Discussion #3 - 8/31

Response to Readings: Ch. 2 & 4

One of the most important parts in speech-writing is identifying and developing the purpose of the speech. Chapter 4 goes into great depth about figuring out what the purpose of our speeches should be. This is an important aspect of the speech because it determines how we will construct the speech itself. Tied to the purpose of the speech are other factors such as audience, time, and location. Once we have a clear idea what the purpose of our speech will be it is much easier to evaluate how to modify our information to fit a particular public-speaking atmosphere.

I strongly believe that before we even start brainstorming ideas for a speech, it's important to consider why we are giving the speech in the first place. There are three main purposes for which we may be speaking. Those are to inform, persuade, or entertain. Once the purpose is determined, we can brainstorm and evaluate all the possible topics that would serve that purpose.

Let's say I need to make a persuasive speech. I will start evaluating all the different issues that people get passionate about these days. In order to narrow down the possibilities, I will consider my audience and speech location. If I am speaking to a group of 3rd graders at a local elementary school, for example, I wouldn't choose to speak persuasively about abortion and birth control. Instead I would choose a topic such as whether the school should adopt uniforms or not. This way my audience will be able to directly relate to and understand my speech.

Once I have chosen a specific debatable topic, I will start constructing an outline of the main points to be given during the speech. I will keep the amount of time allotted for my speech in mind as I do this so I don't have to cut and rearrange my info later on. Speech writing can be very simple if we start the process by identifying a few important factors.