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Planning
The Speech Itself You outline each main point of the speech - the introduction, speech body, and conclusion, including transition words and phrases to confirm that you have systematically planned each major party. The speech introduction is made up of three parts: Attention Getter, the Audience Motivation, and the Preview. |
The
Attention Getter
The Attention
Getter does what it says: gets the audience attention.
It allows the audience to settle in, focus on what you are saying,
and listen to a "teaser," a small orientation of your topic. There
are several ways that you can construct an attention getter. Listed
below are some techniques for you to consider, and combining them
often makes a very striking attention getter.
| Allusion: | "It will take a lot more than seven days to make this project work." |
| Anecdote: | or brief story to illustrate a point. |
| Expert Authority: | "According to…" |
| Figurative or Literary Language: | "The tsunami wave grasped at the shoreline, like a bear's paw grasping for its prey." |
| Interesting Fact: | "The average executive spends five hundred hours a year in meetings." |
| Puzzling Statement: | "Nothing is more difficult than something that is too easy." |
| Question | "Did you know that it recently snowed on the planet Mars? |
| Quotation | "In the words of Martin Luther King" |
| Rhetorical Question | (one with an obvious answer) |
| Shocking Statistic: | "In the next fifteen years, eighty-nine million more people will die from AIDS in Africa." |
| Stress Importance: | "More than ever, Canada needs to give generously; this time to the tsunami victims." |
The
Audience Motivation
The Audience
Motivation statement assures the audience members that you
have designed the speech for them.
This statement should answer the perennial questions that all
audiences say to themselves: "What does this topic have to do with
me?" "Why should I spend the next fifteen minutes listening
closely?" "Should I be interested in what the speaker is telling
me?"
By providing the audience with clearly articulated answers to these
questions, you will gain and keep their attention through the
speech.
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The
Preview
The Preview
previews the main points of the speech body.
A classic, if functional, way to preview a speech is the "tell
them what you're going to tell them" formula: "Today, I will
speak to you about Tai Chi. First, I will define what Tai Chi is.
Second, I will show you what these Chinese exercises look like. And
third, I will outline the pros and cons of Tai Chi as a form of
exercise."
Making
Transitions Between Speech Sections
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As a good speaker, you must
show the audience the relationship between the various
stages of your speech, and so you need to plan transition
words or phrases between the Introduction, the Body, and the
Conclusion. As well, you need to indicate that you are moving from
one main point to the next in the speech body.
While you should reserve the words "first",
"second", and "third" for each of your major
points, you need to make connections between the ideas within each
of your points.
Refrain from using "first", "second", and
"third" for sub-points, especially if you are using them
as transitions between main points.
Below is a list of transition words that you should review after
you have ordered your ideas. These words will cue your
audience to the relationship between your ideas.
Choose the appropriate ones, and your speech will appear seamless
and sophisticated.
| Comparison: | like, similarity, likewise, in the same way, another, equally important, besides, furthermore, at the same time, accordingly |
| Concession: | admittedly, nevertheless, of course, although, after all |
| Consequence: | therefore, as a result, consequently, thus, hence, so |
| Contrast: | on the other hand, instead, unlike, on the contrary, in contrast, in spite of, whereas, though |
| Emphasis: | indeed, certainly, above all, moreover |
| Explanation: | now, thus, for, in this case, in fact, for this purpose, next |
| Illustration: | for example, for instance |
| Qualification: | but, however, yet, unless, except for, despite |
| Summation: | in conclusion, to sum up, all in all, finally, in closing, in summary |
Like attention getting techniques, transitions are even clearer when you combine them.
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Jim
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