How to Write a Powerful Speech
Decide on a topic., Begin your research., Decide how you are going to treat the topic., Organize your speech., Start with a great hook to draw the listener or reader in., Introduce what you are going to talk about., Develop your story in the middle...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide on a topic.
What do you want to talk about? What’s important to you? When you’re writing a speech, it should discuss something you care about.
If you don’t care about it, your audience will notice.
Brainstorm ideas on a piece of paper.
You can also look at topics online.
Some ideas for inspiration include:
Reading newspaper headlines.
Watching videos on important issues.
Finding something you’re passionate about.
Maybe you want to talk about women’s rights or the wars the U.S. has become involved in.
However, you don’t need to choose a serious topic, either; your topic can be something as simple as how to make a truly superb omelet.
Consider choosing a personal topic rather than a national issue.
For instance, you can give a speech on how you became a successful business owner, beginning with what inspired you as a child. -
Step 2: Begin your research.
Once you’ve decided on your topic, you need to research it.
Use the internet to learn more about the topic.
Read in-depth articles from major newspapers.
Find books at the library, and try searching in research databases, which you can access through your local library or university library.
Some topics you will need to research less, and others you will need to research more.
For instance, if you are writing a personal speech, you obviously won’t need to do any research unless you want to add interesting facts.
On the other hand, major topics like women’s issues will need more research. , Serious topics can be treated seriously, but you can also lighten the mood, too, and still make your point.
It’s up to you how you want to approach it. , Decide how you want it to progress.
Where do you want to begin? A good place to begin for a topic is with a general introduction of the issue.
Move on to what you want to discuss in the middle.
Finally, decide what you want to end with.
Great speeches often end with a call to action or a call to give serious thought to an idea.
Make sure you leave your audience with a lasting impression. , You can tell a joke to break the ice or use a statistic that brings to light your issue.
You can also consider telling a weird story, such as the time you tried to fly off the shed as a kid, which inspired you to become a pilot. , Whether it’s an issue or a personal story, a short introduction is appropriate.
Give them an overview of what’s ahead. , Fill in the details.
Give your audience a nuanced description of both sides of the issue.
If you are telling a personal story, fill in the details of how you got from point A to point B.
For example, how did you go from a kid jumping off the shed to a professional pilot? What did it take to make that journey? Who helped you get there? , The ending is where you inspire people to apply what you’re talking about in your own life, so you need to spell out what you expect them to do with the information.
How can your professional journey help them? What can they do to help with the issue you are addressing? , Repetition, alliteration, and metaphorical language can contribute to a speech’s power.
A good example of repetition is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech,” where his repetition of the phrase “I have a dream” serves to build power through the speech. , If you are just trying to present both sides of an issue, that’s fine, just make that clear from the beginning.
However, if you are taking a particular side, you can present both sides and then make it clear why you chose one side or the other. , For a lighthearted speech, don’t be afraid to crack a few jokes.
However, remember to keep your audience in mind, and keep it clean.
As a rule, if you wouldn’t tell the joke to your grandmother, maybe you shouldn’t tell it in your speech. , If you are writing a persuasive speech, make sure you use persuasive language.
Back up what you have to say with facts, so that you will be even more persuasive.
Remember trying to needle your parents into a better allowance? Think about using that type of language when writing a persuasive speech. , You don’t want to conclude, only to have someone knock down your credibility at the end by bringing to light facts you didn’t know.
In the same vein, don’t pick and choose your information; that is, don’t use only the information you like.
When writing a researched speech, you have to address all the research out there you can, not just what you favor. , If you’re writing an inspirational speech, focus on what drives you to be better, what helped you achieve what you wanted.
Alternatively, think about what needs to change and offer a way forward.
Speeches like “I Have a Dream” were powerful because they addressed a very real need and offered a vision of what could be. -
Step 3: Decide how you are going to treat the topic.
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Step 4: Organize your speech.
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Step 5: Start with a great hook to draw the listener or reader in.
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Step 6: Introduce what you are going to talk about.
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Step 7: Develop your story in the middle of your speech.
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Step 8: Build up to the ending.
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Step 9: Don’t be afraid to use poetic language.
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Step 10: Make your position clear.
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Step 11: Make some jokes if appropriate.
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Step 12: Keep your goal in mind when determining your tone and the language for a persuasive speech.
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Step 13: Fact check when writing an informational speech.
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Step 14: Develop a determined tone for an inspirational speech.
Detailed Guide
What do you want to talk about? What’s important to you? When you’re writing a speech, it should discuss something you care about.
If you don’t care about it, your audience will notice.
Brainstorm ideas on a piece of paper.
You can also look at topics online.
Some ideas for inspiration include:
Reading newspaper headlines.
Watching videos on important issues.
Finding something you’re passionate about.
Maybe you want to talk about women’s rights or the wars the U.S. has become involved in.
However, you don’t need to choose a serious topic, either; your topic can be something as simple as how to make a truly superb omelet.
Consider choosing a personal topic rather than a national issue.
For instance, you can give a speech on how you became a successful business owner, beginning with what inspired you as a child.
Once you’ve decided on your topic, you need to research it.
Use the internet to learn more about the topic.
Read in-depth articles from major newspapers.
Find books at the library, and try searching in research databases, which you can access through your local library or university library.
Some topics you will need to research less, and others you will need to research more.
For instance, if you are writing a personal speech, you obviously won’t need to do any research unless you want to add interesting facts.
On the other hand, major topics like women’s issues will need more research. , Serious topics can be treated seriously, but you can also lighten the mood, too, and still make your point.
It’s up to you how you want to approach it. , Decide how you want it to progress.
Where do you want to begin? A good place to begin for a topic is with a general introduction of the issue.
Move on to what you want to discuss in the middle.
Finally, decide what you want to end with.
Great speeches often end with a call to action or a call to give serious thought to an idea.
Make sure you leave your audience with a lasting impression. , You can tell a joke to break the ice or use a statistic that brings to light your issue.
You can also consider telling a weird story, such as the time you tried to fly off the shed as a kid, which inspired you to become a pilot. , Whether it’s an issue or a personal story, a short introduction is appropriate.
Give them an overview of what’s ahead. , Fill in the details.
Give your audience a nuanced description of both sides of the issue.
If you are telling a personal story, fill in the details of how you got from point A to point B.
For example, how did you go from a kid jumping off the shed to a professional pilot? What did it take to make that journey? Who helped you get there? , The ending is where you inspire people to apply what you’re talking about in your own life, so you need to spell out what you expect them to do with the information.
How can your professional journey help them? What can they do to help with the issue you are addressing? , Repetition, alliteration, and metaphorical language can contribute to a speech’s power.
A good example of repetition is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech,” where his repetition of the phrase “I have a dream” serves to build power through the speech. , If you are just trying to present both sides of an issue, that’s fine, just make that clear from the beginning.
However, if you are taking a particular side, you can present both sides and then make it clear why you chose one side or the other. , For a lighthearted speech, don’t be afraid to crack a few jokes.
However, remember to keep your audience in mind, and keep it clean.
As a rule, if you wouldn’t tell the joke to your grandmother, maybe you shouldn’t tell it in your speech. , If you are writing a persuasive speech, make sure you use persuasive language.
Back up what you have to say with facts, so that you will be even more persuasive.
Remember trying to needle your parents into a better allowance? Think about using that type of language when writing a persuasive speech. , You don’t want to conclude, only to have someone knock down your credibility at the end by bringing to light facts you didn’t know.
In the same vein, don’t pick and choose your information; that is, don’t use only the information you like.
When writing a researched speech, you have to address all the research out there you can, not just what you favor. , If you’re writing an inspirational speech, focus on what drives you to be better, what helped you achieve what you wanted.
Alternatively, think about what needs to change and offer a way forward.
Speeches like “I Have a Dream” were powerful because they addressed a very real need and offered a vision of what could be.
About the Author
Timothy Hernandez
Timothy Hernandez specializes in non profit and has been creating helpful content for over 3 years. Timothy is committed to helping readers learn new skills and improve their lives.
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