call to action for people to change their thought processes or behaviors.
  • Informative Speeches: Refer back to the attention-getter used at the beginning to show how everything in the speech is connected.
Speech Outline
  • Introduction:
    • Attention getter
    • Thesis statement
  • Body of Speech:
    • Main point one
    • Main point two
    • Main point three
  • Conclusion:
    • Restate thesis statement
    • Conclusionary device
    • Call to action (for persuasive speeches)
    • Refer back to attention getter (for informative speeches)

Support

  • Elaborates on the main points.
  • Use supporting materials (from the research phase) to define, describe, explain, and illustrate the main points.
  • Examples:
    • Defining new terms.
    • Providing expert testimony for informative speeches.
    • Using evidence in favor of arguments for persuasive speeches.
Examples of Support
  • Informative Speeches:
    • Evidence from noted researchers about the harmfulness of volcanic gas.
  • Persuasive Speeches:
    • Expert testimony from dentists or the American Dental Association on the benefits of chewing gum after meals.
Source Quality
  • The credibility of sources is important, especially in persuasive speeches.
  • Example: The American Dental Association is more persuasive than "Joe Bob who lives down the street."