Preparation is key to an effective speech. The introduction should grab attention, state the thesis, establish credibility, and preview main points. Transitions between points are important. The conclusion should summarize the main points and leave a lasting impression.

1. Preparation is the best medicine!

2. Develop your Purpose

Determine your REASON for speaking:
 General purposes: inform, persuade, entertain
 Specific purpose: Complete sentence that begins
with ―After listening to my speech, my audience
will….‖
If you don’t know your purpose, DON’T start
writing your speech yet!

3. Start…and Finish


The introduction and
conclusion:
 Are vitally important
 Occupy less than 20%
of speaking time
 Help listeners form
impressions early
 Leave lasting
impressions

4. Introduction

 Four basic functions:  Refer to the audience,
occasion , something
 Get audience attention familiar
 Cite a startling fact or
opinion
 Ask a yes/no, raise-your-
hand, or rhetorical
question
 Tell a brief story
 Use a quote
 Tell a relevant joke

5. Attention Getters

 Examples:
 ―Did you know that adults who began volunteering as
youth are twice as likely to volunteer as those who did
not volunteer when they were younger?‖-Ask a
question/pose a statistic
 ―Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs.
These are all great inventors and innovators that have
had an enormous effect on everyone living in the world
today.‖ – Refer to something familiar
 ―Trick or Treat! Smell my feet! Give me something good
to eat!‖ – Use a quote

6. Introduction

 Four basic functions:  Your thesis is one
sentence that tells your
 Get audience attention audience what the entire
 State your thesis or speech is about.
proposition  It is NOT an English
paper thesis. Be direct.
 A proposition is used in a
persuasive speech. It
states your POSITION on
the topic, as well as what
you hope to accomplish
with the speech.

7. Thesis or Proposition
Statement

 Examples:
 ―I plan to convince you to start volunteering as well
by demonstrating the benefits it has for everyone
involved.‖ - Proposition
 ―Steve Jobs had an interesting life and contributed
greatly to the world, which is why I plan to share
more about his life with you today.‖ - Thesis
 ―Today, I want to inform you all of the history and
traditions behind this spooky holiday.‖ - Thesis

8. Introduction

 Four basic functions:  Why are you an
 Get audience attention authority on the topic?
 State your thesis or  Why did you choose
proposition this topic?
 Establish your  State if you have
credibility experience with the
topic or if you have
done research.

9. Credibility Statements

 Examples:
 ―Volunteering is something that has been a huge part
of my life for about 5 years.‖ - Experience
 ―Steve Jobs had a personal impact on my own life by
inspiring me to major in technology innovation. I’ve
also read his biography recently.‖ – Reason for
choosing/Authority on Topic
 “Like me, I am sure all of you have celebrated
Halloween in some way or another—but as a great
enthusiast of Halloween, I researched more about this
holiday to understand where it started.‖ – Reason for
choosing/Authority on Topic

10. Introduction

 Four basic functions:  Directly state or list the
 Get audience attention 3-5 main points
 State your thesis or BRIEFLY that you plan
proposition to make.
 Establish your  This should be a clear
credibility list.
 Preview your main  It should correspond
points exactly with your main
points.

11. Preview Statements

 Examples:
 ―I’ll begin with why volunteering first and foremost improves the
lives of those being helped, then why it personally changes and
benefits the person volunteering, and lastly I will convince you
that the long term impacts of volunteering are high.‖
 ―To begin, I will tell you about the early life of Steve Jobs with his
childhood and education. Then, I’ll tell you about his professional
achievements, and lastly about his death.‖
 ―First, I will tell you what Halloween is and where it came from;
Second, I will tell you about the traditions and customs that go
along with this holiday; and lastly, I will tell you about the
activities that people like to participate in during this day.‖

12. Another Example:

 Attention getter: How many people in here have a hard
time balancing school work, working, family, and
personal time?
 Thesis: For many of you in here, time management can be
a major struggle, but it doesn’t have to be.
 Credibility: I’ve been effectively using time management
strategies for years now, and it has made my life much
easier to balance.
 Preview: First, I’ll discuss how to manage your school
time, then work time, and lastly family and personal time.

13. Transitions

 Shift the speech from one point to another
 Provide a brief recap or forecast
 Occur between EVERY PARAGRAPH and sometimes
between main points and sub points
 You will VERBALLY state every transition clearly.
 These are not subtle, English paper transitions. They
are direct and clear statements that can be audibly
detected by your audience.

14. Transition Examples

 ―Let me begin with the first people who benefit from
volunteer work.‖ – Shifts the point
 ―This brings me to next point: Steve Jobs’
professional achievements.‖ – Forecasts the next point
 ―Now that I’ve told you the origins and traditions of
Halloween night, I’ll discuss how fun it is to go take
part in the freaky and creepy parts of Halloween.‖ –
Provides a recap and forecast

15. Conclusion

 Transition over completely to conclusion
 ―So as you can see…‖ or ―To conclude…‖
 Then SUMMARIZE THE POINTS AGAIN.
 ―First I told you about (point 1), then I discussed
(point 2) and lastly, I explained (point 3).‖
 In persuasive speaking only, Call to Action is
here
 End with a memorable thought

16. Tips for an Effective Conclusion

 Do not end abruptly
 Don’t ramble
 Don’t introduce new
points
 Don’t apologize

17. Conclusion Example #1

Transition statement: ―With that in mind, let me conclude.‖
Conclusion
 ―First, I told you about the positive impact it has on the
person being helped, then I told you about how it affects
the volunteer and lastly I told you about the long term
benefits of volunteering. - Recap
 I hope this inspires all of you to begin volunteering today!
– Call to Action
 This is our time—let’s make a difference.‖ – Memorable
thought

18. Conclusion Example #2

 Transition statement: ―Let me conclude by recapping
my points.‖
Conclusion
 ―I began by telling you of his humble beginnings,
how he progressed to change the modern world with
his cutting-edge products and left a mark on the
computer industry, and his tragic death. - Recap
 Some of you may not realize it, but every one of you
has personally been affected by this pioneer of the
computer industry.‖ – Memorable thought

19. Conclusion Example#3

Transition statement: ―With such a fun-filled holiday, there’s
much more to say, but for now I must conclude.‖
Conclusion
 ―First, I told you where the day Halloween came from and
what the meaning behind it is, second, I told you what
traditions are practiced on this night, and lastly, I explained
what amusing activities come along with Halloween. - Recap
 Now that you all are more informed about this fun filled
holiday, I would like to share a little piece of Halloween
with you.‖ (Pass out Candy and play ―Thriller‖ by Michael
Jackson) – Memorable thought and action