Solano Community College Library: Communication: Writing & Rehearsing Your Speech

Writing & Rehearsing a Speech

Writing
Rehearsing

Organizing your speech correctly is essential to helping your audience understand your point. Think about what message you want your audience to understand, and prepare an outline that includes:

Introduction with an attention-grabbing hook and a thesis statement.
Body paragraphs that state the important points you are trying to convey with supporting evidence.
Conclusion that summarizes the points and restates the thesis.

When it comes time to use supporting evidence in your speech, use it well. This guarantees the audience will understand and be convinced of your point.

State the point of your speech clearly at the beginning. This allows the audience to draw the correct conclusion you are trying to prove.
Use only the evidence that you need to support your thesis/argument.
Determine why the audience needs the information to understand your claim.
- Supporting information usually clarifies, illustrates, or proves your conclusion.
- Summarize the point or explain the link between the support and the assertion.

Watch the videos below for guidance on how to outline and draft a compelling speech:

Once you have your speech drafted, it's time to practice, practice, practice.

Practice in front of others before it is time to present your speech. You will be able to see what aspects of our speech and delivery can be improved.
Record yourself. You can discover your own strengths and any weaknesses that need to be strengthened. You will also be able to see for yourself how effective you are at initiating and maintaining contact with your audience.