Principles of

Speech Writing
FE S. PABLICO
Senior High School Teacher
Gusa Regional Science High School
Warm Up Activity
• You were assigned by your School
Principal to be your school’s events
planner. Now, your task is to organize a
welcome program for a foreign visitor.
• List down the 5-10 steps you will take in
planning the program.
• Be ready to report your output in 10
minutes.
Lesson Highlights
• Writing a speech also follows a process.
• Audience analysis is a key factor in writing
an effective speech.
• A speech has a structure; it is composed
of an introduction, a body, and a
conclusion.
• Speech writing is a recursive process.
The Speech Writing Process
• Just like events planning, or any other
activities, writing an effective speech
follows certain steps or processes. The
process for writing is not chronological or
linear; rather, it is recursive. That means
you can repeat a writing procedure
indefinitely or produce multiple drafts first
before you can settle on the right one.
The Speech Writing Process
• Figure 1 shows the schematic diagram.
The Speech Writing Process
• Why is it important to analyse the
audience before writing the speech?
• What do you think are the important
components of writing a speech?
Components of Speech Writing
Process
• Audience analysis entails looking into the
profile of your target audience. This is
done so you can tailor-fit your speech
content and delivery to your audience.
Components of Speech Writing
Process
The profile includes the following information:
*demography (age range, male-female ratio,
educational background and affiliations or degree
program taken, nationality, economic status,
academic or corporate designations)
*demography must be known to determine
the interest of the audience. It will also affect the
language style and formality of the speech.
Components of Speech Writing
Process
*situation (time, venue, occasion,
and size)
*situation will affect the length of
speech, visual aids, and formality
of the situation.
Components of Speech Writing
Process
*psychology (values, beliefs, attitudes,
preferences, cultural and racial ideologies,
and needs)
*Psychology will let the writer know which
appeal to use and how to situate his/
her text in the context of the audience.
Components of Speech Writing
Process
A sample checklist is presented below.
Components of Speech Writing
Process
• Purpose for writing and delivering the
speech can be classified into three:
to inform, to entertain, or to persuade.
*An informative speech provides the
audience with a clear understanding of
the concept or idea presented by the
speaker
Components of Speech Writing
Process
• An entertainment speech provides the
audience with amusement.
• A persuasive speech provides the
audience with well-argued ideas that can
influence their own beliefs and decisions.
Components of Speech Writing
Process
The purpose can be general and specific. Study
the examples below to see the differences.
Components of Speech Writing
Process
Components of Speech Writing
Process
• Topic is your focal point of your speech
can be determined once you have decided
on your purpose.
There are a variety of strategies used in selecting
a topic:
using your personal experiences, discussing
with your family members or friends, free
writing, listing, asking questions, or semantic
webbing.
Components of Speech Writing Process
Activity: List down your possible topics for your
speech. Fill out the table below in your notebook.
Suggested From Topic Initial/Final Choice
a. Personal Experience *
*
*
b. Family/Friends/ *
Classmates *
*

c. Own *
*
*
Components of Speech Writing
Process
• Narrowing down a topic means making your
main idea more specific and focused.
Example:
General: “Effective money management.”
Specific: “Defining and developing effective
money management skills of Grade 11
students.”
Components of Speech Writing
Process
Components of Speech Writing
Process
Data gathering is the stage where you
collect ideas, information, sources, and
references relevant or related to your specific
topic. This can be done by visiting the library,
browsing the web, observing a certain
phenomenon or event related to your topic,
or conducting an interview or survey. The
data that you will gather will be very useful in
making your speech informative,
entertaining, or persuasive.
Components of Speech Writing
Process
Writing patterns, in general, are
structures that will help you organize
the ideas related to your topic.
Examples:
biographical, categorical/topical,
causal, chronological,
comparison/contrast,
problem-solution, and spatial.
Components of Speech Writing
Process
Components of Speech Writing
Process
Components of Speech Writing
Process
Discuss other writing patterns from the SLM.
Duration of Speech: maximum of 10
mins

Time allocation:

Introduction – 2 mins
Body - 6 mins
Conclusion - 2 mins
Components of Speech Writing
Process
Outline is a hierarchical list that shows
the relationship of your ideas. Experts
in public speaking state that once your
outline is ready, two-thirds of your
speech writing is finished. A good
outline helps you see that all the ideas
are in line with your main idea or
message. The elements of an outline
include introduction, body, and
conclusion.
Components of Speech Writing Process
Below are some of the suggested formats.
1.Table format
Components of Speech Writing Process
Below are some of the suggested formats.
1.List Format
Components of Speech Writing Process
Body of the Speech provides
explanations, examples, or any details that
can help you deliver your purpose and
explain the main idea of your speech. One
major consideration in developing the body
of your speech is the focus or central idea.
The body of your speech should only have
one central idea.
Components of Speech Writing Process

Some strategies to highlight your main

idea:
*Present real-life or practical
examples
*Show statistics
*Present comparisons
*Share ideas from the experts or
practitioners
Components of Speech Writing Process

Introduction is the foundation of

your speech. Your primary goal is to
get the attention of your audience
and present the subject or main idea
of your speech. Your first few words
should do so.
Components of Speech Writing Process
The following are some strategies:
• Use a real-life experience and connect
that experience to your subject.
• Use practical examples and explain
their connection to your subject.
• Start with a familiar or strong quote and
then explain what it means.
• Use facts or statistics and highlight their
importance to your subject.
• Tell a personal story to illustrate your
point.
Components of Speech Writing Process

Conclusion restates the main idea of

your speech, provides a summary,
emphasizes the message, and calls
for action. While the primary goal of
the introduction is to get the attention
of your audience, the conclusion aims
to leave the audience with a
memorable statement.
Components of Speech Writing Process
Some useful strategies:
 Begin your conclusion with a restatement

of your message.
 Use positive examples, encouraging
words, or memorable lines from songs or
stories familiar to your audience.
 Ask a question or series of questions that
can make your audience reflect or
ponder.
Activity 1. Writing an Outline (1 whole yellow paper)
From the data you have gathered about your final topic, write the outline of
your speech. Use the template below which is a combination of table and list
format.
General
Purpose
Specific
Purpose
Topic
Writing Pattern
1. Introduction 1.1
1.2

2. Body 2.1
2.2
3. Conclusion 3.1
3.2
Components of Speech Writing Process
Editing/Revising your written speech
involves correcting errors in mechanics,
such as grammar, punctuation,
capitalization, unity, coherence, and
others. Andrew Dlugan (2013), an award
winning public speaker, lists six power
principles for speech editing.
Components of Speech Writing Process
Six power principles for Editing:

1. Edit for focus.

“So, what’s the point? What’s the message
of the speech?”
*Ensure that everything you have written,
from introduction to conclusion, is related to
your central message.
Components of Speech Writing Process
Six power principles for Editing:
2. Edit for clarity.
“I don’t understand the message because
the examples or supporting details were
confusing.”
*Make all ideas in your speech clear by
arranging them in logical order (e.g., main
idea first then supporting details, or
supporting details first then main idea).
Components of Speech Writing Process
Six power principles for Editing:
3. Edit for concision.
“The speech was all over the place; the
speaker kept talking endlessly as if no one
was listening to him/her.”
*Keep your speech short, simple, and clear
by eliminating unrelated stories and
sentences and by using simple words.
Components of Speech Writing Process
Six power principles for Editing:
4. Edit for continuity.
“The speech was too difficult to follow; I was
lost in the middle.”

*Keep the flow of your presentation smooth

by adding transition words and phrases.
Components of Speech Writing Process
Six power principles for Editing:
5. Edit for variety.
“I didn’t enjoy the speech because it was
boring.”
*Add spice to your speech by shifting tone
and style from formal to conversational and
vice-versa, moving around the stage, or
adding humor.
Components of Speech Writing Process
Six power principles for Editing:
6. Edit for impact and beauty.
“There’s nothing really special about the
speech.”
*Make your speech memorable by using
these strategies: surprise the audience, use
vivid descriptive images, write well-crafted
and memorable lines, and use figures of
speech.
Components of Speech Writing Process

Rehearsing gives you an opportunity to

identify what works and what does not work
for you and for your target audience. Some
strategies include reading your speech
aloud, recording for your own analysis or for
your peers or coaches to give feedback on
your delivery. The best thing to remember at
this stage is: “Constant practice makes
perfect.”
Some Guidelines in Speech Writing
1. Keep your words short and simple. Your speech
is meant to be heard by your audience, not
read.
2. Avoid jargon, acronyms, or technical words
because they can confuse your audience.
3. Make your speech more personal. Use the
personal pronoun “I,” but take care not to
overuse it. When you need to emphasize
collectiveness with your audience, use the
personal pronoun “we.” 4. Use active verbs and
contractions because they add to the personal
and conversational tone of your speech.
Some Guidelines in Speech Writing
5. Be sensitive of your audience. Be very
careful with your language, jokes, and
nonverbal cues.
6. Use metaphors and other figures of
speech to effectively convey your point.
7. Manage your time well; make sure that
the speech falls under the time limit.
Reference:
Balgos, Anne Riche G., Sipacio, Philippe John F.
(2016). Oral Communication in Context for
Senior High School. Quezon City.
C & E Publishing, Inc.