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Speech Writing

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253 views

Speech Writing

Uploaded by

b80975486
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Speech Writing- http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/index.

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Step 1: Write It
Congratulations! You have been selected to run for President of the
United States. Now the whole country is waiting to hear your vision
for the future. It's an incredible opportunity. What should you say?

As you prepare for your inauguration, you need a speech that will
uplift the country and provide hope for a bright future. How do you
begin? Let's start by thinking about the overall structure of your
speech. Here are some ideas that can help.

Get Their Attention


Nobody likes to be bored. So put yourself in your audience's shoes.
Find an interesting way to start your speech. For instance, Abraham
Lincoln's most famous speech was the "Gettysburg Address." It
began: "Four score and seven years ago, our Fathers brought forth on
this continent a new nation…."
He could have just said "Eighty-seven years ago…." But "Four score
and seven" has a nice poetic ring to it and gets your attention better.

Tell Them What You're Going to Tell Them


Speeches are different from written communication. People hear the
words instead of reading the words. When people read and don't
understand something, they can go back and read it again. But with a
speech, listeners have to get your points the first time. They can't "re-
listen." So it's a good idea to explain quickly what your main point is
going to be. That helps the audience know what to listen for. For
instance: "Today I want to talk to you about America and how we
can continue to shine as a great country."

End With a Bang!


After you've laid out your plan for the future, it's a good idea to end
your speech with a rousing conclusion. Leave people feeling excited
and that's what they'll remember about you. For instance:
"Together we can make this nation truly great. And together we can
build a better world for our children!"

Step 2: Say It
After you've written your speech, it's time to practice saying it before
you record it for Scholastic.com. There are two main tips to help you
get ready.

1. Say It Out Loud


2. Mark Up Your Script

Say It Out Loud


You can't just mumble to yourself! You must practice reading your
speech like you're really talking to a group. Why?
Okay! You've written your speech, and you've practiced reading it aloud. Now it's time to
present your work. Here are some tips to remember as you present your final product:

 Slow It Down
Many people experience stage fright when called upon to speak publicly. The result
can be racing through your speech without pausing. Try to speak slowly and clearly in
a voice that is loud without shouting.
 Keep It Lively
While it’s important to speak slowly enough that people will hear what you have to
say, it's also important to speak with enough emotion and feeling that people will want
to listen. Practice speaking with conviction. Include some pauses and emphasize your
key points with your voice. Refer to your marked-up script.
 Make Eye Contact
Look up from your paper whenever you can. Your goal is to engage your audience
and make them feel as if you are addressing them personally. If you feel nervous, one
trick is to look out at your audience as if you’re making eye contact, but don’t actually
look at anyone directly.

Scholastic asked some expert political speechwriters to tell YOU the secrets of writing a
speech that wins a crowd. Here are their tips:

Pick Your Main Ideas


Don't try to put too many ideas into your speech. Research shows that people remember very
little from speeches, so just give them one or two ideas to hang onto. Remember, you only
have one minute for your speech!

Write Like You Talk


Remember that you're writing a speech, not an essay. People will hear the speech, not read it.
The more conversational you can make it sound, the better. So try these tips:

 Use short sentences. It's better to write two simple sentences than one long,
complicated sentence.
 Use contractions. Say "I'm" instead of "I am" "we're" instead of "we are."
 Don't use big words that you wouldn't use when talking to someone.
 You don't have to follow all the rules of written English grammar.
"Like this. See? Got it? Hope so." Your English teacher might be horrified, but people
don't always talk in complete sentences with verbs and nouns. So try to write like
people talk.
 Always read your speech aloud while you're writing it. You'll hear right away if you
sound like a book or a real person talking!

Use Concrete Words and Examples


Concrete details keep people interested. For instance, which is more effective? A vague
sentence like "Open play spaces for children's sports are in short supply." Or the more
concrete "We need more baseball and soccer fields for our kids."

Get Your Facts Together


You want people to believe that you know what you're talking about! So you'll need to do
some research. For instance, let's say your big issue is the environment. You promise to pass
a law that says all new cars must run on electricity, not gas. That will cut down on air
pollution! But it would help if you had a few facts: How much bad air does one car create
each year? How many new cars are sold in the U.S. every year? So how much will pollution
be cut every year? Use the library or the Internet to do research. Your new policy proposal
will sound really strong if you have the facts to back it up.

There are many issues you can talk about at your inauguration. How do you pick one? A
good idea is to look inside yourself and find out what you feel very deeply about. Maybe it's
the environment. Or maybe you care about stopping war. Or you feel passionate that all
schools should have more art and music classes. Or you feel that downloading music on the
Internet should be free! Your issue should reflect who you are and what you care about.

Persuade With a Classic Structure


In a speech where you're trying to persuade someone, the classic structure is called
"Problem-Solution." In the first part of your speech you say, "Here's a problem, here's why
things are so terrible." Then, in the second part of your speech you say, "Here's what we
can do to make things better." Sometimes it helps to persuade people if you have statistics or
other facts in your speech. And sometimes you can persuade people by quoting someone
else that the audience likes and respects.

Simplify
After you've written a first draft of your speech, go back and look for words you can cut.
Cutting words in the speech can make your points more clear. One speechwriter for a U.S.
Senator has a sign above her desk that says: "Fewer Words = Clearer Point." It helps her
remember to always simplify a speech by cutting out words.

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