The Hook: This is all about creating a immediate impact on your audience. The hook is only the first thing that is said. There are multiple ways to go about doing this.
- Anecdote: This is a short story, usually humorous or interesting, about a real incident or person. This helps connect to your audience by setting the stage and outlining the theme of your speech through a narrative.
- Conversational Statement: This is a statement designed to elicit a strong emotional response from your audience. This is done by saying something contrary to what would be considered appropriate.
- Audience Conversation: This is about using conversational language that puts your audience at ease and encourages them to join in the conversation
- Audience Command: This is about instructing your audience to do something. This can be powerful when used to highlight a theme. It makes your audience active participants in the speech, not just passive listeners.
- Quotation: Starting your speech off with a quote can add authority right away. This will help your audience accept that you are informed on the topic you are about to speak on.
- Rhetorical Question: This is a question that does not need an answer. This can be extremely confronting for your audience. It will put them in a position where they must think about how they would answer the question. This is best used to highlight the theme of your speech.
The Overview: Now you have them hooked, what do you do? This is where you introduce them to the outline of your speech. Delivering information on the ‘big picture’ is important in this section of your speech. use the “w” (who, what, when, where, why) questions as a base and build up from there.
The perspectives: Now your audience is hooked and know what to expect from your speech, it is time to deliver your content. When you are doing your perspectives there are some things to think about.
- The narrative point of view: 1st/2nd/3rd person point of view. As a general rule, your speech will be written in 3rd person. However, there are moments when speaking in 1st person is more appropriate. Anecdotes, roleplay or direct conversation are examples.
- The tone: Connecting with content. It is incredibly important that the tone of your speech matches the content. You need to ensure that the language effects and choices you make develop a consistent tone. You cannot switch between a harsh, lecturing tone and a light, jovial tone without it being jarring.
- The appeals: Logos, Ethos, Pathos. Be sure to logically build these into your speech. Facts, stats, research, anecdotes and analogies will be useful written here.
- Knowing your audience: Age, Vocabulary, Gender. You need to deliver the information in a manner that is accessible and stimulating for them. This means approaching your speech with the audience in mind. How you phrase certain information will change how the audience will respond to you.
The perspectives: Once you have outlined the to ways sides of your idea from you need to spend some time discussing your perspective. It may be that you side heavily with one particular point of view or that you sit somewhere in the middle. Whatever you believe is fine but you need to take your opportunity to discuss why you believe what you do.