general speech writing tips

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How to write a speech that your audience remembers

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Whether in a work meeting or at an investor panel, you might give a speech at some point. And no matter how excited you are about the opportunity, the experience can be nerve-wracking . 

But feeling butterflies doesn’t mean you can’t give a great speech. With the proper preparation and a clear outline, apprehensive public speakers and natural wordsmiths alike can write and present a compelling message. Here’s how to write a good speech you’ll be proud to deliver.

What is good speech writing?

Good speech writing is the art of crafting words and ideas into a compelling, coherent, and memorable message that resonates with the audience. Here are some key elements of great speech writing:

• It begins with clearly understanding the speech's purpose and the audience it seeks to engage. 
• A well-written speech clearly conveys its central message, ensuring that the audience understands and retains the key points. 
• It is structured thoughtfully, with a captivating opening, a well-organized body, and a conclusion that reinforces the main message. 
• Good speech writing embraces the power of engaging content, weaving in stories, examples, and relatable anecdotes to connect with the audience on both intellectual and emotional levels. 

Ultimately, it is the combination of these elements, along with the authenticity and delivery of the speaker , that transforms words on a page into a powerful and impactful spoken narrative.

What makes a good speech?

A great speech includes several key qualities, but three fundamental elements make a speech truly effective:

Clarity and purpose

Remembering the audience, cohesive structure.

While other important factors make a speech a home run, these three elements are essential for writing an effective speech.

The main elements of a good speech

The main elements of a speech typically include:

• Introduction: The introduction sets the stage for your speech and grabs the audience's attention. It should include a hook or attention-grabbing opening, introduce the topic, and provide an overview of what will be covered.
• Opening/captivating statement: This is a strong statement that immediately engages the audience and creates curiosity about the speech topics.
• Thesis statement/central idea: The thesis statement or central idea is a concise statement that summarizes the main point or argument of your speech. It serves as a roadmap for the audience to understand what your speech is about.
• Body: The body of the speech is where you elaborate on your main points or arguments. Each point is typically supported by evidence, examples, statistics, or anecdotes. The body should be organized logically and coherently, with smooth transitions between the main points.
• Supporting evidence: This includes facts, data, research findings, expert opinions, or personal stories that support and strengthen your main points. Well-chosen and credible evidence enhances the persuasive power of your speech.
• Transitions: Transitions are phrases or statements that connect different parts of your speech, guiding the audience from one idea to the next. Effective transitions signal the shifts in topics or ideas and help maintain a smooth flow throughout the speech.
• Counterarguments and rebuttals (if applicable): If your speech involves addressing opposing viewpoints or counterarguments, you should acknowledge and address them. Presenting counterarguments makes your speech more persuasive and demonstrates critical thinking.
• Conclusion: The conclusion is the final part of your speech and should bring your message to a satisfying close. Summarize your main points, restate your thesis statement, and leave the audience with a memorable closing thought or call to action.
• Closing statement: This is the final statement that leaves a lasting impression and reinforces the main message of your speech. It can be a call to action, a thought-provoking question, a powerful quote, or a memorable anecdote.
• Delivery and presentation: How you deliver your speech is also an essential element to consider. Pay attention to your tone, body language, eye contact , voice modulation, and timing. Practice and rehearse your speech, and try using the 7-38-55 rule to ensure confident and effective delivery.

While the order and emphasis of these elements may vary depending on the type of speech and audience, these elements provide a framework for organizing and delivering a successful speech.

How to structure a good speech

You know what message you want to transmit, who you’re delivering it to, and even how you want to say it. But you need to know how to start, develop, and close a speech before writing it. 

Think of a speech like an essay. It should have an introduction, conclusion, and body sections in between. This places ideas in a logical order that the audience can better understand and follow them. Learning how to make a speech with an outline gives your storytelling the scaffolding it needs to get its point across.

Here’s a general speech structure to guide your writing process:

• Explanation 1
• Explanation 2
• Explanation 3

How to write a compelling speech opener

Some research shows that engaged audiences pay attention for only 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Other estimates are even lower, citing that people stop listening intently in fewer than 10 minutes . If you make a good first impression at the beginning of your speech, you have a better chance of interesting your audience through the middle when attention spans fade. 

Implementing the INTRO model can help grab and keep your audience’s attention as soon as you start speaking. This acronym stands for interest, need, timing, roadmap, and objectives, and it represents the key points you should hit in an opening. 

Here’s what to include for each of these points: 

• Interest : Introduce yourself or your topic concisely and speak with confidence . Write a compelling opening statement using relevant data or an anecdote that the audience can relate to.
• Needs : The audience is listening to you because they have something to learn. If you’re pitching a new app idea to a panel of investors, those potential partners want to discover more about your product and what they can earn from it. Read the room and gently remind them of the purpose of your speech. 
• Timing : When appropriate, let your audience know how long you’ll speak. This lets listeners set expectations and keep tabs on their own attention span. If a weary audience member knows you’ll talk for 40 minutes, they can better manage their energy as that time goes on. 
• Routemap : Give a brief overview of the three main points you’ll cover in your speech. If an audience member’s attention starts to drop off and they miss a few sentences, they can more easily get their bearings if they know the general outline of the presentation.
• Objectives : Tell the audience what you hope to achieve, encouraging them to listen to the end for the payout. 

Writing the middle of a speech

The body of your speech is the most information-dense section. Facts, visual aids, PowerPoints — all this information meets an audience with a waning attention span. Sticking to the speech structure gives your message focus and keeps you from going off track, making everything you say as useful as possible.

Limit the middle of your speech to three points, and support them with no more than three explanations. Following this model organizes your thoughts and prevents you from offering more information than the audience can retain. 

Using this section of the speech to make your presentation interactive can add interest and engage your audience. Try including a video or demonstration to break the monotony. A quick poll or survey also keeps the audience on their toes. 

Wrapping the speech up

To you, restating your points at the end can feel repetitive and dull. You’ve practiced countless times and heard it all before. But repetition aids memory and learning , helping your audience retain what you’ve told them. Use your speech’s conclusion to summarize the main points with a few short sentences.

Try to end on a memorable note, like posing a motivational quote or a thoughtful question the audience can contemplate once they leave. In proposal or pitch-style speeches, consider landing on a call to action (CTA) that invites your audience to take the next step.

How to write a good speech

If public speaking gives you the jitters, you’re not alone. Roughly 80% of the population feels nervous before giving a speech, and another 10% percent experiences intense anxiety and sometimes even panic. 

The fear of failure can cause procrastination and can cause you to put off your speechwriting process until the last minute. Finding the right words takes time and preparation, and if you’re already feeling nervous, starting from a blank page might seem even harder.

But putting in the effort despite your stress is worth it. Presenting a speech you worked hard on fosters authenticity and connects you to the subject matter, which can help your audience understand your points better. Human connection is all about honesty and vulnerability, and if you want to connect to the people you’re speaking to, they should see that in you.

1. Identify your objectives and target audience

Before diving into the writing process, find healthy coping strategies to help you stop worrying . Then you can define your speech’s purpose, think about your target audience, and start identifying your objectives. Here are some questions to ask yourself and ground your thinking : 

• What purpose do I want my speech to achieve? 
• What would it mean to me if I achieved the speech’s purpose?
• What audience am I writing for? 
• What do I know about my audience? 
• What values do I want to transmit? 
• If the audience remembers one take-home message, what should it be? 
• What do I want my audience to feel, think, or do after I finish speaking? 
• What parts of my message could be confusing and require further explanation?

2. Know your audience

Understanding your audience is crucial for tailoring your speech effectively. Consider the demographics of your audience, their interests, and their expectations. For instance, if you're addressing a group of healthcare professionals, you'll want to use medical terminology and data that resonate with them. Conversely, if your audience is a group of young students, you'd adjust your content to be more relatable to their experiences and interests. 

3. Choose a clear message

Your message should be the central idea that you want your audience to take away from your speech. Let's say you're giving a speech on climate change. Your clear message might be something like, "Individual actions can make a significant impact on mitigating climate change." Throughout your speech, all your points and examples should support this central message, reinforcing it for your audience.

4. Structure your speech

Organizing your speech properly keeps your audience engaged and helps them follow your ideas. The introduction should grab your audience's attention and introduce the topic. For example, if you're discussing space exploration, you could start with a fascinating fact about a recent space mission. In the body, you'd present your main points logically, such as the history of space exploration, its scientific significance, and future prospects. Finally, in the conclusion, you'd summarize your key points and reiterate the importance of space exploration in advancing human knowledge.

5. Use engaging content for clarity

Engaging content includes stories, anecdotes, statistics, and examples that illustrate your main points. For instance, if you're giving a speech about the importance of reading, you might share a personal story about how a particular book changed your perspective. You could also include statistics on the benefits of reading, such as improved cognitive abilities and empathy.

6. Maintain clarity and simplicity

It's essential to communicate your ideas clearly. Avoid using overly technical jargon or complex language that might confuse your audience. For example, if you're discussing a medical breakthrough with a non-medical audience, explain complex terms in simple, understandable language.

7. Practice and rehearse

Practice is key to delivering a great speech. Rehearse multiple times to refine your delivery, timing, and tone. Consider using a mirror or recording yourself to observe your body language and gestures. For instance, if you're giving a motivational speech, practice your gestures and expressions to convey enthusiasm and confidence.

8. Consider nonverbal communication

Your body language, tone of voice, and gestures should align with your message . If you're delivering a speech on leadership, maintain strong eye contact to convey authority and connection with your audience. A steady pace and varied tone can also enhance your speech's impact.

9. Engage your audience

Engaging your audience keeps them interested and attentive. Encourage interaction by asking thought-provoking questions or sharing relatable anecdotes. If you're giving a speech on teamwork, ask the audience to recall a time when teamwork led to a successful outcome, fostering engagement and connection.

10. Prepare for Q&A

Anticipate potential questions or objections your audience might have and prepare concise, well-informed responses. If you're delivering a speech on a controversial topic, such as healthcare reform, be ready to address common concerns, like the impact on healthcare costs or access to services, during the Q&A session.

By following these steps and incorporating examples that align with your specific speech topic and purpose, you can craft and deliver a compelling and impactful speech that resonates with your audience.

Tools for writing a great speech

There are several helpful tools available for speechwriting, both technological and communication-related. Here are a few examples:

• Word processing software: Tools like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or other word processors provide a user-friendly environment for writing and editing speeches. They offer features like spell-checking, grammar correction, formatting options, and easy revision tracking.
• Presentation software: Software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides is useful when creating visual aids to accompany your speech. These tools allow you to create engaging slideshows with text, images, charts, and videos to enhance your presentation.
• Speechwriting Templates: Online platforms or software offer pre-designed templates specifically for speechwriting. These templates provide guidance on structuring your speech and may include prompts for different sections like introductions, main points, and conclusions.
• Rhetorical devices and figures of speech: Rhetorical tools such as metaphors, similes, alliteration, and parallelism can add impact and persuasion to your speech. Resources like books, websites, or academic papers detailing various rhetorical devices can help you incorporate them effectively.
• Speechwriting apps: Mobile apps designed specifically for speechwriting can be helpful in organizing your thoughts, creating outlines, and composing a speech. These apps often provide features like voice recording, note-taking, and virtual prompts to keep you on track.
• Grammar and style checkers: Online tools or plugins like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor help improve the clarity and readability of your speech by checking for grammar, spelling, and style errors. They provide suggestions for sentence structure, word choice, and overall tone.
• Thesaurus and dictionary: Online or offline resources such as thesauruses and dictionaries help expand your vocabulary and find alternative words or phrases to express your ideas more effectively. They can also clarify meanings or provide context for unfamiliar terms.
• Online speechwriting communities: Joining online forums or communities focused on speechwriting can be beneficial for getting feedback, sharing ideas, and learning from experienced speechwriters. It's an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and improve your public speaking skills through collaboration.

Remember, while these tools can assist in the speechwriting process, it's essential to use them thoughtfully and adapt them to your specific needs and style. The most important aspect of speechwriting remains the creativity, authenticity, and connection with your audience that you bring to your speech.

5 tips for writing a speech

Behind every great speech is an excellent idea and a speaker who refined it. But a successful speech is about more than the initial words on the page, and there are a few more things you can do to help it land.

Here are five more tips for writing and practicing your speech:

1. Structure first, write second

If you start the writing process before organizing your thoughts, you may have to re-order, cut, and scrap the sentences you worked hard on. Save yourself some time by using a speech structure, like the one above, to order your talking points first. This can also help you identify unclear points or moments that disrupt your flow.

2. Do your homework

Data strengthens your argument with a scientific edge. Research your topic with an eye for attention-grabbing statistics, or look for findings you can use to support each point. If you’re pitching a product or service, pull information from company metrics that demonstrate past or potential successes. 

Audience members will likely have questions, so learn all talking points inside and out. If you tell investors that your product will provide 12% returns, for example, come prepared with projections that support that statement.

3. Sound like yourself

Memorable speakers have distinct voices. Think of Martin Luther King Jr’s urgent, inspiring timbre or Oprah’s empathetic, personal tone . Establish your voice — one that aligns with your personality and values — and stick with it. If you’re a motivational speaker, keep your tone upbeat to inspire your audience . If you’re the CEO of a startup, try sounding assured but approachable. 

4. Practice

As you practice a speech, you become more confident , gain a better handle on the material, and learn the outline so well that unexpected questions are less likely to trip you up. Practice in front of a colleague or friend for honest feedback about what you could change, and speak in front of the mirror to tweak your nonverbal communication and body language .

5. Remember to breathe

When you’re stressed, you breathe more rapidly . It can be challenging to talk normally when you can’t regulate your breath. Before your presentation, try some mindful breathing exercises so that when the day comes, you already have strategies that will calm you down and remain present . This can also help you control your voice and avoid speaking too quickly.

How to ghostwrite a great speech for someone else

Ghostwriting a speech requires a unique set of skills, as you're essentially writing a piece that will be delivered by someone else. Here are some tips on how to effectively ghostwrite a speech:

• Understand the speaker's voice and style : Begin by thoroughly understanding the speaker's personality, speaking style, and preferences. This includes their tone, humor, and any personal anecdotes they may want to include.
• Interview the speaker : Have a detailed conversation with the speaker to gather information about their speech's purpose, target audience, key messages, and any specific points they want to emphasize. Ask for personal stories or examples they may want to include.
• Research thoroughly : Research the topic to ensure you have a strong foundation of knowledge. This helps you craft a well-informed and credible speech.
• Create an outline : Develop a clear outline that includes the introduction, main points, supporting evidence, and a conclusion. Share this outline with the speaker for their input and approval.
• Write in the speaker's voice : While crafting the speech, maintain the speaker's voice and style. Use language and phrasing that feel natural to them. If they have a particular way of expressing ideas, incorporate that into the speech.
• Craft a captivating opening : Begin the speech with a compelling opening that grabs the audience's attention. This could be a relevant quote, an interesting fact, a personal anecdote, or a thought-provoking question.
• Organize content logically : Ensure the speech flows logically, with each point building on the previous one. Use transitions to guide the audience from one idea to the next smoothly.
• Incorporate engaging stories and examples : Include anecdotes, stories, and real-life examples that illustrate key points and make the speech relatable and memorable.
• Edit and revise : Edit the speech carefully for clarity, grammar, and coherence. Ensure the speech is the right length and aligns with the speaker's time constraints.
• Seek feedback : Share drafts of the speech with the speaker for their feedback and revisions. They may have specific changes or additions they'd like to make.
• Practice delivery : If possible, work with the speaker on their delivery. Practice the speech together, allowing the speaker to become familiar with the content and your writing style.
• Maintain confidentiality : As a ghostwriter, it's essential to respect the confidentiality and anonymity of the work. Do not disclose that you wrote the speech unless you have the speaker's permission to do so.
• Be flexible : Be open to making changes and revisions as per the speaker's preferences. Your goal is to make them look good and effectively convey their message.
• Meet deadlines : Stick to agreed-upon deadlines for drafts and revisions. Punctuality and reliability are essential in ghostwriting.
• Provide support : Support the speaker during their preparation and rehearsal process. This can include helping with cue cards, speech notes, or any other materials they need.

Remember that successful ghostwriting is about capturing the essence of the speaker while delivering a well-structured and engaging speech. Collaboration, communication, and adaptability are key to achieving this.

Give your best speech yet

Learn how to make a speech that’ll hold an audience’s attention by structuring your thoughts and practicing frequently. Put the effort into writing and preparing your content, and aim to improve your breathing, eye contact , and body language as you practice. The more you work on your speech, the more confident you’ll become.

The energy you invest in writing an effective speech will help your audience remember and connect to every concept. Remember: some life-changing philosophies have come from good speeches, so give your words a chance to resonate with others. You might even change their thinking.

Elizabeth Perry

Content Marketing Manager, ACC

10+ interpersonal skills at work and ways to develop them

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Speech Writing Tips: 27 Key Tips from Seasoned Pros

• Filed under: Featured articles , Public speaking articles , Public speaking tips and tricks , Speaking tips

Whether it’s your first speech or your hundredth, you might be feeling the anxiety build as you stare at a blank page. You need to wow your audience, but you’re not sure how. It can be stressful to create a moving speech from nothing, but you’re not alone. Below, I’ve compiled a killer list of speech writing tips from seasoned pros.

So, what are the best speech writing tips to remember? Choose the right topic for your audience, which is based on their interests and needs. To make your speech more interesting, avoid jargon, and use personal stories and humor in your speech. Make your transitions from subtopic to another smooth, natural, and flawless.

By the end of this article, you’ll know how to write an awesome speech from start to finish. So, let’s not waste another moment!

Table of Contents

Speech Writing Tips: The Audience

Before you begin writing your speech , you need to consider several factors about your audience. Without taking these points into consideration, your speech will fall flat or may even offend your audience, so don’t rush past this part.

#1 Who is my audience for this speech?

This is the first and most important question you need to ask yourself. The answer will dictate the path your speech should take. This first tip has everything to do with the people you’re talking to and nothing at all to do with you.

Why does your audience even matter? Isn’t your speech all about you?

No! If a speech needs to touch an audience, move them, or inspire them, the speaker needs to recognize the audience and adapt to them. Your job, before any other, is to figure out who your audience is and then write your speech around their needs and expectations.

For example, if your audience is a room full of young mothers at a convention aimed at small crafting businesses, you don’t want to come at them with a bunch of sports metaphors. That’s not to say they won’t understand or appreciate one of those thrown in for contrast and a new twist. However, it’s safe to assume they’d rather hear crafting anecdotes or small business stories instead of quips about the latest sports news.

On the flip side, if you’re speaking to a room full of lawyers on a retreat intended to relax and entertain them, you wouldn’t want to fill your speech with depressing cases and stories of judicial frustration. More on that in a moment though.

The bottom line is that you need to gauge who your audience is before you write a single word.

#2 Why is my audience here?

I touched on this briefly a moment ago, but I want to dig into it a bit deeper to drive my point home. Knowing who your audience is, is only half the equation. Understanding why they are there is the other half.

The “why” matters almost as much and who they are. For example, if the audience is there because it’s required, they may come into the speech feeling hostile and tense. A hostile audience is a closed-off audience; they’ll need to be handled with care.

If the audience has paid to be there, on the other hand, they are more likely to be receptive and open right from the start.

So, why are they there?

• Is their attendance voluntary or compulsory?

#3 What does the audience want from my speech?

You know who you’ll be speaking to and why they are there. Now, you just need to figure out what they want from your speech. If you know what they want to walk away with, you can deliver it.

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In my previous examples, we saw mothers at a convention for small crafting business owners, and we saw a bunch of lawyers on a relaxing retreat. Each of those groups will be at their events for a specific reason, and you need to know what that reason is.

They are both groups of professionals, but they each have very different expectations for your speeches. One group expects to learn from you or be inspired. The other group wants to be entertained.

How you handle these two situations should be based on their needs. So, what do they want to get out of your speech ?

• Are they there to learn?
• Are they there to be inspired?
• Do they want to be entertained?
• Do they want to be challenged?
• What do they hope to gain from your speech?
• Why is this topic important to this particular audience?

Remember, this isn’t about what you want them to get out of it; it’s about their needs and expectations. Your job is to make sure your words resonate with them, and that won’t happen if you don’t understand what they need.

How do I utilize these speech writing tips for my audience?

So, now you know who your audience is, why they are there, and what they expect from you. But what do you do with all this information?

#4 Research demographics

Jump online and research your audience’s specific demographics. Important factors may include:

• Political affiliations

#5 Be informed about the industry

Pay attention to current trends in their industries as well as past ones. Doing some research now can help your speech writing process in the long run, so take the time to dig deep.

#6 Understand the mission

Every event has a mission. Speak to the event organizers to get a better feel for the main mission of this event. This is a good time to ask more questions about the attendees, too.

#7 Check out the venue

Look up the venue and speak to the people in charge. Organizers often choose venues that are friendly to their causes or already have a good reputation in their circles.

#8 Research other speakers

It helps to look at past speakers for the group and how they were received. It’s also very helpful to do some research on fellow speakers at this particular event, if there are any.

Speech Writing Tips for Choosing A Topic

Though you will likely have instructions for the general theme of your speaking engagement, the specific topic will be up to you. Choosing the right topic for your audience and their needs can be a stressful part of writing a speech.

Choosing the wrong topic can make your speech a nightmare for you and your audience. So how do you choose the right speech topic for your audience? Using the previous speech writing tips to get to know your audience, you should already have some ideas about topics of interest to that group.

Just in case you’re still stumped, here are some more speech writing tips for choosing a topic.

#9 Explore relevant speech topics

While researching your audience, the event, and the venue, you probably stumbled across interesting tidbits of information about each. Use them. Even if they seem insignificant at first, everything is worth exploring at this stage.

Look at the bits of information floating around the group you’ll be speaking about. This can be something in the news, a hot topic on social media, or new legislation that could affect the group.

#10 Ask event coordinators for speech ideas

Event coordinators will have a clear picture of the event, the main focus, and the interest of the attendees. Ask the coordinator for suggestions on topics. They may be willing to share the list of topics already being discussed by other speakers, too.

Knowing what other people will be talking about can help you choose a smaller niche or expand on that topic. It can help you avoid redundancy, too.

#11 Ask social media for speech topics

Harness the power of social media by asking your followers what kinds of topics they’d like to explore. Even if these people won’t be in that audience, if they’re familiar with the main theme, they probably have an idea of what kind of speech they’d enjoy hearing.

Writing the Speech

You’ve done a lot of research, spoken to important people, and have a solid plan for impressing your audience. Now comes the hard part.

Getting your ideas and facts down onto paper can be frustrating and incredibly stressful. What will you say? How will the audience react? What if you don’t make sense?

These next tips can help you nail the writing process and produce your finest speech yet.

#12 Write your speech outline first

Outline your speech before you begin writing the words you’ll be speaking. This helps you stay on topic. It also gives you an opportunity to test out the flow of ideas and pacing.

If anything in your outline seems out of place, you have an opportunity at this point to make room for it, or just chuck it. Don’t hang onto stubborn bits past the outline stage. If it just won’t fit, don’t try to force it. You’ll only frustrate yourself. Save that bit for another speech.

#13 Write Your Speech Introduction Last

It may seem counterintuitive to write the beginning last, but hear me out.

Your speech introduction is one of the most important parts of your speech. This will set the tone for the entire speech. Sometimes, it’s hard to get past that first step and get to the meat of your speech because you aren’t entirely certain what your speech is about yet.

So, skip the intro and start working on the body first. You’ll edit that draft over and over, fine-tuning it to perfection. And once you’re done, you will know exactly what your speech is about.

That’s the point where you can nail your introduction, touching on a few key points, and getting your audience ready for the main event.

When you do begin your introduction, lay it out in a simple way. Introduce yourself, talk about your purpose, mention your key points briefly, and establish credibility so your audience can trust you. If you can add some humor at this point, that would help relax your audience, but only do so if it’s appropriate for the occasion.

Your speech introduction is your hook. This is the way you grab attention. Use this moment to engage the audience, too. Eye contact, body language, and asking questions right from start will draw attention.

But a good hook needs more than these tricks. You need to get attendees to want to stay and listen.

Some hooks include:

• A puzzling question
• Posing a dilemma
• Or a combo of all of these

If you’re still stuck on introduction ideas, you can watch a few speeches from popular orators to get a feel for it.

#14 Use personal stories and humor in your speech

After your outline is done, look at your subtopics and choose a few to add personal stories too. It’s best to put personal anecdotes with the most important parts of your speech to help those aspects stand out. Adding a personal touch keeps audiences engaged and interested.

Don’t waste your anecdotes on minor points, unless they add something bigger than entertainment to the mix.

Make sure your anecdotes don’t pull focus from your topic. If people are too connected with your story, it could pull their attention away from the real point of your speech. There is a balancing act here.

#14 Use repetition when writing your speech

Humans are creatures of habit and routine. Both habits and routine come from the repetition of actions, thoughts, and words. Use that to your advantage when you write your next speech.

Pick a short phrase to repeat throughout your speech. It will trigger a subconscious reaction in your audience and help them pay attention. It will help them remember your points, too.

An example of repetition in a speech is Winston Churchill’s “We shall fight on the beaches; we shall fight on the landing ground” speech . Everyone knows and remembers most of it. It’s the repetition of “we shall fight” that made this speech memorable.

#15 Remember that your audience is not you

You were asked to make this speech because you’re an authority. Your job is to impart your knowledge or to entertain your audience, but you have to remember that they’re not you.

The attendees may be interested in your topic, but they don’t have the same knowledge you do ; that’s why you are up there talking and not them. So, this speech writing tip is here to remind you to be a teacher, a guide, and an authority.

Your audience is interested in what you have to say. They will want and need specifics, facts, sources, and information. It’s your job to give it to them. Though each person listening may have some knowledge on your topic, you need to be sure your words and points are clear to someone who might not know much at all.

#16 Don’t patronize or talk down to your audience

Yes, you’re an authority. People will be looking to you for guidance and information. However, you’re not their parent. You’re not above them or more important than they are. Be careful not to cross the line from friendly expert to overbearing know-it-all.

#17 Choose jargon carefully

You want to write and speak naturally, but using too much industry jargon can be just as bad as using none at all. Be sure to choose appropriate industry jargon sparingly, but not too little.

Jargon helps build your credibility, while too much makes you sound desperate.

#18 Nail your speech transitions

You’ll need to go from one subtopic to another in a smooth, natural, and flawless way . This can be a major sticking point for some people.

One of my favorite ways is to put an anecdote between two subtopics to help bridge the gap. Most personal stories have multiple meanings and lessons to be learned. Put an anecdote between two closely related subtopics to help.

You can also use the recap method to transition between subtopics. It’s as simple as saying, “We explored this and this, but let’s turn to this for a moment”, and then continue on. This works best with subtopics that are naturally close together.

#19 Write a great speech ending

Hey, no pressure, but you need to write an awesome speech ending. This is your chance to recap briefly, excite the audience, and add your call to action.

What did your audience want and need from your speech? What was the point of the entire thing? The ending of your speech is where you show your audience that you delivered exactly what they needed.

A call to action can be as simple as signing up for your mailing list or as complex as voting or buying something. Whatever it is, make it clear that your speech has been persuading enough to give the attendees what they need.

One major problem a lot of speeches have is that they wander. It’s a common mistake to let your speech meander back and forth over a variety of topics.

While it may make total sense to you as you write it and even practice it, you must remember that your audience will probably get lost with your ramblings or lose interest in what you have to say.

Here are some speech writing tips to keep your speeches focused.

#20 Keep a narrow focus for your speech

It’s exciting to get up in front of people and talk about your passions. The problem many speakers run into is the desire to cram too much information into a short span of time . This confuses audiences and muddies your point.

Instead of putting every idea into your speech like a blanket, think of your speech as a thread in a bigger tapestry. You aren’t there to show them the entire picture; you’re there to show them details on one important part.

If you stay focused and on topic, your audience will get more out of your speech than if you try to cover every possible point. Besides, if you stay focused now, you are more likely to be asked back for another speech on another part of your tapestry.

#21 Keep your speech simple

This speech writing tip isn’t as much about wowing your audience as it is to caution against too many of those tactics at once . It’s tempting to fill speeches with various “tricks of the trade” to keep attendees glued to their seats, but it can backfire.

If you keep your speech simple and to the point, listeners are more likely to remember what you said. That means they’ll get a lot more out of your speech than the generic memory of you being really fun to watch.

• Use short sentences
• Use simple language appropriate for the audience
• Don’t ramble
• Cut extraneous words that don’t add value

#22 Write your speech like you speak

Too many people ignore this speech writing tip—don’t be one of them! You need to write your speech like you speak. That means using everyday language and even colloquialisms where appropriate.

By keeping your speech natural, it’ll help you stay comfortable and confident, which then helps you stay on topic. Adding big words you don’t normally use will only distract you and your audience.

#23 Stick to the facts to write an impressive speech

Understandable, it’s easy to get sucked into the excitement of passionate topics. When people are excited about something, they tend to exaggerate. Since exaggeration is sometimes considered as one branch of lying , that tendency can get you in trouble when writing a speech.

Elaboration is one thing—and it’s a good thing to do in your speech—but it’s a slippery slope from elaboration to exaggeration. Be sure you can cite your sources at any given moment.

Stick to the facts and you won’t find yourself in front of an audience shaking their heads in disbelief. Even if your facts are wild, if you can back them up with sources, you’ll keep your audience listening.

#24 Try to sound normal

Another big issue speakers face is sounding unnatural. There is a stiffness or obvious discomfort to some speakers that can make the audience feel uncomfortable. Some of this is due to anxiety over public speaking, but some has to do with poor word choice while writing the speech.

These tips will help you write a more natural-sounding speech.

• Use common terminology for the industry, but avoid difficult to pronounce words.
• Ask questions to keep the audience engaged. Speakers and audiences are more comfortable when it feels like a conversation.
• Laugh, smile, and gesture as if you were speaking to a friend. Obviously, you don’t want to laugh and smile if it’s a somber event, but use socially acceptable emotions and behaviors to keep yourself relaxed.
• Be open, honest, and human. If you know you’ll be nervous, add it to your speech. Poorly veiled discomfort can infect audiences, too. Showing your vulnerability will help show your human side while setting the audience at ease. And writing it in the speech in advance can help alleviate some of the stress.
• Write your speech with contractions. Say things like “I’m” instead of “I am” and “they’re” instead of “they are” to keep your tone friendly.

Practice Makes Perfect

You’ve researched, outlined, written, and edited your speech. Pat yourself on the back, but you’re not done yet.

#25 Read your speech out loud

Seeing the same words over and over on the page can start to muddle your brain. It’s a fact. The more you look at your speech, the less likely you are to see the mistakes .

The only real way to overcome this is to read your words out loud. You can do this alone or with a friend, but you must not skip this part of your preparation.

When you read your words out loud, your brain will often autocorrect your mistakes, just like it does while writing and editing silently. The difference this time is that your ears will now catch the mistake and give you the chance to fix it.

So, for example, if you’re reading your speech and your mouth says one thing while the paper says something else, you know there’s an issue. Stop, examine the problem, and make corrections.

If you continue to stumble over places in your speech where it is grammatically correct and is mistake-free, your brain is telling you there’s still a problem. Maybe it doesn’t sound as natural as you thought. Maybe it’s the wrong tone.

Whatever it is, your brain, eyes, and ears are trying to tell you there’s an issue. Don’t ignore these situations.

#26 Record your speech

If you can’t figure out what the problem is while reading aloud, record yourself. This can be audio or video; it doesn’t matter. Just record your speech and then replay it.

You may be able to spot the mistake by listening or watching. If you’re still stumped why it sounds odd, ask a friend or two to help.

#27 Time yourself

When your speech is done, you have one more job to do. Time yourself. It seems so simple and obvious, but many people forget this step.

Writing a speech is an arduous task sometimes, and once it’s done, you may feel great relief. But if you don’t time yourself giving your completed speech, you may find yourself on speech day talking too long or not long enough.

While timing, if you keep coming up short, try these tricks to lengthen the speech:

• Add pauses for emphasis
• Speak slower
• Practice suitable gestures and body language
• Add more content

If your speech is coming up too long, try these tips to shorten it:

• Speak faster, but not too fast
• Add more contractions
• Remove extra sentences
• Check for the bad kind of repetition or overstating facts
• If all else fails, you may need to cut sections

These speech writing tips cover the planning, research, writing, and practice stages. No matter where you’re running into difficulties in writing your speech, there should be something here to help. And if you’re completely stumped or too nervous to even begin, just follow the steps in order.

I’m always looking for more tips and tricks to share with my readers. If you’ve developed your own processes and would like to share, I’d love to hear from you.

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How to write a good speech in 7 steps

By:  Susan Dugdale  

- an easily followed format for writing a great speech

Did you know writing a speech doesn't have be an anxious, nail biting experience?

Unsure? Don't be.

You may have lived with the idea you were never good with words for a long time. Or perhaps giving speeches at school brought you out in cold sweats.

However learning how to write a speech is relatively straight forward when you learn to write out loud.

And that's the journey I am offering to take you on: step by step.

To learn quickly, go slow

Take all the time you need. This speech format has 7 steps, each building on the next.

Walk, rather than run, your way through all of them. Don't be tempted to rush. Familiarize yourself with the ideas. Try them out.

I know there are well-advertised short cuts and promises of 'write a speech in 5 minutes'. However in reality they only truly work for somebody who already has the basic foundations of speech writing in place.

The foundation of good speech writing 

These steps are the backbone of sound speech preparation. Learn and follow them well at the outset and yes, given more experience and practice you could probably flick something together quickly. Like any skill, the more it's used, the easier it gets.

In the meantime...

Step 1: Begin with a speech overview or outline

Are you in a hurry? Without time to read a whole page? Grab ... The Quick How to Write a Speech Checklist And come back to get the details later.

• WHO you are writing your speech for (your target audience)
• WHY you are preparing this speech. What's the main purpose of your speech? Is it to inform or tell your audience about something? To teach them a new skill or demonstrate something? To persuade or to entertain? (See 4 types of speeches: informative, demonstrative, persuasive and special occasion or entertaining for more.) What do you want them to think, feel or do as a result of listening the speech?
• WHAT your speech is going to be about (its topic) - You'll want to have thought through your main points and have ranked them in order of importance. And have sorted the supporting research you need to make those points effectively.
• HOW much time you have for your speech eg. 3 minutes, 5 minutes... The amount of time you've been allocated dictates how much content you need. If you're unsure check this page: how many words per minute in a speech: a quick reference guide . You'll find estimates of the number of words required for 1 - 10 minute speeches by slow, medium and fast talkers.

Use an outline

The best way to make sure you deliver a perfect speech is to start by carefully completing a speech outline covering the essentials: WHO, WHY, WHAT and HOW.

Beginning to write without thinking your speech through is a bit like heading off on a journey not knowing why you're traveling or where you're going to end up. You can find yourself lost in a deep, dark, murky muddle of ideas very quickly!

Pulling together a speech overview or outline is a much safer option. It's the map you'll follow to get where you want to go.

Get a blank speech outline template to complete

Click the link to find out a whole lot more about preparing a speech outline . ☺ You'll also find a free printable blank speech outline template.  I recommend using it!

Understanding speech construction

Before you begin to write, using your completed outline as a guide, let's briefly look at what you're aiming to prepare.

• an opening or introduction
• the body where the bulk of the information is given
• and an ending (or summary).

Imagine your speech as a sandwich

If you think of a speech as a sandwich you'll get the idea.

The opening and ending are the slices of bread holding the filling (the major points or the body of your speech) together.

You can build yourself a simple sandwich with one filling (one big idea) or you could go gourmet and add up to three or, even five. The choice is yours.

But whatever you choose to serve, as a good cook, you need to consider who is going to eat it! And that's your audience.

So let's find out who they are before we do anything else. 

Step 2: Know who you are talking to

Understanding your audience.

Did you know a  good speech is never written from the speaker's point of view?  ( If you need to know more about why check out this page on  building rapport .)

Begin with the most important idea/point on your outline.

Consider HOW you can explain (show, tell) that to your audience in the most effective way for them to easily understand it.   

Writing from the audience's point of view

To help you write from an audience point of view, it's a good idea to identify either a real person or the type of person who is most likely to be listening to you.

Make sure you select someone who represents the "majority" of the people who will be in your audience. That is they are neither struggling to comprehend you at the bottom of your scale or light-years ahead at the top.

Now imagine they are sitting next to you eagerly waiting to hear what you're going to say. Give them a name, for example, Joe, to help make them real.

Ask yourself

• How do I need to tailor my information to meet Joe's needs? For example, do you tell personal stories to illustrate your main points? Absolutely! Yes. This is a very powerful technique. (Click storytelling in speeches to find out more.)
• What type or level of language is right for Joe as well as my topic? For example if I use jargon (activity, industry or profession specific vocabulary) will it be understood?

Step 3: Writing as you speak

Writing oral language.

Write down what you want to say about your first main point as if you were talking directly to Joe.

If it helps, say it all out loud before you write it down and/or record it.

Use the information below as a guide

(Click to download The Characteristics of Spoken Language  as a pdf.) 

You do not have to write absolutely everything you're going to say down * but you do need to write down, or outline, the sequence of ideas to ensure they are logical and easily followed.

Remember too, to explain or illustrate your point with examples from your research. 

( * Tip: If this is your first speech the safety net of having everything written down could be just what you need. It's easier to recover from a patch of jitters when you have a word by word manuscript than if you have either none, or a bare outline. Your call!)

Step 4: Checking tone and language

The focus of this step is re-working what you've done in Step 2 and 3.

You identified who you were talking to (Step 2) and in Step 3, wrote up your first main point.  Is it right? Have you made yourself clear?  Check it.

How well you complete this step depends on how well you understand the needs of the people who are going to listen to your speech.

Please do not assume because you know what you're talking about the person (Joe) you've chosen to represent your audience will too. Joe is not a mind-reader!

How to check what you've prepared

• Check the "tone" of your language . Is it right for the occasion, subject matter and your audience?
• Check the length of your sentences. You need short sentences. If they're too long or complicated you risk losing your listeners.

Check for jargon too. These are industry, activity or group exclusive words.

For instance take the phrase: authentic learning . This comes from teaching and refers to connecting lessons to the daily life of students. Authentic learning is learning that is relevant and meaningful for students. If you're not a teacher you may not understand the phrase.

The use of any vocabulary requiring insider knowledge needs to be thought through from the audience perspective. Jargon can close people out.

• Read what you've written out loud. If it flows naturally, in a logical manner, continue the process with your next main idea. If it doesn't, rework.

We use whole sentences and part ones, and we mix them up with asides or appeals e.g. "Did you get that? Of course you did. Right...Let's move it along. I was saying ..."

Click for more about the differences between spoken and written language .

And now repeat the process

Repeat this process for the remainder of your main ideas.

Because you've done the first one carefully, the rest should follow fairly easily.

Step 5: Use transitions

Providing links or transitions between main ideas.

Between each of your main ideas you need to provide a bridge or pathway for your audience. The clearer the pathway or bridge, the easier it is for them to make the transition from one idea to the next.

If your speech contains more than three main ideas and each is building on the last, then consider using a "catch-up" or summary as part of your transitions.

Is your speech being evaluated? Find out exactly what aspects you're being assessed on using this standard speech evaluation form

Link/transition examples

A link can be as simple as:

"We've explored one scenario for the ending of Block Buster 111, but let's consider another. This time..."

What follows this transition is the introduction of Main Idea Two.

Here's a summarizing link/transition example:

"We've ended Blockbuster 111 four ways so far. In the first, everybody died. In the second, everybody died BUT their ghosts remained to haunt the area. In the third, one villain died. His partner reformed and after a fight-out with the hero, they both strode off into the sunset, friends forever. In the fourth, the hero dies in a major battle but is reborn sometime in the future.

And now what about one more? What if nobody died? The fifth possibility..."

Go back through your main ideas checking the links. Remember Joe as you go. Try each transition or link out loud and really listen to yourself. Is it obvious? Easily followed?

Keep them if they are clear and concise.

For more about transitions (with examples) see Andrew Dlugan's excellent article, Speech Transitions: Magical words and Phrases .

Step 6: The end of your speech

The ideal ending is highly memorable . You want it to live on in the minds of your listeners long after your speech is finished. Often it combines a call to action with a summary of major points.

Example speech endings

Example 1: The desired outcome of a speech persuading people to vote for you in an upcoming election is that they get out there on voting day and do so. You can help that outcome along by calling them to register their support by signing a prepared pledge statement as they leave.

"We're agreed we want change. You can help us give it to you by signing this pledge statement as you leave. Be part of the change you want to see!

Example 2: The desired outcome is increased sales figures. The call to action is made urgent with the introduction of time specific incentives.

"You have three weeks from the time you leave this hall to make that dream family holiday in New Zealand yours. Can you do it? Will you do it? The kids will love it. Your wife will love it. Do it now!"

How to figure out the right call to action

A clue for working out what the most appropriate call to action might be, is to go back to your original purpose for giving the speech.

• Was it to motivate or inspire?
• Was it to persuade to a particular point of view?
• Was it to share specialist information?
• Was it to celebrate a person, a place, time or event?

Ask yourself what you want people to do as a result of having listened to your speech.

For more about ending speeches

Visit this page for more about how to end a speech effectively . You'll find two additional types of speech endings with examples.

Write and test

Write your ending and test it out loud. Try it out on a friend, or two. Is it good? Does it work?

Step 7: The introduction

Once you've got the filling (main ideas) the linking and the ending in place, it's time to focus on the introduction.

The introduction comes last as it's the most important part of your speech. This is the bit that either has people sitting up alert or slumped and waiting for you to end. It's the tone setter!

What makes a great speech opening?

Ideally you want an opening that makes listening to you the only thing the 'Joes' in the audience want to do.

You want them to forget they're hungry or that their chair is hard or that their bills need paying.

The way to do that is to capture their interest straight away. You do this with a "hook".

Hooks to catch your audience's attention

Hooks come in as many forms as there are speeches and audiences. Your task is work out what specific hook is needed to catch your audience.

Go back to the purpose. Why are you giving this speech?

Once you have your answer, consider your call to action. What do you want the audience to do, and, or take away, as a result of listening to you?

Next think about the imaginary or real person you wrote for when you were focusing on your main ideas.

Choosing the best hook

• Is it humor?
• Would shock tactics work?
• Is it a rhetorical question?
• Is it formality or informality?
• Is it an outline or overview of what you're going to cover, including the call to action?
• Or is it a mix of all these elements?

A hook example

Here's an example from a fictional political speech. The speaker is lobbying for votes. His audience are predominately workers whose future's are not secure.

"How's your imagination this morning? Good? (Pause for response from audience) Great, I'm glad. Because we're going to put it to work starting right now.

I want you to see your future. What does it look like? Are you happy? Is everything as you want it to be? No? Let's change that. We could do it. And we could do it today.

At the end of this speech you're going to be given the opportunity to change your world, for a better one ...

No, I'm not a magician. Or a simpleton with big ideas and precious little commonsense. I'm an ordinary man, just like you. And I have a plan to share!"

And then our speaker is off into his main points supported by examples. The end, which he has already foreshadowed in his opening, is the call to vote for him.

Prepare several hooks

Experiment with several openings until you've found the one that serves your audience, your subject matter and your purpose best.

For many more examples of speech openings go to: how to write a speech introduction . You'll find 12 of the very best ways to start a speech.

That completes the initial seven steps towards writing your speech. If you've followed them all the way through, congratulations, you now have the text of your speech!

Although you might have the words, you're still a couple of steps away from being ready to deliver them. Both of them are essential if you want the very best outcome possible. They are below. Please take them.

Step 8: Checking content and timing

This step pulls everything together.

Check once, check twice, check three times & then once more!

Go through your speech really carefully.

On the first read through check you've got your main points in their correct order with supporting material, plus an effective introduction and ending.

On the second read through check the linking passages or transitions making sure they are clear and easily followed.

On the third reading check your sentence structure, language use and tone.

Double, triple check the timing

Now go though once more.

This time read it aloud slowly and time yourself.

If it's too long for the time allowance you've been given make the necessary cuts.

Start by looking at your examples rather than the main ideas themselves. If you've used several examples to illustrate one principal idea, cut the least important out.

Also look to see if you've repeated yourself unnecessarily or, gone off track. If it's not relevant, cut it.

Repeat the process, condensing until your speech fits the required length, preferably coming in just under your time limit.

You can also find out how approximately long it will take you to say the words you have by using this very handy words to minutes converter . It's an excellent tool, one I frequently use. While it can't give you a precise time, it does provide a reasonable estimate.

Step 9: Rehearsing your speech

And NOW you are finished with writing the speech, and are ready for REHEARSAL .

Please don't be tempted to skip this step. It is not an extra thrown in for good measure. It's essential.

The "not-so-secret" secret of successful speeches combines good writing with practice, practice and then, practicing some more.

Go to how to practice public speaking and you'll find rehearsal techniques and suggestions to boost your speech delivery from ordinary to extraordinary.

The Quick How to Write a Speech Checklist

Before you begin writing you need:.

• Your speech OUTLINE with your main ideas ranked in the order you're going to present them. (If you haven't done one complete this 4 step sample speech outline . It will make the writing process much easier.)
• Your RESEARCH
• You also need to know WHO you're speaking to, the PURPOSE of the speech and HOW long you're speaking for

The basic format

• the body where you present your main ideas

Split your time allowance so that you spend approximately 70% on the body and 15% each on the introduction and ending.

How to write the speech

• Write your main ideas out incorporating your examples and research
• Link them together making sure each flows in a smooth, logical progression
• Write your ending, summarizing your main ideas briefly and end with a call for action
• Write your introduction considering the 'hook' you're going to use to get your audience listening
• An often quoted saying to explain the process is: Tell them what you're going to tell them (Introduction) Tell them (Body of your speech - the main ideas plus examples) Tell them what you told them (The ending)

TEST before presenting. Read aloud several times to check the flow of material, the suitability of language and the timing.

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How to Write a Speech: Top Tips

Ashleigh Ferguson

Table of Contents

9 engaging speech writing tips, what are the different speech types , how to find help writing a speech.

A great speech is impactful and engaging. It should eloquently and clearly express your ideas.

Whatever the topic, a good speech should showcase your authority on a topic and demonstrate excellent communication and leadership skills.

Many people don't know how to write a speech, so the process seems daunting. But there are a few best practices and tips that can make the writing process easier.

In this article, we’ll discuss some best practices to help you write an effective speech that engages and captures your audience.

Public speaking can be nerve-racking. However, having a well-written speech can decrease some of that anxiety.

Even if you’ve never written a speech before, there are still best practices you can follow. 

An engaging speech should be clear, to the point, and follow a logical order. But how do you ensure your speech follows these criteria? Follow these nine engaging speech writing tips.

Know Your Audience

Analyze your target audience to improve the effectiveness of your speech because different audiences will have different expectations. 

Consider your audience’s age, level of understanding, attitudes, and what they expect to take away from your speech, then tailor your message accordingly. 

For example, if your audience members are teenagers, it’s unlikely that references to the ’70s will be effective.

Start With a Clear Purpose

Decide on the main point of your speech, and make sure all your content supports that point. Choose a topic that fits the following criteria:

A topic that is relevant to your audience

A topic you’re excited about

A topic you have reasonable knowledge about

Organize Your Ideas 

Use a speech outline to organize your thoughts and ideas logically. 

Identify the introduction, body, and conclusion of your speech to help you stay focused and make your speech easier to follow.

Use Strong, Clear Language

Choose your words carefully, and use simple language that is easy to understand. Avoid jargon or technical terms that your audience may not be familiar with. 

Again, your word choice will depend on your audience. For example, you’ll want to steer clear of slang when speaking to an older, conservative crowd.

Use Transitions

Speech transitions are words and phrases that allow you to move smoothly from one point to another. Use transitional words and phrases like “besides” to help your audience follow your thought process and understand how your points are connected.

Add Variety to Speech

A speech that is monotonous or lacks variety may cause your audience to lose interest. 

Including a variety of elements in your speech, such as anecdotes, examples, and visual aids, can help keep your audience engaged and interested. 

Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice your speech out loud to ensure it flows well and you’re comfortable with the material. Read your speech in front of the mirror or before someone you trust to give you critical feedback. Note the points for improvement, and incorporate them into how you deliver your speech.

End With a Strong Conclusion

How would you like to leave your audience members: inspired, informed, or mesmerized? Aim to end your speech on a high note. Summarize your main points, and leave your audience with a memorable takeaway.

Edit and Revise

Proofread and revise your speech to ensure it’s well written and error free. Use a grammar checker, such as ProWritingAid, to correct any grammar issues. You’ll also get suggestions on how to improve your sentence structures and transitions.

How to Write a Good Speech Introduction

The introduction can make or break your speech. It’s where you grab your audience’s attention to keep them engaged and state the purpose of your speech. 

An introduction also gives you the opportunity to establish your credibility. You should aim to give your audience a reason to listen to the rest of the speech rather than tuning out.

Here are some tips on how to create a positive first impression.

Start With a Hook

Begin your introduction with a hook that will grab your audience’s attention and make them want to listen. There are several options for a hook:

A statistic

A personal anecdote

Reference to a current or historical event

When thinking of an attention grabber, consider how appropriate and relevant it is to your audience and the purpose of the speech. For example, if you’re giving a speech to an older audience, you can make a historical reference that they can easily relate to.

Provide Context

Provide context by giving your audience some background information about the topic of your speech. This will help them understand the importance of what you are talking about and why they should care.

State Your Thesis

Clearly and concisely state the main point or purpose of your speech. Your thesis should be easy to follow and clearly outline the main argument and your stance. This will give your audience a clear understanding of what they can expect to learn from your presentation.

Preview Your Main Points

Give your audience a sense of the structure of your speech by briefly outlining the key points or arguments you will be making. They’ll know what to expect, and your speech will be easier to follow. 

Keep It Short

Your introduction should be concise and to the point, so don’t spend too much time on it. It’s important to keep your speech brief, and avoid including unnecessary or unrelated information. 

The goal is to engage and interest your audience, not bore them, so aim for a few well-chosen words rather than a lengthy introduction. Aim for your introduction to be about 10-15% of the total length of your speech.

A speech is just like any other piece of writing. You’ll need to identify your purpose, audience, and intention and then write accordingly. There are many types of speeches, and each type has its own expectations.

Let’s look at some of the most popular speeches and how to write them.

How to Write a Short Speech

Short speeches may be the most tedious to write because of how condensed and concise the information has to be. However, if you ever have to give a farewell, birthday tribute, or just a quick welcome, there are still some tips available to make your speech great.

Start by identifying your topic, title, and the purpose of your speech, which will set the foundation of your outline. Then, determine the main points of your speech; keep it short with two to three points. Remember, a short speech is typically less than ten minutes long, so keep your points concise and to the point.

Since you have limited time to make the most impact, incorporate powerful words or other engaging elements. For example, you could throw out a thought-provoking question or anecdote, which will grab your audience’s attention and keep them engaged.

Finally, once you’ve written your speech, review it for brevity and clarity. 

Be confident about grammar

Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

How to Write a Presentation Speech

A presentation speech is used to inform, persuade, explain, or demonstrate a particular topic.

Presentation speeches are well structured and follow a logical flow. They have an introduction, body, and conclusion. Use transition words and phrases to help your speech flow smoothly and prevent it from appearing disjointed.

You can use ProWritingAid to organize your speech and make it even clearer. ProWritingAid’s transition report will show you whether you’re using transitions effectively in your speech.

How to Write a Debate Speech

A debate is a formal argument on a particular topic. Debate speeches are persuasive since the aim is to convince the audience to agree with a stance.

Like most other speeches, a debate speech also follows the introduction, body, conclusion outline. This format helps the audience follow the speaker’s point in a linear and logical way.

When writing your introduction, clarify your stance so it’s clear to the audience. Anyone reading or listening to your speech shouldn’t have any doubt about your position on the topic. Take some time to prepare a solid opener, which can be an interesting fact, a personal story, or even a powerful quote.

The introduction also gives you the opportunity to explain terms your audience will need to understand throughout the speech. You should also provide an overview of your main points, but don’t spend long divulging too much.

Each body paragraph should cover a main point, whether that’s a key idea or a main claim, and each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence. The topic sentence is an initial sentence that summarizes the idea being presented. 

Your conclusion should be a simple and clear reiteration of the points you made in the thesis statement and body paragraphs. Add an attention-grabbing element to leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Remember to use strong and emotive language throughout your speech, which makes it more likely for your audience to feel emotionally connected to your stance.

Always use transition words and phrases to maintain a logical flow between your arguments. Finally, edit and proofread your work for any potential grammar, punctuation, or spelling mistakes.

How to Write an Elevator Speech

An elevator speech is a brief speech that’s used to pitch a product, service, expertise, or credentials.

You have 30–60 seconds to persuade someone to act how you’d like: the same time as a quick elevator ride.

An effective elevator speech should contain an introduction, a clear value proposition, and a strong conclusion. 

Your introduction should be polite and clear. Briefly explain who you are, what you do, and what you are offering. For example, if you’re pitching your expertise, condense your background into two sentences. Include things that will make your audience remember you.

End your speech with what you want to achieve. What are you trying to accomplish with this speech? Perhaps it’s a job opportunity, a follow-up meeting, or an internship.

Once you’ve written your speech, be sure to revise it for brevity. Then practice and record yourself to ensure you don’t go over the time limit.

Writing a good speech takes time, but these tips are a good start to improving your speech-writing process. If you encounter writer’s block, look up popular speeches for inspiration. Ask someone you trust to give you feedback once you’ve written your speech.

Finally, while ProWritingAid can’t write your speech for you, it can help you write in a cohesive and logical manner. It highlights any grammar, spelling, and punctuation issues. It also shows you suggestions on how to improve your sentence structure, transition, pacing, and readability, so your next speech can be impactful and memorable.

Ashleigh Ferguson is a Copywriter on the ProWritingAid Team. With an affinity for learning new things, you can always count on her to know some random fact. She’s a self-proclaimed ‘Fix-it Felix’ and a newly minted ‘candle lady’.

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What this handout is about

This handout will help you create an effective speech by establishing the purpose of your speech and making it easily understandable. It will also help you to analyze your audience and keep the audience interested.

What’s different about a speech?

Writing for public speaking isn’t so different from other types of writing. You want to engage your audience’s attention, convey your ideas in a logical manner and use reliable evidence to support your point. But the conditions for public speaking favor some writing qualities over others. When you write a speech, your audience is made up of listeners. They have only one chance to comprehend the information as you read it, so your speech must be well-organized and easily understood. In addition, the content of the speech and your delivery must fit the audience.

What’s your purpose?

People have gathered to hear you speak on a specific issue, and they expect to get something out of it immediately. And you, the speaker, hope to have an immediate effect on your audience. The purpose of your speech is to get the response you want. Most speeches invite audiences to react in one of three ways: feeling, thinking, or acting. For example, eulogies encourage emotional response from the audience; college lectures stimulate listeners to think about a topic from a different perspective; protest speeches in the Pit recommend actions the audience can take.

As you establish your purpose, ask yourself these questions:

• What do you want the audience to learn or do?
• If you are making an argument, why do you want them to agree with you?
• If they already agree with you, why are you giving the speech?
• How can your audience benefit from what you have to say?

Audience analysis

If your purpose is to get a certain response from your audience, you must consider who they are (or who you’re pretending they are). If you can identify ways to connect with your listeners, you can make your speech interesting and useful.

As you think of ways to appeal to your audience, ask yourself:

• What do they have in common? Age? Interests? Ethnicity? Gender?
• Do they know as much about your topic as you, or will you be introducing them to new ideas?
• Why are these people listening to you? What are they looking for?
• What level of detail will be effective for them?
• What tone will be most effective in conveying your message?
• What might offend or alienate them?

For more help, see our handout on audience .

Creating an effective introduction

Get their attention, otherwise known as “the hook”.

Think about how you can relate to these listeners and get them to relate to you or your topic. Appealing to your audience on a personal level captures their attention and concern, increasing the chances of a successful speech. Speakers often begin with anecdotes to hook their audience’s attention. Other methods include presenting shocking statistics, asking direct questions of the audience, or enlisting audience participation.

Establish context and/or motive

Explain why your topic is important. Consider your purpose and how you came to speak to this audience. You may also want to connect the material to related or larger issues as well, especially those that may be important to your audience.

Get to the point

Tell your listeners your thesis right away and explain how you will support it. Don’t spend as much time developing your introductory paragraph and leading up to the thesis statement as you would in a research paper for a course. Moving from the intro into the body of the speech quickly will help keep your audience interested. You may be tempted to create suspense by keeping the audience guessing about your thesis until the end, then springing the implications of your discussion on them. But if you do so, they will most likely become bored or confused.

For more help, see our handout on introductions .

Making your speech easy to understand

Repeat crucial points and buzzwords.

Especially in longer speeches, it’s a good idea to keep reminding your audience of the main points you’ve made. For example, you could link an earlier main point or key term as you transition into or wrap up a new point. You could also address the relationship between earlier points and new points through discussion within a body paragraph. Using buzzwords or key terms throughout your paper is also a good idea. If your thesis says you’re going to expose unethical behavior of medical insurance companies, make sure the use of “ethics” recurs instead of switching to “immoral” or simply “wrong.” Repetition of key terms makes it easier for your audience to take in and connect information.

Incorporate previews and summaries into the speech

For example:

“I’m here today to talk to you about three issues that threaten our educational system: First, … Second, … Third,”

“I’ve talked to you today about such and such.”

These kinds of verbal cues permit the people in the audience to put together the pieces of your speech without thinking too hard, so they can spend more time paying attention to its content.

Use especially strong transitions

This will help your listeners see how new information relates to what they’ve heard so far. If you set up a counterargument in one paragraph so you can demolish it in the next, begin the demolition by saying something like,

“But this argument makes no sense when you consider that . . . .”

If you’re providing additional information to support your main point, you could say,

“Another fact that supports my main point is . . . .”

Helping your audience listen

Rely on shorter, simpler sentence structures.

Don’t get too complicated when you’re asking an audience to remember everything you say. Avoid using too many subordinate clauses, and place subjects and verbs close together.

Too complicated:

The product, which was invented in 1908 by Orville Z. McGillicuddy in Des Moines, Iowa, and which was on store shelves approximately one year later, still sells well.

Easier to understand:

Orville Z. McGillicuddy invented the product in 1908 and introduced it into stores shortly afterward. Almost a century later, the product still sells well.

Limit pronoun use

Listeners may have a hard time remembering or figuring out what “it,” “they,” or “this” refers to. Be specific by using a key noun instead of unclear pronouns.

Pronoun problem:

The U.S. government has failed to protect us from the scourge of so-called reality television, which exploits sex, violence, and petty conflict, and calls it human nature. This cannot continue.

Why the last sentence is unclear: “This” what? The government’s failure? Reality TV? Human nature?

More specific:

The U.S. government has failed to protect us from the scourge of so-called reality television, which exploits sex, violence, and petty conflict, and calls it human nature. This failure cannot continue.

Keeping audience interest

Incorporate the rhetorical strategies of ethos, pathos, and logos.

When arguing a point, using ethos, pathos, and logos can help convince your audience to believe you and make your argument stronger. Ethos refers to an appeal to your audience by establishing your authenticity and trustworthiness as a speaker. If you employ pathos, you appeal to your audience’s emotions. Using logos includes the support of hard facts, statistics, and logical argumentation. The most effective speeches usually present a combination these rhetorical strategies.

Use statistics and quotations sparingly

Include only the most striking factual material to support your perspective, things that would likely stick in the listeners’ minds long after you’ve finished speaking. Otherwise, you run the risk of overwhelming your listeners with too much information.

Watch your tone

Be careful not to talk over the heads of your audience. On the other hand, don’t be condescending either. And as for grabbing their attention, yelling, cursing, using inappropriate humor, or brandishing a potentially offensive prop (say, autopsy photos) will only make the audience tune you out.

Creating an effective conclusion

Restate your main points, but don’t repeat them.

“I asked earlier why we should care about the rain forest. Now I hope it’s clear that . . .” “Remember how Mrs. Smith couldn’t afford her prescriptions? Under our plan, . . .”

Call to action

Speeches often close with an appeal to the audience to take action based on their new knowledge or understanding. If you do this, be sure the action you recommend is specific and realistic. For example, although your audience may not be able to affect foreign policy directly, they can vote or work for candidates whose foreign policy views they support. Relating the purpose of your speech to their lives not only creates a connection with your audience, but also reiterates the importance of your topic to them in particular or “the bigger picture.”

Practicing for effective presentation

Once you’ve completed a draft, read your speech to a friend or in front of a mirror. When you’ve finished reading, ask the following questions:

• Which pieces of information are clearest?
• Where did I connect with the audience?
• Where might listeners lose the thread of my argument or description?
• Where might listeners become bored?
• Where did I have trouble speaking clearly and/or emphatically?
• Did I stay within my time limit?

Other resources

• Toastmasters International is a nonprofit group that provides communication and leadership training.
• Allyn & Bacon Publishing’s Essence of Public Speaking Series is an extensive treatment of speech writing and delivery, including books on using humor, motivating your audience, word choice and presentation.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Boone, Louis E., David L. Kurtz, and Judy R. Block. 1997. Contemporary Business Communication . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Ehrlich, Henry. 1994. Writing Effective Speeches . New York: Marlowe.

Lamb, Sandra E. 1998. How to Write It: A Complete Guide to Everything You’ll Ever Write . Berkeley: Ten Speed Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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• Writing Tips

How to Write a Professional Speech

• 5-minute read
• 7th May 2022

At some point in your professional career, you may find yourself with the daunting task of writing a speech. However, armed with the right information on how to write an engaging, attention-grabbing speech, you can rest assured that you’ll deliver a truly memorable one. Check out our guide below on how to write a professional speech that will successfully communicate your message and leave your audience feeling like they’ve truly learned something.

1.Understand your audience

Knowing your target audience can help guide you along the writing process. Learn as much as possible about them and the event you’re planning to speak at. Keep these key points in mind when you’re writing your speech.

●  Who are they?

●  Why are they here?

●  What do they hope to learn?

●  How much do they already know about my topic?

●  What am I hoping to teach them?

●  What interests them about my topic?

2. Research your topic

Perform in-depth research and analysis of your topic.

●  Consider all angles and aspects.

●  Think about the various ways you can discuss and debate the subject.

●  Keep in mind why you’re passionate about the topic and what you’re hoping to achieve by discussing it.

●  Determine how you can use the information gathered to connect the dots for your audience.

●  Look for examples or statistics that will resonate with your audience.

●  Sift through the research to pick out the most important points for your audience.

 3. Create an opening hook

The first few minutes of your speech are paramount to its success. This is the moment when your audience truly pays attention and listens attentively.

●  Start with a bold, persuasive opening statement that captures your audience’s attention.

●  Ask a question to get them involved.

●  Offer a shocking statistic or a powerful, well-known quote.

●  Make a statement or rhetoric question and then pause for a moment, allowing them to grasp the gravity of what you’ve just said.

●  Use a personal anecdote or life experience related to your topic to engage them.

4. Use an easy-to-grasp format

When you have the information you need, outline your speech in a way that your audience can easily follow.

●  Start with what you plan to discuss in the speech.

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●  Go deeper into the details of the subject matter.

●  Repeat what you’ve already mentioned in a few brief points.

●  End with a strong statement that sums up what you were trying to achieve.

A typical structure should include:

●  Introduction: Outline the main talking points of your speech.

●  Body: Discuss these points in more detail, offer statistics, case studies, presentation aids, and other evidence to prove your theories.

●  Conclusion: Wrap up your discussion with a bold message that leaves your audience feeling empowered, hopeful, and more knowledgeable about the topic.

5. Add some personality and humor

Remember to let your personality shine through. This speech is more than just words on a page. Allow the audience to feel your passion and vigor. Force them to think about the message you’re conveying.

●  Share personal stories, fears, memories, or failures to help the audience relate to you as a person.

●  Include some humor, jokes, puns, or limericks to give them a brief respite from the complex discussion.

●  Offer well-known, popular, resounding quotes to help them acknowledge the significance of the topic.

5. Use anaphora for emphasis

Repetition is key in speeches. Realistically, you may lose your audience’s attention at times. By repeating key messages, they’ll be able to remember these vital takeaways despite drifting off somewhere in between. Anaphora allows you to repeat certain words or phrases in a clever, unique way that emphasizes your core message.

6. Keep it short and sweet

●  Say what you need to in the shortest amount of time possible.

●  You can’t realistically expect your audience to actively listen if you drone on and on.

●  Provide clear, concise explanations and supporting examples or evidence.

7. Adopt presentation aids

People will quickly understand your message if you show them charts, tables, graphs, photos, or even regular household items .

8. Read it aloud

●  This ensures you achieve a compelling tone of voice.

●  It can also help you determine if the length is appropriate.

●  Reading it aloud can also help you decide if you need to add more jokes, personal anecdotes, or even dramatic pauses and rhetoric questions.

9. End on a powerful note

End with a message that makes your reader feel inspired, motivated, and informed.

10. Proofread your speech

Finally, a well-researched speech riddled with errors, inconsistencies, and an ineffective tone of voice won’t help you achieve your ultimate goal – namely, to enlighten and educate your audience and have them walk away with the topic still playing on their mind. Have a friend or colleague read through your speech to highlight areas that require correction before you’re ready to present.

If you want to learn more about how we can help you write a powerful, resounding, and well-written speech, send us a free sample today.

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15 Tips For Your Speech Writing - Step By Step

Better speech writing

Learn how to solve speech writing problems in all phases of the speech writing process. How to write a speech – step by step.

• Tips for better speech writing – step by step

Are you interested in better speech writing and presenting?

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Each presentation is also a self-presentation.

Karsten Noack

15 Tips for your speech writing – step by step

In case you want your speeches to do more than just present information, you will find here some tips. Yes, successful speeches are written to inform, but also to motivate, inspire and engage your audience. When crafting your next speech, follow these essential steps to maximize your impact.

1. Identify your objective

Be sure you know what that your objective is and how you can meet the expectations of your audience. What are the takeaways you want from your speech? What’s the objective you can realistically hope to achieve?

With the objectives in mind, you know where you’re headed and write your speech with a purpose.

2. Know your audience

Do your homework. Everything you know in advance will help you to create a powerful speech. Some questions you must answer before you even touch the keyboard:

• Who is your audience?
• Why are they in the audience?
• And what do they want?

Writing a speech involves meeting the expectations of your audience, whether it is to inform, motivate, entertain, or even challenge. Do it in the right tone.

3. Get an overview and collect the content

I recommend using Mind Mapping to get an overview and to collect the potential elements.

4. Have one clear message

What do you want the people to think, feel, or do after your speech?

In case you could only deliver one sentence to your audience, what would it be? Condense your speech into one sentence. This is your core message.

5. Choose the best arguments

Collect as many arguments as you can find. Make sure you know the relevant pros and cons. What are the key arguments that support your main message?

6. Use a good structure

In case you think back on a terrible speech. What caused you to lose interest? Chances are, the speaker veered off a logical path. You need to choose a clear path and a destination. Your audience wants to know where you’re going and why. Therefore, set the expectation near your opening on what you’ll be covering.

There are plenty of commonsense structures to choose from. The problem and solution are one. Opportunity and leverage are another. The pros and cons are a third. How about the classical structure: Introduction – Body – Conclusion? Use the KaNo-structure or simply list your points in numerical order.

With that preparation, it will be easy to start writing the first draft.

By the way: Sometimes I don’t write the first draft on a keyboard. Speaking, recording, and transcribing can lead to a more natural style.

8. Review the content in different ways

Each way to review the speech offers another insight. I see different things when the speech is printed on paper in comparison to when I work on it on a computer screen.

When I review the content out loud, I realize what may work and what doesn’t. This way I get a sense of which words are powerful, and which are fluff and should be removed or replaced.

9. Rewrite and rewrite and …

While you write and revise, focus on structuring and simplifying. Remove anything extraneous, contradictory, or confusing. If something doesn’t help you get your core message across, drop it.

10. Use transitions

Use transitional phrases to signal intent.

11. Have a great opening

Make sure you have the attention of your audience when you present your message. Capitalize on the goodwill and momentum you’ll enjoy in your earliest moments in front of your audience.

Ways to open with your speech or presentation:

• Storytelling
• Visualize an extraordinary scenario.
• Statement A statement or phrase can catch the audience’s attention by keeping them guessing what you’re about to say next.
• Use an interesting question.
• Pause Silence brings attention to you.
• What if… Asking a “what if” question invites the audience to follow your thought process.
• Statistic Using a surprising, powerful, personalized statistic that resonates with the audience will get your message across right away.

Planing the opening is an important part of speech writing.

12. Be memorable

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a metaphor is worth a thousand pictures. Therefore, use storytelling, metaphors, surprise to make a lasting impression on your audience.

13. Keep it as short as possible

The attention of your audience will naturally wane after a few minutes. They have a lot of other things to do many user issues to think about. The longer you speak, the more competitive with other priorities. So make your points and sit down.

14. Have an effective final moment

It happens way too often; public speaker begins their speech with a compelling opening. They cruise confidently into the body. Then they run out of gas as they come to the close of their speech. Your ending is what the audience will ultimately talk about when they head out the door. Make a strong call to action.

15. Strive for authenticity

Write your speech in a way that sounds authentic. Most people tend to write in another style than they do when speaking to someone else personally. A good speaker needs to be honest, to speak with conviction, to be real. Therefore, use your language.

Are you frustrated because your speeches lack the quality you are looking for? Are you tired of rewriting speeches at the last minute? Do you want to improve the way you deliver speeches?

How much do mediocre speeches and presentations costing you?

Bad speeches are costing you. People aren’t hearing you and because of that, you’re missing out. You’re missing out on new customers, on that promotion you’ve been waiting for, and on opportunities to educate and motivate.

What would it mean to you and your organization if you could improve the quality of your speeches and reduce the amount of time it took to produce them. What would that mean in terms of saved time, stress and money? And what would it mean to deliver speeches that resonate better with audiences? Speeches that make audiences stand up and take action?

Are you interested? I solve speech writing problems for individuals and high-level organizations at all points of the speech writing process.

Many of my clients request great speeches written on high-profile occasions. Others value my help to transform their current speech or presentation to the next step. Most of my clients also benefit from my specific speech delivery coaching and training . My clients told me that working with me not only helped them improve the quality of their speeches but reduced immensely the time it takes to produce a speech. This saves you time, money and stress. Your speeches will also resonate better with audiences, boost your career and support your brand.

To find out more about how I can help you, click here .

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Present the benefits in the beginning of your pitch

There are many strategies to consider in opening your pitch. Think about it twice, because those first minutes can make or break you.

Five fingers for a structured speech. Five-finger speech structure.

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How to organize your speech? Speech structure: Opening, body, conclusion

How do you organize your speeches and presentations? In this article, you will find the simplest structure already taught at the school level. It is still taught because it still works.

This article is a short excerpt from the more comprehensive course materials my clients receive in a group or individual training or coaching .

Published: March 7, 2007 Author: Karsten Noack Revision: August 14, 2019 Translation: ./. German version: K:X H: T: RR #1890

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Speechwriting 101: Writing an Effective Speech

Whether you are a communications pro or a human resources executive, the time will come when you will need to write a speech for yourself or someone else.  when that time comes, your career may depend on your success..

J. Lyman MacInnis, a corporate coach,  Toronto Star  columnist, accounting executive and author of  “ The Elements of Great Public Speaking ,”  has seen careers stalled – even damaged – by a failure to communicate messages effectively before groups of people. On the flip side, solid speechwriting skills can help launch and sustain a successful career.  What you need are forethought and methodical preparation.

Know Your Audience

Learn as much as possible about the audience and the event.  This will help you target the insights, experience or knowledge you have that this group wants or needs:

• Why has the audience been brought together?
• What do the members of the audience have in common?
• How big an audience will it be?
• What do they know, and what do they need to know?
• Do they expect discussion about a specific subject and, if so, what?
• What is the audience’s attitude and knowledge about the subject of your talk?
• What is their attitude toward you as the speaker?
• Why are they interested in your topic?

Choose Your Core Message

If the core message is on target, you can do other things wrong. But if the message is wrong, it doesn’t matter what you put around it.  To write the most effective speech, you should have significant knowledge about your topic, sincerely care about it and be eager to talk about it.  Focus on a message that is relevant to the target audience, and remember: an audience wants opinion. If you offer too little substance, your audience will label you a lightweight.  If you offer too many ideas, you make it difficult for them to know what’s important to you.

Research and Organize

Research until you drop.  This is where you pick up the information, connect the ideas and arrive at the insights that make your talk fresh.  You’ll have an easier time if you gather far more information than you need.  Arrange your research and notes into general categories and leave space between them. Then go back and rearrange. Fit related pieces together like a puzzle.

Develop Structure to Deliver Your Message

First, consider whether your goal is to inform, persuade, motivate or entertain.  Then outline your speech and fill in the details:

• Introduction – The early minutes of a talk are important to establish your credibility and likeability.  Personal anecdotes often work well to get things started.  This is also where you’ll outline your main points.
• Body – Get to the issues you’re there to address, limiting them to five points at most.  Then bolster those few points with illustrations, evidence and anecdotes.  Be passionate: your conviction can be as persuasive as the appeal of your ideas.
• Conclusion – Wrap up with feeling as well as fact. End with something upbeat that will inspire your listeners.

You want to leave the audience exhilarated, not drained. In our fast-paced age, 20-25 minutes is about as long as anyone will listen attentively to a speech. As you write and edit your speech, the general rule is to allow about 90 seconds for every double-spaced page of copy.

Spice it Up

Once you have the basic structure of your speech, it’s time to add variety and interest.  Giving an audience exactly what it expects is like passing out sleeping pills. Remember that a speech is more like conversation than formal writing.  Its phrasing is loose – but without the extremes of slang, the incomplete thoughts, the interruptions that flavor everyday speech.

• Give it rhythm. A good speech has pacing.
• Vary the sentence structure. Use short sentences. Use occasional long ones to keep the audience alert. Fragments are fine if used sparingly and for emphasis.
• Use the active voice and avoid passive sentences. Active forms of speech make your sentences more powerful.
• Repeat key words and points. Besides helping your audience remember something, repetition builds greater awareness of central points or the main theme.
• Ask rhetorical questions in a way that attracts your listeners’ attention.
• Personal experiences and anecdotes help bolster your points and help you connect with the audience.
• Use quotes. Good quotes work on several levels, forcing the audience to think. Make sure quotes are clearly attributed and said by someone your audience will probably recognize.

Be sure to use all of these devices sparingly in your speeches. If overused, the speech becomes exaggerated. Used with care, they will work well to move the speech along and help you deliver your message in an interesting, compelling way.

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Rice Speechwriting

Mastering speech outlines: tips & examples, crafting a speech outline: tips & examples.

Crafting a speech can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. A well-crafted speech outline can make all the difference in helping you deliver your message effectively. In this blog, we’ll go over why a speech outline is so important and how to prepare for creating one. We’ll also provide a step-by-step guide on how to craft a compelling speech outline. From choosing a topic that resonates with your audience to constructing a strong thesis statement and developing engaging hooks, we’ve got you covered. Additionally, we’ll share tips on perfecting your speech outline and enhancing your delivery with visual aids. Whether you’re preparing for a business presentation or giving a keynote address , this blog will provide you with all the tools you need to deliver an impactful speech that leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

Understanding the Importance of a Speech Outline

Crafting a speech outline is crucial for effective public speaking. It ensures a clear, logical flow of ideas and helps in organizing the content of your public speech. By providing a roadmap for the entire speech, a preparation outline ensures that the main points are communicated clearly, helping you to stay focused and on track during your public speaking engagement. The part of your speech outline also serves as a visual aid, further enhancing the structuring of your thoughts and ideas, making it an essential part of your public speaking preparation.

Benefits of a Well-Crafted Speech Outline

Crafting a well-structured speech outline is essential for delivering a compelling public speech. It ensures a clear organizational pattern, aiding in capturing and maintaining the audience’s attention throughout the speech. By logically ordering the content, a well-crafted speech outline facilitates smooth transitions between key points, supporting subpoints, and transitional statements, thus enhancing the overall coherence of the speech. Moreover, it serves as a valuable organization tool, assisting in preparing a structured and impactful public speaking presentation. Therefore, dedicating time to the preparation outline is an integral part of any successful public speech, providing a roadmap for the seamless delivery of the content.

Structuring Thoughts and Ideas

Crafting a speech outline contributes to the seamless delivery of key points in public speaking. It aids in the preparation of the body of your speech, ensuring a coherent flow of ideas and serves as a preparation outline for each part of your speech. By effectively structuring the speech topic, the public speech outline ensures the logical organization of the main points and supports the overall organization and preparation of the speech’s content. The outline facilitates a well-structured and engaging presentation to the audience, enhancing the overall impact of your public speech.

Preparing to Craft a Speech Outline

Researching the topic thoroughly is paramount for preparing a comprehensive speech outline, enabling a well-structured and informative public speech. Determining the length of the speech is essential in deciding the depth and breadth of the preparation outline, ensuring that all key points are effectively covered. Recognizing the different types of speech outlines is integral to cater to the specific requirements and expectations of the audience. Considering the instructor’s guidelines is crucial in crafting a preparation outline that aligns with the given parameters. The process of preparing a speech outline involves strategically deciding on the overall organizational pattern of the speech, ensuring a logical flow and coherence throughout the presentation.

Researching Your Topic

Thoroughly researching the topic is crucial for crafting a well-structured speech outline. It enables the identification of key points and ensures the inclusion of accurate and credible information. Familiarity with the topic is essential for preparing a comprehensive outline, part of your speech preparation. Conducting extensive research is an integral part of gathering relevant information to form the foundation of a well-crafted public speech. By understanding the significance of in-depth research, you can ensure that your public speaking content is well-prepared and effectively delivered.

Deciding on the Length of Your Speech

When crafting a speech outline, one must consider the length of the speech as a crucial factor. The chosen length not only determines the overall organization of the outline but also influences its depth and structure. It plays a significant role in decision-making regarding the content to be included. Additionally, considering the attention span of the audience members is essential in determining the ideal length of the speech. The preparation outline needs to align with the selected length to ensure that the content is tailored appropriately for the intended duration.

Recognizing Different Types of Speech Outlines

Understanding the various options in organizing a public speech is crucial for delivering an impactful presentation. Identifying the most suitable outline for your topic is key, as it influences the entire preparation process and organization of the content. Becoming familiar with different types of public speaking outlines, such as a preparation outline or a speaking outline, enables you to structure your thoughts effectively. Selecting the right type of outline, such as preparation outline or speaking outline, ensures that each part of your speech, from the introduction to the conclusion, is well-organized and cohesive. This thoughtful consideration of different types of outlines ultimately enhances the overall delivery and reception of your public speech.

Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting a Speech Outline

Crafting a speech outline begins with selecting a captivating topic, followed by formulating a strong thesis statement. Integrating the speech topic’s keywords is essential, and the initial outline draft should encompass the main talking points. Moreover, organizing supporting points and subpoints is crucial in the preparation outline. Each of these steps contributes to the coherent structuring of thoughts and ideas for the public speech. Embracing this process as part of your speech preparation ensures that each segment becomes a seamless part of your speech. Through this careful planning, you can align your speech with your audience, whether it’s a presentation, a social media post, or a public speaking event.

Choosing a Compelling Topic

Selecting an engaging subject ensures sustained audience interest and involvement during the public speech. The preparation outline process commences with the choice of a captivating speech topic that resonates with the audience. A compelling topic facilitates the overall structure of the public speaking outline, ensuring coherence and relevance. The topic’s significance to the audience directly influences the preparation of the public speech outline, guiding the inclusion of impactful content. Crafting a well-organized public speech outline initiates with the deliberate selection of a topic that appeals to the audience

Constructing a Strong Thesis Statement

Constructing a strong thesis statement is essential for providing clear direction to the preparation outline of a speech. It forms the foundation of logical organization, encompassing the main point and guiding the arrangement of the speech outline. A well-constructed thesis statement ensures that the speech outline effectively captures the main ideas and supporting points, making it an integral part of any public speaking engagement. This process involves careful consideration of the audience’s interests and the overall relevance of the topic to ensure a comprehensive and engaging public speech. Incorporating the NLP terms “public speaking” and “preparation outline” enhances the development of a captivating thesis statement, making it a crucial part of constructing an effective speech outline.

Developing Engaging Hooks

Crafting a captivating speech outline begins with capturing the audience’s attention using engaging hooks. Anecdotes or props can be effectively utilized to create a compelling speech introduction that instantly grabs the audience’s interest. Moreover, incorporating key words and phrases strategically within the introduction can further pique the audience’s curiosity. It’s crucial that the first thing the audience hears is attention-grabbing, setting the tone for the entire speech. These engaging hooks are essential in ensuring the audience’s undivided attention right from the start, creating a strong foundation for the rest of the speech.

Building the Body of Your Speech

To keep the audience engaged, ensure the body of your speech is well-organized in a logical order. Smoothly transition between supporting points using transitional statements. Structuring main points effectively can be done by including subpoints and bullet points. Remember, the speaker’s body language is vital for maintaining the audience’s attention. Convey the topic effectively by including main points, supporting points, and subpoints in the body of your speech. Public speaking requires a well-structured body to effectively deliver the part of your speech that contains key information and ideas. At the end of the speech, it is important to summarize and wrap up the main points to leave a lasting impression on the audience. Successful public speeches on platforms like Facebook stem from thorough preparation outlines and a well-organized body.

Perfecting Your Speech Outline

Crafting a preparation outline is a crucial part of your speech writing process. The first outline you will write is called the preparation outline, also known as a working, practice, or rough outline. The preparation outline is used to work through the various components of your speech in an inventive format. When constructing a speaking outline, it’s important to adhere to the instructor’s requirements and include a thesis statement as the main point. Start with a rough outline to establish the overall organizational pattern before refining it. Your speech writing template should consist of full sentences that guide seamless delivery during public speaking. This preparation outline will serve as a roadmap for every part of your speech, making it easier to deliver a compelling and well-structured public speech.

Reviewing and Refining Your Outline

After completing the speechwriting process, it is crucial to meticulously review and refine the outline to ensure coherence and effectiveness. The entire outline should be crafted in a way that best conveys the speech topic to the audience. This involves refining the rough outline to capture and maintain the audience’s attention throughout. During the review, special attention should be given to the thesis statement, supporting points, and subpoints to effectively refine the speech outline. It is vital to ensure that the chosen type of outline optimally organizes the key points of the speech for seamless delivery and maximum impact. Embracing this reviewing and refining stage ensures that the speech outline is primed for successful public speaking engagements.

Practicing Your Speech

Practicing your speech is essential for perfecting the delivery, including eye contact and body language, during public speaking engagements. It reinforces the main point of the preparation outline and helps emphasize key points effectively to the audience. The conclusion should also be practiced to ensure a strong and impactful end to your public speech. By practicing the speech delivery, you can maintain the audience’s attention and ensure that your message is effectively conveyed. This step is crucial in ensuring that your public speech is engaging and leaves a lasting impression on the audience.

Tips to Enhance Your Speech Delivery

Incorporating visual aids and props during public speaking can effectively enhance the delivery of your public speech, making it more engaging for the audience. Anecdotes are an impactful way to illustrate key points, capturing the audience’s attention and enhancing the overall delivery of your speech. Establishing consistent eye contact with the audience members is crucial as it helps in creating a strong connection during the delivery of your public speech. The second aspect of your speech outline should primarily focus on the best ways to deliver your speech to the audience members, ensuring that it resonates effectively. By integrating anecdotes, props, and visual aids, you can significantly enhance the delivery of your public speech, making it more compelling and impactful.

How Can Visual Aids Improve Your Speech?

Incorporating visual aids in your speech can greatly enhance its impact. Visual aids reinforce key points, clarify complex information, and capture the audience’s attention. They create a visual impact and contribute to a memorable delivery. Utilizing visual aids effectively can take your speech to the next level.

In conclusion, crafting a well-structured speech outline is crucial for delivering a successful and impactful speech. It helps you organize your thoughts, develop a strong thesis statement, and engage your audience with compelling hooks. By structuring your speech into an introduction, body, and conclusion, you can effectively convey your message and maintain a flow of ideas. Additionally, reviewing and refining your outline, as well as practicing your speech, will contribute to your confidence and delivery on the day of the speech. Don’t forget to utilize visual aids to enhance your presentation and make it more memorable for your audience. With these tips and examples, you’ll be well-equipped to create an effective speech outline and deliver a memorable speech.

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• 11 Tips for Giving a Great Speech

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Chances are you’ll be asked to give speeches or presentations in classes at school. If you get involved in volunteer groups, brief speeches to open events or thank participants are a must. Then there are the speeches at events such as weddings, as well as speeches that you might have to give in the workplace. That amounts to the average person being required to give quite a lot of speeches, even if they don’t get involved in an area such as politics where the ability to give a good speech becomes even more important. You might also have suffered through quite a number of bad speeches from other people – whether that’s at family events where the microphone squeaks the whole way through or a school presentation where the headteacher can’t quite make the jokes work. If you don’t want to inflict the same sort of experience on others, here are our top tips for giving a great speech.

1. Practise your microphone technique

2. Keep it short

Particularly at something like a party or a wedding, no one will be unhappy if your speech runs a little short; it’ll just give them more time to investigate the canapés. If you are giving a speech for a class in school, and it’ll be assessed, you need to prioritise keeping it within the required time limits. But even under these circumstances, if you’ve been tasked – say – with giving a 10-15 minute speech, it’s usually better to come in nearer the 10 than the 15 minute mark. Put simply, even if your speech is terrible, your audience can probably tolerate it for 10 minutes. Much longer, and they’ll be struggling. This shouldn’t limit what you can cover; in the film Up , the whole of Carl and Ellie’s heartbreaking love story is told in under 12 minutes. Do you really need longer to make your points? Achieve brevity by writing out the speech you would give if you had all the time in the world, and then cut anything that seems extraneous or boring.

3. Consider what your audience wants to hear

If you are giving a speech in class because it’s your assignment, what your audience wants to hear is likely to be “the bell ringing for lunch”; you can’t help them there. But under other circumstances, consider what your audience wants to hear and what you want to say, and strive for there to be as much overlap as possible. In the context of a political speech, for instance, what you want to say might be why your party should receive votes; what your audience wants to hear is what your party would do for them, if they won power. Hopefully it should be possible to write a speech that meets both sets of needs, rather than focusing solely on whatever it is that you want to say and leaving your audience disappointed.

4. Pick a theme and stick to it

Here’s a goal for giving a speech: someone sitting near the back, who’s messing around on their phone for at least two-thirds of it and focusing mainly on how long it will be until lunch, should nonetheless be able to give a reasonably accurate answer to the question, “what was it about?” If you’re supposed to be giving a speech in defence of the nuclear deterrent, for example, both the topic and your position on it should be clearly identifiable. This means – to stick with the nuclear deterrent example – not talking for a while about jobs, and then the wider economy, and then the North-South divide, and then Scottish independence, and then Ukraine with a brief digression into South Ossetia before rounding off by squeaking out “and that’s why we should renew Trident!” seconds before you run out of time – no matter how relevant that cornucopia of topics may feel (and they are all relevant, albeit tenuously). It means that even if you do have to take a while to explain a more complex idea, you need to be concise, and bring it back to your theme as quickly as you can.

5. Speak slowly

Most people speak more quickly than they realise when they’re on stage, especially if they’re nervous. But no one will be able to follow your speech if you’re jabbering it out. Thankfully, this one is easy to fix with a little effort and practise. First of all, figure out how quickly you’re actually speaking: do a word count for your speech and then time yourself saying it. A fast speaker will speak at maybe 160 words per minute, a slow speaker at 100 wpm and an average speaker at 130 wpm. For a formal speech, you want to be speaking on the slow side. While this will vary by culture and environment, 120 wpm is a reasonable target to aim for; slow enough that everyone should be able to understand you, and fast enough that you hopefully won’t be sending them to sleep.

6. Tell a couple of jokes

This is a tricky tip because there are lots of pitfalls in the world of telling jokes. For instance, there’s the temptation to include an in-joke that three of your friends will understand and find hilarious, that is utterly baffling to everyone else in the room. Avoid this – if you include any jokes, witty references or anything along those lines, make sure they are accessible to everyone present. All the same, if you can manage a joke or two, it can be a useful way to break up a speech and retain the audience’s interest. A little self-deprecation (not too much!) or the use of classic joke formats such as “the scene was chaotic; it looked as if a bomb had hit and we didn’t know where to start on repairs – but that’s enough about the hen party…” work nicely even if you’re not very confident. Don’t turn it into a stand-up comedy sketch if you’re not a comedian, don’t wait for ages for laughter that’s not showing up, and don’t make jokes at the expense of anyone who you don’t know for sure can take it.

7. Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself if you need to

If you follow US or UK politics at all, you’ve probably heard some of these phrases recently: take back control, make America great again, long-term economic plan, son of a bus driver. Three of these have already led the party or people they’re associated with to electoral victory; the fourth remains to be seen. To take the ‘son of a bus driver’ as an example, this refers to Sadiq Khan, now Mayor of London. There can be hardly anyone in London who doesn’t know what their Mayor’s dad did for a living. Meanwhile, many of them probably can’t remember his rival Zac Goldsmith’s name, let alone anything he said during the campaign. The point is that repetition works. In pursuit of point 4, if you want people to remember your key theme, you’re going to have to say it more than once. Don’t assume that everyone will have paid attention to everything you’ve said, unless you’re in a classroom setting where they’ll get told off if they don’t.

8. Only use the visual aids you need

This tip applies to two things: PowerPoints and notes. If you can do without either (and your assignment allows it), then do. Every time you’re glancing over your notes or up at the screen, fiddling with the laptop to get the slide to move on, fighting with a video that isn’t working or struggling to read your own handwriting, is time that you’re not spending engaging with your audience. A well-written, clear speech delivered without notes is always going to be better than someone awkwardly reading aloud the bullet points on their PowerPoint slides. If you must do a presentation – for instance, because there are photos that need to be included – have as little text on it as possible, preferably none. That way, if there are people at the back who can’t really see the screen through the sea of heads in front of them, they’ll still be able to follow what you’re saying.

9. Get a friend to check for awkward mannerisms

Mannerisms that are entirely fine in normal life become awkward and strange when you’re speaking in public. Perhaps you’re inclined to fiddle with your hair or your cuffs, you rock back and forth on the balls of your feet, or you have a habit of reaching your hand to your cheek when you’re talking. No one would notice in everyday conversation, but when you’re on a stage, it’ll become all they’ll see. Some of this is easily avoidable – for instance, if you have long hair that you’re inclined to twirl or otherwise fiddle with, tie it up. For other mannerisms, get the critical friend who helped you sort out your microphone technique to tell you what they are, and do your best to suppress the more annoying ones.

10. Look around the room

Talking about eye contact usually has the effect of making normal eye contact a lot harder, and so does giving a speech. All of a sudden, you’re up on stage, and you have no idea what a normal way to look at a group of people is. Some speakers deal with this by picking a point in the middle distance and speaking to it; others by picking a particular person near to the back and addressing their entire speech at them. This is obviously no fun for that person, who probably spends the whole thing feeling extremely uncomfortable, but it’s not too weird for everyone else. Better still, though, if you can manage it, is to look slowly and steadily around the room, trying to make eye contact with a decent range of people, before returning to the middle distance for a while, rinse and repeat. This needs to be slow and steady, or you give the impression that you’ve just smelled smoke and are casting about for a fire exit before the stampede beings.

11. Don’t be scared of a good reaction

If your speech is genuinely engaging, funny, inspiring or any of the other things you might hope it would be, your audience will react to it. There might be laughter, or applause, or even a bit of cheering depending on the setting. This can be daunting because when you’re practising your speech in front of your bedroom mirror, there’s no way to prepare for it. And it’s where even the best speakers can go wrong, by launching straight into what they were going to say next without waiting for the laughter or applause to stop, or by looking painfully awkward while it’s going on. It’s a pitfall that’s mostly solved by being aware it might happen. If your audience is applauding you or otherwise reacting well, it’s OK to smile, look up, wait for them to stop and then keep going with your speech – it’s as simple as that. You could even throw in a “thank you” before you continue in the knowledge that it’s all going well. Image credits: microphones ; audience ; boy with microphone ; clock ; winding road ; enjoy a joke ; sticky notes ; 

10 Tips for Improving Your Public Speaking Skills

Few are immune to the fear of public speaking. Marjorie North offers 10 tips for speakers to calm the nerves and deliverable memorable orations.

Marjorie North

Snakes? Fine. Flying? No problem. Public speaking? Yikes! Just thinking about public speaking — routinely described as one of the greatest (and most common) fears — can make your palms sweat. But there are many ways to tackle this anxiety and learn to deliver a memorable speech.

In part one of this series,  Mastering the Basics of Communication , I shared strategies to improve how you communicate. In part two, How to Communicate More Effectively in the Workplace , I examined how to apply these techniques as you interact with colleagues and supervisors in the workplace. For the third and final part of this series, I’m providing you with public speaking tips that will help reduce your anxiety, dispel myths, and improve your performance.

Here Are My 10 Tips for Public Speaking:

1. nervousness is normal. practice and prepare.

All people feel some physiological reactions like pounding hearts and trembling hands. Do not associate these feelings with the sense that you will perform poorly or make a fool of yourself. Some nerves are good. The adrenaline rush that makes you sweat also makes you more alert and ready to give your best performance.

The best way to overcome anxiety is to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more. Take the time to go over your notes several times. Once you have become comfortable with the material, practice — a lot. Videotape yourself, or get a friend to critique your performance.

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2. Know Your Audience. Your Speech Is About Them, Not You.

Before you begin to craft your message, consider who the message is intended for. Learn as much about your listeners as you can. This will help you determine your choice of words, level of information, organization pattern, and motivational statement.

3. Organize Your Material in the Most Effective Manner to Attain Your Purpose.

Create the framework for your speech. Write down the topic, general purpose, specific purpose, central idea, and main points. Make sure to grab the audience’s attention in the first 30 seconds.

4. Watch for Feedback and Adapt to It.

Keep the focus on the audience. Gauge their reactions, adjust your message, and stay flexible. Delivering a canned speech will guarantee that you lose the attention of or confuse even the most devoted listeners.

5. Let Your Personality Come Through.

Be yourself, don’t become a talking head — in any type of communication. You will establish better credibility if your personality shines through, and your audience will trust what you have to say if they can see you as a real person.

6. Use Humor, Tell Stories, and Use Effective Language.

Inject a funny anecdote in your presentation, and you will certainly grab your audience’s attention. Audiences generally like a personal touch in a speech. A story can provide that.

7. Don’t Read Unless You Have to. Work from an Outline.

Reading from a script or slide fractures the interpersonal connection. By maintaining eye contact with the audience, you keep the focus on yourself and your message. A brief outline can serve to jog your memory and keep you on task.

8. Use Your Voice and Hands Effectively. Omit Nervous Gestures.

Nonverbal communication carries most of the message. Good delivery does not call attention to itself, but instead conveys the speaker’s ideas clearly and without distraction.

9. Grab Attention at the Beginning, and Close with a Dynamic End.

Do you enjoy hearing a speech start with “Today I’m going to talk to you about X”? Most people don’t. Instead, use a startling statistic, an interesting anecdote, or concise quotation. Conclude your speech with a summary and a strong statement that your audience is sure to remember.

10. Use Audiovisual Aids Wisely.

Too many can break the direct connection to the audience, so use them sparingly. They should enhance or clarify your content, or capture and maintain your audience’s attention.

Practice Does Not Make Perfect

Good communication is never perfect, and nobody expects you to be perfect. However, putting in the requisite time to prepare will help you deliver a better speech. You may not be able to shake your nerves entirely, but you can learn to minimize them.

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About the Author

North is a consultant for political candidates, physicians, and lawyers, and runs a private practice specializing in public speaking, and executive communication skills. Previously, she was the clinical director in the department of speech and language pathology and audiology at Northeastern University.

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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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How to Write a Persuasive Speech | Tips for Crafting an Effective One in 2023

Leah Nguyen • 04 Oct 2023 • 6 min read

A persuasive speech doesn’t make you talk till your throat’s dry.

In today’s discussion, we’ll break down the proven formula successful orators use to move minds and hearts.

Whether you’re running for office, pitching new product, or advocating for an important cause, let’s check out how to write a persuasive speech .

Table of Contents

What is a persuasive speech, #1. research the subject, #2. cut down the fluff, #3. craft a persuasive speech structure, #4. tell a story, short persuasive speech examples, persuasive speech topics, bottom line, frequently asked questions, tips for audience engagement.

• Eye Contact in Communication
• Persuasive Speech Outline

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Have you ever been truly moved by a speaker who had you hanging on their every word? Who took you on such an inspiring journey that you left wanting to take action? Those are the hallmarks of a master persuader at work.

A persuasive speech is a type of public speaking designed to literally change minds and motivate behaviour. It’s part communication magic, part psychology hack – and with the right tools, anyone can learn to do it.

At its core, a persuasive speech aims to convince an audience of a specific idea or course of action by appealing to both logic and emotion. It lays out clear arguments while also tapping into passions and values.

A successful persuasive structure will introduce the topic, outline key points, address counterarguments, and conclude with a memorable call to action. Visual aids, stories, rhetorical devices and enthusiastic delivery all enhance the experience.

Although meant to be convincing, quality persuaders never resort to manipulation. Rather, they present solid facts with empathy and honour other perspectives along the journey.

From campaign speeches to PTA fundraisers , the ability to strategically rally support around a viewpoint through oration alone is a talent worth cultivating. So whether you aspire to inspire social change or simply motivate mindsets in your circle, adding persuasion to your public speaking playbook is sure to magnify your impact.

How to Write a Persuasive Speech

Crafting the perfect persuasive address requires thoughtful planning. But fear not, with the right framework you’ll be well on your way to masterfully motivating any audience.

They say knowing is half the battle. When you’re doing research on the topic, you’ll unconsciously remember every detail and information along the way. And because of that, smooth information will flow out of your mouth before you know it.

Get familiarised with reputational research papers, peer-reviewed journals and expert opinions to craft a concrete foundation for your speech. They also present different views and counterarguments so you can address them on the day.

You can map each point with a respective counterargument using a mind-mapping tool for a structured and more organised approach.

This is no time to flex your wealth of ultra-complicated technical words. The idea of a persuasive speech is to get your point across verbally.

Make it sound natural so that you have no trouble spewing it out loud and your tongue doesn’t linger trying to pronounce something like anthropomorphism.

Avoid lengthy constructions that cause you to stumble. Chop the sentences down to short and concise pieces of information.

See this example:

• It could be said that in light of the presently existing circumstances which are currently surrounding us at this moment in time, there may potentially exist certain conditions that might feasibly be conducive toward potentially providing an optimum environment for potentially achieving desired outcomes.

Sounds unnecessarily long and complex, isn’t it? You can just bring this down to something like this:

• The current circumstances could create conditions conducive to achieving desired outcomes.

The clearer version gets the same point across in a more direct and succinct way by removing extra words, simplifying the phrasing and structure, and using more active rather than passive construction.

The general outline for a speech needs to be clear and logical. Here are some tips on how to craft one:

• Start with a compelling hook. Capture attention instantly with a surprising stat, intriguing anecdote or open question. Pique curiosity about the issue.
• Clearly state your thesis up front. Distil your central argument and goal into a concise, memorable statement. Paint the picture of what you aim to achieve.
• Support your thesis with well-chosen facts. Cite respected sources and data-driven evidence to rationally reinforce key talking points. Appeal to logic as well as emotion.
• Anticipate objections and address counterarguments respectfully. Show you understand opposing viewpoints yet position why yours is most sound.
• Weave in illustrative stories and examples. Relate concepts to people’s lives through a compelling narrative. Paint a vivid mental image they’ll never forget.
• Close powerfully with a call to action. Inspire audiences to take a specific next step that furthers your cause. Motivate minds and spark an enduring commitment to your vision.

While logic and facts are important, truly moving an audience to act requires connecting on a deeper human level through emotion.

Persuasive speeches that only present dry statistics and reasoning, no matter how sound, will fail to inspire.

To craft a speech that sways hearts as well as minds, strategically incorporate stories, anecdotes and value-based language tailored to your listeners.

Describe how the issue personally impacts real people in a way the audience can relate to and feel empathetic towards. Share a short, engaging narrative that puts a vivid face to the topic.

Appeal to your crowd’s core beliefs and priorities by framing your argument in terms of principles they cherish such as justice, empathy or progress.

Tap into emotions like pride, hope or outrage to energise their conviction to support your solution. With targeted emotional insights paired with rational appeals, you’ll guide your audience along a far more persuasive journey of the heart and soul.

Here are examples of short persuasive speeches. A convincing one should have a specific purpose, as well as central arguments built on it.

Persuasive Speech Example 1: Title: Why Recycling Should Be Mandatory Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that recycling should be required by law in all communities. Central Idea: Recycling helps the environment, conserves natural resources and saves money; therefore, all communities should pass laws to mandate recycling programs.

Persuasive Speech Example 2: Title: Why Social Media Is Detrimental to Teen Mental Health Specific Purpose: To persuade parents to monitor and limit their teen’s social media usage. Central Idea: Excessive social media use has been linked to increased anxiety, depression and loneliness in teens by promoting social comparison and FOMO. Implementing reasonable limits can help protect mental well-being.

Persuasive Speech Example 3: Title: Why School Lunches Need Improvement Specific Purpose: To persuade the PTA to lobby for healthier cafeteria food options. Central Idea: The current lunch offerings at our school are often overly processed and lack nutrients, leading to obesity risks. Upgrading to fresher, whole foods will boost student health and focus.

Practising a chosen speech topic can increase your persuasion skills tremendously. Here are some topics to kickstart:

• Year-round schooling, later start times, homework policies, funding for arts/sports, dress codes
• Immigration reform, gun control laws, LGBTQ+ rights, abortion, marijuana legalisation
• Sugar/food taxes, banning plastic straws, GMO labelling, smoking bans, green energy initiatives
• Social media regulations, driverless cars, surveillance laws, video game restrictions
• Minimum wage increases, universal basic income, trade policies, taxes
• Prison/sentencing reform, police use of force, drug decriminalisation, private prisons
• Foreign aid, refugees/asylum, trade agreements, military budget
• Gender roles, body positivity, social media/TV influence, work-life balance
• Free will vs. determinism, ethical consumption, technology’s impact, social justice
• Ratings systems, content restrictions, media bias, streaming vs. cable

In closing, an effective persuasive speech has the power to inspire change and bring people together behind important causes. If you understand audience psychology and craft your message strategically with passion and precision, you too can sway minds on issues you care about.

How do I start a persuasive speech?

Start your persuasive speech with a startling statistic, fact or emotional story to hook the audience instantly.

What makes a good persuasive speech?

A good persuasive speech often comprises logic, emotion and credibility. Satisfying all three criteria will enhance your argument.

Leah Nguyen

Words that convert, stories that stick. I turn complex ideas into engaging narratives - helping audiences learn, remember, and take action.

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How to Write a Great GSL MUN Speech – Guide

Speeches in MUN are one of the most important communication tools in Model United Nations . Speeches are where you make your first impression, how your ideas alive and relevant, and an effective way to send messages to allies, opposing blocks, and chairs all at once.

Our “How to write a great MUN Speech” guide will teach you to avoid speaking in generalizations, maximize your speech time, and drive your points home with the desired audience. This guide will start by teaching the CIA method of MUN speech writing, continue with how to write a strong opening speech . Later, we elaborate on strategies for both opening and follow up speeches.

Whether a speech for your opening statement, General Speakers List (GSL), moderated caucus, or any time during a MUN committee session, our guide will help you understand the mechanics to achieve your MUN speech goal!

Introduction

What makes a great MUN speech?

• Appealing to delegates emotions or a solid clash?
• Have an impressive collection of facts or relevant information?
• Strong quotes with historic significance?
• A clear call to action?

It’s extremely important to have a structure to your speech. Each and every point mentioned are important for your MUN speech. It’s how you put them together that makes your speech from good to great. Having a strong quote with no clear call to action will not take you far. Having a coherent clash and solid information with a clear call to action will help take your MUN speech to the next level.

Having the floor to give your MUN speech is extremely valuable, so you want to ensure you utilize your time effectively. Sometimes a MUN speech needs to be very exact to achieve its desired goals while others need more nuance. Make sure you have a clear idea of the messages and concepts you want to convey before you start your speech. 

If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up exactly where you started.

The CIA Method for MUN speech writing developed by Daniel Gindis to help delegates around the globe make amazing MUN speeches no matter how long you have been doing MUN.

Writing down our MUN speech word for word is a tried and tested strategy for many MUN veterans. Knowing what to write is where it can get a bit tricky at times. No matter if you are writing your opening speech where you are giving off your first impression to the room with your ideas, concepts, policies and strategies, or your later speeches throughout the MUN conference the CIA method will help you with getting that message across. 

Understanding the components which make up the different parts of a MUN speech is what allows a delegate to harness and direct the message how they see fit. When done right, it is not down to ‘luck’, but rather following a method of understanding each of the three components of the CIA speech writing method. Follow this guide for MUN speech writing utilizing the CIA method and your MUNing will never be the same.

CIA stands for Clash, Information and (call to) Action. These three elements are needed for a MUN speech to be maximally effective; missing any of them will significantly weaken a delegate’s speech. A strong CIA speech, combined with proper country representation (See article on ‘ How to Effectively Representing your Country ’), and good coalition work will lead to the most effective type of delegating.

C lash I nformation A ction

Clash – A confrontation of ideas, specifically an important two-sided issue within the topic that you want the committee to discuss.

Information – Relevant facts, ideally numbers, that support other parts of your speech. Information can also be facts about your country that justifies your position.

Action – The practical policy you offer to solve the issue you set up in your clash.

A confrontation of ideas.

Example: We cannot censor people who incite violence in a country with complete freedom of speech.

A clash in MUN would be  – Two opinions in direct opposition on one idea, therefore clashing with each other.

For something to be a clash, delegates from your committee need to be on either side of it. If there are no two sides it is not something the committee will debate and will either unanimously go straight to the unimportant clause section of the resolution or fall entirely out of discussion. Either way, it will not be central to the debate on the floor.

Examples of Clash:

Revoking asylum status for anyone who does not agree to get vaccinated at the border.

Advocating for megacities to have their own independent legal system.

The United Nations should fund water filtration in countries who suffer volcanic eruptions.

In all of these examples, there is a clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question. The answer to these questions will be the main one to divide the committee room.

An idea that everyone agrees on is Off Clash. Off Clash statements (Like the Ebola virus is bad or tornados are dangerous) are a waste of precious speech time that could be further used to develop your Clash or Call to Action. (More on Clash and Off Clash in the expanded explanation below)

How do you select a clash when preparing?

Some topics have many possible clashes. In those cases, you should choose the one you feel will be more relevant to the discussion.

Example - World Health Organization

Committee : World Health Organization

Topic: Combating the Zika Virus

Clash 1: Increase the number of doctors sent to Peru to treat Zika.

Clash 2: Remove patent restriction to let countries locally develop medicines to counter Zika.

Clash 3: Suggest countries around the world teach children about the world’s top deadliest diseases.

Combating Zika is an Off Clash topic. No one will say the Zika virus is a good thing. To find the Clash you need to go one level deeper and decide what type of discussion will best serve our country’s interests.

It is clear that Clash 3 will save the least leaves and bring the least immediate benefit. It will also likely get little or no discussion time.

When choosing between Clash 1 and Clash 2, Paraguay would open for Clash 2, as creating generic medicines would be cheaper not only for fighting Zika but could also make medical treatment cheaper across the board. This idea would also be of interest to Angola, who faces similar constraints on creating generic medicines, even though they do not have the Zika virus. As a rule of thumb, it is better to choose a clash that is not only relevant to your country but many others can also agree with.

Information

Information = Hard facts that support your case

A strong MUN speech needs to have relevant facts and numbers that support parts of your speech .

Without information, your fellow delegates can only rely on your word, which might not give enough credibility to what you have to say. Numbers, names, dates and hard facts show what we are saying exists in the real world and is not an opinion. Numbers are the best form of information to use and the hardest to argue with.

Information does not exist in a vacuum. There is no such thing as facts for fact’s sake. 

Information in a CIA speech always does one of the following:

• Supports why your Clash is the most relevant
• Shows why your Call to Action is the most important
• Shows why your country has the position it does
• Disproves information brought by another delegate

Information in follow up speeches usually moves between these four. In earlier speeches the “I” focuses more on your own world building and less on countering other countries. However, MUN simulation have a lot going on and the Information should be used and modified on a case by case basis.

Call to Action

Call to Action (CtA) is a statement designed to give instructions for an immediate response.

Your CtA is the practical policy to solve the issue you set up in your clash.

Without a clear CtA other delegates will not know what to do with the Clash and Information you presented. Worse, they can use your set up to justify other CtA’s/

A Call to Action needs to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely (SMART). 

Your CtA needs to be specific as to:

• Where you will get funding from
• Which organizations will you work
• What will you send

Clash: Sending Teachers to the refugee camps in Ethiopia.

CtA: Hiring 300 teachers who specialize teaching English and Math to United Nations run high schools at the 3 refugee camps in the Tigray region in Ethiopia.

We can’t send “teachers” as we don’t know how many, where to send them or what they are going to do. However, when we look at the CtA, we can guestimate the cost of 300 teachers who specialize in English and Math and now know where to send them.

A good Call to Action explains the problem, the solution and what it’s going to do.

Specific actionable policy ideas will allow you to direct the discussion, and later take credit for the ideas when everyone else has the same general stance (ex. “humanitarian aid”).  

Example MUN Opening Speech

This MUN speech sample is an opening speech for MUN. It can also work as a first General Speakers List (GSL) speech if your MUN conference doesn’t have mandatory opening statements. See how the Clash is set, Information used and Calls to Action introduced.

TOPIC: CLEAN WATER

COUNTRY: NORWAY

Honorable chair, distinguished delegates: 800 million people across the globe are living without access to clean water. Half of them live in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Kingdom of Norway believes that our efforts should focus there, and these efforts should involve the entire international community. Norway has donated over $975 million in aid to sub Saharan countries and invites countries who have not donated to join the effort. Norway proposes we focus on community-oriented aid in the form of water harvesting devices. A good option is the water harvester developed by the University of Akron in Ohio which produce up to 10 gallons of drinking water per hour from thin air. To ensure long term success, the United Nations should transfer the funding after there is sufficient training to build and operate the water-gathering device without continued external support. Community-oriented aid is a big step towards universal access to clean water. Let’s say H2”NO” to the water crisis!!!

Example GSL Speech

This GSL sample speech is comes after the opening speeches are concluded and twenty minutes worth of speakers into the session after the General Speakers list is opened.

Country: Comoros

Honorable Chair, Distinguished Delegates,

Comoros agrees with Canada, Ecuador, and Tanzania that cleaning water is the top priority and disagrees with Norway and Chad that water creation is an affordable or viable solution.

In small countries like Comoros the largest problem is water so polluted it is fatal to drink. Karthala, our most active volcano, erupted in April 2005 and May 2006. Each time, it destroyed multiple freshwater sources. It also took years to clean the volcanic ash that comes back as acid rain.

Our salvation was UNICEF and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office which give us $1.3 million to clean more than 1,500 reservoirs and bring fresh water to more than 150,000 people.

Comoros is aware that most countries do not have active volcanoes. However, water pollution is a global phenomenon, whether from other natural disasters or corporations who pollute without accountability. Comoros suggest the creation of UN-funded permanent water filtration programs. These can also be funded with proceeds from Canada’s policy to make polluting companies pay for their own cleanup.

Observe how echoing other delegates are used to shout out allies and members of other blocks. Notice how Information is used to offer an alternative issue to focus on instead of the one offered by Norway in the MUN Opening Speech Example. Additionally, observe how the Call to Action offered by Comoros is connected to the policy offered by Canada, showing willingness to work together. Most importantly, see how CIA is central to the speech even though many GSL speeches came before it.

The principles remain consistent. If you don’t fight to keep your clash on the table it could be lost and another takes its place. Information is always needed to support opinions. A Call to Action is introduced or repeated, keeping itself on the table and, where possible, linking back to the delegate’s national interest.

CIA Method – Continued

Defining the terms of the debate generally dictates who’s gonna win it.

Paul Begala

How To Find The Clash

A Clash is where two opposing opinions collide on one issue. More specifically, a clash is an issue within the general topic that our research, and MUN instincts, tell us will be central to the discussion and where our country can likely get a majority.

This basic concept is important because two ideas which do not clash mean the two delegates are likely not actually arguing and their ideas may coexist on a resolution.

Tool Tip:  Quick way to find the clash

Phrase your statement in the form of a question.

Example: Should we allow countries to freely develop chemical weapons?

If one country says “yes” and the other “no” then you’ve found the clash (or a clash) !

When some countries will say yes and some no we have a clash. This does not mean the two sides need to be equal in size, just that there is resistance and through that discussion.

When everyone agrees there is no debate. Without an impasse, there is no place for creative solutions or innovative ideas. A discussion without clash is also very boring to delegates.

Finding a Strong Clash

For a Clash to work as a Clash it needs to convey the following:

• Which issue within the greater topic which we want to focus on
• Which side of that two-sided issue you are on

Gambia: We should increase the number of doctors sent to Peru to treat Zika.

Norway: We should increase the subsidy to develop medicines to counter Zika.

In this example, you can see that the policy proposals don’t actually disagree with each other, and while they could both speak about the limitations of the other proposal, there is no reason not to merge.

Gambia: We should increase the number of doctors sent to Peru to treat Zika

Indonesia: We should decrease the number of doctors in the Zika prone area of Peru, as they are also at risk

In this example, we see that there is a direct clash, thus the same resolution, to be sound, cannot include both.

In Model UN, the idea is to solve global issues deemed important by the UN. The ability to improve upon the status quo means overcoming an existing barrier. For this reason, the greatest achievement a resolution can reach is if the sides give ground on something they previously did not and “go where it hurts”. It is these potential points of progress that are most interesting to discuss, and the debate will naturally flow to disagreement, as there is no reason to discuss points everyone agrees on. For this reason, it is important to find a good clash and set it, so that the debate is about what you want it to be about.

If no one sets the clash, it will happen anyway, because the nature of Model United Nations is to discuss issues. However, discussions can easily go in a direction no one wants, or at least some countries aren’t interested in. For this reason, each delegate should present a clear clash in their speech, as well as which side of the clash they are on.

Vietnam: Honorable Chair, Distinguished Delegates, Vietnam believes the best way to keep zika from spreading is to restrict travel from all countries which have Zika, specifically limiting who can use airports.

The speech can continue but after around 12 seconds, we know that:

• Exactly what Vietnam wants to focus on and 
• Which side of the clash Vietnam is on (Vietnam is for a travel ban)

Unless someone else directly disagrees with Vietnam’s idea, it can reach the final resolution undisturbed. However, it is likely to get more attention, and even be mentioned in other delegates’ speeches, than a policy to increase funding to develop a cure. What is certain, is that both of these ideas will get more of a response than a speech about how Zika is a terrible virus and a danger to all; something everyone in the room already knows and agrees upon.

The Danger of Being Off Clash

Along with strong clashes, there are also many statements and directions which are off clash. Being off clash is when you say something nobody in the room will disagree with. An off clash speech can be very emotional but, in the end, it takes critical time away from important material and new examples or ideas, which could further a delegate’s case.

Examples of Off Clash statements:

Statement #1: A nuclear holocaust is a horrible thing

Statement #2: Honor killings are bad

Statement #3: The Zika virus endangers lives and spreads fear

Statement #4: Civil wars destroy countries

Off clash statements can be more complex than those above. However, the core issue is the same in that entire speeches can be wasted developing and delivering points that everyone already agrees on. Another issue with off clash speeches is that they are easy to fill emotion and memorable sound bites because the content is so polarized. An experienced delegate will easily see through this, while beginners will often not remember a clear point because of all the bells and whistles.

A MUN speech succeeds when, after it ends, the listener thinks “I agree”, “I disagree”, “I want to hear more”, “I want to work with her/him!”, “I should keep an eye of her/him.” or “I have a question.”

The speech fails when the listener has none of those thoughts. Sometimes, by the first sentence of the following speech, the previous will already be forgotten. As stated above, an even worse response is when all anyone else remember from the speech is a funny or emotional line. Avoid sentences charged with feeling like “think of the children” (unless that is actually the topic) and stick to set a strong clash.

Statement #2: Governments should decide their own fate without fear of international pressure or retaliation.

To both of these statements, two very different countries (say, the United States & North Korea) would have the same answer. This is because the statements are too polarized and are thus beyond the clash.

Statement #3 : A country should have complete freedom to pursue nuclear ambitions.

To this third statement, the US and DPRK would not agree and thus we find a clear cash. This clash can be seen in a topic with two sides, where progress for one side comes at the “expense” of the other. Clearly, many countries will have a lot to say on the matter.

Choosing the Right Clash

There are many possible clashes , and some will be more in a country’s favor than others.

Norway:  We should increase the subsidy to develop medicines to counter Zika

Mexico:   We should develop chemicals which kill mosquitoes

Vietnam: Should we impose a travel ban on potential carriers from countries with Zika?

Iceland:    We should make abortion laws less restrictive, to prevent the birth of fetuses found with the virus

In this example, El Salvador would not want to discuss the clash set by Iceland. This is because abortions are illegal in El Salvador and allowing the idea of less restrictive abortion laws would show El Salvador, and other countries which are completely against abortion, in a negative light.

Even in cases where the majority of countries in the room are anti-abortion, it is likely that abortion law is not the most important issue when discussing trying to reverse the Zika epidemic. 

All of these clashes are possible contention points; progress on any of them will be a strong part of any potential resolution. Off clash speeches and ideas, however, will not get such engagement or echoing (when countries repeat each other). Setting the right clash will give the room a way to align themselves and bring about an excellent Model UN. 

A strong clash, is a clash that is relevant to many clashes besides yours. That will give you more allies and make you more relevant to their ideas and discussions, keeping your points in people’s minds even after your speech. For example, finishing clinical trials to release a cure for Zika is more important, and will impact more people than increasing food aid to an inflicted area.

In a nutshell: Choose a relevant clash (clash = topic of debate with two or more clear sides to it) 

• Which your country can claim is relevant to them and, preferably (but not always), 
• Shows your country in a positive light.

We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge.

John Naisbitt

Information = Relevant information that supports other parts of your speech

Relevant, factual Information is critical for any MUN speech to be persuasive. It shows that your claim is based on facts and is not a vague generalization, which could be made up or inaccurate. Information is the way to show you’ve done research and have strong support for your case. When done correctly, proper use of relevant information will make you look smarter and can give the impression that you have even more research up your sleeve. For information to be most useful in your speech, it needs to specifically support one of the points you are trying to make (whether the justification of the clash or why your Action is going to work). (To better understand how to use the information to support a statement, check out our SEEC method in our article on “ How to Structure an Argument ”) 

The same statement given with the proper use of the information will make it much more persuasive and more sound at the same time.

Norway: We should increase the subsidy to Inovio Pharmaceuticals to further develop the GLS-5700. The trial on July 2016 had positive results and further investment of $5,700,000 could give us the best medicine yet to combat Zika.

With tangible examples, opposing countries would need to find counterexamples instead of simply saying “You’re wrong”. Also, if enough information is put into speeches over time, the underpinnings of reality will be built, giving your interpretation of the situation a much stronger case.

“I” Can Be More Than Facts

The information part of the speech doesn’t always need to be factual or example-based. What it does need to do is make the other parts of the speech stronger, fortifying the points made. While hard facts are usually best, the “I” in CIA can also be:

I – Facts (Statistics, names, dates, etc.)

I – Examples

I – Illustrations

I – Allegories

Facts and examples should be the most used device, and each speech must contain at least one of these.

When giving a story that lacks hard facts, you can cite the source of the story, which can give you some hard data to include in your speech.

You can include sources – like the UN Charter – where, instead of stating

“A country is sovereign and the UN cannot interfere in internal affairs..”

You can say

“Article 2 of the UN Charter says that ‘all members shall refrain in their international relations …”

Illustrations can bring color to a dry case and sometimes add a moral justification.

Example of Illustration

Sara woke up this morning to the sound of mortar shells. They landed far enough away that she was able to run. She did, after all, still have both her feet. Her brother was not so lucky, having lost a leg the previous week. Running for shelter, she managed to duck behind a boulder to avoid the ricocheting rocks. The bombardment stopped and Sara is ok, for now. What is happening in Wau Shilluk, South Sudan, we would call horrifying. Sara calls it Tuesday.

Note: The use if an ‘illustration’ should only happen after defining the clash where you explain what is likely to happen if we do not follow the course you suggest (i.e “The UN should NOT send peacekeepers to Myanmar (clash) – ILLUSTRATION – If we were to use peacekeepers (explain what would happen likely).

Emotional stories and tear-jerkers alone will rarely persuade delegates to join your coalition. However, good delivery can get attention, which is very important when everyone wants their speech to be listened to. You can obtain their full focus and attention, following shortly after with the point you want to get across. Everyone will be listening, it will not be missed.

Rule of “I”: Use Numbers (and Names) in Every Speech

The Information rule of thumb is that every MUN speech should have at least one number. A number is harder to argue with and makes your speech stronger and more credible.

“Their New York police force is large.”

“There are 38,422 full time police officers in New York.”

The second one clearly sounds stronger. It is more credible and also gives the listeners a general idea that can be easily understood.

Your opening speech should have three to five numbers. Later speeches should have 1-3 numbers per speech. Unique name dropping works as well. The name of the current president / prime minister, a city or region, an important treaty or some other specific name can be just as strong as a number in that it shows research and knowledge.

Remember, don’t use too many facts/numbers because then your message can get lost. Use facts to justify things / explain precedent but the bulk of your speech should be persuasion/logic/ support your own Call to Action.

“Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.”

Benjamin Disraeli

(Call to) Action = Your Policy = An Actionable Practical Solution

Action, as in a Call to Action, is the policy you want on the MUN resolution that will pass with a majority. This focus on actionable/practical solutions is what makes MUN different from other extracurriculars which involve speech and debate. In almost every other extracurricular, it is enough to convince others (or the judges) that one idea is better than the other. This idea can be a philosophical concept with no detail or real-world impact. In Model UN, all of the committee sessions are focused on deciding what to do about a given situation. When a resolution passes, those same actionable ideas change something in the real world. The only way for you to impact this change is if your ideas are in the resolution. This is why it is critical to have your actionable policy introduced in your first speech.

Remember that a MUN resolution is an executive order to a bureaucrat somewhere in the giant UN machine. In the real world, this official takes the instructions from the UN resolution and turns the operative clauses into a real UN operation, or mission, in the physical world.

For this reason, the Call to Action needs to be:

• Empirically measurable
• Quantifiable

To be a ‘proper’ Call to Action, you need to be able to measure it , touch it and buy it . You need to be able to clearly explain how it works to others. While MUN is a simulation, it is a realistic one; we are dealing with real world problems. As such, if you aren’t offering a change in the physical world, you offer nothing . Without a Call to Action, the point of your speech can easily be lost. Even worse, someone else can make use of your clash to justify their policy proposals.

On the other hand, a good Call to Action can be passed in a resolution without a clear Clash or Information behind it. While the lack of a Clash or influencing the debate might not get a diplomacy award, the Call to Action may still reach the final resolution.

In a nutshell – A Call to Action is telling others what to do with the information you provided in the form of a detailed, practical plan.

Why is the Call to Action so important?

The goal of a MUN simulation is to solve a problem and, most of the time, make the world a better place. However, talk is cheap; only a real action plan, measured in expected real world results, will actually change anything. It is these expected results that turn our idea into a reality and are the motivation behind all of the speeches, lobbying and negotiations we do throughout the simulation.

Call to Action I: Commission 100 mile sweeping units to operate in the newly taken village around Mosul

Problem it’s solving: Mines hidden by ISIS fighters before they withdrew from the territory

Outcome of policy: The homes can be used again and lives no longer in danger

Call to Action II: Neutral observers should supervise, secure and count the ballots from all polling stations in East Ukraine after next election

Problem it’s solving: Vote tampering of some sort

Outcome of policy: A more transparent reflection of the actual will of the people

1, 2, 3’s of a Call to Action

For a Call to Action to work, it needs to meet the following three criteria. It must:

• Solve the problem
• Fit your country’s views
• Be simple / passable

The CTA Triangle

An easy way to remember the three criteria is to use the CTA Triangle. It is a useful visual to help you remember to check if your Call to Action is sound. A good Call to Action needs to hit each of the corners.

1. Solves the Issue

After the policy is implemented, the status quo should be changed in some quantifiable way. The only exception is when a country benefits from the status quo, in which case, their Call to Action should attempt to perpetuate the issue or at least minimize the damage to it.

Austria is against using chemicals to create artificial rain during times of drought (A process called Cloud Seeding to create Enhanced Rain) because it feels this would artificially tamper with the environment. They see that 70% of the room are countries who would use Enhanced Rain to increase crop yield and do not care enough about the environment to not use it. In such a case, Austria should not take up a position completely against Cloud Seeding, as this would not get a majority. Instead, Austria should opt for a policy of a testing zone to “make sure Cloud Seeding is safe”. This Call to Action could be limited to use in a small area for five years to assess environmental impact. If this passed, as a compromise, there would be much less use of Cloud Seeding technology. Also, there are now five years to overturn this policy in the future. With 30% of the room strongly supporting limiting the use, such a compromise could be reached. As we can see, a practical policy is offered which can be quantified, and voted on, that also serves Austria’s interest, even if they don’t get everything they want.

2. Fit your country’s views

Representing your country’s interests is a very important part of the Model UN, that many delegates fail to do properly. This happens because one can give a good CIA without, inherently, representing their country. If you ignore what your country would want, you can be much more flexible regarding policy, hence many delegates falling into this trap.

True Fact: It is easier to be completely fluid, in the name of compromise and consensus, if you ignore the actual policies that were implemented and your national interest.

When you present a Call to Action, it needs to be clear to the delegates, as well as the chair, that your policy is something your country would sign off on.

Hungary cannot sponsor, or support, a policy of subsidised modified wheat and corn to those who live below the poverty line in Hungary because it has banned the cultivation and sale of GMOs.

Hungary can give tax breaks to firms who can reach minimal quota targets for organic crops to use for the same purpose.

(If you are unsure how to represent your country, or fit the representation into your CIA speech, you can find all that and more in our article on How to Effectively Represent Your Country !)

3. Be simple / passable

Your Call to Action needs to be a policy which will not get lost due to over complexity. Also, even if the minor details are somewhat complex, the main idea should be clear enough to deliver in one to three lines.

For this reason, the third criteria is called “Simple/passable”. A simple Call to Action will not be enough for a good policy. However, it is a reminder that the idea needs to be simple enough, and relevant to enough countries, to pass. If the idea is too complex and cannot obtain a majority, it does not matter how great said idea was. The balance must be perfect.

A good Call to Action must be (1) unique, (2) specific and (3) attributable to you. For that reason, you should make your policy fulfill these three criteria as much as possible, keeping in mind that you also need to stop before you risk losing your audience. Again, it is about getting the right balance.

Call to Action Rule of Thumb:

A good Call to Action needs to be as unique and detailed as possible, while being simple enough for the room to understand and relevant enough to obtain a majority.

Coming Up With a Good Call to Action

The first step to finding your Call to Action is to quantify the issue(s) you are addressing. If you do not know what you are focusing on, you cannot solve anything. There can be a few issues to discuss within each topic and many directions to take, once chosen. Some can be more strategic for a country’s interest than others. In all cases, when you set the clash, have in mind the direction you want to take the discussion, to lead it towards your desired Call to Action. The key is to make the issue-specific and then solve it.

General topic Solvable topic

Global hunger Malnutrition of children in Uttar Pradesh

Combating the Zika virus Mosquitoes who transfer Zika

Preventing domestic violence Lack of safe houses for victims

(To better understand what to do with bad study guides and topics that are too general, check out our article on What to do when your Study Guide Sucks )

You should choose no more than three issues within a given topic, though one is usually enough. Memories are short and sometimes there will be tens of delegates who need to give an opening speech. The more non-related, different ideas you give in a speech, the less likely other delegates are to follow or remember them.

Finding Inspiration For Our CtA6

There are many ways to come up with a Call to Action. It can be from:

S  1. Original thinking

S  2. Look to your country’s past in this situation

S  3. Look at what other countries have done in this situation

S  4. Look at similar situations in your country, or similar ones

S  5. Look at completely different situations and try to find inspiration

There is no wrong answer here, with many ways to find the right Call to Action for the topic your committee will be discussing.

Have an Idea before you look for one

Once you choose your issues and have quantified them into something you can solve, don’t jump back into the research; take a few minutes to think. See what ‘common sense’ solutions you can come up with, then write them down. They might even be better solutions than what was implemented by the UN. Once you have a few ideas that make sense outside of the ocean of information, continue your research. As you now have something, the material you find will either complement, or supplement what you have found. It can even replace what you originally had, but only if you find something of better value. The key is to come up with the best policy for our specific committee that we can. Having our own direction before we start looking for solutions will keep us from getting lost. Also, sometimes, our own ideas can be the missing element to a very strong Call to Action.

Final Words on Call to Action : When we finish the A of our CIA speech and know what we want to do and how we want to do it, we can be very emotionally connected to our policy. This is great! However, this emotional connection does not mean other policies cannot exist alongside it, or also be relevant, even extremely relevant.

When it comes to a Call to Action, remember that there can be many solutions to the same problem!

Even if your Call to Action is objectively the best one you know, not everyone will agree.  You need to be ready to fight for why your Call to Action is extremely relevant and the best course of action to take. Also, if we don’t want to work with someone, make sure you have a Call to Action which clashes with something on the other resolution.

MUN Speech Format

While many MUN beginner delegates look for formatting instructions as they try to figure out how to prepare a GSL speech, the truth is that there is no required format for a MUN speech. CIA, country ownership and proper use of research will influence the content, but the only one who will see the speech itself is you. As long as you can clearly read the text, don’t get lost and are able to deliver it well, that is really all that matters. So format the speech in a way that suits your style.

MUN Opening Speech Strategy

When it comes to MUN speech strategy, how we start our speeches is very important. Many things can influence our first speeches, from the nature of the topic (Some topics can be more Clash or Call to Action heavy) to what letter of the alphabet our country starts with. The following strategies should be taken into account to make sure you nail your opening speech.

How to Start Your Opening Speech

The first rule of a MUN opening speech is to be interesting to your audience. This is especially important in a large committee, where they might not see you and will only hear your voice, potentially over a screechy microphone!

First Letter Of Your Country = Different Speech Strategy

Before you give your speech, look at what letter of the alphabet your country starts with.

If your country starts with an A or B, you might be able to give a speech introducing the topic as a whole. However, if you are Turkmenistan, it is very likely that your clash has been touched on, as have some of the policies you might want to state. Remember, saying it first does not mean saying it best . As Turkmenistan, much of what you would say will already be said, even if in a less clear or focused way. For this reason, write your speech with the end of the list in mind. Avoid spending time introducing concepts and make sure that as much of your speech as possible is unique to you, and detailed enough to get you the credit for presenting the idea best, even if not first. (More on strategies to adapt your speech to the discussion in the committee are in the next section of this article.)

Intelligent Use of Soundbites

Whether you are 1 out of 15, or one out of 200, your fellow delegates actually listening to your speech is essential in getting your ideas out there. Your first and last sentences should aim to be attention grabbers, but not so much so that the rest of your speech won’t be taken seriously. After you have their attention, try and get to your CIA as quickly and clearly as possible. Starting strong is more important than ending strong, but both are important if you want future listeners. Make it worth their while.

Opening: Do you hate mosquitoes? Honorable Chair, distinguished delegates, the delegate of Namibia hate mosquitoes, and that’s when they bite me without a fatal virus! The Zika virus must be stopped…

Ending: … those mosquitoes may bite us today, but now it’s time for the World Health Organization to bite back!

Echo and Name Drop Strategically

Unless you are the first to speak, you will be able to use the names, and words of delegates who came before you in your speech.

Saying other delegates’ names in your speech, whether allies or members of other blocks, will usually have them perk up and listen to what you are saying, because you used their name. Echoing also makes other delegates feel that you speak for a block and not just yourself. Often, echoing is reciprocal. If you use other countries’ names, they will use yours.

You can also respond to other delegates’ Calls to Action in your speech. This can be to support, refute or connect your ideas to theirs. Just make sure their ideas aren’t hugely popular. This will make you more relevant in the debate.

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Topics “Without a Clash”

Not all topics have a clear clash to start with. Some topics can be very principled. In those, the majority of the debate is spent setting the clash and, once decided, the Call to Action falls into place. On the other hand, some topics are off clash and result in battles of Calls to Action to decide which policy to choose from (Example: Helping flood victims). In those cases, mini clashes need to be created to kickstart the debate. However, it will still usually come down to measuring the effectiveness of policies against each other, rather than deciding if to be for or against a course of action.

Clash Heavy Topics

Requiring an international military presence remain in Syria

Phasing out the mining and use of coal for energy

Minimizing conflict in the South China Sea

Off Clash Topics / Call to Action Heavy Topics

Tackling and treating STIs and HIV/AIDS

Access to clean water

Combatting honor killings

Repair and resettlement after an earthquake

In the Clash heavy topics, countries can be on either side of the clash. Calls to Action heavy topics are also called Battles of Calls to Action. They are situations where everyone agrees on the macro clash (no one will say they support the idea that honor killings are good because the world is overpopulated) and the debate will focus on how best to solve the problem / which policies are the most important and central.

(To learn about other ways to interpret MUN topics, check out the “Identifying Types of MUN Topics” in the second part of this article ).

Macro Clash and Micro Clash

When the study guides give us a clash that has two clear sides, for example, giving illegal migrants from a warzone refugee status, all countries should have an opinion on the larger issue. An issue which starts the committee off by dividing the delegates into two groups is called a Macro Clash. It is the initial clash which requires a yes or no opinion from almost every country. The “Clash heavy topics” in the section above are all topics with a Macro Clash.

Identifying a Macro Clash

• It is obvious in the study guides
• Most countries will have an opinion
• There is only one of them per topic
• Everything else you do or think is a direct result of your position on the Macro Clash

Just because a topic has a Macro clash, it does not mean that both sides will be of equal size. If the topic is around child marriage, for example, it is likely that the majority of the countries would be against. The same applies for topics discussing the proliferation of nuclear weapons. This means that once the Macro Clash is set (and this can become clear by the middle of opening statements), the discussion moves from getting a majority on the Macro Clash to setting new clashes within what has become the new topic of discussion. This new clash, within the side of the Macro Clash that is chosen, is called a Micro Clash. It is a Clash within a Clash and is the new point of contention, once the majority reaches a consensus on the previous clash.

Identifying a Micro Clash

• It is an important question that will need to be answered on one side of the Macro Clash
• Most countries on that side of the Clash will have a particular opinion
• This discussion can become central, once the Macro Clash has a majority to one side

A Macro Clash can have many Micro Clashes within it. Furthermore, a Micro Clash can become the new Macro Clash, if enough of the committee agree on the next level of debate. The following example will show how this may occur.

Committee: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Topic: Child Marriage

By the end of opening statements, 85% of the 60 delegates are strongly against child marriage. Allowing child marriage to continue undisturbed is no longer on the table. The remaining 15% can try to get some form of moral high ground, but it is clear that no resolution can pass with the pro child marriage countries continuing as they have so far.

However, even though they have a clear majority, the 85% could now go into the following Micro Clashes:

• Should the UN take collective action, or is child marriage an issue which countries should respond to individually?
• Should nations who condone child marriage be given warnings first?
• If married children emigrate, to a country where the practice is illegal, should they retroactively be annulled?

All of these Micro Clashes are yes or no questions, which could easily split the 85% majority into two groups of equal size. If that happens, neither of them will have a majority.

The discussion continues and a 75% majority is in favor of discussing the first Micro Clash. This now transforms the question “Should the UN take collective action, or is child marriage an issue which countries should respond to individually?” into the new Macro Clash.

The debate continues and a clear majority say that they believe the United Nations, as a whole, should take action. Now that the committee have agreed that the UN should be the one to take action, this clash too has been moved beyond and new Micro Clashes may arise. These could be:

• Should countries who have reduced the number, but still legally allow it, be punished as harshly?
• What should the punishment be? Should economic sanctions be used?

And so the debate continues.

As seen in the example above, the debate will continue to move from Micro Clash to Micro Clash until the committee decides, intentionally or otherwise, which clashes they want to discuss. This usually happens when one side no longer has a clear majority and realize they need to start working to retain what they have. Some beginner committees will have the entire room agree the entire time. This usually upsets chairs, who will have chosen the topic with some debate in mind, and is often not representative of reality. If an entire room agrees, it usually means some of the countries are acting off policy, which as discussed earlier in this article, is not representative of the people within that country.

Start From The Relevant Clash

When you are confident that the majority of the room will go in a certain direction, start your speech about where the topic is going to be headed, instead of echoing the majority opinion.

Sometimes, the majority going overwhelmingly to one side of the Clash may sometimes come as a surprise. However, for many topics (like the examples above) it is fairly obvious that the entire committee will agree on the Macro Clash and quickly go to one of the Micro Clashes. As the Macro Clash will quickly become off clash (because no one will condone honor killings) your research and your speech itself speech should be already aimed at winning the Micro Clash; particularly the micro clash you anticipate to be where the debate actually starts. Don’t talk about why child marriage is immoral or wrong; even if your country starts with the letter A, do not give a speech that will be repeated by many others in the room. Go straight to the Micro Clash that you want to set as the main focus; by the time the rest of the committee gets there, you will be ahead of the curve and could be giving follow-up speeches on the Micro Clash before most delegates give their first. Sometimes, this early start on a discussion you know will happen, can be the difference in leading the debate in the direction that will pass your draft resolution with a clear majority.

CIA Structure Is Not Concrete

The order of CIA is not set/fixed. You can start with the C, I or the A. You can switch the order if you believe it will make a stronger impact, will sound better or for many other reasons.

If you’re starting out, it is recommended that you try to use the C, I and A in their intended order. A clear clash lets everyone know how to categorize the rest of your speech. After that, the rest should fall into place. If you are unsure how to start a MUN speech, always start with the clash. However, if some other order works better, remember that there is no single right way to do

Follow Up Speech Strategies

Before you even start the first word of your opening speech, please keep in mind that you will need to follow up on your main point. Many, many times over. The following strategies will help you prepare for the speeches following up on your opening speech, to keep everything consistent and continue to be hard-hitting throughout the MUN.

Repeat Your Main Points. Always.

Repetition is key in MUN speeches. While CIA is the core of your MUN opening speech, one excellent speech is not enough. Furthermore, even if you give the best MUN speech in the history of MUN speeches after you are done, someone else will speak and eventually, your brilliant oration will be old news. You must keep the high quality of your speeches consistent throughout.

It is i mportant that each following speech repeats the core ideas of your case and links back to your original clashes and policies. This must continue over the span of the simulation. The focus of the debate can change, and you might need to change the clash or even your practical policy. However, your core interest must remain consistent, and that needs to continue to shine through.

You can use the occasional speech to reframe/clean up the debate (“To recap, this is what we have heard so far…”) or refute the other side (“They said X, however, this is clearly incorrect and here’s why..”). However, even these should come back to your core case and show “Why (my) Call to Action is the best way to solve issue X!”.

Continue to Echo and Name Drop

Just because you got their attention the first time does not mean that you will have it the next time without work. You should get used to mentioning 1-3 allies and 2-3 opponents in each speech. You should try and quote another delegate at least once in every other speech.

When you say their name they will listen. Do this well and your allies will mention you in their speeches. Your opposing blocks may mention you as well. Being mentioned by other countries in their speeches will not only make your country name more known but also make it more likely for your ideas to stay on the table. 

Adapting your Speech for Success

After the opening speeches are given, we can sometimes find ourselves ‘less unique’ than we expected. Below is a list of strategies to keep your policy on the table, while still being unique to you and your country.

Details Can Make a Call to Action Yours

Sometimes, we have a country with a letter from the end of the alphabet and when the room finally reaches our speech, our clash and/or Call to Action has already been said, potentially multiple times. Chairs write Model UN study guides with some sort of discussion in mind, meaning they expect that some delegates will come up with similar ideas. Remember, other delegates saying your Clash or Call to Action before you do, DOES NOT MAKE IT THEIRS . It could be a one-off speech, or they might not have been aware they even said it. So many excellent ideas are lost because a delegate planned for just one speech or they simply did not realize what a great idea they have.

If someone else states your Call to Action, whether in a one-liner or as the focus of an entire speech, YOU SAY IT BETTER ! Drill your points down in detail and give a more in-depth explanation of why it’s going to work. Show everyone in the room that it is your explanation which makes it a revolutionary policy. Go into the speech treating the idea as your own. The previous speaker was simply headlining it for you.

Turkey: We need to build desalination plants to help Kuwait increase water supply.

Moldova: We agree that desalination is the best course of action. However, for this to work, we need to specifically build Vapor Compression Distillation plants; these only require electricity to operate and Kuwait is energy rich.

You Can Drill Down For Any Policy

We don’t always choose the winning policy. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, a different policy ends up more central to the Clash than the one we planned for or predicted. In such a case, it could be strategic to drop your policy and use your speech to build on the more central idea, using the same method of describing a policy in more depth. It might not make you the main sponsor of the idea, but your place as a constructive partner could get you a central position in the coalition. Sometimes, compromise is better than having no input at all in the final resolution.

Flexibility is key in MUN and most chairs will give the credit to the delegate who was the main champion of the idea, not the person who said it first. For this reason, you can be the main proponent of the idea, and a major contributor, even if you didn’t come up with the original Call to Action. The key is reading the room and making sure the policy works with your country’s interest.

Strategically Choose When Policies Can or Can’t Coexist

A resolution is not limited to one Call to Action. Most resolutions will have a few different practical solutions in one document. Sometimes, they are complementary, while other times they are disconnected and simply co-exist on the resolution. If you are an experienced delegate, you should already be practiced at adopting your policies to the room you are in. You should also know when you see a block, or delegate, you do not want on your side; you need to make sure to have a policy that clashes with something in their speech or resolution.

In the end, the better solution PLUS the better coalition will win out . What is certain is that no solution, or a bad one, won’t stick .  As we stated before, the work doesn’t stop when you find a good Call to Action, you need to be ready to defend it. You will defend it in your speeches, get it echoed by your coalition allies and use all the MUN tools at your disposal to get it on that final draft of the resolution.

In a Battle of Calls to Action – Yours Comes First

Sometimes you reach that point in a battle of Calls to Action where the policies are being measured against each other. In those cases, a way to bring yours to the top is to say that theirs is a good idea, but it can only come after yours is implemented.

We agree with Malta that we should build schools for the children in the refugee camp. However, without a regular supply of food aid, they will not be able to truly benefit from the classes.

Delivery Tips – Putting the Public in “Public Speech”

While some are more relevant to beginners, all of these tips are important in getting your speech heard, understood and agreed with by the rest of your MUN committee.

Practice Your Opening Speech Out Loud

Specifically for your opening statement. Speak it out, see what flows and naturally rolls off your tongue. While later speeches are no less important, this is the your first impression and you want to do it right!

WRITE YOUR SPEECH DOWN

When we speak off the cuff, we naturally leave out specific names, dates and numbers. The same happens when we speak from memory. To convey a general idea is natural, but it’s the last thing we want to do in Model UN. Our goal in our speeches is to establish ourselves as knowledgeable, competent and worth working with. The desire to collaborate from other delegates will not come from generalizations and vague descriptions.

To ensure you do not forget any important facts, or the sentences you so carefully crafted, you should do the following:

• Have your entire speech, or selected bullet points in front of you, printed on paper.
• Use a large enough font to read from a distance, so you do not disengage the audience trying to read small text.
• You can also bold/italicize words that you want to emphasize. There are other markings you can use to modify speed, volume, gestures and more. 

Particularly when in a large room, it is much better to read straight from the paper. One should always prefer to be clearly heard and understood, than to miss words, facts and fail to deliver your point.

Practice with a Stopwatch

Ideally, you want to finish your 60-second speech at 0:58:5 seconds. You do not want your chair to cut you off. Practice your speech to make sure if it meets the time. Don’t be afraid to remove words and rephrase. Keep working on it until it does.

Slow and Clear Beats Fast and Crammed

Your goal is to be understood by everyone in the room. It is better to take out words and speak slowly, than to rush and get everything in. You will not properly hear or remember other rushed delegates, so don’t be part of that club.

(Again, Delivery Cues can help your speech and they’re right here!)

Bring the Right Amount of Information

Make sure the number of facts in your speech is digestible. It is the arguments you use which will persuade, not the long list of names and numbers that no one else found on the internet. Avoid information overload; it is best to use 2-5 facts in a one-minute speech, to be decided based on the content. Information can go a long way, but it needs to come as support, not as the main substance.

Put Your Most Important Points at the Beginning

Do not try to end with a strong punchline that will magically bring it all together. Most delegates will likely lose attention by that point. You want to introduce your Clash the second your opening soundbite ends. Even better, your Clash may be part of the opening sound byte.

Canada believes the only way to stop domestic violence is to throw anyone who is reported to be violent into a holding cell for 72 hours immediately after the call!

As seen here, Canada (1) set the clash, (2) showed what side they were on and (3) eluded to their Call to Action all in one sentence . Now, no matter what they say next, everyone knows where they stand. The other delegates can listen as you develop your plan / bring examples, etc. but even if they stop listening at that very moment, they know where Canada stands in the room.

Choose Effectiveness Over Emotional Attachment

We sometimes write lines in our first draft that we can’t seem to let go of. It is even harder when we write a speech by hand. We might want to keep this line because we researched for many hours to find that particular fact, or for some strange reason, the line sounds too good to us to pass up. Our goal is to be understood by others and get the desired outcome, everything we do is geared towards that goal. For those who find it especially hard, know that the abilit y to let go of lines will come with time and practice.

Always Speak

While CIA is very important, as a rule of thumb, it is ALWAYS better to give an imperfect speech than to say nothing. Speaking regularly and frequently raising your placard shows the chairs and other delegates that you are someone active, serious about the issues at hand and worth taking into consideration.

Some things to do when you are not sure what to say:

• Paraphrase one of your previous speeches.
• Write down a line from another delegate’s speech. In your speech, direct quote them and disagree.
• Summarize the past few speeches and say that you agree or disagree and why.
• Mention the names of countries in a block with their main points. If it’s your block, you can agree. If it’s another block, do the opposite.

Confidence, name dropping and rhetorical ability will grow with time, but being perceived as active is just as important. The delegates taken most seriously are those who are active and have impressive content and strategy. The one certainty is that imperfect action will always be better than smart and silent.

For more tips about delivery and public speaking, check out our guide on Public Speaking for MUN .

Use a Fact Sheet for Follow Up Speeches

You will not have space in your opening CIA speech for everything important that you find during your research. For this reason, it is good to keep a second document to put all the important facts and figures on, which could not appear in the opening speech. Keep this Quick Reference Fact Sheet with you during committee session. If you did a good job with your research to predict the direction of the debate, your fact sheet will likely be useful in a follow-up speech, or to answer a Point of Information. Copying over these numbers, names and dates while researching will take little effort at the time, yet having them for reference later can be anything from helpful, to life-saving. Also if it is a multi-day conference, doing some research on your main opponents’ policies and countries can be useful

A MUN speech does not exist in a vacuum from everything else that happens in the room. It is part of a larger strategy looking to influence the policy outcome however it can. The right Clashes, Information and Calls to Action will not only guide your opening speech, but also the clauses you write, the allies you work with and the compromises you are willing to make. Being off clash can result in time and opportunity wasted and other blocks gaining ground on the floor. We should not expect to be perfect, it is practice and experience that brings about greater speeches. So, on the bright side, you can expect your MUN speeches to improve as you gain MUN experience.

Whether a beginner, intermediate or veteran, the power of a good speech is universal at all MUN conferences. To be able to set the Clash, strategically and constantly use relevant Information and get your Call to Action a central spot on the resolution, is what will distinguish the top delegates from the rest.

In a Nutshell

When writing a MUN opening speech / GSL speech, or any later speech, make sure you have your CIA threaded throughout your speeches and guiding them.

For the opening speech, clearly,  state which clash you’re talking about and on what side of it you’re on. Bring information/facts  and research which strengthens your speech and position.

Present / connect them to an actionable, practical solution that you want to implement.

As you continue throughout the committee session, repeat your main ideas in your follow up speeches. Connect your ideas to others when you can,  and connect them to others in the room.

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Home » Career Guidance » Speech Writing: Format, Tips, Examples & More (How to Guide)

Speech Writing: Format, Tips, Examples & More (How to Guide)

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​introduction to speech writing.

The ability to speak a powerful and inspiring speech is a valuable skill. These kinds of speeches leave an impression on the listener, and people remember them for days. This skill is necessary not only at the school level but also at the workplace. However, not many people can verbalize a speech on the spot. Speech writing is also an art, as is giving speeches. The words must be carefully chosen to invoke the right emotion in people. One wrong word or phrase and the momentum of the speech is broken. To help students and people write the best speeches of their lives, a list of tips, outlines, and samples will help.

​How to Start a Speech?

Starting a speech the right way can be the success of the entire speech. Not only with the audience will be engaged and interactive, but they will also remember it. Speech writing to include a solid start to the speech is an art that is worth exploring. Per the format of a speech, the starting or the conclusion of the speech is short and at the beginning.

One way for a strong start to a speech is to state a quote. A quote that is relevant to the topic from a well-known person should be chosen. It will grab the listeners’ attention and set the tone for the rest of the speech. For example, one good quote that can be included regarding speech writing in English is “It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech”- Mark Twain.

Many speakers also include a question, in particular, a rhetorical question, at the start of their speeches. They then attempt to answer the said question. One advantage of including questions at the start of the speech is that it prompts an answer. Even though the speaker is not calling for answers from the audience, one tends to think of the answer immediately. For instance, “Who wouldn’t like to live on a beach?”

​A Scenario

Another way to put the audience straight into the topic of the speech is to create a scenario. Create a situation, add details, a situation and then ask questions. Being able to visualize situations will engage the audience and also get them excited for the speech. This is because the entire speech now seems like one continuous conversation. A light and entertaining mood is set in the room. For instance, “Imagine you are on a beach. The sun is shining, the wind is blowing. It is not too hot, and the weather is pleasant. How do you feel?”

​Statistics or Current Event

Quoting a statistic is an excellent way to start the speech. One must make sure to make the statistic relevant not only to the topic but to the audience as well. Similarly, one can also state some news or a piece of a current event. It will trigger people to feel the way the speaker wants them to. For instance,” Over 90% of the people where will…”

​Powerful Statement

Speakers, especially politicians, often start their speeches with a powerful statement. The statement can be a shocking or a powerful one. The goal here is to let the audience guess what will be spoken next. Following the statement, take a moment of silence to let the statement sink in and make a more impactful effect. For instance,” We cannot win, (pause)…is what everyone will tell you.”

Also Read: Innovative Tips to Start a Speech

​Speech Writing Format

Any good speech is made as per a speech format. There is a start of the speech, the main body of the speech with all the facts. In the end, the conclusion of the speech summarises the entire speech. Any speech, when made properly, can capture the listener’s attention. To master the art of speech writing, students and working professionals must know the format of a good speech.

The greeting or the introduction is the first part of the speech. It is a quick greeting to the audience while introducing the speaker and the topic of the speech. This initial part of the speech is especially important. A proper attention-grabbing introduction will set the tone for the rest of the speech. When writing the introduction, remember that the goal is to persuade the listener to pay attention. A good greeting has a brief overview of the topic. For instance, “Today, I will be talking about… “. A quick quote relevant to the topic, an incident or a joke to relax the audience can also be put here. For example, ” Today’s topic reminds me of this one incident…”. Be sure to keep the introduction brief but interesting. Also, in the speech, the date is written at the start.

With the initial introductions out of the way, the next is to tackle the meat of the speech. The main body of speech writing is the section where the actual topic will be talked about. Here, the main body has all the main features or points of the speech topic, along with pros and cons. This is where the speaker talks about most of the reasoning and objections of the topic. Speech writing in the main body must be done slowly and carefully. Cover around five to seven points about the topic and include plenty of examples. Prepare a flowchart of the main body and ensure a general understanding of the topic. For example, when talking about stress management, start by explaining what stress management is and why it is important. Finish it up with some techniques for managing stress.

​Factual data

To further persuade the audience during speeches, including statistics and facts is the best to go about it. Statistics included during speech writing prove arguments and support the speaker’s ideas. It will also give more credibility, showing that the writer has done their research. Numbers will also impact the listener, and they will remember the presentation. It is also important to include the right type of statistics in speeches. The source of the fact must be credible. Government websites, academic journals and scholarly websites are good places to look for statistics. When speaking, also remember to cite the sources to give due credit. Some speech writing examples for facts is to look for actual pollution levels when talking about pollution.

The speech’s ending or conclusion is just as important as the introduction. It is something that the audience will take away with them and remember. Generally, in speech writing, the ending must include a summary of the entire speech. This is so to remind the audience of all the points made. A call to action, in line with the rest of the speech or a simple story, is also a good way to wrap up the speech. Like in the introduction, the speaker can also end with a quote at the conclusion.

Furthermore, all speech endings should have an acknowledgement of the audience and the guests. Thank them for their time and express gratitude. For instance, “Finally, I would like to thank the audience and the guest of honour for lending me your time.”

​Outline for Speech Writing

To continue the discussion of speech writing, the next step is to understand the format for writing speeches. The format and outline are general and different depending on the speech’s content. However, generally, the outline has a greeting, the main body, factual data and an ending or conclusion.

​Tips to Keep in Mind for Speech Writing

Speech writing takes time to perfect. Good speeches are researched and leave the audience with things to take away from the speech. One could, however, also benefit from some tips to ace writing speeches.

​Understand the audience.

Take time to understand the type of people listening to the speech. Evaluate if the chosen speech topics would be interesting or appealing to them. How big of a group is it, and what are their experiences and expectations from the speech? Is a more in-depth and fact-based speech appropriate or a more light-hearted inspirational one?

​Choose the message of the speech.

Decide on a core message of the speech that will resonate with the topic. All points made within the speech must be around this core message. Shape the message to be relatable to the audience. Put enough content and research into it to show that the speaker cares about the topic. Also, the message should not be too hard or advanced to avoid confusion.

This is the part that will take the most time. Take the time to do in-depth research. Exhaust all known resources on the topic. Write up all the ideas together and try to connect them. Look up numbers and statistics from Government websites. Put the content together in a rough format and rearrange them. Look for holes in the speech and fill them up.

​Format of the speech

Depending on the goal of the speech, create a structure or an outline. Generally, most speeches have an introduction, the main body and a conclusion. Pace the speech to let the audience think, get their interest and drive into the main message. Do not make it too long, as people tend to have shorter attention spans.

All the most popular speakers in the world have taken the time to perfect their craft. They have had failures where their speeches did not work out as they intended. However, they got up and started again through practice. Get a friend or a mentor who can give honest opinions. Practice by standing in front of the mirror. Adjust the tone and the volume as necessary.

​Examples for Speech Writing

Let’s see what good speeches can look like with the help of a few speech examples.

​If I Had a Superpower

Good Morning Everyone. Thank you for allowing me to talk on such an exciting topic. You hear the word superpowers, and one immediately thinks of being selfish. I wish I could be strong, I wish I were the smartest person etc. But what if we were to choose a superpower that can help the people around us?

I have the option to choose my superpower, I would choose the ability to find cures for diseases like Cancer. Of course, there is the topic of natural selection, but I have a reason why I want this superpower. So many people have been taken away from life-threatening diseases due to pure neglect. They could have gone on to make important discoveries and save more people. So many people would have been able to contribute positively to society had they not attracted a disease and passed.

With power comes great responsibility. I feel a superpower like this can be easily misused. I would therefore prefer not to have any superpower and find my way through my struggles.

​ Yoga and Its Benefits

Good Morning Principal M’am, teachers, and my classmates. On the occasion of Yoga Day, I prepared a short speech on the benefits of yoga. Hopefully, by the end of my speech, we will be doing yoga every day, not one day in a year.

On June 21, the world celebrates the ancient art of Yoga. Yoga is much more than a means of exercising. Our lives are super busy these days, and the stress builds up in us. Combined with our poor diets, we manifest diseases that stay with us for years. All of these can be tackled with Yoga. We have better immune systems and normal blood pressure levels and are healthier.

Who wouldn’t want to run around and play with our grandkids someday? I would surely like that. I plan to do yoga every day. What about you?

​Speech Writing is an art.

How often have people observed politicians on television giving awe-inspiring speeches? One common thread in most of these speeches is that they are brief, simple and leave an impact. These are speeches often prepared by an expert and leave one wondering how to give a speech with a similar impact. However, it is also possible to replicate it at home for a speech at work or college. Writing speeches is easy. It includes proper structure, basic grammar and framing of the speech to grab the audience’s attention.

Writing speeches requires knowledge of basic English grammar. Individuals with good writing skills and knowledge of writing speeches can use them to make earnings. Chegg provides opportunities to experts with good subject knowledge who can work part-time to answer student questions. Choose a subject to teach, take the qualifying test, choose work hours and start earning today.

​Frequently Asked Questions

Q.1 how do you write a speech.

Ans. To write a speech, one must first do some groundwork and research the audience. Depending on the type of audience, the writer designs the tone and content of the speech. Gather all necessary material to start writing a speech, including facts and numbers from official websites. While researching, start writing notes in a rough format. Prepare a basic outline and include the introduction, main body and ending. Fill out the outline with the notes. Make the speech interesting, and insert quotes or a story at the end to wrap up.

Q.2 How do you start speech writing?

Ans. The first step to creating a speech is to get information about the audience. The speech will be written and structured as per the audience. Thereafter, start researching the topic. Prepare notes while researching in the sequence they will be told. Any numbers or facts have to be from reliable, authorized websites only. Prepare a proper outline and fill it with the research material. Review, make changes and practice the speech.

Q.3 What are the 5 steps to writing a speech?

Ans. Writing a speech is not as hard, and to prepare the best speech, here are five steps. Start with preparing an outline and include an introduction, main body and ending. Research and prepare the first draft of the speech. Keep the audience in mind when making the draft. Edit and proofread the speech for grammatical errors and other mistakes. With the speech ready, read it out loud. Take note not to sound robotic, transitions and tone. Practice in front of the mirror. Look at and correct the body language not to look tense or nervous.

Q.4 What kind of speech topics are best in India?

Ans. Choosing a speech topic will depend on the occasion or event for which the speech is. Speech topics vary from history, religion, national holidays, and spirituality to technical topics. However, for practice, as students, some topics are Corruption, Clean India, Child Labour, the Importance of Books and Reading, and If I had a superpower.

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