WRITING SPEECHES

By Teacher Sofi
HOW A SPEECH IS PLANNED OR WRITTEN

A speech can be planned just like an essay.

 First, when planning to write a speech students have to think how to

open a speech. One has to use the right expressions in the
introduction, to greet the audience.

 Second, when planning a speech students have to think about the

points they are going to make and how they are going to support
each point (with details).

 Third, one should think how they are going to end a speech, using
appropriate expressions.
STRUCTURE YOUR SPEECH

Introduction – 1 paragraph
Main body – 3 paragraphs (1 for each bullet point)
Conclusion – 1 paragraph

 In the Introduction, your purpose is to tell your audience

who you are and what you will be talking about.

 The main body of your speech is where you address the

three bullet points in the question.

 At the end, comes the conclusion.

FEATURES OF SPEECH IN CIE:

 Welcome the audience 

 Introduce yourself 

 Use the 'you tone' to involve the audience 

 Use humour 

 Include famous quotes 

 Ask Rhetorical Questions (usually at beginning at end)

 Use emotive language such as 'I feel delighted to' etc

 Thank audience at end

INTRODUCTION OF THE SPEECH

 Opening Greetings
 Principal, Guest of honour, may I take this opportunity...

 Honourable and distinguished guests …

 Dear parents and students …

 Distinguished teachers …

 Dear fellow students....

 I am pleased to...
 It gives me much pleasure....

 I feel honoured to be here....

 Let me begin/start by....

 You are all aware of .....

 Allow me to say.

 On behalf of ....
INTRODUCE YOURSELF
 The first thing to do in any speech you write, is to introduce yourself.
 Here are two examples of different audiences and how you could introduce yourself
appropriately:
 You’re giving a speech to your teachers

Because you’re talking to your teachers, in this example, your introduction would need to be
more formal. For instance; “Hello. My name is Firdaus Fazri of 11C, and I’m here today to
talk to you about…”

Notice how the speech writer in this example uses their full name and is very polite to his
audience.
  

 You’re making a speech to your classmates

In this example, your language can be more casual. Your classmates already know who you
are, so you could say; “Hi everyone. You all know me, Firdaus. Today, I am going to talk
about …...”

Remember - your introduction is an opportunity. Be creative and introduce yourself to your

audience with the tone you mean to go on with.
MAKE A GREAT OPENING STATEMENT

You should always begin writing your speech in a way will captivate your target audience.
A good opening statement is fairly brief, but uses language techniques to make an immediate
impact.

To begin your speech, try using some of the following language techniques:

 A rhetorical question

Rhetorical questions are questions that you don’t expect your audience to answer. So why use them? Because they
make your audience think.

Example:

“I’m here to talk to you about an event as school that I will always remember. Do you have one too? I am sure you do.

 A famous quote

The quote itself won’t get you marks. But, if you can remember one which is relevant to your speech topic, use it. It
will demonstrate your creativity.

Example:

‘The moment maybe temporary but the memory is forever.’ Last year’s Hari Raya celebration was a short but it will
remain in my memory forever.
LINKING WORDS:

Commonly applied linking words:

 Besides, Apart from …

 Moreover,

 Finally,
CONCLUSION OF THE SPEECH

Closing the Speech

 I would like to close this speech/my speech by...

 Finally, may I say/I can say...

 Last but not least....,

 Lastly....

 It has been a great honour to/for me to be here today...

 Thank you for your attention.

BEGIN EVERY PARAGRAPH WITH A TOPIC
SENTENCE

Because you’re dividing your speech into separate

paragraphs, it’s important to make it clear what
each paragraph is about.

To do that, ensure that you have topic sentences at

the beginning of each paragraph.

For example: “Here are a few things that you need

to bring to Brunei. One is ……………….. . ”
 FOCUS ON THE TOPIC

When writing a speech in an English exam, always

stay focused on the topic you have been asked
To write about. If you do not, it will make you lose
marks.
WRITE FROM THE 1ST PERSON AND ENGAGE
YOUR AUDIENCE

 When writing your speech, always ensure that you write

using the 1st person - “I”.

 You should also address your audience directly as if you

were actually talking to them. Use “we” and “you” in
your writing. For example: “I’m sure you’d all agree
that...”
USE PERSONAL DETAILS AND ANECDOTES
One of the best ways to do this is to tell a short story
about yourself.

Here are some examples:

 In a speech about bullying, you might say: “Like it is for
so many young people, bullying is a subject that is close to
my heart. When I was at primary school, I was bullied and
I now know how harmful it can be.”

 For a speech about music, you could say: “Ever since the
day I first heard BTS’s Butter, I knew I’d be a lifelong
fan.”
USE EMOTIVE LANGUAGE

Emotive language is the most effective tools in a speech.

 In your speech, things shouldn’t simply be described just as

“good” or “bad”. They should be “fantastic” or “horrible”,
“exciting” or “disappointing”.

 Be careful not to over-use emotive language. Use emotive

words sparingly throughout your speech.
PAST YEAR QUESTION MAY/JUNE 2016
Question:

Your best friend is a popular person at school and is very successful both inside and outside the classroom.
Your friend is leaving the school to move overseas. Your teacher, Mr Johnson, asks you to make a speech to
your classmates on the last day of term wishing your friend goodbye and good luck.

Write your speech. You must include the following:

• the name of your friend and where your friend is going

• why your friend is moving
• what you and your classmates will miss about your friend.

Cover all three points above in detail. You should make sure your speech is both polite and friendly.

Start your speech, ‘Mr Johnson and friends...’

ANSWER: 
Mr.Johnson and friends. It’s me Firdaus Fazri. Let me begin my speech by thanking Mr Johnson for
giving me this opportunity to stand here and give a speech. Thank you all of you for your presence.
However, I feel really unhappy to tell you that a very well-known person of our school is leaving us this
Saturday.

It is none other than our classmate Aqil Nikolai. I am sure all of you know him. Mr. Johnson and all my
respected classmates, Aqil is the middle of the last days with us. He will be leaving us this Friday for
Manchester, England. Anyways, I know none of us should actually be sad for Aqil moving overseas. It
will be just a physical day to day connection that would be missing , but we all will be virtually
connected. We can text via Whatsapp or call him on Skype. Aqil would be living with us in a strong
long-distance friendship.

Aqil is going to Manchester to join his mother who is working there. As you all know , we only have
three months left before we pass out from school but Aqil will not be able to finish these last three
months with us. He will continue his further studies there but Aqil is a very intelligent student and I’m
sure he will do well there. I believe all of you will be praying for the best of Aqil’s future.

We miss Aqil's academic efficiency, we will miss him helping us with our classwork and homework. We
will miss his smile, his friendliness. We will also miss his kindness towards others.

Before I end my speech, I would like to say it has been a great honour for me to be here today and I
wish to thank you all once again for your kind attention and I will conclude my speech by saying:

"Great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, impossible to forget."

(240 words)
COMMENTS ON SAMPLE :
- Overall the speech is good. It has properly fulfilled the format of
directed writing by including five required paragraphs :
Introduction, Content point 1, Content point 2, Content point 3 and
Conclusion.

 The audience is engaged by 'you tone’.

- The sample includes a famous saying (quote) at the end and emotive

language is also used .

- In addition the audience is thanked at the end to conclude the speech.