MODULE 10:
PRINCIPLES OF SPEECH
WRITING
MS. ROSE ANN T. CASTILLO
Principles of Speech Writing
The First Principle of Speech Writing is Choosing the Topic.
A speech is meant to relay a message to the listeners. The choice of the
topic may be up to the speaker but, more often than not, the speaker is
given the topic because it is the central theme of a program, conference
or presentation.
The Second Principle of Speech Writing is Analyzing the
Audience.
A speech for one occasion cannot simply be used for another.
There is no speech that fits any and all occasion.
The Third Principle of Speech Writing is Sourcing the
Information. This involves seeking out all the available means
for finding materials to support the speech. Good sources are
newspapers, magazines, books, journals, or any reading
materials full of useful information.
The Fourth Principle of Speech Writing is Outlining and Organizing
the Speech Content.
This makes sense of all the research conducted. With all the information
gathered for the specific topic, it is quite easy to be overwhelmed. On the
other hand, the next step is to organize the speech itself. For this, the
best method is an outline. There are different types of outline. There are
different types of outlines that one can use depending on how the
speech is to be organized: chronological outline, spatial or geographical
outline, cause and effect outline, problem – solution outline and topical
outline.
Here are some additional guidelines when you are writing your speech:
1. Keep your words short and simple. Your speech is meant to be
heard by your audience, not read.
2. Avoid jargons, acronyms and technical words. These definitely
could confuse your audience.
3. Make your speech more personal. Use the personal pronoun “I,”
but take care not to overuse it. When you need to emphasize
collectiveness with your audience, use the personal pronoun “We.”
4. Use active verbs and contractions. These add to the personal
conversational tone of your speech.
5. Be sensitive of your audience. Be very careful with your language,
jokes and non – verbal cues.
6. Use metaphors and other figures of speech. These will effectively
convey your point.
7. Manage your time well. Make sure that the speech falls under the
time limit.
Directions: Using the additional guidelines discussed above, try to write
or compose your own speech given the scenario below.
The recent Corona Virus (COVID 19) Pandemic has swallowed the lives
of millions of people and put all the human activities all around the world
and at a standstill. You feel concerned about it and decide to participate
in an international on – line school speech competition on Corona.
Write your speech giving details on Corona Virus, its spread and its
impact by giving your creative and useful suggestions to fight the
pandemic and hopefully won our battle against it.
Refer to the rubric scoring for writing a speech below. Come up with a
very sensible speech by taking into consideration the skills to be
employed in speech writing production.
