Principles of Speech Writing Flashcards
Phase 1 of the speech writing process
- conducting an audience analysis
- Determining the purpose
of the speech - Selecting a topic
- Narrowing down a topic
- Gathering data
entails looking into the profile of your target audience. This is done so you can tailor-fit your speech content and delivery to your audience
audience analysis
3 components of audience analysis
demography, situation, psychology
component of audience analysis
age range, male-female ratio, educational background and affiliations
or degree program taken, nationality, economic status, academic or corporate
designations
demography
component of audience analysis
time, venue, occasion, and size
situation
component of audience analysis
values, beliefs, attitudes, preferences, cultural and racial ideologies, and needs
psychology
2nd step in speech writing
determining the purpose (general and specific)
- to inform, persuade, or entertain
what speech provides the audience with a clear understanding of the concept or idea presented by the speaker
informative speech
what speech provides the audience with amusement.
entertainment speech
what speech provides the audience with well-argued ideas that can influence their own beliefs and decisions. The purpose can be general or specific.
persuasive speech
3rd stage
the focal point of your speech, which can be determined once you have
decided on your purpose. If you are free to decide on a topic, choose one that really
interests you. There are a variety of strategies used in selecting a _______, such as using
your personal experiences, discussing with your family members or friends, free writing,
listing, asking questions, or semantic webbing.
topic
4th stage
means making your main idea more specific and focused. The strategies in selecting a topic can also be used when you do this.
narrowing the topic
5th stage
the stage where you collect ideas, information, sources, and references relevant or related to your specific topic. This can be done by visiting the
library, browsing the web, observing a certain phenomenon or event related to your topic, or conducting an interview or survey.
data gathering
2nd phase of speech writing
- Selecting a speech
pattern - Preparing an outline
- Creating the body of the
speech
- Preparing the introduction
- Preparing the conclusion
6th stage
- structures that will help you organize the ideas
related to your topic.
writing patterns
types of writing patterns
biographical, categorical/topical, causal,
chronological, comparison or contrast, problem-solution, and spatial.
writing pattern
Presents descriptions of your life or of a person, famous or not.
a specific form of writing and research that takes as its subject the lives of individuals. As such it concentrates on constructing personal histories, and places them within their social, political, and historical context, in order to discover and explain the influences on an individual’s life.
biographical
biography vs. autobiography
When a person writes his or her own life story, the finished work is an autobiography. When an author writes a book about another person’s life, the result is a biography.
writing pattern
presents related categories supporting the topic
- By far the most common pattern for organizing a speech
- functions as a way to help the speaker organize the message in a consistent fashion.
- The goal is to create categories (or chunks) of information that go together to help support your original specific purpose.
categorical/topical
writing pattern
Presents cause-effect relationship
- When you use this speech pattern, your speech will have two basic main points: cause and effect. In the first main point, typically you will talk about the causes of a phenomenon, and in the second main point you will then show how the causes lead to either a specific effect or a small set of effects.
causal
writing pattern
Presents the idea in time order
- places the main idea in the time order in which items appear—whether backward or forward.
chronological
writing pattern
Presents comparison/contrast of two or three points
- While this pattern clearly lends itself easily to two main points, you can also create a third point by giving basic information about what is being compared and what is being contrasted.
comparison/contrast
writing pattern
Presents an identified problem, its causes, and
recommended solutions
problem-solution
writing pattern
organization arranges information according to how things fit together in physical space; i.e., where one thing exists in relation to another. This pattern works well when a writer wishes to create a mental picture of something which has various parts distinguished by physical location. Topics involving geography, for example, are often best organized using a spatial pattern.
spatial
7th stage
a hierarchical list that shows the relationship of your ideas
outline
3 elements of an outline
introduction, body, and conclusion
examples of an outline
table format, list format, etc
element of an outline
provides explanations, examples, or any details that can help you deliver your purpose and explain the main idea of your speech.
One major consideration in developing this part of your speech is the focus or central idea. The body of your speech should only have one central idea. The following are some strategies to highlight your main idea:
a. Present real-life or practical examples.
b. Show statistics.
c. Present comparisons.
d. Share ideas from the experts or practitioners
body
outline
the foundation of your speech. Here, your primary goal is to get the attention of your audience and present the subject or main idea of your speech.
Your first few words should do so. The following are some strategies:
a. Use a real-life experience and connect that experience to your subject.
b. Use practical examples and explain their connection to your subject.
c. Start with a familiar or strong quote and then explain what it means.
d. Use facts or statistics and highlight their importance to your subject.
e. Tell a personal story to illustrate your point.
introduction
outline
restates the main idea of your speech. Further, it provides a summary, emphasizes the message, and calls for action. The following are some strategies:
a. Begin your conclusion with a restatement of your message.
b. Use positive examples, encouraging words, or memorable lines from songs or
stories familiar to your audience.
c. Ask a question or series of questions that can make your audience reflect or ponder.
conclusion
the primary goal of the introduction
to get the attention of your audience and present the main idea of the speech
the primary goal of the conclusion
to leave the audience with a memorable statement.
3rd phase of speech writing
Editing and/or revising
- Rehearsing
involves correcting errors in mechanics, such
as grammar, punctuation, capitalization, unity, coherence, and others.
editing/revising
six power principles for speech editing by andrew dlugan
edit for focus, for clarity, for concision, for variety, for impact and beauty
six power principles for speech editing.
“So, what’s the point? What’s the message of the speech?”
Ensure that everything you have written, from the introduction to the conclusion, is related to your central message.
- All elements of your speech — every point, every statistic, every anecdote, every story, every joke, every visual aid — must support your core message.
edit for focus
how do you know if a speech is on focus
if it is on topic and on purpose
six power principles for speech editing.
how do you edit for clarity
- Make all ideas in your speech clear by arranging them in a logical order (e.g., the main idea first then supporting details, or supporting details first then the main idea).
- Start with one point, and build out from there, as if you were adding one lego block to another over time.
- clear and strong
six power principles for speech editing.
how do you edit for concision
- ## Keep your speech short, simple, and clear by eliminating unrelated stories and sentences and by using simple words.
six power principles for speech editing.
how do you edit for continuity
- Keep the flow of your presentation smooth by adding transition words and phrases.
-One point should feed naturally into the next.
six power principles for speech editing.
how do you edit for variety
- Add spice to your speech by shifting tone and style from formal to conversational and vice-versa, moving around the stage, or adding humor.
six power principles for speech editing.
how do you edit for impact and beauty
- Make your speech memorable by using these strategies: surprise the audience, use vivid descriptive images, write well-crafted and memorable lines, and use figures of speech.
last stage
gives you an opportunity to identify what works and what does not work for you and for your target audience. Some strategies include reading your speech aloud, recording for your own analysis, or for your peers or coaches to give feedback on your delivery. The best thing to remember at this stage is: “Constant practice makes perfect.”
rehearsing
tips for writing a persuasive speech
- secure the relevance of your topic about which people disagree
- clarify position
- identify audience
- use evidence to support arguments
to write the first version of a document such as a letter, essay, or law, which may have details added, changed, or corrected later
drafting
guidelines in speech writing
- short and simple words
- avoid jargon, acronyms, or technical words
- more personal (“I”) (but don’t overuse), or has a sense of collectiveness (“we)
- Use active verbs and contractions (because they add to the personal and conversational tone of your speech.)
- Be sensitive to your audience. well thought jokes, language, and nonverbal cues
- appropriate figure of speeches
- within time limit
things to avoid in speech writing
- circular reasoning, over-generalization, either-or-fallacy, cause and effect fallacy, bandwagon appeal, name-calling
A type of reasoning in which the proposition is supported by the premises, which is supported by the proposition, creating a circle in reasoning where no useful information is being shared. This fallacy is often quite humorous.
circular reasoning
a type of cognitive distortion where a person applies something from one event to all other events.
over-generalization
a logical fallacy that presents only two options or sides when there are many options or sides. Essentially, it presents a “black and white” kind of thinking when there are actually many shades of gray.
either-or-fallacy
This fallacy falsely assumes that one event causes another. Often a reader will mistake a time connection for a cause-effect connection. EXAMPLES: Every time I wash my car, it rains.
- assumes that because 2 things occurred together, one must have caused the other
cause and effect fallacy
this is also known as the appeal to the masses or appeal to common belief fallacy, which is the logical fallacy of claiming that something is true because everyone believes it.
bandwagon appeal
This type of fallacy occurs when someone attacks the person instead of attacking his or her argument.
- a fallacy that attempts to ruin an opponent’s reputation with an unfavorable label
name-calling/ad hominem
