Speech Writing

A Speech is a formal talk that a person delivers to his audience. It must have the capacity to
hold the attention of the audience with a proper choice of words, expressions and
examples. At the same time care should be taken not to deviate from the main subject. You
must keep in mind that it is a speech and you need to begin the draft with addressing the
audience and conclusion should be with a sentence thanking the audience.
Format:
 salutation – speaker greets chief guests, fellow speakers, and listeners
 key sentence carrying the central theme or issue of the speech
 Keep in mind, as already stated, the occasion of the speech and the nature of the
audience
 Use concrete terms and tangible examples.
 Avoid abstract phrases which are quite vague.
 Use simple and familiar language.
 expressing one’s views – what you feel about the topic
 compare and contrast – what do others feel and why your views are better
 conclude by summing up arguments that highlight your viewpoint.

Remember
 A speech must begin with a catchy introduction in the form of an anecdote, quotation,
statistical data, or a thought-provoking question.
 A speech must reflect the speaker’s clarity of thought, the accuracy of facts, and a
balanced view through comparison and contrast with other viewpoints.
 Bring credibility to your views through quoting of adequate supporting data.
 Usage of quotes is highly recommended. Quotes can be used at the time of
commencement or as an ending statement. A quote in the middle of the speech would also
be fine.
 Make sure you write in paragraphs.
 Just make a list of all your important points on the rough sheet (last sheet of your
answer booklet) so that you do not forget relevant points while writing. This also helps you
in maintaining a sequence, which is very important.

EXAMPLES

Q1. Sakshi Malik won a bronze medal in Rio Olympics. Every Indian felt proud of her. you,
head girl of your school, want to deliver a speech in order to express your feelings. Write
the speech in 150 – 200 words. Apart from your own ideas, use the following clues:
[Wrestling mostly a male sport – Sakshi born in conservative surroundings – most
unfavourable gender ratio for females – parental encouragement – one can’t forget the
look of determination on her face in the last three minutes of the bout.]
Answer:
Good Morning Respected Principal, teachers and dear friends.
Today I,ABC, feel privileged as I stand here to speak about Sakshi Malik, who has made
every Indian proud by her stellar performance at Rio Olympics 2016. We all know that she is
a freestyle wrestler and has won the bronze medal in the 58 kg category becoming the first
Indian female wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics and the fourth female Olympic
medallist from India.

Let me remind my friends that all this cannot be achieved in a day. It takes years of toil,
practice, dedication and discipline to get such honours. And more so for Sakshi Malik, who
hails from a conservative society of Haryana where wrestling is a male – dominated sport.
Her parents were a pillar of strength who constantly encouraged her against all odds. She
started her training as a wrestler from the age of 12 under her coach Ishwar Dahiya who
made her practise with boys. What is creditable is that the coach ignored all protests by
locals for having taken a girl under his wings in a “sport not meant for girls”.

I would like to end my speech by saying that discipline, focus, determination and confidence
can help one achieve anything in life and who has proved this better than our very own
Sakshi Malik.
Thank You!

Q2. Holi is a festival of colours. It expresses pure and simple joy. Sometimes we start
throwing coloured water and that too on strangers. As the Head Boy / Girl of your school
write a speech in 150 – 200 words that you will deliver in the morning assembly of your
school, describing why Holi is played and how it should be played.

Answer:
Respected Principal, teachers and dear friends.
Today as the Head Girl of your school, I am going to talk about the festival of colours – Holi.
This festival is celebrated with a lot of fervour and gaiety all over India in the month of
March by all sections of society. It signifies the end of winter, arrival of spring, victory of
good over evil, for merry – making and for some, it is also celebrated as a thanksgiving day
for a good harvest. This festival expresses pure love and joy.

Friends, an important point that I am going to touch upon is the way it should be played.
Play Holi in an eco – friendly manner, use natural colours and play it to the fullest. The idea
is not to reduce the fun but to play keeping the environment in mind. Avoid using balloons
and plastic bags and as far as possible, play it in a dry way. Many a time, children and adults
throw buckets full of water and water-filled balloons on passers-by which can result in
someone getting hurt. The idea is to have fun but not at someone’s cost.
So, dear friends, let us all remember to play Holi in a joyous, safe, healthy, eco – friendly
and in a responsible way to keep the spirit of the festival intact.
Thank You!

Q3. Regular practice of yoga can help in maintaining good health and even in the
prevention Writing Skills 121 of so many ailments. Write a speech in 150-200 words to
be delivered in the morning assembly on the usefulness of yoga.

Answer:
Good morning Respected Principal Maam, Teachers and Dear Friends. I, ABC, have come
before you all to speak on the usefulness of yoga. Yoga means the experience of unity with
one’s inner being. Yoga is the Sanskrit word for “union”.

It has been a practice that uses postures and breathing techniques to induce relaxation and
improve strength. In the last few years, the benefits of yoga have gained acknowledgement
and popularity the world over. Yoga has now become a way of life with the aim ‘a healthy
mind in a healthy body.’ Man is a physical, mental and spiritual being and yoga helps to
promote a balanced development of all the three.

Other forms of exercises like aerobics, jogging etc. assure only physical well-being. They
have little to do with the development of the spiritual body. Yogic exercises recharge the
body with cosmic energy which facilitates attainment of perfect equilibrium and harmony,
promotes self-healing, removes negative blocks from the mind and toxins from the body
and also reduces stress and tension. One feels rejuvenated and energised with yoga.
Yoga’s popularity worldwide is because people have realised the essence of self-
contentment and inner peace and understand that yoga is the only and best way to attain
these two essentials. Yoga also helps in the prevention of ailments like hypertension,
diabetes, arthritis etc. With its numerous benefits to control the body and the mind the
usefulness of yoga cannot be denied or overlooked.
Thank you!

Q4. You are Sampreet, an educationist. You have noticed that the youth of today are often
unable to cope with stress and become frustrated and bitter. Write a speech in 125-150
words to be delivered at a college function on ‘Youth, their problems and solutions’.

Answer:
As you all are aware that in the present scenario the youth of today are often unable to
cope with stress, and as a result become frustrated and bitter.

Good Morning Everyone! I, Sampreet, am an educationist and have come before you all to
talk about ‘Youth, their problems and solutions’.

Today’s youth is faced with many problems which include a high level of competition in
studies, career and jobs. Combined with this an equally high level of self and parents’
expectations, materialistic pursuits, peer pressure, a gap between what they aspire for and
what they achieve. As a result of these mounting problems, youngsters face various
emotional disorders like frustration, bitterness, depression etc. which in turn affect their
physical, mental and emotional health. Such problems need to be tackled so that
youngsters can lead a stress-free life.
The youth need to be given proper counselling, their confidence needs to be developed,
they also need to know their own potential, interest and priorities. All this can be achieved
through meditation and Yoga and by pursuing various hobbies.

We need to encourage youngsters to lead stress-free lives so as to enable them to lead

contented and happy lives.
Thank you!

Q5. You are Rajendra Kumar, a social worker. You read an article in The Hindu on ‘Health
Care for Indian Workers’. Write a speech in 125-150 words on the importance
of health care to be delivered at a public function to create awareness among the workers.

Answer:
Respected Chairperson and my dear friends! A very good morning!

It is really a matter of grave concern for all of us that we hardly take care of the health of
workers. I, Rajendra Kumar am pleased to stand before you to speak on this grave issue.

We always see these workers working in inhuman conditions, neglecting their health. But
they work even in such conditions only to fulfil their basic needs. They just do it at the cost
of their health. The authorities concerned must ensure clean and healthy working
conditions for these people.

Government must take initiatives to provide health care services to these workers and their
families. They must be made aware of the importance of cleanliness and hygiene. These
workers really play a big role in our society. The Indian workers must be provided basic
health facilities.

I would like to conclude by saying that it must be our duty to make their lives as healthy as
ours.
Thank you!

Q6. ‘Our Good Earth’ an environmental awareness magazine has launched a marathon
‘Clean Your City’ campaign. As an active participant write a speech to be read out in the
morning assembly urging students to participate in the campaign.

Answer:
A very good morning to Respected Principal, teachers and my dear friends.
I,ABC of Grade XI am honoured to stand before you to share my thoughts on ‘Our Good
Earth’

‘Cleanliness is next to godliness’ is an old adage. It is perhaps most relevant nowadays

when environmental pollution is increasing day by day. Prevention is better than cure.
Dirt and disease thrive together. Insanitary conditions of the streets not only give the city
a filthy and ugly look, they also breed many harmful disease causing bacteria. Our first
effort, therefore, is to keep our surroundings clean.
People should separate their household solid waste in two parts—biodegradable and non-
biodegradable, instead of heaping them together. Proper steps should be taken for garbage
disposal. Incinerators should be installed at proper places. The use of biogas and other eco-
friendly materials can help to keep the kitchen clean.

The ‘clean your city campaign’ launched by the magazine ‘Our Good Earth’ aims at making
us conscious of cleanliness of our surroundings. We can keep our environment clean by
minimising the harmful gases spewn by the automobiles by sharing the vehicles. The
replacement of diesel driven buses by CNG buses will help to reduce the suspended
particulate matter in the air.

To conclude I would like to say that the citizens must become cleanliness conscious if we
are to live in a clean and sustainable earth.
Thank you!

Q7. Media has a stronghold on society. Write a speech in 125-150 words on how media
influences public opinion to be delivered in the school assembly.

Answer:
Over the last two decades, the influence of media has grown exponentially. We trust the
media as an authority for news and information.
Good Morning! Respected Principal, Teachers and Dear Friends. I, ABC,have come before
you all to talk about media’s strong influence on public opinion.

Media reflects and projects the view of a minority elite, which controls it. Society is
influenced by the media. This media not only helps public to get information about a lot of
things but also makes them form opinions and make judgement regarding so many issues.

Media limits the thinking capacity of people and affects the youth in the society who lack in
experience and sometimes blindly believe in what they see or hear. And many times the
news covered is over-exaggerated and sensationalized and this diverts public attention
away from the actual problem. The media also has the ability to influence society by
broadcasting what they believe you should see.

The media can thus form or modify public opinion in different ways depending on what
their objective is. So it is our duty as enlightened citizens to not let ourselves be misled.
Mobile phone of today is no longer a mere means of communication. Music lovers are so
glued to it that they don’t pay attention even to the traffic while crossing the roads. This
leads to accidents, sometimes even fatal ones.

Q8. Write a speech in 150-200 words to be delivered in the morning assembly advising the
students to be careful in the use of this otherwise very useful gadget. Imagine you are the
Principal of your school.
Answer:
Mobile phones of today are not just a means of communication. Music lovers are so glued
to it that it distracts them even while they are crossing the roads and this can lead to
accidents which could be fatal.

Good Morning students, I, Ms.ABC,your Principal would like to advise you all to be careful in
the use of this otherwise very useful gadget. A mobile phone undoubtedly serves many
purposes other than making calls. It may be used as a radio/music player, camera, for
surfing the internet, watching TV etc.

However, this wonder device may cause major distractions and leads to fatal accidents.
Road safety researches have shown that people, especially youngsters, risk their lives by
listening to music on their earphones while crossing the road. Unlike driving, which is
completely under regulations and usage of earphones is strictly banned, walking with
earphones is not covered by the law and thus for many of us listening to music on our
mobile phones is an everyday part of life.

We all are aware that all road crossings require pedestrians to use their eyes and ears and
make judgements of speed and driver intention and then decide when is it safe to cross.
When you are listening to music, your attention and reflexes are majorly diverted. This
distraction can interfere with your decision-making and sometimes even prove fatal.

Apart from this, overexposure to radiation emitted by mobile phones may cause cancer and
other serious problems. I would like to conclude my speech with the hope that my students
will ensure their own safety in this regard and will spread this word of advise to others also.
Thank you!

UNSOLVED EXERCISE

1. You are to speak on “The Impact of Television Advertising on Children’. Prepare your
speech to be delivered at the Parent-Teacher Forum meeting of Daffodils School, Manali.
You are Nishant/ Deepshikha. (Word limit: 200)

2. School curriculum has become a burden for the students. In an age of information
overload, the number of textbooks and notebooks has increased enormously. The burden
of textbooks has become such a crucial problem that it needs to be addressed immediately.
As Amit/Nitya delivers a speech on the topic using your own ideas. (Word limit: 200)

3. Corruption is an evil which prevails in each and every nook and cranny of our lives. As
president of student council, write a speech, expressing the need to curb this evil
immediately.

4. As an active member of Science Club of your school, write a speech in 15(1 – 200 word i
on the topic , ‘Advantages of Nuclear Power’. You are Raghav/Ramita of S.P. International
school.
5. Imagine you are an ardent environmentalist who is involved in the Save the Tiger
campaign. You have been asked to deliver a speech in a seminar related to your campaign
and the need for the youth to be involved in such campaigns. Draft your speech.