Speech WritingAudience and Techniques

Audience O The more you know about your

audience the better. Your ability to think from the audience's point of view affects your:O Topic O PurposeO ContentO OrganizationO ToneO Diction

AudienceO What factors should a speechwriter consider in

analyzing an audience?O Educational backgroundO AgeO GenderO Religious affiliationsO Political affiliationsO Socioeconomic affiliationsO Personal interestsO Occasion for their presence as part of your

audience (political rally, banquet, classroom speech, etc.)

Speech TechniquesO Speeches are meant to be spoken aloud. For

that reason, some techniques that work well in writing don’t work well in a speech. Here are some tips for writing your speech:O Use contractions to avoid sounding stiff and

pompousO Use personal pronouns to personalize the

messageO Speak naturally and friendlyO Use repetition to help your clarity and impact

Speech Techniques• Make your language relaxed, but don’t

go overboard by using slang (it may make you seem like you are trying too hard or are uneducated)

O An audience member can’t control the pace of a speech or rewind the speaker. Write in short sentences with only one key point to a sentence.

O Limit yourself to only three or four main points for the speech. If there is too much information, the audience won’t retain it.

Speech TechniquesO What is the main

message you want to get across?O Use the rule of

three in speech writingO If the point is

important, you must state it three times in order for the audience to remember it.

Speech Techniques• “If you have an

important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time with a tremendous whack” (Winston Churchill).

Speech TechniquesO There is an old joke

about speech writing:

O “First, tell the audience what you are going to say. Then say it. Then conclude by telling them what your just told them.”

Speech TechniquesO Did you notice that you have now

heard about the “Rule of Three” three times?

O Of course, you may decide that repeating a key phrase three times is not enough. You may want to use a key phrase more. Although this can be done effectively, avoid sounding pedantic or boring.

Churchill’s WW2 Speech

“Even though large tracts of Europe and many old famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France. We shall fight on the seas and oceans. We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender” (Churchill).