Principles of Speech Writing

• What are the 7 principles of speech writing?

  Choosing the Topic

  Analyzing the Audience Know what your audience seeks

  Sourcing the Information

  Outlining and Organizing the Information

  Grammatical Correctness

  Word Choice

  Duration
• The topic is your focal point of your speech, which can be determined once you have decided on your purpose.
• If you are free to decide on a topic, choose one that really interests you.
• There are a variety of strategies used in selecting a topic, such as using your personal experiences, discussing with your family members or friends, free writing, listing, asking questions, or semantic webbing.
• The purpose for writing and delivering the speech can be classified into three – to inform, to entertain and to persuade.
• An informative speech provides the audience with a clear understanding of the concept or idea presented by the speaker.
• An entertainment speech provides the audience with amusement.
• A persuasive speech provides the audience with well-argued ideas that can influence their own beliefs and decisions.
• Narrowing down a topic means making your main idea more specific and focused.
• Writing patterns, in general, are structures that will help you organize the ideas related to your topic.
• Determine what type of writing pattern is being described

  A) Biographical

  B) Categorical/Topical

  C) Causal

  D) Chronological

  
• Determine what type of writing pattern is being described

  A) Comparison/Contrast

  B) Problem-solution

  
• Demography – refers to age range, male-female ratio, educational background and affiliations or degree program taken, nationality, economic status, academic or corporate designations 
• Situation – includes time, venue, occasion and size 
• Psychology - refers to values, beliefs, attitudes, preferences, cultural and racial ideologies and need
• Data gathering is the stage where you collect ideas, information, sources, and references relevant or related to your specific topic.
• Data gathering can be done by visiting the library, browsing the web, observing a certain phenomenon or event related to your topic, or conducting an interview or survey.
• An outline is a hierarchical list that shows the relationship of your ideas.
• Experts in public speaking state that once your outline is ready, two-thirds of your speech writing is finished.
• A good outline helps you see that all the ideas are in line with your main idea or message.
• The elements of an outline include introduction, body, and conclusion. 
• Introduction is the foundation of the speech. Your primary goal is to get the attention of your audience and present the subject or main idea of your speech.
• In making an introduction:

  • use real-life or practical examples and explain their connection to your subject  
  • Start with a very strong quote and explain what it means 
  • Use facts and statistics and highlight their importance to your subject 
  • Tell a personal story to illustrate your point
• Body of the speech provides explanation, examples or any details that can help you deliver your purpose and explain the main idea of your speech. It should only have one central idea. 
• In making a body:

  • Present real-life or practical examples  
  • Show statistics  
  • Present comparisons  
  • Share ideas from the expert 
• Conclusion restates the main idea of your speech. It provides a summary, emphasizes the message and calls for action. It leaves the audience with a statement that they cannot forget. 
• In making a conclusion:

  • Begin with a restatement of your message 
  • Use positive examples, encouraging words, or memorable lines from songs or stories familiar to your audience 
  • Ask a question or series of questions that can make your audience reflect or ponder.
• The two ways in writing an outline is a table format and a list format.
• Correct spelling: do the proofreading
• Correct punctuation: comma is one of the punctuation marks that is most commonly misused.
• • Use a comma to separate three or more items in a series
  • Use a comma to separate two complete sentences if there is a conjunction between the sentences.
  • Use a comma to set off extra information.
• Correct grammar: grammatical mistakes can confuse the readers. A sentence should have a subject, verb and complete thought. The subject in the sentence should agree with the verb in number.
• Word Choice is a person’s choice or selection of words. These are words that you use on the characteristics of your audience.
• Your words should be easily understood by your target listeners. Use simple words, be concise and avoid bias and offensive language. 
• Duration: Manage your time well. Make sure that the speech falls under the time limit.
• Guidelines in Speech Writing

  • Keep words short and simple
  • Avoid jargon, acronyms, or technical words
  • Make speech more personal
  • Use active verbs and contractions
  • Be sensitive of audience
  • Use metaphors and other figures of speech
  • Manage time well
• Personal pronoun "I"to make speech more personal

• Personal pronoun "we" to emphasize collectiveness with audience

• Your speech is meant to be heard by your audience, not read
• Jargon, acronyms, or technical words can confuse your audience