How to Write a Simple SpeechSpeeches are used to verbally communicate ideas, beliefs and information to an audience. Students, business professionals, politicians and even wedding attendees frequently make speeches to both small and large audiences, and with the advent of video conferencing, some speeches are done virtually. Regardless of the audience or topic, writing a speech requires careful planning and preparation.

Instructions

1. Research the audience you're presenting your speech to. Knowing your audience will help you determine which points to cover, the language to use and the overall tone of your speech.

2. Come up with a topic for your speech. Students may get their topics assigned by professors, while business professionals may need to come up with a speech based on the theme of an event or meeting, and politicians may focus on specific issues important to their audiences.

3. Find out the time limit for your speech. The length of your speech may vary depending on your audience. As a speaker, it's important that your speech meets the time requirements.

4. Research your topic thoroughly, develop your position and find supporting details you can add to your speech. Gather details from books, the Internet and through personal interviews. The more informed you are on your topic, the easier the writing process will be.

5. Create an outline for your speech. In an article for Inc., Patricia Fripp, a speech coach and professional speaker, suggests using "The Alcoholics Anonymous" format: this is where I was, this is where I am now and this is how I got here.

6. Grab your audience's attention immediately with your introduction. Use a joke, a familiar quote, a little-known or surprising fact, a personal story or a bold, shocking statement. Scholastic, an online resource for students, parents and teachers, suggests putting yourself in the audiences' shoes when you develop an opening for your speech.

7. Introduce yourself to the audience and tell them what makes you qualified to speak on your topic. Position yourself as an authority on the topic.

8. Uncover your main point which should give listeners an overview of the information you plan to present. This statement can be one sentence.

9. Add supporting details that back up your main point. Use the research you gathered to help you.

10. End your speech by reiterating your main point.

Speechwriting : Writing an Effective Speech Whether you are a communications pro or a human resources executive, the time will come when you will need to write a speech for yourself or someone else.  When that time comes, your career may depend on your success.

J. Lyman MacInnis, a corporate coach, Toronto Star columnist, accounting executive and author of “The Elements of Great Public Speaking,” has seen careers stalled – even damaged – by a failure to communicate messages effectively before groups of people. On the flip side, solid speechwriting skills can help launch and sustain a successful career.  What you need are forethought and methodical preparation.

Know Your AudienceLearn as much as possible about the audience and the event.  This will help you target the insights, experience or knowledge you have that this group wants or needs:

Why has the audience been brought together? What do the members of the audience have in common? How big an audience will it be? What do they know, and what do they need to know? Do they expect discussion about a specific subject and, if so, what? What is the audience’s attitude and knowledge about the subject of your talk? What is their attitude toward you as the speaker? Why are they interested in your topic?

Choose Your Core MessageIf the core message is on target, you can do other things wrong. But if the message is wrong, it doesn’t matter what you put around it.  To write the most effective speech, you should have significant knowledge about your topic, sincerely care about it and be eager to talk about it.  Focus on a message that is relevant to the target audience, and remember: an audience wants opinion. If you offer too little substance, your audience will label you a lightweight.  If you offer too many ideas, you make it difficult for them to know what’s important to you.

Research and OrganizeResearch until you drop.  This is where you pick up the information, connect the ideas and arrive at the insights that make your talk fresh.  You’ll have an easier time if you gather far more information than you need.  Arrange your research and notes into general categories and leave space between them. Then go back and rearrange. Fit related pieces together like a puzzle.

Develop Structure to Deliver Your MessageFirst, consider whether your goal is to inform, persuade, motivate or entertain.  Then outline your speech and fill in the details:

1. Introduction – The early minutes of a talk are important to establish your credibility and likeability.  Personal anecdotes often work well to get things started.  This is also where you’ll outline your main points.

2. Body – Get to the issues you’re there to address, limiting them to five points at most.  Then bolster those few points with illustrations, evidence and anecdotes.  Be passionate: your conviction can be as persuasive as the appeal of your ideas.

3. Conclusion – Wrap up with feeling as well as fact. End with something upbeat that will inspire your listeners.

You want to leave the audience exhilarated, not drained. In our fast-paced age, 20-25 minutes is about as long as anyone will listen attentively to a speech. As you write and edit your speech, the general rule is to allow about 90 seconds for every double-spaced page of copy.

Spice it UpOnce you have the basic structure of your speech, it’s time to add variety and interest.  Giving an audience exactly what it expects is like passing out sleeping pills. Remember that a speech is more like conversation than formal writing.  Its phrasing is loose – but without the extremes of slang, the incomplete thoughts, the interruptions that flavor everyday speech.

Give it rhythm. A good speech has pacing. Vary the sentence structure. Use short sentences. Use occasional long ones to keep the

audience alert. Fragments are fine if used sparingly and for emphasis. Use the active voice and avoid passive sentences. Active forms of speech make your

sentences more powerful. Repeat key words and points. Besides helping your audience remember something,

repetition builds greater awareness of central points or the main theme. Ask rhetorical questions in a way that attracts your listeners’ attention. Personal experiences and anecdotes help bolster your points and help you connect with the

audience. Use quotes. Good quotes work on several levels, forcing the audience to think. Make sure

quotes are clearly attributed and said by someone your audience will probably recognize.

Be sure to use all of these devices sparingly in your speeches. If overused, the speech becomes exaggerated. Used with care, they will work well to move the speech along and help you deliver your message in an interesting, compelling way.

How to Write Messages (E-Mail)

7 Tips for Writing an Email Message

1. If you write professional emails from a personal address rather than a company account, use a professional-looking address. Avoid using animations, complicated fonts, and busy backgrounds in your messages.2. Use the message header to encourage recipients to read your message, stating the purpose of the message distinctly and concisely.3. Use a formal salutation unless you’re on a first-name basis with the recipient — for example, “Mr. Smith” or “Dear Ms. Jones,” followed by a colon. If you don’t know the recipient’s name and can’t obtain it by contacting the recipient’s company, write “Dear Sir or Madam.” (Double-check now that you’ve entered the recipient’s correct email address and have not inadvertently included any other addresses.)4. Introduce yourself and the purpose of your message in the first paragraph. Use short paragraphs separated by line spaces to clearly and concisely communicate well-organized information. Don’t clutter your message with detailed apologies (though you should certainly begin with a brief apology if your message is overdue, and then get to the point) or with digressions.5. Conclude with a summary and, if you have any requests, a courteous and concise explanation of actions you would like the recipient to perform. If you are not requesting a response, simply inform or remind the recipient that your services are available, or mention something similar that is appropriate to the context.6. Sign off with “Sincerely,” “Respectfully,” or the like and your full name, followed by your job title and company name, as well as your company’s website and other social-media contact information, or your own if you are self-employed or are contacting the recipient as an individual, not as a representative of a company.7. Use your email program’s spell-checking tool, proofread your message, and read it aloud in a separate pass. If you used any language that might not be perceived as professional, save the message without sending it and review it later, when you can be more objective about whether it is appropriate.

Source: http://pac.org/content/speechwriting-101-writing-effective-speech

Report Writing

Developing reports - Tips for writing clearly & effectively

Things to Do Understand your task Lack of understanding is a common cause of confused writing, (eg. rambling sentences, jumbled paragraphs, vagueness). Unless you understand clearly what you have to do, you can't hope to write plainly about it. Before you begin, ask yourself: • What has to be done? Why? • For whom? In what form? Ways to clarify understanding include: • asking, conferring, consulting (NB: Refer to those who should know!) • brainstorming, doodling, 'free writing', outlining, note taking • using a 'critical friend' • making diagrams, drawings, flowcharts, lists, summaries • reading instructions and checking requirements

The earlier efforts to clarify understandings are made the more likely they are to be effective. In the early stages of writing, you are more likely to be receptive to comments and ideas of others and be able to make changes easily. At first, concentrate on putting down ideas and information without assigning value to them. If you are unsure about how or where to begin, just start writing, ie 'free write'. As you do, your understanding should become clearer and you can start grouping like points. (Try to keep all your preliminary notes and jottings. Refer back to them as your writing develops to ensure nothing important has been overlooked). Write for your reader(s).

• Who is the reader? (eg. influence, position, etc.) • How informed is the reader? • What background information will the reader need? (eg. circumstances, conditions, history, local context.) • How does the reader want to use what you write? * • What writing style is appropriate? (NB: If background information interrupts the flow of your writing, include it in footnotes and/or appendices.)

Write as you speak Use words you ordinarily speak and hear wherever possible. If you can't hear yourself saying it, then don't see yourself writing it.

Put first things first Give the most prominence and space to what is most important. When writing a report, put the most important information first. Put the most important information first when writing a report.

Arrange your points logically Logical organisation is the basis of clarity. Ways to do this include: advantages/disadvantages; ascending/descending order; causes/effects; chronology; general/specific; priority; proximity; significance. (Where items are of equal importance and/or there is no preferred order, arrange alphabetically.) (See also C. Organising yor Writing' Write direct sentences Ways to do this include:

• Using strong verbs rather than overused adjectives. Many commonly used adjectives have lost their impact. Words like magnificent, wonderful, and interesting mean very little. Reserve your adjectival sledge hammers for when they actually mean something.

• Using the active rather than passive voice. The active voice indicates the subject is doing the action of the verb. The move is from subject to verb to object (where there is an object). eg: The director will return incomplete forms The passive voice indicates the action is taking place but not necessarily who or what is committing the action. eg: Incomplete forms will be returned by the director Active voice sentences are more direct and forceful than passive voice ones.

• Keeping sentences correct and simple. Keep sentences short. Use two sentences rather than join with 'and'. Have only one idea or point per sentence. Make sure subject agrees with verb. Be unfailingly consistent with person and tense.

• Being specific. If numbers continue to increase at the present rate, more staff will be needed in the future Two further staff will be required from 1st January if increased enrolments continue, ie from 85 in August to 120 in October. Distinguish fact from opinion An acceptable discharge rate is being maintained, with 61% of patients returning home within two days. 61% of patients return home within two days. Medical staff consider this acceptable.

Use conventions as guidelines rather than rules Use writing conventions to support and strengthen your writing. 'Do's' don't mean always and 'Don'ts' don't mean never. Your first responsibility is to write to achieve your goals, ie accurate, immediate, effective communication. Review, revise and re-write Writing is an art. Editing is a craft. Both take time. Check progressively for accuracy and appropriateness, particularly of facts, spelling and sentence construction. Seek the advice and opinion of others. Remove all unnecessary words and information from finished copy.