Speaking skills

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Speaking
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People speak to communicate to a variety of
audiences for many different reasons.
For example, you may:
• need to know where to find the highlighters in
the grocery store, so you speak to a store
employee to ask where the highlighters are;
• be asked to give a speech to your classmates to
inform them about sharks; 
• be asked to perform a skit for a first grade
class on how to call 911 for an emergency;
• be asked to come to a literature circle prepared
to discuss a personal connection you made to
the text you read.
GIVING SPEECHES:
A speech is the ideas and thoughts you have 
prepared to say to an audience.
Speaking 
Things to remember
Think about your Topic, Audience, and Purpose 
(see explanation at the end of this section)
Gather information by:
• Looking through books or magazines
• Observing people, places and events
• Talking or writing to experts
• Watching videos, movies and TV programs
• Searching the Internet
• Recalling past experiences
Introducing your topic lets your audience knows where you are headed.
Be sure to:
• state the thesis in your speech, which clearly indicates the topic and
the purpose of your speech in an interesting way.
You can grab your audience’s attention by:
• asking an interesting question
• providing a surprising fact
• referring to a current event
• telling a personal story that is related to the topic
• asking your audience to imagine something related to the topic
• using a famous quotation that somehow relates to your topic
DO NOT begin your speech with the words: “This speech will be about”
or “In this speech I will explain” or “I chose this topic because.”
Steps in the process of giving a speech
Steps
1. Consider TAP 
2. Gathering information
3. Prepare an exciting 
introduction by:
• Introducing your topic
• Grabbing your 
audience’s attention
Giving a Speech
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You can put your outline on note cards, or on a sheet of paper. Use short
phrases or just enough words to remind you of what you wanted to say.
When you write your speech use the steps in the writing process 
(refer to the writing tab in your Student Resource Guide).
Also remember to keep your purpose and audience in mind and choose
the best words to make your speech clear and interesting. 
It’s a good idea to practice on two different days. Consider:
• Practicing in a quiet place where you can listen to yourself
• Practicing in front of your friends or fmily and ask for their suggestions
• Videotaping or tape-recording yourself to see how you can improve
When your ready to give your speech, remember to:
• Look at your audience
• Stand up tall; don’t sway, lean or slump
• Speak loudly
• Speak clearly; don’t mumble or use words like ah, dah, or um
• Speak slowly – don’t rush
4. Write an outline
5. Write your speech
6. Practice giving
your speech
7. Present your speech
Topic: Carefully consider the topic of your speech. Sometimes, your teacher will assign you a topic,
but other times you may get to choose the topic for your speech. If you get to choose the topic, pick some-
thing you’re interested in, enjoy doing or talking about, or know a lot about. Either way, you will need to
decide how you are going to narrow the topic and focus your speech. Think about the amount of time
you have to deliver your speech and what is important for your audience to know about your topic.
Audience: The audience is the person or group of people to whom you will be speaking. When
you prepare and deliver your speech you need to keep your audience in mind. It is important to consider
how much your audience knows about your topic. Will your speech build on knowledge that they already
have or will your speech introduce a new topic? Most likely your audience will have different amounts of
background knowledge about your topic, so you will have to take this into consideration as you decide
how much information to share. 
Purpose: The reason you’re giving a speech is called the purpose. The purpose will determine what
you say and how you say it. Generally, there are three different purposes for speeches:
Informing An informative speech explains a topic to your audience. For example, you may be
speaking so that your listeners can learn about snakes or about our sixteenth president, Abraham
Lincoln. The goal is to communicate ideas and information so that your audience will become more
informed on the subject. You will need to research your topic carefully, consulting several sources of
information so that you understand your topic thoroughly. The library is an excellent source of
research materials on just about every imaginable topic.
Persuading The goal of a persuasive speech is to
convince your audience of your opinion by arguing for
or against something. For example you may create a
speech to convince the cafeteria to carry fruit roll-ups as
a snack choice. Persuasive speeches need to present a
clear opinion, two or three arguments to support your
opinion, and a strong conclusion that reinforces your
argument or calls on your audience to take action.
Entertaining/Honoring A speech may be intended
to amuse or entertain your audience or to honor an
occasion such as a graduation or a special event. You
generally have the most flexibility with this is type of
speech. Anecdotes, examples, and vivid language are
especially helpful with this type of speech to capture the
interest and attention of your audience.
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Giving a Speech
You may want to remember
TAP
as you begin to prepare a speech.
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Notes:
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