How To Write A Manuscript For A Speech
Public speaking can fill one with a sense of dread, but knowing how to write a manuscript for a speech can make the difference between a successful speaking engagement and one that is not. Many factors should be considered when preparing a speech.
Preparing an outline is always helpful; make headings that clearly make key points and fill in the facts that are to be presented under each heading. Consider the phrasing of the headlines as they can be directly used as the introductory sentences to your points.
Knowing the key target audience is the most important factor in writing the manuscript. Avoid speaking over them; a group of highschool kids will need to be addressed in a different way than a roomful of adults. Keep the tone of the speech inline with the target audience. Lightheartedness may not be an appropriate tone for all occassions, but this approach is perfect for a younger audience.
Knowing how to write a manuscript for a speech sounds like an overwhelming task, but backing up the outline with well researched information keeps the manuscript interesting. When doing fact based research, try to find a new angle for the information. A speech on the deadly effects of carbon monoxide in and of itself, for instance, could be boring to listeners who already know that this is a deadly exposure. Liven the speech up with unusual facts as well, such as that in the 1800’s through the 1900’s carbon monoxide released through gas lamps accounted for sightings of ghosts and other hallucinations, and that Edgar Allen Poe is thought to have been suffering the effects of chronic carbon monoxide poisoning while writing his works. These facts would be a pertinent, entertaining and unusual way to grab audience attention. Be sure any facts offered are well researched and accurate, but do not drag the audience attention down with citing continued fact references. Terms such as “research shows” or “it has been found that” are often a better lead up to your facts and continue to keep audience attention.
Remember when writing the speech that the amount of time taken to prepare it is often far short of the amount of time it will take to deliver it. It is better to prepare the manuscript to be longer and pare it down than to consider it finished and have to add material. Using the method of paring down rather than adding on allows the ideas to flow freely, whereas adding material can often result in a speech that sounds choppy.
Once the manuscript is written, preparing to deliver it can be done at first in front of a mirror and then in front of family and friends. These practice sessions do more than boost confidence, they allow the speaker to practice inflection and emphasis. Some ideas can be changed at this point since some things sound better in writing than they do spoken aloud.
Knowing how to write a manuscript for a speech is the best step to a confident, successful speaking engagement.
my tribute speech on barack obama?
so for my english class
we have to do a tribute speech on someone we look up to
and first i chose my mom
then i changed it to my dad
then i changed it to obama
can anyone help me write my tribute speech? or help me with some ideas
this is what it has to have…
Step 1 (Investigate/Decide) – 250 words; due Thursday, January 8
Yes, you have to do this step, so stop whining.
Reflect on a significant personality who has had an impact on our world, or who has personally influenced you.
oWhy do you look up to this person? What do you consider worthy of tribute about him/her?
oList his/her admirable traits
oCreate a list of 5 to 10 interview questions that you would ask this person if given the opportunity to interview him or her. Consider using words and phrases such as: justify, explain, evaluate, “to what extent”, classify, describe, determine, implement, defend, etc. (See list of possible words to use in formulating a question)
oIf you had an opportunity to thank this person, what would you thank him/her for?
Step Two: (Investigate/Research continues) – due with step 3
Now that you’ve chosen your subject, investigate and record on paper the answers to the following bulleted questions/statements
oBiography –origins (background, family life, education, etc)
oTimeline – highlight accomplishments
oRelevancy- just what is it that makes your subject worthy of this tribute speech?
oUse library and Internet as needed (you must have at least 6 sources for this speech. If your speech is about a famous person, you must make sure they are accurate…keep track of them on work-cited page. If your speech is about a person who is not famous, then you must use interviews, old local newspaper articles, old family albums, etc.)
Step Three: Plan and Decide (Create Outline of Speech) – due Thursday, January 15
Decide which information you will use from your research. Plan the best way to organize your information into an effective speech.
Create an outline of your speech (please put details on the outline)
Example of how you might organize speech:
oQuote or eye-opening fact; statistic; etc…hook
oBiography of Individual
oAccomplishments
oWhy tribute to this individual?
**Step Four: Create Full Written Draft of Speech – Due Tuesday, January 20
Create your manuscript with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Include the stylistic devices listed for objective #5.
Cite sources within your manuscript as appropriate using MLA format. You will need a Work Cited page as well.
Peer Edit and Revision
Step Five
•Rehearse—create note cards and time yourself.
•Did you remember to cite sources and create your work cited page?
Step Six: Presentation of Speeches with Peer Evaluation/Turn in Manuscript. All Speeches due Tuesday, January 20 whether it is your day to present or not! Keep a copy for yourself!
Present and Evaluate Speeches (4 to 6 minutes)
and this is what i have so far:
January 21, 2009
English 10
Barack Obama was born August 4, 1961. Honolulu , Hawaii , USA . His full name is Barack Hussein Obama Jr.; which means “Blessed by God”, in Arabic He was born to a white American mother, Ann Dunham. And a black father, Barack Obama, Sr. they both were students at the University of Hawaii . His father left to Harvard while his wife and son stayed behind. His father went back to Kenya where he worked as an economist. Barack’s mother remarried an Indonesian. He worked as an oil manager. His father would write to him, but due to his business, he visited his son only once, and that was when Barack was ten.
Barack managed to go to one of Hawaii ’s top prep academy, which is Punahou School .
Then later on Barack attended Columbia University . He became a community organizer for a small Chicago church for three years. He helped poor south side people deal with a wave of plant closing. Then he attended Harvard Law School . In 1990 he became the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review. Then in Chicago he practiced civil-rights law. In 2004 Barack Obama was elected to the U.S senate as a Demarcate representing Illinois . Then in November, 2008 he ran for president as a democrat and won! And now he is the 44th president of the United States and the first African- American running for president.
Barack Obama’s greatest accomplishment is his family, His two daughters and wife.
He is worthy of my tribute speech because he is the very brave and he is the first African- American president. And because he is
Step One- investigate/design
I look up to this person because he has done many good things.
THANKS
=D
It’s good. Maybe find a way to replace pathos a couple times (them) towards the beginning of your essay.
On the part where you say “if the paper were to be written on…” you should take out “than” after the comma.
When you list the reasons why Golding might be better, I would say “he” instead of just Golding.
Change “It is understandable that some people may think that Golding is more effective in his paper than Clark. Golding is older, Golding has more education, and Golding more experience in college, than Clark does. Many people may argue that Golding has the better paper, due to the previously listed reasons, and those reasons are understandable”
to
“Understandably, people will argue that Golding is superior to Clark when it comes to writing effectively. They will stress that Golding has experience on his side due to age and more college education.”
Change “Something that may be agreeable though, is that Golding may have the better paper when it comes to following the rules of writing, and his organization style; but that Clark’s paper is actually better because he is in college, and that this paper is directed mainly towards current college students.”
To
“Something that may be agreeable, though, is that Golding has the better paper when it comes to the formalities of writing and organization, yet Clark’s paper is actually more meaningful due to the fact that he can relate to his target audience – he is in college, too.”
Sorry, but I’m too tired to continue. I didn’t study your essay much, so I’m not sure how well my edits would flow, but I tried. Also, there a couple of words that you should use a thesaurus on – I advise if it appears 3 or more times to do it.
It was a great essay and you can always go back to your original if you don’t like mine (but there were a few comma, etc. problems).
GOOD LUCK!!!
.
ENGLISH PAPER PART 2 PLEASE PROVIDE INPUT AND HELP?
How many people want to be deprived of freedoms? One could assume that the majority of the United States citizens support freedom, so one could see how this idea may anger people. Pathos is a very effective way to get people to understand a view, and Clark does a great job of using it.
In Golding’s article, he still uses Pathos, but to a much lesser extent. He uses pathos in some of his examples, and it is effective when it is used. Although he uses pathos a little bit in his article, for the most part he seems to simply argue and discuss the topics. By doing this he makes the reader less willing to read on, thus making his article less effective overall.
Clark also is at an advantage because he is a college student, and these writings are more directed at college students than anyone else. Golding cannot control the fact that he is a professor, but it does put him at a disadvantage. Clark was a college student when he wrote this, so he knew how students his age interpreted things, Golding was from a different generation than the intended audience, and the ways of thinking among college student changed since Golding was in college. When Clark wrote this essay, one may assume that he talked to his college aged friends about this topic, and asked them what they think; Assuming that Clark did this, it helped him to be more successful in his paper than Golding. If the paper were to be written solely on free speech among college professors, than Golding would probably have the advantage of better understanding the intended audience better.
It is understandable that some people may think that Golding is more effective in his paper than Clark. Golding is older, Golding has more education, and Golding more experience in college, than Clark does. Many people may argue that Golding has the better paper, due to the previously listed reasons, and those reasons are understandable.
Something that may be agreeable though, is that Golding may have the better paper when it comes to following the rules of writing, and his organization style; but that Clark’s paper is actually better because he is in college, and that this paper is directed mainly towards current college students. It is also understandable that the ways of teaching how to write papers has changed, and how students are educated has changed, so due to these reasons Clark’s paper may actually be more current and apply more to it’s intended audience than Golding’s. Clark’s paper is a well written paper, and due to his use of straightforwardness, pathos, simplicity in his writing, and his advantage due to his age, he may still have the better piece of writing, even if Golding is more educated and more intelligent.
Sources
Golding, M. P. (2000). Campus Speech Issues. Manuscript in preparation.
Clark, Q. Speech Codes: An Insult to Education and a Threat to Our Future.
First of all, “Sir” Isaac Newton never served in Parliament. He served in 1698 and in 1701-02, but he wasn’t knighted until 1705. If the knighthood gave him the wherewithal to hire an assistant, that helper could not have written a Parliamentary speech with him.
Second, Newton never argued before the House of Lords: he represented his university, Cambridge, in the House of Commons.
Third, Newton’s only recorded words in Parliament were a point of order, a request to close a drafty window. He never made a “maiden speech”, nor argued for any bill.
To top it all off, his service and knighthood had nothing to do with his scientific work. James II tried to turn the universities into Catholic institutions; Newton (and Cambridge itself) staunchly opposed the idea. Newton simply voted that way at every opportunity. The Queen so appreciated his efforts in support of this and other of her political causes that she knighted him.
After explaining the problems to the embarrassed vendor, Nora bought the document for £13, just as a reminder that she doesn’t know it all. She eventually got it identified: a portion of an unfinished play by a minor author, circa 1870.
She Turned Me Into a Newton!?
After identifying a suspicious fellow Yankee at the local pub, Nora Shekrie decided to take a holiday at the market in Blyth. She was escorted by her not-too-distant relatives, Sir Loine of Boef and Lady Rose Boef. Nora wanted to take home some memento of her visit, something more than the prepaid travel vouchers Sir Harold had supplied.
After a morning of making nice with the locals, receiving thanks, admiration, and not a few jibes about being from “the Colonies”, Nora was quite enjoying herself. The morning tea and late lunch were taking up a serene position in her abdomen, the sun was shining, and the studied quaintness of the market enchanted her more with each passing hour.
She politely examined each stall of wares, commented astutely on some aspect of almost every shop, and generally impressed the vendors as something rather better than the stereotypical American tourist. Finally, at half-past two o’clock, she found the item to take home. An youngish gentleman selling out-of-print books had an item that intrigued her.
“It’s the manuscript of an early draft of the speech,” he explained as she bent over to examine the fine penmanship. “One of my ancestors was an assistant to Sir Isaac Newton. He served in Parliament, you know.” Nora nodded. “Dodgy times, what with the Glorious Revolution and all, but my many-greats grandfather found a stable position with Sir Isaac, right after the knighthood gave him enough money to hire someone permanent-like. Sir Isaac asked G-g-g-grandfather, Thomas Hanscomb was his name, to write some for his first speech in the House of Lords. Oh, Newton supplied the ideas sure enough, but Hanscomb did the first bit of writing, not what many could write back then.
“Newton took Hanscomb’s draft, did it up his own way, no surprise to either of them I warrant, and gave back the first. That’s it, there in the frame and protective glass and all, and I keep it out of the sun like you see here.” The three of them noted the shade over the one item, giving it further protection from the light. “Sir Isaac made his grand speech, both houses passed whatever bill, and Thomas Hanscomb stuffed this copy into his things. It come down to me after all this time.”
Nora nodded, seeming to have reached some decision. “And it’s certainly dear enough,” she held up a hand to stop him, “but fairly, given its history. Across the pond, a representative’s first speech in Congress is considered a great event.” She considered her bank balance, held a mental argument with herself, and pulled out her billfold.
“I take traveler’s cheques, VISA, and cash,” he smiled. Nora smiled in return, pulling out a small plastic card.
She felt a polite tug at her sleeve: Rose. ” For a purchase this significant, I usually like to get my mind well settled before I sign the papers, just to be sure. Shall we have a cuppa, and you talk to me about this?”
There was a note in Rose’s voice; Nora had learned to respect that tone over her ten days with the family. She turned to the stall-keeper. “Would a fiver hold it for an hour?”
“M’lady, at this price, a scone would hold it for the day.”
Nora grinned. “A scone, it is. With jam?” He nodded. They had a deal.
They chose their table and allowed Harold to seat them with their food. He trundled back to the stalls with the extra scone, leaving his wife and guest to discuss the matter.
“Rose, it sounds like I got off cheaply. You certainly know your business. Care to let me in on the secret? I’m usually the one who spots these things.”
How did Rose know that Nora shouldn’t buy the manuscript?
Is this paper good? What could I do to improve it? Part 2?
How many people want to be deprived of freedoms? One could assume that the majority of the United States citizens support freedom, so one could see how this idea may anger people. Pathos is a very effective way to get people to understand a view, and Clark does a great job of using it.
In Golding’s article, he still uses Pathos, but to a much lesser extent. He uses pathos in some of his examples, and it is effective when it is used. Although he uses pathos a little bit in his article, for the most part he seems to simply argue and discuss the topics. By doing this he makes the reader less willing to read on, thus making his article less effective overall.
Clark also is at an advantage because he is a college student, and these writings are more directed at college students than anyone else. Golding cannot control the fact that he is a professor, but it does put him at a disadvantage. Clark was a college student when he wrote this, so he knew how students his age interpreted things, Golding was from a different generation than the intended audience, and the ways of thinking among college student changed since Golding was in college. When Clark wrote this essay, one may assume that he talked to his college aged friends about this topic, and asked them what they think; Assuming that Clark did this, it helped him to be more successful in his paper than Golding. If the paper were to be written solely on free speech among college professors, than Golding would probably have the advantage of better understanding the intended audience better.
It is understandable that some people may think that Golding is more effective in his paper than Clark. Golding is older, Golding has more education, and Golding more experience in college, than Clark does. Many people may argue that Golding has the better paper, due to the previously listed reasons, and those reasons are understandable.
Something that may be agreeable though, is that Golding may have the better paper when it comes to following the rules of writing, and his organization style; but that Clark’s paper is actually better because he is in college, and that this paper is directed mainly towards current college students. It is also understandable that the ways of teaching how to write papers has changed, and how students are educated has changed, so due to these reasons Clark’s paper may actually be more current and apply more to it’s intended audience than Golding’s. Clark’s paper is a well written paper, and due to his use of straightforwardness, pathos, simplicity in his writing, and his advantage due to his age, he may still have the better piece of writing, even if Golding is more educated and more intelligent.
Sources
Golding, M. P. (2000). Campus Speech Issues. Manuscript in preparation.
Clark, Q. Speech Codes: An Insult to Education and a Threat to Our Future.