the principles of speech writing (8)

Oral Communication in Context Module: Principles of Speech Writing

This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners, can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions, directions, exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by-step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each SLM. This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if you need to ask your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better understanding of the lesson.

In the previous lesson, speech was classified according to purpose: the expository or the informative speech, the persuasive speech and the entertainment speech. The manner of delivery was also discussed such as: reading or speaking from the manuscript, memorized speech, impromptu speech and extemporaneous speech. Knowing all these will lead you to be able to learn the basics of preparing a speech. But what makes the best speech. How do we deliver the speech we prepared effectively? All our questions will be answered by understanding by heart the principles of speech writing.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. identify the principles, techniques and process in writing;

2. set clear objectives in writing speech;

3. use the principles of effective speech writing in developing one’s speech.

Oral Communication in Context Quarter 2 Self-Learning Module: Principles of Speech Writing

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Writing Speeches

Quick links, keeping focus: the central point, main supporting points, introductions, conclusions.

Writing a speech consists of composing the central point or thesis, the main-point sentences, the introduction and conclusion, and planning effective oral style.

Since the organization of a speech is critical to the writing process, consult our organization page.

The central point is the message you attempt to communicate to your audience. Keeping focus on the central point is fundamental to speech writing.

Sometimes the central point is a thesis; sometimes the central point is a hypothesis. Sometimes, there is no stated thesis or hypothesis, but there is always a central idea and purpose that keeps you and your audience focused.

The Student Resources information on purpose is useful if you’re unsure about the central point.

For an additional resource related to writing for speeches, use The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , especially the “What’s your purpose?” section.

A thesis is a concise statement of your central point, normally included in the introduction and conclusion of a speech. However, your speech doesn’t have to be an argumentative to include a thesis statement.

A purpose statement is a clear statement about the objective you hope to accomplish. Whenever you write a speech, you have a purpose statement, although the purpose statement isn’t always explicitly stated—and it can get confused with a thesis statement. For help with the differences between a thesis and a purpose statement, we recommend “Thesis and Purpose Statements” by The Writing Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

If a thesis is necessary, the thesis section of the thesis section of the written rhetoric page may help as well.

There is no formula for success, but this video covers the essentials on speech thesis sentences.

The thesis is what you argue, and the main points are how you argue it. Because they’re so intertwined, you should carefully consider the main supporting points as you write your thesis. In other words, figure out what you intend to say before you try to capture it in a thesis.

Below are a few suggestions that experienced speech writers use when writing thesis statements:

• Use a declarative sentence; not a question.
• Use a complete sentence.
• General thesis : “We honor Elie Wiesel for his noble characteristics and his campaign against ethnic oppression.”
• Specific thesis : “We honor Elie Wiesel for his determination, consistency, and for his faithfulness to Yahweh throughout his life-long campaign against ethnic oppression.”
• General : Foreign policies in the Middle East.
• Focused : An analysis of the ways the United States has reacted to economic changes due to the oil industry in the Middle East.
• Example 1: If you’re speaking to elementary schoolers, it would be inappropriate to use graduate level vocabulary.
• Example 2: If you’re talking about architecture at an electrical engineering conference, use the thesis to connect the expected topic to the unexpected topic.

Here are a few high quality thesis examples (though possibly obscure topics):

• “The process the United States would go through to use a nuclear weapon can be broken down into two stages: the command from the president, and the official launch of the nuclear warhead by the crew.”
• “We honor Elie Wiesel for his determination, consistency, and for his faithfulness to Yahweh throughout his life-long campaign against ethnic oppression.”
• “Salvador Dali’s surrealist artwork can be identified through its focus on illogical scenes and exploration of the unconscious.”

For further direction, we recommend the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) as an extra resource.

The main points support your thesis. The thesis is what you argue, the main points are how you argue it. Here are a few suggestions for writing main supporting point sentences:

• If any of your main points don’t argue in favor of the thesis, either the main point or the thesis needs to be changed.
• A main point should convey the purpose and focus of its respective section.
• Use declarative statements and complete sentences to announce main supporting points.
• Limit the number of main points for the audience’s sake. If you have more than four it will be hard for the audience to remember.

To reiterate, the main points of a speech are crafted as supporting evidence for the thesis .

If your thesis is: Typical characteristics of 1960’s Latin American fiction include non-linear narratives and magical elements.

The following would be satisfactory main point sentences:

• Magical elements often appear in 1960s Latin American fiction.
• Non-linear narratives characterize magical realism in 1960s Latin American fiction.

Additional resources related to main supporting points

• University of Hawai'i Maui Community College Speech Department : general guidelines related to main points and other supporting material.
• Calvin University—What Not to Do : a document about what not to do with speech main points.
• Lumen Learning : a variety of topics relating to main points, from how many should you have to how to highlight them as main points. Start about half way down the page at the “How Many Main Points?” section. While Lumen Learning also covers different ways to organize your main points, we recommend using our organization page first.

It will help you to prepare the introduction after preparing the main points. Just consider how challenging it is to introduce a speech if you don’t know what the main ideas of your speech are.

The introduction has two main purposes: to capture the audience’s attention and to state your thesis. Introductions also preview the speech so that the audience knows where it’s headed.

There are many ways to capture the audience’s attention: quotes, statistics, examples, a short story, a fascinating topic, a gracious mention of the event that brings you together, or even a question.

Once you have the audience’s attention, state your thesis. Stating your thesis will inform the audience of the speech’s direction and will focus their attention throughout the speech.

For tips regarding introductions, we recommend the Oral Communication Center, Hamilton College . The tips are short, helpful, and if applied, will improve your introductions.

Finally, it’s also critical throughout the introduction to establish your credibility. For this reason, your introduction should be well practiced and should allow you to communicate confidence. In addition, if you have any expertise on the subject material that you believe your audience needs to know, inform them without being snooty.

Conclusions are the final remarks your audience will hear, so they’re the part that’s most likely to be remembered. So make sure you take the time to craft a clear and memorable conclusion.

In general, a conclusion should restate your central point, though in a new way. This is important because in speeches the audience can’t reread your message; they simply have to rely on memory. Restating your central point—and, depending on what your professor wants, reviewing your main supporting points--will help your message to stick.

Another way to make your speech stick is to use the conclusion to reemphasize your purpose. For example, in a persuasive speech, call people to action. In other words, be blunt about what you want them to do. If you want them to vote, tell them how they can register. If you want them to pick up painting as a hobby, then show them where they can buy painting materials.

Try to make your conclusion memorable.

By this, we mean it’s important to carefully consider your final remark to make sure it concludes on a strong note that fits your purpose. Speakers often trail off in the end, undermining their earlier work.

As a foundational resource, we recommend the Oral Communication Center, Hamilton College .

Style refers to the way words, sentences, and groups of sentences create tone and personality.

How is speech writing different than writing a paper?

Though they share many principles (ex: the preference for active voice verbs), they have different principles of style: people perceive style differently when listening than when reading.

The differences arise because the formats are different: written word and spoken word. For an analysis of the key differences between spoken and written language, we recommend the Oral Communication Center, Hamilton College .

This handout by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program contains fundamental public speaking tips. Luckily, it also contains an encompassing look at the basics of an eloquent oral style. Read the section titled “Writing for Speaking”; the list will be useful when creating sentences that sound better in oral rhetoric.

The following stylistic choices are particularly helpful with the spoken word :

• Brevity. Be as brief as possible. This article by Judith Kilborn (The Write Place, St. Cloud State University) provides a few ways to reduce wordiness.
• Prefer shorter sentences to longer ones. Long sentences are harder to follow.
• First person pronouns are widely accepted in speeches.
• Repetition helps the audience remember (ex: think of the repetition in King’s “I Have a Dream.” In a paper the audience can go back and reread; they can’t do that when listening to a speech, so repetition helps the audience connect ideas and follow the argument.
• The audience doesn’t have a dictionary with them; use words that are more tuned for the vernacular ear.
• Make sure you can pronounce every word you plan on using.
• Use transitions or “ signposts ” to announce, signal, and recap. This allows the audience to know where you’re and what to expect.
• Abstract : There are several possible outcomes that this decision can lead to.
• Concrete : Our choice to intervene in the Middle East can lead to destabilized elections, political turmoil, and religious conflict.
• Dry sentence : A family member was hit by an animal.
• Descriptive sentence : Grandma got run over by a reindeer.
• The use of contractions is generally preferred in public speaking; contractions are more conversational, which tends to be preferred in public speaking. Say these two sentences aloud and you’ll agree: “I do not think that is a good idea” or “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
• Parallelism and alliteration create rhythm in a speech; use them wisely.
• Use inclusive language .

For further style advice, though not specifically for the spoken word, use our written style resource.

For further direction, please stop in the Rhetoric Center.

Additional resources and tips related to oral style

• Stand up, Speak out (University of Michigan Libraries) : An extensive and comprehensive resource on effective oral communication. Pay particular attention to the following sections: “Imagery,” “Rhythm,” “Parallelism,” “Alliteration,” and “Assonance.”
• Oral Communication Center, Hamilton College : A list of phrases to avoid for various reasons in oral rhetoric.
• Oral Communication Center, Hamilton College : A list of characteristics that help make every speech successful. Warning: the article uses language to make it sound like a checklist for an A on every speech; this is not the case. However, the list is helpful nonetheless.
• Oxford Dictionaries Blog, Avoid cliches : Evoking images for an audience helps them to understand and remember your speech, but using a cliché allows the audience to listen without visualizing. A creative example of effective imagery was when on the campaign trail Bill Clinton said “I will be with you until the last dog dies.”
• Contrast, figures of speech, examples, and triads : How Winston Churchill spoke.

In the speech “Bridges should be beautiful,” Ian Firth demonstrates an awareness of oral style. For starters, his sentences are short and easy to follow. His opening is the perfect example, “The world needs bridges.”

Look at the following excerpt from Firth’s speech:

“In this case, this is in Peru. This is using grass which grows locally and is woven into ropes to build these bridges. And do you know they rebuild this every year? Because of course grass is not a durable material. So this bridge is unchanged since Inca times.”

This could’ve very well been two or three sentences in a written text, but Firth uses five short sentences. This makes him easy to follow. However, it’s not perfect. The phrase “In this case, this is in Peru,” could be shortened to simply “This is in Peru.”

At the same time, he limits the speech to three main points: bridges should be functional, safe, and beautiful. This ensures the audience won’t get lost.

Firth carefully chooses his words. He uses descriptive language to paint pictures for the audience: “Or sometimes up in the mountains, people would build these suspension bridges, often across some dizzy canyon, using a vine .” He also uses alliteration in an effective manner: “Or Robert Maillart's Salginatobel Bridge in the mountains in Switzerland —absolutely sublime .”

And he is able to easily pronounce the words he uses, even foreign phrases like “Pont Du Gard.”

Since Firth is an engineer who has designed bridges for years, this speech could’ve used highly technical language, but Firth used the vernacular to adapt to his more general audience. On occasion, when technical language was inevitable, Firth swiftly defined the technical terms.

In addition, Firth uses first person pronouns (“I firmly believe”). This makes him more conversational and personable.

This next example, a Boise State University commencement address, is more of a mixed result than Firth’s speech: it embodies both good and bad oral style.

Let’s start with what Tiara Thompson does well. In the beginning, she uses descriptive language that invokes images. The following are examples: “As my fingers fly over the keys,” and “spacebar still blinking.” She also uses parallelism, as you can clearly hear around 3:25.

However, the style can be improved (amongst other aspects of speech writing).

Towards the end of the speech, she uses more abstract language and seldomly gives examples. The speech would’ve been more effective if she kept using descriptive language and if more examples were used towards the end. Her language becomes vague and abstract when she thanks the teachers for their hard work, not recognizing any one of them individually. As an alternative, consider: how much more effective would it have been if she gave an example of a teacher working hard and afterhours to help her succeed on an assignment ? After that example, she could’ve generalized it to include all the teachers at her college.

In addition, the language she uses at the end of the speech gradually becomes more and more clichéd. For example, at 5:08, she says, “make this moment last” and “we are so fortunate to be where we are.” Clichés make imagery harder, as we mentioned in the oral style section.

Though not necessarily related to oral style, this speech focuses on the speaker more than the average commencement. If she focused on something else, her audience would’ve been able to connect with her more. (What works better: a political speech with a politician rambling on about themself or one where the politician identifies with problems larger than themselves, such as a Detroit congressperson sympathizing with the victims of the Flint water crisis?)

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The General Steps in the Speechwriting Process

• First Online: 15 March 2019

Cite this chapter

• Jens E. Kjeldsen 7 ,
• Amos Kiewe 8 ,
• Marie Lund 9 &
• Jette Barnholdt Hansen  

Part of the book series: Rhetoric, Politics and Society ((RPS))

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In this chapter, we outline the general steps speechwriters ought to follow in the process of writing speeches for others. These guidelines are flexible and allow for comfortable adaptation given the varied implementation of speechwriting practices as well as the different approaches in the European and American systems. Our model follows the classical perspective that focuses on topic selection, the speaker-speechwriter negotiation of rhetorical constraints of context and audience as well as determining the fitting style and delivery. The chapter also develops a master rhetorical plan that can be used as a prompt or an outline for speechwriters when drafting a speech, covering the key variables of speech, situation, audience, and a suitable mode of communication.

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Department of Information Science and Media Studies, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

Jens E. Kjeldsen

Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA

School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

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About this chapter

Kjeldsen, J.E., Kiewe, A., Lund, M., Barnholdt Hansen, J. (2019). The General Steps in the Speechwriting Process. In: Speechwriting in Theory and Practice. Rhetoric, Politics and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03685-0_13

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Speech Writing: How to write a speech in 5 steps

Every great speech starts with an idea, be it for school or work or a TED talk about your area of speciality. We investigate how to get all those ideas from your head to a written speech and then back to your heart. Author of “ How to be Brilliant at Public Speaking “, Sarah Lloyd-Hughes explains the five steps of speech writing…

Even heads of state and other renowned orators have help in writing a speech. They often have professional speech writers to provide them with great content, but you too can learn not only how to talk but also how to  write  a speech like a pro.

Here are 5 steps that we take our speakers through when they’re writing a speech – and it’s the same process as we use for writing  TED  style talks.

Speech writing step 1: Get focused

TED talks famously focus on ‘one idea worth spreading’ and this is what helps them to retain their power. Before you write a single line, figure out what the ONE idea is that you’ll shape your talk around.

When your talk has a single focus you’ll see huge benefits:

• Clarity:  For yourself and your audience.
• Easy to pass on:  Popular talks, like Simon Sinek’s TED talk ‘ How great leaders inspire action ‘ or Ken Robinson’s TED favourite ‘ Do schools kill creativity? ‘ are utterly focused and easy to pass on because they have just one idea.
• Powerful:  When you’re digging in one hole you get deeper, likewise with your talk you can go further with one idea.
• Memorability:  Audiences these days are overwhelmed with ideas and information. You need to be  much  simpler than you think to stand a chance of your message being remembered.

To find your ‘idea worth spreading’ takes a little time and skill, which is why we’ve  devised a complete programme for speakers who are interested in writing  World Class  Speeches ,  like the finest TED speakers.

But if you’re just looking for a place to start, these questions will help you get going:

• What do I want to say?
• What effect am I trying to have by speaking?
• If I can only put across  one  message in my speech, what will that be?
• What is my broader purpose in speaking?

You’re looking for one idea that is clear, interesting and hasn’t been heard before. Good luck!

Speech writing step 2: Think about your audience

Ironically, most speakers completely fail to think about their audience! Yet the best speakers are intimately aware of the needs, questions and doubts facing their audience.

Ask: To whom am I speaking?  Before you start writing you first must ask yourself  Who is my audience  and  what are they seeking ? Writing a speech for a group of human rights activists would be very different to a speech for business managers. Technology engineers might have a totally different perspective on your subject than a room full of English professors.  Thinking deeply about your audience’s needs is the quality of a public speaker I call  Empathy.  It’s an important starting point on your speech writing journey.

Ask: Why should they listen to you?  Great speech writing is grounded in purpose and message. Consider what qualifies you to speak; what you have to offer the audience that they would not be able to hear from anyone else (we all have something).

Ask: What do you want to leave your audience with?  As a result of your Empathetic investigations, what would be your desired outcome as a result of the speech? Decide what your main message will be and continually return to that primary point as you compose your speech. This keeps the audience (and you) focused. As Winston Churchill said:  “If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time with a tremendous whack. ”

Speech writing step 3: Build up your speech

Now you have a clear focus to your speech and an idea of how to communicate that clearly to your audience. That’s the skeleton of the speech. It’s now time to fill in that skeleton with meaty content:

• Brain Storming.  Make lists of all the things you want to speak about. Once listed, it will be easier to cut or rearrange your points.
• Categorize for the win.  Brainstorming should lead to a nice list with several categories. Speech writing is all about organization and finding what fits best with your audience and their needs. Think of these categories as stepping stones. Leaving a gap too large between any two stones and they will turn into stumbling blocks will sinking you and your audience. Speech writing is not very much different than writing a paper; thesis statement, support of the thesis, and a conclusion.
• Edit for the jewels . Look for the key moments in your speech that will stimulate the hearts, minds and even stomachs of your audience. Seek the most vivid experiences and stories that you can use to make your point – these are what will make your speech stand out from all the other public speaking our there.

Speech writing step 4: Create a journey

Another key skill of speech writing is to get the right information in the right order. Think of your speech like a journey up a mountain:

Get ready for the trip (introduction).

• The beginning of your speech is the place where you grab the attention of the audience and get them ready to go on a journey with you. For them to travel up your mountain with you they need to know where you’re going together, why it’s an interesting journey to go on and why you are a credible guide to lead them there.

Pass some interesting sights on the way (main body).

• Keep an audience engaged for an entire speech by raising the stakes, or raising the tension as you progress through the speech. Think about contrasts between the ‘good’ and the ‘evil’ of your subject matter and contrast the two with stories, facts, ideas or examples.
• Here you might write multiple sections to your speech, to help you stay focused. You might like to write an introduction, main body, and conclusion for each section also. All sections don’t have to be the same length. Take time to decide and write about the ones that need the most emphasis.

Reach your summit (climax).

• The climax is the moment of maximum emotional intensity that most powerfully demonstrates your key message. Think of the key ‘Ahah!’ moment that you want to take your audience to. This is the moment where you reach the top of your mountain and marvel at the view together. It’s a powerful, but underused speech writing tool.

A speedy descent (the close).

• Once you’ve hit your climax, the story is almost over. We don’t want to go all the way down the mountain with you, we’d much rather get airlifted off the top of the mountain whilst we still have the buzz of reaching our goal. This is what great speech writing manages time and again.
• Strangely enough the close can be the hardest part of speech writing. Here’s where you get to hit home your action point – the key thing you want your audience to do differently as a result of listening to your speech. Often the close is where speakers undermine the power of the rest of their speech. So, write a memorable conclusion that captures the essence of your speech, give it some punch, and  stick  to it!

Speech writing step 5: Test your material

Practice your speech several times so that you can feel comfortable with the material. Try the speech out on camera or to a friend to see which parts are most powerful and which you can take the red pen to.

However skilled you are (or not) at speech writing, remember that you are the magic that makes the speech work. It’s your authentic voice that will shine to the audience them and inspire them towards your message.

Follow these speech writing tips, give it some practice and you’ll be sure to be a speech writing winner.

But I’ve collected my years of experience working with world-class conference speakers and TED speakers and distilled it into a  simple guidebook that you can access now for just £20 (+VAT) .

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Principles of Speech Writing

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An outline determines whether your supporting ideas match your main idea or not.

Any speech should include an introduction, body, and conclusion.

In the introduction, you explain the importance of your topic by giving examples.

Knowing the audience and the occasion is crucial in writing a speech.

Rehearsing is a major requirement.

Speech writing is a recursive process.

The approach that you will use in your introduction can determine the success of your speech.

The primary objective of speech writing is getting the right or appropriate topic.

The purpose of the speech will help you identify ideas that will support your main idea or message.

Word choice is one consideration in writing a speech.

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