Room 8 - Te Puawai: Speech
Writing Guide 2018 You are to write a speech on a topic that you are an expert on, or are passionate about.
Tips that will help write a FANTASTIC speech! This first tip may be the hardest to relate to: This speech isn’t about you, it is about your audience! In writing a speech, you have two objectives: Making a good impression and leaving your audience with two or three ideas to take home. The rest is just entertainment. How can you make those crucial points? Consider these strategies: 1) Be Memorable: Sounds easy in theory. Of course, it takes discipline and imagination to pull it off. Many times, an audience may only remember a single line. Metaphors…Analogies…Surprise…Axioms. They all work. You just need to build up to them…and place them in the best spot (preferably near the end). 2) Have a Structure: Think back on a terrible speech. What caused you to lose interest? Chances are, the speaker veered off the topic Remove anything that’s extraneous, contradictory, or confusing. Remember: If it doesn’t help you get your core message across, drop it. 3) Don’t Waste the Opening: Too often, speakers waste the time when their audience is most receptive: The opening. Sure, speakers have people to thank. Some probably need time to get comfortable on stage. In the meantime, the audience silently suffers. When you write, come out swinging. Share an interesting fact or statistic. Tell a humorous story related to your big idea. Open with a question – and have your audience raise their hands. Get your listeners engaged early. 4) Strike the Right Tone: Who is my audience? Why are they here? And what do they want? Those are questions you must answer before you even touch the keyboard. Writing a speech involves meeting the expectations of others, whether it’s to inform, motivate, entertain, or even challenge. To do this, you must adopt the right tone. Look at your message. Does it fit with the spirit of the event? Will it draw out the best in people? Here’s a bit of advice: If you’re speaking in a professional setting, focus on being upbeat and uplifting. 5) Humanize Yourself: You and your message are one-and-the-same. If your audience doesn’t buy into you, they’ll resist your message too. It’s that simple. No doubt, your body language and delivery will leave the biggest impression. Still, there are ways you can use words to connect. Crack a one liner about your nervousness; everyone can relate to being nervous about public speaking. Share a story about yourself, provided it relates to (or transitions to) your points. Throw in references to your family, to reflect you’re trustworthy. And write like you’re having a casual conversation with a friend. You’re not preaching or selling. You’re just being you. On stage, you can be you at your best. 6) Repeat Yourself: Some audience members may get annoyed when you repeat yourself. But don’t worry how they feel today. Concern yourself with this question: What will they remember six months from now? 7) Use Transitions: Sometimes, audiences won’t recognize what’s important. That’s why you use transitional phrases to signal intent. For example, take a rhetorical question like “What does this mean” – and follow it with a pause. Silence gets attention – and this tactic creates anticipation (along with awakening those who’ve drifted off). Similarly, a phrase like “So here’s the lesson” also captures an audience’s interest. It alerts them that something important is about to be shared. Even if they weren’t paying attention before, they can tune in now and catch up. 8) End Strong: The fact is, your ending is what your audience will remember. So recap your biggest takeaway. Tie everything together. Share a success story. Make a call to action. Don’t hold anything back. Your ending is what audience will ultimately talk about when they head out the door. 10) Keep it Short: What is the worst sin of public speaking? It’s trying to do too much! Your audience’s attention will naturally wane after a few minutes. They have other places to be – and don’t want to be held hostage. And the longer you stay on stage, the more likely you are to stray and make mistakes. So make your points and sit down. Never forget: This is their time, not yours. Three more tips:
WALT Write an introduction that hooks your audience. Purpose:
Success Criteria:
Which of these introductions grabs the audience’s attention more effectively? Hi, I am Alex and I am the biggest expert on Pokemon. I know so much about the game, and there is no-one at school who knows more than I do. I am going to tell you lots of facts about Pokemon. Or: Hi everyone, I am Alex de Jong, from Te Korari at Collingwood Area School. In just three minutes time, you are going to find out all you need to know to become a Pokemon Master. Together, we will find out where to get cards, how to build a winning deck, and a few of the things you need to know to get started on your Pokemon adventures. WALT Structure the body of our speech Purpose:
Success Criteria:
Example: Tokyo (Libby’s topic) Subtopics:
WALT Write specific, relevant and interesting detail about each topic. Purpose:
Success Criteria:
Example: Tokyo has the widest choice of places to eat out of all of the cities in the world. There are around 160,000 restaurants, bars and street food outlets in the city. This is four times as many places to eat as Paris. In Tokyo you can easily find traditional Japanese dishes, modern Japanese food, as well as popular western foods. You can spend about ¥200 for a bowl of soba or udon noodles: right up to more than 40,000 Yen for a full 14 course traditional Japanese dinner served by professional itamae (Chefs) in one of Japan’s best restaurants. WALT Write a conclusion for your speech
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