Speech Writing 101 Write to Be Heard Always

Speech Writing 101 Write to Be Heard!

Always use the TRINITY. • INTRODUCTION--Have an interesting hook and sign-posting. Make your purpose clear here. • BODY--Use your sign-posting to help you organize. Include varied support from myriad sources. • CONCLUSION--Do not just repeat your introduction verbatim.

Choose concrete words. • Concrete words refer to tangible objects. • professional golf • Tiger Woods • Oscar award • Abstract words refer to ideas or concepts. • sports • game • recognition

Eliminate verbal clutter. • Clutter is discourse that takes many more words than are necessary to express an idea. • Be succinct! Use word economy.

Use language vividly! • Though you should be succinct in your writing, this does not mean you should not be interesting and descriptive in your writing. • Try the following strategies to help your speech come alive. Use them sparingly, and every speech you give will be appealing!

• Imagery is the use of vivid language to create mental images of objects, actions, or ideas. • Use words that evoke the senses and try to utilize similar image clusters throughout the speech.

• Simile is an explicit comparison using like or as. • Try to make comparisons only when you know your audience will need them to understand a concept. • Compare an unknown with a known

• Metaphor is an implicit comparison • Metaphor should be used especially for emphasis and description.

• Rhythm is the pattern of sound in a speech created by the choice and arrangement of words. • Pay attention to sentence length. • “We cannot tell what the course • of this fell war will be • as it spreads remorseless • through ever-wider regions” (Winston Churchill)

• Parallelism is the similar arrangement of a pair or series of related words, phrases, or sentences. • We defeated communism. We defeated fascism. • Rich and poor, intelligent and ignorant, wise and foolish, virtuous and vicious, . . .

• Repetition is the reiteration of the same word or set of words at the beginning or end of successive clauses or sentences • “We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail. ” (G. W. Bush)

• Alliteration is the repetition of the initial consonant sound of close or adjoining words. • “Peace is essential for progress, but progress is no less essential for peace. ” (Liaquat Ali Kahn)

• Antithesis is the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, usually in parallel structure. • “ Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. ” (J. F. Kennedy)