Top 100 Speeches

Public SpeakingMs. Schiff

Good Speeches Start With:

O Solid introductionO Proper ToneO ContentO Length

Steps to Complete Speech

O Determine AudienceO Understand the Person O Develop a ThemeO Write an Outline

O IntroductionO BodyO Conclusion

1. Determine Your Audience

O This will depend on the type of speech you have selected.

O If your speech addresses the general public (Martin Luther King Jr.) the general audience will be your target audience.

Understand your Speaker

O Be sure you answer all questions on hand out

O If you need more information continue to research speaker and speech

O Be comfortable with your speaker’s background; this will influence your confidence when presenting.

O Try to select a person or speech that you feel strongly about and can represent in a positive way.

Develop a Theme (Main Idea)

O If your speech is a celebration about a person’s life, focus on biographical details.

O Your theme will help guide you through your speech.

O It should influence your outline and your overall presentation.

Writing an OutlineO Reflect logical flow from introduction

to body to end.O Do not need to be specific with

details in your outline, this will come during your speech.

O Outline will help you set down your basic structure of what sequence the information will come in.

IntroductionO Grab the audience’s attention and set

the tone for the speech in your first sentences.

O Anecdotes are a great resource as long as they fit with the occasion.

O Should include a short greeting.O Can begin with an interesting fact or

quote to grab our attention.O Summarize your main points:

O Your purpose for making the speechO Why the audience should be interested

Body ParagraphsO Divide your speech into 3-5 sections

O Group your sections with questions from handout

O Determine the order in which the information should come to make the speech as effective as possible

ConclusionO Restate your main pointsO Shift your tone of voice to alert the

audience you are finishing upO Leave the audience with a key

message of your speech