Speech Writing 101

Language and CompositionMrs. Hyatt

The rhetorical triangle

Speaker

Audience

Purpose/Occasion

Audience Considerations

For whom are you speaking? Do you want to be formal or informal? What connection can you make with

your audience? How big is your audience? Who’s in it? Males? Females?

Minorities? Young people or old crones? Rich? Poor?

Occasion

Why a speech is appropriate A commencement? A victory? A rally?

Speaker questions

Establish yourself as the speaker Are you friendly? Funny? Serious? Formal or informal? An authority or a novice? A peer or a superior or an inferior?

Key Ingredients

Opening and greeting Use storytelling – anecdotes and jokes can work Use a “hook” – just like a lead in an essay/news

story

Body of speech Your main points

Closing A call to action Words of wisdom

From Congressional Research: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/98-170.pdf

Strive to maintain a clear theme throughout the speech.

The accepted style of contemporary American public address is natural, direct, low key, casual, and conversational. This puts listeners at ease and promotes a sense of community between audience and speaker.

Punctuation should reflect the sound structure of the speech, reinforcing the rhythm and pace of actual speech.

Clarity of expression is as important a consideration in speech grammar as rigid adherence to rules for written language.

Effective delivery can greatly improve a speech.

Language

Don’t be wordy – you want to keep people ENGAGED

Consider your diction carefully in relation to your audience

Use rhetorical strategies!!! Rely on cadence and the aural

elements of speech

Composition and rhetoric for speeches Repetition –

Lincoln at Gettysburg emphasized the significance of the day's events by restating the solemnity of the occasion in not fewer than three variations:

“We cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground, ...”

Cadence

Rhythmic Triads.

The grouping of words into patterns of three:

I came, I saw, I conquered

The kingdom, the power and the glory

One third of a nation ill-clad, ill-nourished, ill-housed....”

Alliteration

Repetition of beginning consonant sounds

high standards of strength and sacrifice

Anaphora

Repetition of beginning words or phrases

We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds

Antithesis

Comparing and contrasting dissimilar elements

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country

Sentence Variety

Use dramatically short sentences

Incorporate fragments

Rhetorical questions

Asyndeton and Polysyndeton

Best speeches of 2013

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/04/best-commencement-speeches-2013_n_3384081.html

Homework – audio annotation Watch one of these speeches Take notes on what you hear

Technique Purpose/message Delivery

Homework – audio annotation Type up a one page “review” of the

speech. Include an introduction that answers the

who, what, where, when, overview What made the speech effective and

powerful What you learned about speechwriting and

making based on the one you watched and listened to (something you may employ in your own speech)