An Introduction to
Public Speaking
What is the purpose of a Speech?
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To inform your audience
To convince your audience
To teach your audience
To entertain your audience
What are the Different Types of
Speeches?
 Persuasive Speech – a speech that aims to
convince your audience of an idea or change the point
of view and stance of your audience
 Demonstrative Speech – a speech that shows your
audience how to do or make something
 Informative Speech – a speech that aims to give
your audience information on a specific subject and to
educate them
 Entertaining Speech – a speech that is written in
order to please and entertain your audience
What do you consider when preparing a
speech?
 Your audience – Who are they? How old are
they? How many of them? What do you want
them to know/learn?
 Your purpose – What are you trying to achieve
through this speech? What do you want people
to walk away from it with?
 Your subject – How well do you know this
subject? Is it appropriate for your audience? Did
you research enough?
 Your delivery – Are you speaking clearly? What
does your body language say to the audience?
Are you effectively delivering your information?
More than just words…
How you look and sound during a speech is just
as important as what you say.
 Your speaking voice must be clear and loud
enough for your audience to hear. No one will
pay attention to what you have to say if they are
straining to hear you.
 You must add emphasis to your speech. Avoid
being monotone. It will put your audience to
sleep.
 Speak at a consistent speed. Do not rush through
your speech just to get it over with. Also, do not
speak so slowly that your audience loses interest.
More than just words…
 Be sure you are speaking at a level that is
appropriate for your audience. You would
not speak to a first grade class the same
way you speak to a group or parents.
 Make sure your grammar is proper. Do
not take attention away from what you are
saying by how you are saying it.
More than just words…
How you look during a speech can also be crucial to
how your audience reacts to your speech
 Stand up straight! Do not hunch over to slouch
 LOOK at your audience. No one wants to stare at the
top of your head.
 Do not be afraid to move your body and hands. Add
emphasis to what you are saying through your body
language.
 Look around the room. Do not stare at one person of
the back wall. Make your audience feel as though you
are connecting with each of them.
Preparing your speech
 You must research and gather your information
thoroughly. The more comfortable you are about
your subject, the more comfortable you will be
when delivering your speech.
 Organize your speech! There must be some
sense or order to your speech, either by time
(chronological) or by importance of points. There
must be some logical flow to your information.
Preparing your speech
 Your speech must have an opening and a
closing. The opening should introduce the
subject of the speech and prepare your
audience for what they are about to hear.
The closing should restate your main point
and signal to the audience that the speech
has ended.
Preparing your speech
 You must PRACTICE, PRACTICE,
PRACTICE. Practice is absolutely
necessary in order to give an effective
speech.
Your Assignment
Your assignment is to write, prepare, and
deliver a 3 minute Persuasive Speech to
the class.
Your speech can be on any subject you like,
but remember you are trying to convince
your audience and make them agree with
you.
You will create a power point to go along
with your speech with photos and graphs
that will help to persuade your audience.
Preparing a Persuasive Speech
 Step 1 – Choose a topic
A major part of the perceived difficulty
around writing a persuasive speech is
choosing a topic. The possibilities are
vast. How do you narrow them down?
The answer is to choose something that
you genuinely care about AND that you
know your audience will be interested in.
Preparing a Persuasive Speech
 Step 2 - Set a goal for your speech
The goal of writing a persuasive speech is to
change or move the audience toward accepting
your position on the topic. An essential part of
that is knowing exactly what it is you want to
achieve. There are degrees of change. Do you
want a little or a lot? What you decide is called
your most wanted response or MWR. Do you
want to open your audience’s mind to an idea or
change the way they think?
Preparing a Persuasive Speech
 Step 3 - Audience analysis
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How you persuade is most effectively established when you
understand who you are talking to. You must know who your
audience is and tailor your speech for that particular audience.
Things you must consider are:
General Age
Gender
Shared fears, concerns, or problems
Cultural/Religious background(s)
Shared interests, beliefs, values
What they may already know and believe about your topic
The more you can find out, the more you can tailor writing a
persuasive speech including tone, vocabulary, and language
choice.
Preparing a Persuasive Speech
 Step 4 – Do the research!
A persuasive speech depends upon solid,
convincing research and evidence. Don’t rely on
a single source, and research various sources,
not just online information. Organize your
research as you collect it. This will make citing
easier.
Also, remember you must know about your side
of the argument AND the opposing.
Preparing a Persuasive Speech
Step 5 - Write a thesis statement
In a single sentence, state your proposal
or position. What’s the main idea that
you’re trying to get across to your
audience? What do you want the listeners
to agree to? This thesis statement will be
used in the opening of your speech.
Preparing a Persuasive Speech
 Step 6 - Write your first draft
OPENING
 Use a lead that grabs the listeners’ attention
 Give background information about the situation (including BOTH sides)
 Include a thesis statement that gives YOUR stance (side)
BODY OF SPEECH
 Deliver details that will convince the reader that your idea is a good one
 Use anecdotes and specific examples to support your opinion
 Address the listeners’ concerns or objections (counterarguments) and
show how they can be dealt with. For example: Some people say
[possible objection], but the fact is [your response to the objections.]
CONCLUSION
 Restate your thesis in a new way
 Make a call to action and leave the reader with a clear thought
Preparing a Persuasive Speech
 Step 7 – Practice & Revise
When you practice you will see where your speech needs
revision. Try practicing in front of a family member, or better
record yourself! You will see where the speech gets boring,
what you need to emphasize more, and what sounds
awkward. When revising, ask yourself these questions:
 Have you used specific details to persuade? (anecdotes,
examples, statistics, interview quotations, expert opinions, or
facts)
 Have you answered objections that your audience might
make?
 Does the beginning capture the reader’s attention?
 Does the ending contain a clear call to action?
 Did you include transitional words and phrases to connect
your ideas and make your speech flow?
Preparing a Persuasive Speech
 Step 8 – Final Draft
When you feel that your speech is perfect
(perfectly convincing) you have to write it on
whatever you would like to read from during your
speech. If you are the President, this is done for
you on teleprompters, but you may want to use
index cards.
Remember to organize your index cards in a
natural flowing way that will be easy to control
during your speech.
Preparing a Persuasive Speech
Step 9 – Create Visual Aids
Your PowerPoint should not contain the
words of your speech.
Your PowerPoint should contain photos,
statistics, charts, quotations, or any piece
of information that will help you to
convince your audience.
You must refer to your slides during your
speech.
Topic Ideas
http://www.ereadingworksheets.com/writing/
persuasive-essay-topics/
http://persuasivespeechideas.org/100-goodpersuasive-speech-topics/
http://comp.uark.edu/~lmeade/Communicati
on/Persuasive%20Speech%20Ideas.htm
Samples
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gVjWtwVrU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc3ovSF
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFeOM0
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