public communication informative speech

YOUR FIRST SPEECH:

Your introduction is the way to grab your audience’s attention. There are many ways to do this and remember you need to grab their attention in the first few moments. You can use storytelling, facts, startling statements, quotes, and jokes to name a few of the ways to capture the audience.

• Your introduction should be 10-15 percent of your speech. It should be short and deliver the message.
• The body of your speech should support the message and be approximately 70-80 percent of the speech.
• The conclusion of the speech should wrap up the speech, review the message and be 10-15 percent of your speech.

How to start your speech by Simon Lancaster has some great insights into the beginning of the speech. He looks at the science in the grabbing of your audience. Watch the following video regarding the three types of drugs that can aid in gaining the attention of the audience.

How to start a speech | Simon Lancaster | TEDxUniversityofHertfordshire (Links to an external site.)

Think about how you would start a speech.

Think about the following:

• What is the topic of your speech? Are you informing or persuading your audience?
• Choose a topic.
• Decide what your message is going to be.
• Develop your thesis statement for the speech.
• What’s your plan to grab the audience.

For your first speech, you can pick any topic that you want. You can inform, persuade, motivate or entertain. Brainstorm a topic by jotting down 5-10 ideas and then work through them to see what you want to talk about. When you decide on topic and message, then work on your thesis and decide what you want the audience to walk away from the speech with. If you decide that you want to increase awareness on recycling, then provide information, facts and stats that show to the audience why it is important to have awareness on the topic.

One great way to lay out a road map of success is to develop an outline for your speech. It helps in writing the speech and delivering the message

BASIC OUTLINE

1. Introduction
   • Grab their attention (story, fact, ect.)
   • Transition into the support
2. Body
   • Primary point of support
   • Secondary point of support
   • Additional items to support topic.
3. Conclusion
   • How I wrap up the message.
   • Leave them with great understanding.

In your first speech you will be asked to do three things: Write your intro, develop an outline and then write out your speech.