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Did you know?

The longest speech ever recorded in the UK Parliament was delivered in the House of Commons in 1828 and lasted for six hours!

Speeches are a powerful way of expressing your ideas to others.

When writing a speech, you need to think carefully about how you structure it to make sure it is easy for listeners to follow.

In order for it to be engaging, you need to consider the language you use, ensuring that you target your audience and their interests. In fact, there are a range of language techniques that can help to make your speech even more powerful.

A speech is a formal talk given to an audience. It has an aim and purpose – often to either inform and/or persuade, although it’s important to remember that some have other intentions too, eg to entertain.

Speeches are used in many different contexts. A bride or groom may give a speech at their wedding. A politician or activist may give a speech to inform others of the need for change, and persuade them of the right way to bring it about. A manager may need to give a speech to their employees or bosses. A speech may even be given when you leave school to reflect upon your time in education and inspire others to look to the future.

Speeches are not necessarily something we do every day, but speech writing is a useful skill to have.

Throughout history, speeches have had a massive impact on social change and political decisions. Famous speeches that are credited as having helped change the world include:

• ‘I Have a Dream’ by Martin Luther King Jr in 1963. It was given as part of the USA Civil Rights movement in order to help bring about racial equality.

• ‘We shall fight on the beaches’ by Winston Churchill in 1940. It was a speech delivered to MPs in the UK House of Commons, encouraging the nation to rise to the challenges of World War Two and not to give up hope of victory.

• ‘I am prepared to die’ by Nelson Mandela in 1964, given as part of the fight to end apartheid and bring about a free and equal society for both black and white people in South Africa.

• ‘Freedom or Death’ by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1913 was a speech given as part of the fight for women’s right to vote.

In more recent times, we have seen a number of celebrities give speeches on a range of social, political and environmental issues. For instance:

• Emma Watson’s ‘HeForShe’ speech given at the United Nations Headquarters as part of the UN campaign to end global gender inequality.

• Leonardo DiCaprio’s speech on climate change at the opening of the 2014 UN Climate Summit.

There are also wide ranging TED Talks that are now available on almost any topic imaginable that have gone on to inform, persuade and inspire others around the world.

The opening

Start with an opening that hooks your audience before making the overall topic of your speech clear. Get their attention and prepare them to focus on the words that will follow. For example, you could use:

• A powerful image: ‘Imagine a huge clock - the slow, steady tick filling this room. Counting away the seconds and minutes we have left to act.’
• A shocking or surprising fact: ‘Recently, I found out that up to one million species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction at this very moment.’
• A rhetorical question: ‘Who wouldn't want to be a millionaire?’

Think carefully about how you want your audience to feel. A shocking fact may work well for some topics or audiences but a powerful image, for instance, may be more appropriate for others.

The main body of your speech

Having a simple structure to the main part of your speech is important to help the audience follow your points and ideas. Think about which points are more important and focus on reinforcing them. It is a good idea to put the most important points near the beginning of the speech, making sure they are in a logical order. Include the most important supporting examples and facts, but don’t overload the speech with too much detail.

Think carefully about your audience. Choose language that will engage your specific listeners. A speech to a group of teenagers may use very different language compared to a speech given to a group of local politicians.

Think about the purpose of your speech. Are you hoping to persuade, inform, advise, entertain or argue? Many speeches will have more than one purpose. Ensure that you remain focussed on the purpose(s) you are trying to achieve.

There are a number of language techniques and rhetorical devices which can be used to keep listeners engaged during a speech and make points memorable. For example:

• Tricolon (also known as Rule of Three or Triples): Three words or phrases in a row within a sentence to emphasise a positive or negative point.
• Hyperbole: Exaggerated statements or claims for emphasis.
• Emotive language: Words and phrases deliberately and intentionally used to make your reader feel certain emotions (eg sadness, worry, urgency etc).
• Expert quote: A quotation taken from an expert in the topic about which you are speaking and which supports the point you are making, giving it more authority.
• Imperative: A command or direct instruction.
• Rhetorical question: A question asked for effect without the expectation of an answer.
• Repetition: A key word or phrase said more than once in order to reinforce a point.
• Statistic: A set of figures or a percentage used to demonstrate a point, giving it more authority.

It can be useful to include phrases directed at the audience that highlight you’re ending the speech:

• ‘I hope these ideas I’ve shared today will fill your thoughts on the way home. It is important that we…’
• ‘My final message to you is…’
• ‘In conclusion, it is clear that…’

Or you may want to finish your speech with a powerful image, question or memorable idea:

• ‘You hold our fragile future in your hands – don’t break it.’
• ‘Do we really want to be responsible for the destruction of our environment?’
• ‘When all is said and done, will you have said more than you have done?’

And finally…

Don’t forget to thank your audience for giving you their time!

• ‘Thank you all for listening today.’

An effective speech takes careful planning. Even the most powerful politicians who seem to be speaking spontaneously may have spent a lot of time preparing what to say. What you say, the order in which you say it, and the techniques you use to get your points across will all add impact to your speech.

Focus on what you want the audience to know and how you want them to feel at the end of the speech.