Public Speaking
Debating | Beginner Resource
An introduction to writing Prepared Speeches
Learning to develop a take on the world is an exciting aspect of critical thinking and the writing of prepared speeches (rather than the more spontaneous process of delivering impromptus) gives students room to really test and refine their ideas.
Apart from giving time for thought, prepared speeches allow students space to explore the vast amount of content that exists in the world— whether from history, current affairs or popular culture. Not only is it worthwhile for students to look at different ideas that they might want to explore, prepared speeches also offer the freedom to interpret these ideas in interesting ways. Finding a fresh way of analysing issues not only has
a greater potential to engage an audience, it also helps to ensure that the process is constantly challenging and engaging for a speaker.
It’s worth remembering that no matter how light-hearted or serious the topic area you’re aiming to speak about, all speeches are essentially ‘persuasive narratives’ and should encompass two important elements.
Information—Facts and ideas used as evidence for starting to create a speech.
Entertainment—The interpretation of facts and ideas to challenge, engage and evaluate concepts.
The balance of these elements will, of course, vary depending on the nature of the speech, its content and the intention you bring to it. Overall, though, the most successful speeches aren’t factual reports or stand-up comedy routines, and rather employ a variety of tools to balance information with entertainment.
Structure
There are many ways to structure a speech. Like any tool, a structure should change to suit the nature of the topic area and how the
speaker approaches revealing what they want to say about it. In other words, the best structures develop organically out of the writer’s aims. It is true, though, that some basic elements of structure tend to hold true, such as the simple flow through ‘introduction, middle and end’.
Basic structural steps: Introduction—Evidence—Conclusion
An introduction should lead the audience into the speakers ideas in an engaging way (avoid obvious, or cliched openings).
Using evidence is a chance to make ideas come to life through real-world examples, or anecdotes.
A conclusion should draw the elements of the speech together to leave the audience with a ‘take-away’ message.
It’s fundamentally important that a writer always link the threads of their speech in ways that allow them to flow onward effectively.
Content or Topics
It’s important to understand that there are no absolute rules about content—although, it’s true that some speaking competitions do have content requirements, so it’s best to make sure you check for those.
When a student is considering what they’d like to speak about, it’s wise for them to remember that many voices have spoken before theirs, both in the context of a competition as well as historically! This means that a wide range of subjects have already been covered on numerous occasions and finding a way to talk about them interestingly can be a challenge. Therefore, it is important for teachers to remind students to look for a new ‘take’ in approaching issues.
Content areas that are publicly contentious often attract speakers, particularly students. It is natural that when you feel strongly about something, you tend to want to air your views. The issue here can either be one of ‘preaching to the converted’ (nearly everyone in the audience will already share your view and so learns nothing new) or raising hackles (your speech annoys or divides the audience). You may decide to take on those risks, but being aware of the challenges you’ll face in doing so helps you avoid obvious pitfalls.
Some common topic areas include global warming and other environmental problems (like plastic disposal), bullying and/or racism, women’s and/or gender rights, COVID (a current go-to), political corruption/mismanagement and human rights issues. These are all valid areas for thought and investigation, but they are so often covered that, if a student wants to take them on, finding a fresh take is advisable. A fresh approach often simply involves going ‘small’ and looking for an engaging example to work outward from, instead of starting with a grand vision most people already know.
So, speeches don’t have to be about the world’s biggest ‘problems’. Almost anything can stimulate the writing of a speech—it’s about how you interconnect your interest, research, or your experience, no matter how ‘small’, with the wider world.
Quotes
Quoting things that famous people have said or written is a technique often used in speeches. While this can work effectively, it’s important to realise that quoting something clever or apt doesn’t make it yours. As with many over-done topic areas, quotes from the famous also risk being so recognisable that they have reduced impact with an audience.
For these reasons, quotes are only relevant when their content helps explain or demonstrate an idea that a speaker is able to establish themselves. Interestingly, quotes from ordinary people can be just as effective as those from the famous—the lived experience of everyday life can powerfully affect an audience more than any ‘ivory tower’ statement.
A student’s own place in a speech
Unlike in debating, personal stories can have a real place in speech writing. Sometimes the reason that a speaker has become interested in an issue can lead to an engaging opening or anecdote. A personal connection to the topic can be powerful or relatively unique or interesting—it can even be amusing. Again there are no rules here—it’s only wise to remember that others don’t have the same emotional investment in your life or experiences. Framing our own situation in ways that connect it to others is often a powerful tool in persuasive narratives like speeches.
Arriving at conclusions
Ideally, the conclusion of a speech is part of a complete idea that the speaker is always driving towards throughout their speech. It isn’t merely a simple summary of what has gone before, or a ‘tail’ that repeats the ‘top’ of the speech opening, or even a direct and persuasive call to action. While a speech can use these devices, they are likely to fall flat if they don’t tie together the overall conception of the speech, drawing in its threads, or putting in place the final piece of ‘the puzzle’. This doesn’t have to be a fancy thing at all—rather it asks the speaker to think through what they are trying to communicate, whether straightforward or complex, and take the listener on a journey that arrives at a point of understanding. One way to conceptualise this process is to remind students to think about three steps:
What is it likely that the audience already thinks or knows about your topic before they hear you speak?
What will you do to change those thoughts or add to their knowledge through your speech?
What is the best, most lasting and impactful way to ensure that those changes in understanding are remembered after your speech ends? This should be the main aim of your conclusion!