Stock Phrases in a Speech
Overview: There are certain stock phrases that are useful in almost every speech. They don’t have to
be these exact ones, but they help you and your audience to understand what is going on by making
everything very clear and explicit. Speaking is not like writing, where a person can slow down or reread what is written, so clarity and directness are more important.
Illustrations:
Introduction
Opening: [tell a story, recite a relevant quotation, provide an example]
“This is the first thing I thought of when I _________(heard the topic, heard my
opponents’ argument that _______.”
“My purpose in this speech is to _______________________________.”
“Here is a preview. First, I will talk about ______________________. Second, I will
talk about ________________________________. Third, I will talk about
___________________________________.” Etc. “Finally, ……..”.
Body
“I’d like to start out by refuting some of my opponents’ points.”
“They say that ____________________.”
“I would like to respond by saying _____________________.”
“The reason this is true is that ___________________.” “Also, etc.”
“This argument is important because ___________________________.”
[repeat above 4 steps]
“Now let me tell you about some of our independent points on our side of the topic.”
“Our first argument is that ___________________________________.”
“The reason this is true is that ___________________.” “Also, etc.”
“This argument is important because ___________________________.”
“Our second argument is that _____________________”
Conclusion
[summary] “For all of these reasons; because _____________, because ____________,
and because _______________, we believe that [state your side of the topic].”
Applications/Discussion:
Practice: using stock phrases about a given topic.
Create: 2 or 3 stock phrases for any type of speech. (e.g. oral interpretation)
Discuss: What are some differences between speaking and writing?