SPEAKING 3: PREPARING YOUR SPEECH

TOPIC AND PURPOSE

“Where do I begin to prepare my speech?” The information included here will help you organize and outline your thoughts so that you can deliver a speech logically and clearly.  Every speech needs a topic and a purpose. 

• The topic is the subject or theme, e.g.:

§  Environmental Issues

§  School Improvements

§  Technology Pros and Cons

• The purpose is the reason for which we are writing, e.g.:

§  Convince people to save water.

§  Inform about the new activities offered in my school.

§  Defend the use of new technologies in the classroom.

Every time you’re planning to write a speech you must select a topic and define your purpose before you can begin gathering and organizing information. 

Activity 1

Select a topic and a purpose for your speech. Write them down.

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PARTS

Every speech has three parts: the introduction, the body and the conclusion. 

Which one of them do you think you will write the first?

Probably you thought about the introduction but experts say that it is not very advisable. They say it is better to write your body first, then the conclusion and finally the introduction. 

Can you think about any reasons to do it that way?

1. Body

In order to prepare the body; first, list subtopics that you might include in your speech.  Write them as you think of them.  Some ideas will be important, and some will not.  At this time, just concentrate on writing all the ideas you can think of; make sure that they all relate to the topic and purpose of your speech.

Example A:

Topic: Employment for Young People

Subtopics:

·        Businesses Should Hire More Young People

·        Why You Should (or Shouldn’t) Get a Job While in School

·        The Best Jobs for Students

·        The Worst Jobs for Students

·        Why Students With Jobs Should Have More Time for Assignments

·        Why You Should Get Paid for Household Chores

Example B:

Topic: Technology and Education

Subtopics:

·        Are desktop computer outdated?

·        Are computer labs unnecessary in schools today?

·        Should students be allowed to use mobile devices in class?

·        Should there be a filter on the internet in school?

·        Are textbooks obsolete?

·        Should teachers friend students on Facebook?

Activity 2

Write 6 subtopics for the topic and purpose you wrote on activity 1

1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________
6. __________________________________________________________

Second, narrow your list of subtopics.  Review your list and select only two or three that will best develop your speech in the time allowed.  These subtopics will become the main headings of your speech.

Third, order your subtopics logically so that one leads naturally into the next one.

E.g.:

1. Are textbooks obsolete?
2. Are desktop computer outdated?
3. Should students be allowed to use mobile devices in class?

Activity 3

Narrow your topics choosing only three of them and order them logically.

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Fourth, develop your subtopics with facts.  If your subtopics are supported and well organized, your sections will be interesting and your listeners will better understand and remember your speech.

Example of facts for the topic Global Warming:

• Trees, when fully grown, will help keep the planet cooler.
• Walking instead of taking the car will help reduce pollution. 
• The more you speed the more petrol you are going to use, making the pollution higher. 

Homework 1

Look for factual information, for each of your subtopics.  Write notes in your notebook.

2. Conclusion

The conclusion includes:

ü  a summary of the main points

ü  final remarks to end the speech gracefully

A good summary:

ü  briefly reviews your purpose

ü  repeats or restates the main ideas

Memorable concluding marks:

ü  are delivered after the summary of main points

ü  leave your audience thinking about what you’ve said

E.g.:

“If everybody stuck to these rules, we would be doing a great thing by protecting the earth. So please take into consideration what I have said, and try to do your part. After all, it will be our next generation that will feel the effects.”

Activity 4

Write a conclusion for your speech.

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3. Introduction

Your introduction should have:

ü  an attention-getting opener

ü  a preview of the body

A good introduction:

ü  captures the listeners’ attention immediately

ü  makes them interested in the rest of the speech

ü  alerts them to what they can expect to hear in the presentation

ü  helps them to follow the information easily

Powerful ways to begin your speech include:

ü  telling a brief story

ü  asking a question to arouse curiosity

ü  shoking your audience with a startling quote or fact

E.g.:  

“There is little doubt that the planet is warming. Over the last century, the planets temperature has risen by around 1 degree Fahrenheit. The warmest since the mid 1800’s was the 1990s.”

Activity 5

Write an introduction for your speech.

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OUTLINES

With a good outline, you’ll never have to worry about forgetting what you want to say.  Outlines:

• Make it easy for you to deliver your speech
• Assure you that you have organized your ideas
• Help you remember all your information

A good outline meets four basic requirements:

1. Each supporting point relates to the main point

Which supporting idea in the example below does not belong? Why not?

Alcoholism is an international problem.

1. Russia has a high alcoholism rate.
2. France has the highest alcoholism rate in Europe.
3. Alcoholics have more car accidents than nondrinkers.
4. Japan has severe juvenile alcoholism problems.

2. Each supporting point contains only one idea.

What is wrong with the example below?

Small cars are better than large cars.

1. They are less expensive and easier to park.
2. They get better gas mileage.

3. Supporting points are not repeated or restated

What is wrong with the example below?

Students dislike the school cafeteria.

1. There is very little to choose from.
2. The food is too expensive
3. The menu is extremely limited.

4. Each supporting parallel point has an equal level of importance.

What is wrong with the example below?

Sales in South America have fallen drastically.

1. Colombia
2. Lima
3. Ecuador

Activity 6

The following paragraphs represent the first major section of the body of a speech.

1. Read the speech.
2. Outline the information in the speech by filling in the blanks of the skeleton provided below.

There are many things to do on a visit to Mexico City, including going shopping and visiting interesting places.  You will enjoy visits to Chapultepec Park, the pyramids in Teotihuacán, the world renowned Museum of Anthropology and the Palace of Fine Arts, where you can see art exhibitions and the Ballet Gran Folklórico de México.

You can shop for crafts such as colorful embroidered blouses, handwoven rugs, and handmade pottery.

You can also shop for items of onyx such as ashtrays, vases, and bookends.  Silver lovers can buy beautiful sterling silver pieces such as serving trays, picture frames, and key chains.  They can also buy lots of silver jewelry including bracelets, necklaces, and rings.

I.              _________________________________________________________

a.    Visit interesting places

1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________

a.    _______________________________________________________

b.    _______________________________________________________

b.    ____________________________________________________

1. Crafts

a.    _______________________________________________________

b.    _______________________________________________________

c.    _______________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________

a.    _______________________________________________________

b.    _______________________________________________________

c.    _______________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________________

a.    _______________________________________________________

b.    _______________________________________________________

c.    _______________________________________________________

d.    _______________________________________________________

i.______________________________________________________

ii.______________________________________________________

iii._____________________________________________________

Homework 2

Write an outline in your notebook to organize the information you researched for your speech.  (See activities 1, 3, 4, 5 and homework 1)

TRANSITIONS

Transitions make it easy for your listeners to follow your plan for your speech.  They remind your audience where you’ve been and say where you’re going.

Think of transitions in a speech as signposts along a highway as you travel from one city to another. Transitions tell your audience that something new or important is about to happen in your speech.

Transition after the introduction

Every speech needs a transition after the introduction.  This transition should signal that the main part of the speech is about to begin. 

Transitions within the body.

Transitions are also needed between each section of the body.  This kind of transition generally consists of two separate sentences that provide two important functions:

• To review the information just presented
• To preview the next section

Transition before the conclusion

Every speech needs a transition before the conclusion.  This last transition acts as a signal that the speech is about to end.

Activity 7

Write transitions for your speech:

1. To include after your introduction.

_______________________________________________________________

2. To include within the body.

_______________________________________________________________

3. To include before the conclusion.

_______________________________________________________________

Activity 8

Read the following speech carefully.

Fellow students, have you ever felt afraid to walk around the school by yourself?   In a recent survey carried out by the school council, 70 percent of us have been bullied at some time in our life at school. But, who the bullies are?

The bullies are vicious, violent and vindictive. Unfortunately, they are getting away with it. This is not fair and it happens because there’s fear.

We, the victims, are afraid of wearing the wrong trainers. We are afraid of being too smart or too stupid. We are afraid of anything that might draw attention to ourselves. The time has come for the fear to stop.

The bullies terrify other students, and yet they are cowards themselves. If we pull together we can fight this fear. Join me and fight this fear today.

-Draw a rectangle around the introduction.

-Draw an oval around the conclusion.

-Underline transitions in red.

-Underline facts in blue.

Write the topic ___________________________________________________

Write two subtopics:

1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________

Homework 3

In your notebook, write the final version of your speech and practice to deliver it to the class.  Take into account what you learned in the previous units. (Tone of voice, body posture, gestures, etc.)