A Brief Guide to Constructing a Speech
An effective introduction will…
-Gain Attention
-Establish Credibility
-Give the Audience a Reason to Listen
-State Central Idea/Reveal Topic
-Preview the Body of the Speech
-Be Relatively Brief (usually not more than 10/15 percent of the length of the speech)
The Body of the Speech should…
-Have a Clear Organizational Structure
-Clearly State each Main Point
-Provide Necessary Elaboration of the Main Points
-Use Signposts to Introduce New Points (transitions, previews, summaries)
The Speech Conclusion Should…
-Summarize
-Reemphasize the Main Idea in a Memorable Way
-Avoid Introducing New Main Points
-Signal the End of the Speech
-Be Relatively Brief (usually not more than 10/15 percent of the length of the speech)