what makes a good education speech

How To Write A Speech On Education (With Sample Speech)

Hrideep barot.

• Speech Writing

“Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world.” 

These words by Nelson Mandela pretty much sum up the importance of education in the life of human beings. Without education, human beings wouldn’t have arrived at the stage they are right now, and it is unlikely that we will be able to continue our missions to space progressively without education. 

And yet the truth remains that many, many people across the world do not have the right or ability to receive an education. Many of these people might be able to do great things if only they had the means to do so.

In such a scenario, it becomes important to spread awareness about education. Delivering speeches is one of the best ways to do so, as through speeches one can make a more personal connection with the people attending & make it more likely that they will actually do something about it.

However, it’s also true that education is a topic that many, many people have spoken about. In such a scenario, you might find yourself wondering what you can do to make your speech stand apart from all the ones that came before. 

Don’t worry, that’s what we’re here to help you with.

By keeping in mind a few things like finding a unique angle, incorporating stories and props, making sure to include concrete elements, and making your audience go beyond listening to feel something, you can easily deliver an unforgettable speech on education.

Tips To Keep In Mind While Writing A Speech About Education 

1. Find A Unique Angle 

Education is a topic that people have spoken about time and again. What this means is that if you deliver a speech about education without adding a different point of view to it, then the chances are your audience is going to find your speech bland or boring and not pay attention.

So, find a unique angle for the speech. Draw on your personal experiences and ask yourself: is there anything about this topic that I can see but others can’t?

2. Include Concrete Elements 

Concrete details or elements include things like facts, statistics, etc. 

If you don’t include concrete elements in your speech, then chances are that your speech will become abstract and hard to believe really fast.

So, make sure to back up your arguments with relevant information. 

Wondering how to add facts to your speech without making it drab? Check out our article on 11 Steps To Add Facts To A Speech Without Making It Boring.

3. Use Language & Concepts Familiar To The Audience

Often, speakers have this misconception that the bigger or more difficult words they use, the better or smarter they’re going to sound. This cannot be further from the truth.

While using complicated words or concepts might make you sound smarter, they also increase the chances that you won’t be able to formulate a connection with the audience. 

After all, if they can’t understand what they’re saying, how will they connect with it?

4. Incorporate Storytelling & Props 

Stories are a GREAT way to make your speech more personal and engaging. And props, if used alongside your story, can take it to the next level. 

So, make sure to incorporate appropriate personal stories and props in your speech. Make sure that your prop is relevant to the speech, and not merely an accessory. 

5. Make Them Feel, Not Just Hear 

If you truly want your audience to be impacted by your speech, then you need to make them feel more deeply about it. You need to make them go beyond hearing and actually feel for you and the topic. 

This can be done by sprinkling throughout your speech elements like humor, stories, props, videos, real-life testimonials, interacting with them…

The list goes on. 

What matters is going above and beyond. You want to make your words mean more than their meaning. 

6. Use Humor

Humor is a great way to take any speech to the next level. Like stories, jokes are a great way to form a connection with the audience and make your speech more memorable.

However, one thing to keep in mind here is to make sure that your humor is relevant to the topic at hand. Don’t just add jokes for the sake of adding them: make sure that they relate to your speech in some way.

7. Don’t Have Too Many Points

While it’s important to make sure that your speech covers all aspects that it needs to cover, you don’t have to include too many points in your speech. This will make it difficult for the audience to figure out what, exactly, is the central theme or main message that you want them to take away.

You can have one or two key takeaways and divide those main points into multiple individual points. This will allow for better structure of your speech, whilst also making it easier to view it from multiple angles.

Ways To Begin Your Speech On Education 

1. Open With A Story 

This is a tried and tested way to open your speech. As mentioned before, it’s imperative you incorporate stories into your speech if you wish to make a personal connection with the audience and make them feel for your speech.

And what better place to add a story than right at the opening of your speech? 

For example:  My parents spent their entire savings on my brother’s education, but for me, they wouldn’t even spare a…

For more ideas on how to incorporate stories in your speech, check out our article on 9 Storytelling Approaches For Your Next Speech Or Presentation.

2. Make Them Go ‘A-Ha’ 

Another awesome way to open your speech is by surprising your audience. This will awaken them, and snap their attention to where it needs to be: on you. 

This adds doubly to your credit if your speech is on a seemingly monotonous topic like education where the audience enters with certain expectations about the speech already in place. 

There are many ways to do this. Stories with a twist are one. Another would be incorporating a joke. Yet another way would be to pull out a prop. Or you could even say a surprising statement that seems to go against the topic when you first hear it.

For example:  I don’t think education is important. Unless…

3. Common-Ground Open 

A common ground opening is imperative if there is a gap between you and your audience. If, for example, you’re an aged professor from a reputed university and the audience is teenagers from a local high school, then there are going to be gaps in how you and the audience perceive the world. 

You can bridge this gap in a couple of ways. One would be making a personal connection or making them see that you are similar in certain aspects. This can be done by using humor, incorporating stories, or even making a pop culture reference. You can also open with a shared goal or interest. 

For example:  When I was in high school, all I wanted to do was get out of it.

4. Open With A Show Of Hands 

Another great way to open your speech is by asking questions–particularly show of hands questions. 

This works in two ways: asking the question piques your audience’s attention and gets their thoughts rolling. On the other hand, show-of-hands provides them with a chance to move their body, which aids in making them more aware of their surroundings i.e you. 

For example:  How many of you wish you could get out of this classroom right now?

5. Open With An Image Or Prop 

Images tell stories. And stories, as mentioned above, are one of the best ways to open your speech. 

You can open your speech by showing the audience an image of something and then asking them a question about it or presenting a startling fact about it. Alternatively, you could also open your speech by employing a relevant prop. 

For example:  Start off with an image of a refugee in a school.

Need more inspiration for how to open your speech? Check out our article on 10 Of The Best Things To Say In Opening Remarks.

Sample Speech On Education

Title: The Missing Ramp

On a school field trip in grade 3, I met my long lost twin. Or so I thought, anyway. The boy I met wasn’t actually my twin by blood. But he was my exact replica in every other aspect: from the color of our hair and eyes to the kind of jokes we liked to make and the cartoons we loved to watch and the fact that we both felt a little out of place in the big strange world. We were similar in more aspects than we could count, more than I can remember now. However, we were significantly different in one important aspect: While I was a ten year old, happy-go-lucky kid that hated going to school, he was a ten year old, happy go-lucky kid for whom school was a distant dream. You see, Andrew–the boy I thought was my twin–had a locomotor disability. He had to use a weelchair to be able to move around. However, there was only one school in our little town, and the school had no ramps or elevators, making it impossible for him to navigate by himself the five floors that it comprised. Not only this, but there were no washrooms available for him, either. His mother could not afford to lose her job in town, not with the already soaring cost of his treatement. Her meagre salary meant that a private tutor was out of question. Besides, she thought, what was the point of uprooting her entire life to move to another town or city when–according to her–there was no point in educating her child when he could not do anything with it? And so, despite the fact that he was perfectly capable of learning at par with the rest of us, Andrew never got an education. Imagine that. Imagine being unable to go to school when all the other kids around you are doing so because the school does not have a ramp. It sounds absurd, right? However strange or unreal it may sound, it’s the reality of the lives of many, many children with disabilities. It’s not that they’re unwilling to learn or their parents are unwilling to send them to school. It’s the lack of facilities–many of which the rest of us take for granted–which make it impossible for them to attend school. And even when the facilities are available. Even then, many, many children with disabilites are unable to achieve the education that is their basic right. An estimated one in three out-of-school children have a disability. There are between 93 million and 150 million children with disabilities worldwide. And yet, WHO estimates that in many, many countries across the world, having a disability more than doubles the chances of a child never attending school. While accessibility remains the key factor that inhibits children with disabilities from attending school, there are many, many other factors that come into play. Inflexible teacher training & support is another factor that comes into play. As does inflexible curriculum and poor structure and plan. However, another key factor that prevents children with disabilites from attending school has less to do with the physical elements of education, and more with the mindset and mentality of other people. That is, it has to do with the attitude of children and teachers in school towards children with disabilites. Often, children with disabilites are scorned and made fun of by their peers. And this is not limited to students alone. The teachers, too, might share a callous attitiude and be inflexible in their approach. I had a teacher in my school who refused to change her ‘ alphabetical seating plan’ to allow a deaf girl sit in the first bench so that she could lip-read her instructions. What this means is that many times, the children themseleves might not be willing to go to school from the fear of how their peers and teachers might react to or treat them. While delivering speeches about making education accessible to all or how it is the fundamental right of every person, we tend to make grand statements and all the big steps that we need to–or should–take in order to actually make education more accessible to people. And yet, while making all those grandoise proclamations, we often overlook the little steps that each and every single one of us needs to take. In seeing the ‘big picture’, we ignore the all the little snapshots that go into making it. And yet, it is this little things that make the most difference. A missing ramp–that’s all it took to make a child miss out on his dream of going to school. I don’t think any words sum up my words better than something Annie Campbell said: “We can teach our children to flap their wings, but conditions have to be just right for them to fly.” Our children are ready to take the leap and fly. Now it is upon us to determine what the sky will be like: full or rain or brimming with sunshine.

Different Angles To Cover Your Speech From

There are many different angles to cover your speech from. Some of them have been mentioned below.

• Accessibility Of Education
• The Digital Divide
• Peer Pressure
• Online Education vs. Offline Education
• Education Of Girl Child
• Education Schemes
• Mental Health Of Students
• Effectiveness Of Curriculum
• Classroom Learning vs. Real Life Experiences
• Teaching Strategies
• Education For People With Disabilities
• Bullying In Schools
• Importance Of Physical Education For Students
• Vocational Studies & Their Importance
• Rising Cost Of Education
• Privatization Of Education
• Factors Affecting Student Performance
• Importance Of Arts & Language Education
• Importance Of Field Trips
• Technology In The Classroom
• Importance Of Public Speaking For Students
• Different Learning Styles
• Impact Of Social Media On Learning

Sample Speech Topics On Education

Here are some examples of topics for your speech on education.

1 What affects the performance of kids in school? 2. Significance of compulsory attendance 3. Homeschooling: Benefits and drawbacks 4. How is literacy different from education? 5. What does the future of the education industry look like? 6. How does Switzerland have the best education system? 7. How to ace college application essays? 8. Guide to optimize daily planner: Your guiding light to lead a productive life 9. Use the power of storytelling to make history lessons ‘fun’ 10. How to unlock the potential of your subconscious mind to memorize things better? 11. Beating distractions: How to make the most of online classes? 12. Sleep deprivation is not ‘cool’: How to improve your grades through proper sleep? 13. A Step-by-Step Guide to writing a stellar research paper 14. Why periodic assessment of teachers is necessary 15. The need for psychologists and therapists in school 16. Why positive peer pressure can be a game-changer 17. Why sports should be a graded component in schools 18. The need for adequate sleep 19. Why application-based learning is necessary 20. Shorter school days for the win 21. Why recreational reading is also important 22. The need for sex education in school

To conclude, while writing a speech on education, you need to make sure that your speech isn’t bland or overused. By keeping in mind a few things like finding a unique angle, incorporating stories and props, making sure to include concrete elements, and making your audience go beyond listening to feel something, you can easily deliver an unforgettable speech on education.

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What makes a quality education?

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Claire Boonstra

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Stay up to date:, sustainable development.

What constitutes a quality education? Today, quality is most often measured through the OECD’s PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) standardized tests – and countries are ranked accordingly. The higher on that list, the better your education would be. But do these results and rankings still relate to what really matters today – and tomorrow?

At first glance, the relationship between PISA and economic performance doesn’t seem too hard to pinpoint. Correlations between high PISA rankings and “hard” variables such as GDP, performance, productivity – these are easy enough to draw up. But if we agree that the success of modern-day economies is based on more than children’s ability to read, write and do maths, what other variables might we draw up and how might we assess their presence? If we also agree that societies are more than just their economic performance, what of instruments such as GDP and PISA?

Preparing children for life

The rapid changes we’re experiencing in our societies are having a substantial impact on the likelihood that our children will find a satisfying path when they are older. Our life expectancies are rising dramatically. Rather than pinpointing the single role they’ll play, children may have to prepare for a series of roles, more so than we have so far been used to.

The meaningful discussion I believe we should engage in thus goes beyond the mere necessity of finding a job. Should an education prepare us for a single job to last our entire career, or might it take into account the sequence of professional roles that is becoming more commonplace?

Does one mould fit all?

Each developing child passes through our school system to reach their full potential as an adult in society. The current version of our education system requires each child to be measured against the same standards. We must all fit these particular norms, fit that particular mould, strive to meet those specific criteria. Are we not wasting an awful amount of potential and harming both ourselves and society? Wouldn’t developing the full and infinite potential of each person be the preferable route to take, for each individual as well as humanity? What if we could use all our existing knowledge on learning and developments in technology to find a solution that matches the natural diversity in talents with the infinite array of different roles?

Artificial employees

We are entering an age where computers, robots and artificial intelligence will start to outperform humans in skills we score children against today: computation, applied writing, organization and assembly, rote memorization, decision-tree-based problem solving. Replacing humans in such jobs makes as much economic sense as the replacement of horses by cars once did. In healthcare, in retail, in the services industry, this is already happening and there is every reason to believe it will continue.

Roles likely to avoid such robotization for some time yet are those that revolve around the precise traits that make us unmistakably human: inventiveness, creativity, empathy, entrepreneurialism, intuition, lateral thinking, cultural sensitivity, to name a few. What if we gave these more emphasis in schools? Who is going to programme the robots?

Policy changes vs. fundamental review

Changes at the policy level are a constant for our schools and our teachers are right to sigh at yet another shift. Changes in recent years seem to have been mostly directed at the what and the how of education, rather than the more fundamental question: what is it for? That is the broad, deep and fundamental discussion I would very much like to see happening: what should be the purpose of our education, if a substantial portion of our children will soon have more than 100 years to spend in societies that are changing rapidly?

It’s up to each of us to find our own answers to these questions: individuals, schools and also governments, in creating the wider conditions for their citizens. There may be no correct or ideal answers, just like there are no ‘ideal’ political standpoints. But we must try to answer them, to determine a course for the compass.

Five attempts at an answer

After several years of asking these questions in various national and international forums, I’ve come to the conclusion that education has five key goals:

• To unleash the infinite potential of humanity. A substantial potential remains unused in people, simply because current curricula and testing bodies lack the means to address it. Imagine the benefits of an education system that helps students reach their full potential? Imagine the effect such students might have on our societies?
• To learn how to apply oneself as an instrument towards lifelong value. Post-war generations went to work where they could. In contrast, recent generations have learned to do what they enjoy. Bridging the two tendencies, we might teach children how they matter and impart a sense of self-appreciation in a societal context. Ask them what are their core strengths, their talents and interests, and how they will put these to use for society?
• To learn how to shape the future. Rather than preparing children for the future – which is rather passive and arguably impossible to do, as we don’t know how history will develop – we might teach children how they may have an influence on society; how they may shape, design, develop, articulate, make and programme ideas and things.
• To understand and master the conditions for peace. Conflict resolution, clear interpersonal communications, empathy and intercultural understanding may well be crucial traits of our societies if they are to stay liveable, both in the context of our increasingly culturally diverse societies as well as the everyday school and work environment.
• To learn how to be healthy and happy. Taking proper care of one’s body and discovering the drivers of one’s general well-being are essential skills to succeed at life. Schools might help students find a good balance between effort, exercise and relaxation, and to define their personal priorities in life.

This is not a debate for politicians and civil servants alone. Every single one of us is a decision-maker when it comes to education. None of us should debate how a quality education is best provided to children or how such quality is best assessed if we haven’t first asked ourselves: what is quality education in the first place?

Have you read? 5 reasons why we need to reduce global inequality Why gender equality will make or break the Global Goals

Author: Claire Boonstra is the co-founder of tech start-ups, founder of Operation Education and a Young Global Leader

Guest editor of this series is Owen Gaffney, Director, International Media and Strategy, Stockholm Resilience Centre and Future Earth

Image: Children sit inside a classroom on their first day of school at Shimizu elementary school in Fukushima, northern Japan April 6, 2011. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

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The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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The Top Characteristics Of A Good Speech

“I tell my story, not because it is unique, but because it is not. It is the story of many…

“I tell my story, not because it is unique, but because it is not. It is the story of many girls… Though I appear as one girl, one person, who is 5ft 2in tall, if you include my high heels, I am not a lone voice, I am many. I am Shazia. I am Kainat Riaz. I am Kainat Somro. I am Mezon. I am Amina. I am those 66 million girls who are out of school.”

The youngest-ever Nobel Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai, then 17, uttered these evocative words at her acceptance speech in 2014.

A good speech such as this one is provocative, inspiring and personal. It is structured to present a clearly defined message and convey the speaker’s ideas and thoughts.

At work, you may be asked to speak at meetings, seminars and conferences. These are important events in your professional career that will help you establish your credibility, and build your personal brand and professional network.

Learning how to deliver a good speech will equip you for career success. Let’s look at the characteristics of a good speech to push you in the right direction.

Characteristics Of A Good Speech

If you want to make a good speech that leaves a lasting impression, focus on what you’re going to speak and how. A good speech isn’t only about your words but also how you present yourself. Body language and gestures play a critical role in transforming an average speech into a memorable one.

If you’re wondering what a good speech is, here are some of its qualities:

Clear Message And Key Ideas

A good speech always starts with a key idea and a well-defined message. Many people make the mistake of burying their ideas in the middle or at the end. That’s a mistake. The audience may get distracted halfway into your speech, and leave without even knowing what you’re talking about. If you want people to understand your big idea, present it right at the start. That will set the context for the rest of the speech.

Impactful Oral Delivery

Remember to consider every aspect of the speech. Your oral delivery—pitch, pause and pace—also influences the audience’s response. ( klonopin ) Modulate your voice and pace to keep your listeners interested in your words. You should be also prepared to make impromptu adjustments to your delivery if you sense the audience drifting away. For instance, if you’re talking about statistical data, make it interesting by asking questions or engaging in a dialogue with the audience. This way, you keep them involved.

Sprinkled With Personal Anecdotes

Don’t rely only on facts and figures. If you can support your claims with personal experiences, it’ll make it more interesting. Start with a personal anecdote that’s linked to your big idea and that your audience can relate to. Humor is also a fun way to break the ice and put everyone at ease.

Informative, But Not Repetitive

Your speech needs to be informative and packed with fresh and new information to have an impact. Be careful not to recycle old ideas packaged in fancy words. . Being original and sharing relevant, critical and helpful information will make your speech memorable. Edit your speech carefully to ensure there are no repetitions or data gaps. You can also add inspiring quotes for a good speech.

Powerful Nonverbal Cues

One of the most important qualities of a good speech is nonverbal communication . You may believe that your words do all the work. But your posture, facial expressions and gestures are equally, if not more, important. Imagine someone making a speech with a blank expression on their face or just reading their words off a page without emotion. That doesn’t make for a good speech. It’s about building tension, asking provoking questions and engaging with the audience. There’s power in using nonverbal cues, like making eye contact with someone in the audience. Using these cues well can greatly improve the quality of your speech.

There are many more characteristics of a good speech that you can incorporate. Harappa Education’s Speaking Effectively course is designed for professionals who want to improve their communication skills. You can use these skills for public speaking or formal workplace conversations, to connect and empathize with others. Build meaningful connections, share ideas effectively, and deliver memorable speeches with our high-impact online course.

Explore topics & skills such as Public Speaking , Verbal Communication , Oral Communication , Speaking Skills & Oratory Skills from Harappa Diaries and learn to express your ideas with confidence.

What this handout is about

This handout will help you create an effective speech by establishing the purpose of your speech and making it easily understandable. It will also help you to analyze your audience and keep the audience interested.

What’s different about a speech?

Writing for public speaking isn’t so different from other types of writing. You want to engage your audience’s attention, convey your ideas in a logical manner and use reliable evidence to support your point. But the conditions for public speaking favor some writing qualities over others. When you write a speech, your audience is made up of listeners. They have only one chance to comprehend the information as you read it, so your speech must be well-organized and easily understood. In addition, the content of the speech and your delivery must fit the audience.

What’s your purpose?

People have gathered to hear you speak on a specific issue, and they expect to get something out of it immediately. And you, the speaker, hope to have an immediate effect on your audience. The purpose of your speech is to get the response you want. Most speeches invite audiences to react in one of three ways: feeling, thinking, or acting. For example, eulogies encourage emotional response from the audience; college lectures stimulate listeners to think about a topic from a different perspective; protest speeches in the Pit recommend actions the audience can take.

As you establish your purpose, ask yourself these questions:

• What do you want the audience to learn or do?
• If you are making an argument, why do you want them to agree with you?
• If they already agree with you, why are you giving the speech?
• How can your audience benefit from what you have to say?

Audience analysis

If your purpose is to get a certain response from your audience, you must consider who they are (or who you’re pretending they are). If you can identify ways to connect with your listeners, you can make your speech interesting and useful.

As you think of ways to appeal to your audience, ask yourself:

• What do they have in common? Age? Interests? Ethnicity? Gender?
• Do they know as much about your topic as you, or will you be introducing them to new ideas?
• Why are these people listening to you? What are they looking for?
• What level of detail will be effective for them?
• What tone will be most effective in conveying your message?
• What might offend or alienate them?

For more help, see our handout on audience .

Creating an effective introduction

Get their attention, otherwise known as “the hook”.

Think about how you can relate to these listeners and get them to relate to you or your topic. Appealing to your audience on a personal level captures their attention and concern, increasing the chances of a successful speech. Speakers often begin with anecdotes to hook their audience’s attention. Other methods include presenting shocking statistics, asking direct questions of the audience, or enlisting audience participation.

Establish context and/or motive

Explain why your topic is important. Consider your purpose and how you came to speak to this audience. You may also want to connect the material to related or larger issues as well, especially those that may be important to your audience.

Get to the point

Tell your listeners your thesis right away and explain how you will support it. Don’t spend as much time developing your introductory paragraph and leading up to the thesis statement as you would in a research paper for a course. Moving from the intro into the body of the speech quickly will help keep your audience interested. You may be tempted to create suspense by keeping the audience guessing about your thesis until the end, then springing the implications of your discussion on them. But if you do so, they will most likely become bored or confused.

For more help, see our handout on introductions .

Making your speech easy to understand

Repeat crucial points and buzzwords.

Especially in longer speeches, it’s a good idea to keep reminding your audience of the main points you’ve made. For example, you could link an earlier main point or key term as you transition into or wrap up a new point. You could also address the relationship between earlier points and new points through discussion within a body paragraph. Using buzzwords or key terms throughout your paper is also a good idea. If your thesis says you’re going to expose unethical behavior of medical insurance companies, make sure the use of “ethics” recurs instead of switching to “immoral” or simply “wrong.” Repetition of key terms makes it easier for your audience to take in and connect information.

Incorporate previews and summaries into the speech

For example:

“I’m here today to talk to you about three issues that threaten our educational system: First, … Second, … Third,”

“I’ve talked to you today about such and such.”

These kinds of verbal cues permit the people in the audience to put together the pieces of your speech without thinking too hard, so they can spend more time paying attention to its content.

Use especially strong transitions

This will help your listeners see how new information relates to what they’ve heard so far. If you set up a counterargument in one paragraph so you can demolish it in the next, begin the demolition by saying something like,

“But this argument makes no sense when you consider that . . . .”

If you’re providing additional information to support your main point, you could say,

“Another fact that supports my main point is . . . .”

Helping your audience listen

Rely on shorter, simpler sentence structures.

Don’t get too complicated when you’re asking an audience to remember everything you say. Avoid using too many subordinate clauses, and place subjects and verbs close together.

Too complicated:

The product, which was invented in 1908 by Orville Z. McGillicuddy in Des Moines, Iowa, and which was on store shelves approximately one year later, still sells well.

Easier to understand:

Orville Z. McGillicuddy invented the product in 1908 and introduced it into stores shortly afterward. Almost a century later, the product still sells well.

Limit pronoun use

Listeners may have a hard time remembering or figuring out what “it,” “they,” or “this” refers to. Be specific by using a key noun instead of unclear pronouns.

Pronoun problem:

The U.S. government has failed to protect us from the scourge of so-called reality television, which exploits sex, violence, and petty conflict, and calls it human nature. This cannot continue.

Why the last sentence is unclear: “This” what? The government’s failure? Reality TV? Human nature?

More specific:

The U.S. government has failed to protect us from the scourge of so-called reality television, which exploits sex, violence, and petty conflict, and calls it human nature. This failure cannot continue.

Keeping audience interest

Incorporate the rhetorical strategies of ethos, pathos, and logos.

When arguing a point, using ethos, pathos, and logos can help convince your audience to believe you and make your argument stronger. Ethos refers to an appeal to your audience by establishing your authenticity and trustworthiness as a speaker. If you employ pathos, you appeal to your audience’s emotions. Using logos includes the support of hard facts, statistics, and logical argumentation. The most effective speeches usually present a combination these rhetorical strategies.

Use statistics and quotations sparingly

Include only the most striking factual material to support your perspective, things that would likely stick in the listeners’ minds long after you’ve finished speaking. Otherwise, you run the risk of overwhelming your listeners with too much information.

Watch your tone

Be careful not to talk over the heads of your audience. On the other hand, don’t be condescending either. And as for grabbing their attention, yelling, cursing, using inappropriate humor, or brandishing a potentially offensive prop (say, autopsy photos) will only make the audience tune you out.

Creating an effective conclusion

Restate your main points, but don’t repeat them.

“I asked earlier why we should care about the rain forest. Now I hope it’s clear that . . .” “Remember how Mrs. Smith couldn’t afford her prescriptions? Under our plan, . . .”

Call to action

Speeches often close with an appeal to the audience to take action based on their new knowledge or understanding. If you do this, be sure the action you recommend is specific and realistic. For example, although your audience may not be able to affect foreign policy directly, they can vote or work for candidates whose foreign policy views they support. Relating the purpose of your speech to their lives not only creates a connection with your audience, but also reiterates the importance of your topic to them in particular or “the bigger picture.”

Practicing for effective presentation

Once you’ve completed a draft, read your speech to a friend or in front of a mirror. When you’ve finished reading, ask the following questions:

• Which pieces of information are clearest?
• Where did I connect with the audience?
• Where might listeners lose the thread of my argument or description?
• Where might listeners become bored?
• Where did I have trouble speaking clearly and/or emphatically?
• Did I stay within my time limit?

Other resources

• Toastmasters International is a nonprofit group that provides communication and leadership training.
• Allyn & Bacon Publishing’s Essence of Public Speaking Series is an extensive treatment of speech writing and delivery, including books on using humor, motivating your audience, word choice and presentation.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Boone, Louis E., David L. Kurtz, and Judy R. Block. 1997. Contemporary Business Communication . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Ehrlich, Henry. 1994. Writing Effective Speeches . New York: Marlowe.

Lamb, Sandra E. 1998. How to Write It: A Complete Guide to Everything You’ll Ever Write . Berkeley: Ten Speed Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Characteristics of a Good Speech

Effective Persuasive Speech Writing & Delivering in High School

Whether you are preparing for a wedding toast, for a live presentation in front of colleagues or you need to write a speech for an award or honor that you are expecting to receive, it's critical to learn the characteristics of an effective speech and how to write one yourself. The best way to do that is to pick a theme, stick with it and use anecdotes to prove your point.

What Makes a Good Speech?

Those who have heard a good speech remember it. However, it is very unlikely that they realize why they remember the speech. Experts explain that speechmaking is not a particularly effective form of communication. Because the structure of the speech is generally conversational, less of the speech is memorable because it doesn't necessarily contain new information.

Those who give a good speech make it look easy and effortless. A stiff speech that feels rehearsed or sounds like it was written by someone else is rarely effective or memorable in anything but a negative way.

What makes a speech good is a difficult question to answer. In some cases, it's humor. In others, it's a powerful call to action, and in other cases, it is simply the speaker's comfort, presence and energy that the audience finds infectious. However, whatever the case, good speeches have the same things in common. They contain a story that connects with their audience, and they have a strong beginning, a strong ending and a middle that doesn't drag on and on.

How Is a Good Speech Structured?

A strong speech contains a beginning, a middle and an end. Those are the three pieces of story structure, and they help make up the structure of a good speech as well. Experts warn that keeping the middle short is actually the key to a strong speech.

Begin with an attention-grabbing, compelling opening and use it as a story that will help to lay out the points you are hoping to make. The middle can reiterate your point briefly but without exhausting or belaboring the issue. The conclusion should be short and to the point.

What Are the Top Qualities of a Good Speech?

• A single theme. Research has proven that it is very difficult to remember a lot of detail when listening to a speech, so be sure to start with one main idea. What is the point of your speech? What do you want the audience to come away knowing, understanding or feeling?  Start from there and then work backward.
• Use anecdotes. Rather than a laundry list of reasons why your point is true or significant, try to find a story or an anecdote that supports the theme you are trying to express. Stories are naturally engaging, and people tend to remember them better than exposition or lectures about the same topic.
• Conversational tone. Write your speech in the same voice in which you speak. In other words, don't get academic. Speeches read aloud sound far different than an essay or another written piece. This is something to which anyone who has had to listen to a long speech can attest. Write in short sentences the same way that you speak. Don't write a speech that will sound "read." Keep the vocabulary and sentence structure as close to your own natural conversation as possible. 

Additional Qualities of a Good Speech

• Specific anecdotes or examples. Make sure that your examples and anecdotes are specific. If you're trying to prove a point or move an audience with emotion, be sure that any examples you provide that support your thesis or main point are specific and concrete. Vague descriptors or generalizations on the theme will only serve to make your speech feel gauzy and will take it out of reality. Specific anecdotes are central to good speaking.
• Humor. Use humor when and where appropriate. Of course, not every situation and speech is going to call for humor, but if you can present the information you are hoping to convey in the context of a humorous story or anecdote, you will have gone a long way toward creating a relatable and compelling speech that listeners remember long after you've given it.
• Eye Contact. Keep maintaining eye contact with various audience members. Don't look down at your notes or at the podium while you're speaking. 

How Should a Good Speech Be Structured?

• A strong beginning. Make sure your speech has a great beginning. To start your speech with a statement or an opening that really grabs your audience is half the battle. Once you've figured out how to craft an excellent opening to your speech that hooks the audience's attention, you'll have nailed one of the most important characteristics of a great speech.
• A strong ending. Make sure that your ending not only sums up your speech but does so in a way that refers back to the opening of the speech and delivers the information to the audience in a way that prompts a call to action or an emotional response to where you've taken them since the speech started.
• Keep the middle short. Don't go on and on. Once you've written a draft of your script, go back and edit. If there's anything you can cut, do it. A shorter speech is a better speech in almost every single case. If you can make yours shorter and still preserve the meaning and the message, do it. The more finely edited your speech, the more memorable its strengths will be. A strong beginning with a strong ending and a short middle is the best speech structure. 

Show Confidence When Speaking

There are a number of things that make all speakers good, and the first is confidence. Have confidence when you speak and not only confidence in your words but in your presence. Your body language is as important a part of your speech as your words. This is a key characteristic of an effective speech.

Not only do people listen better to people with confidence, but it has also been shown that people who speak with confidence are perceived as more authoritative, more competent, more trustworthy and more knowledgeable than a speaker who appears nervous or unsure.

Confidence is also the appearance of enjoying what you're doing. If the audience feels that the speaker is in charge of what he is saying and is comfortable and happy to be there, then the audience is more relaxed and more likely to stay focused on what they're hearing. A good way to seem happy to be there is to express excitement about the topic you're discussing. If you are excited about it, it won't be difficult to express it, and your excitement will be infectious to your audience.

Always Be Yourself

Be sure that you are being yourself. That can be difficult to do when you're convinced that people are judging you or that you need to take on another identity to be comfortable delivering your speech and be accepted, but the fact is that the best thing you can do when giving a speech is to be yourself, speak like yourself and deliver the words you have prepared with honesty and authenticity. This is one of the most important characteristics of an effective speech.

What Does "Key Attributes" Mean?

When people use the term "key attributes" in terms of a speech, they are referring to the aspects of the speech that made it memorable and that the speaker imparted to the crowd. If you are giving a speech at a funeral, the key attributes are going to be the memorable character traits of the deceased as well as an anecdote that proves the traits.

If you are trying to express that the deceased was empathetic and generous, these would be key attributes of your speech. Likewise, if your goal is to express the way that the groom has changed as a person since meeting the bride, the groom's character would be described as a key attribute of your speech.

In terms of a speaker, the key attributes of a good speaker are simply the qualities that they all share that are most important to make an effective speech. The key attributes of a good speaker are numerous, but they can be broken down into several categories regardless of the topic of the speech.

What Are the Key Attributes of a Good Speaker?

• No matter what your topic, your speech must be organized. It must begin, the beginning must lead to a middle and the middle must lead to an end. If you are not organized, your speech will appear haphazard and even lazy when, in fact, you are most likely just disorganized. Organizing your ideas can help you to gain clarity on the things you're discussing before you write, so you can be sure that your speech flows smoothly and isn't confusing to your audience.
• Being an engaging speaker means connecting with your audience. This is partially about body language, but it is also about the words you choose to communicate your point and the way that they connect with the audience. You can be engaging by speaking about something about which your audience will care. Put your topic in terms of a story or an anecdote that will be relatable to your audience and then speak to them with eye contact and authentic language.
• Flexibility is one of the key characteristics of an effective speaker. Things don't always go as planned, and even the best-prepared speeches can be upstaged or upset by unexpected conditions. By letting the audience know that you are prepared to handle a setback, you will be able to gain both their empathy and their trust. 

Why Do People Give Speeches?

Personal speeches like wedding toasts, funeral eulogies and award-acceptance speeches tend to center around emotions. These speeches are considered an act of respect, and by giving one, the speaker is acknowledging that this event deserves to be commemorated even if she is uncomfortable being a public speaker to begin with.

More general speeches like graduation keynote addresses, welcome speeches at a conference or presentations to colleagues are less focused on emotion and more focused on communicating information and setting an agenda. Guests at a conference may receive a speech that highlights the reasons for their gathering and what they hope to accomplish over the course of the conference. Graduation addresses are about celebrating the class's achievements and also about what their education means and how they should think about the future.

Political speeches, such as those given by politicians or activists, are generally intended to arouse passion in citizens by taking an issue that is seemingly impersonal, such as clean water access or a dilapidated playground, and making it a personal issue that will incite action on the part of the listening audience.

Related Articles

One-Minute Speech Topics

Organizational Methods for Writing a Speech

How to give an annual day speech in school.

How To Write A Salutatorian Speech

How to Give a Dedication Speech

How to Greet an Audience When Giving a Speech

How to Evaluate an Oral Presentation

Strategies for Effective Communication

• Inc.: The 8 Key Attributes You Need to Give a Stunning Speech
• Scholastic: Speechwriting
• NBC: 9 Ways That Anyone Can Be a Better Public Speaker

Ashley Friedman is a freelance writer with experience writing about education for a variety of organizations and educational institutions as well as online media sites. She has written for Pearson Education, The University of Miami, The New York City Teaching Fellows, New Visions for Public Schools, and a number of independent secondary schools. She lives in Los Angeles.

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How to write a speech that your audience remembers

Whether in a work meeting or at an investor panel, you might give a speech at some point. And no matter how excited you are about the opportunity, the experience can be nerve-wracking . 

But feeling butterflies doesn’t mean you can’t give a great speech. With the proper preparation and a clear outline, apprehensive public speakers and natural wordsmiths alike can write and present a compelling message. Here’s how to write a good speech you’ll be proud to deliver.

What is good speech writing?

Good speech writing is the art of crafting words and ideas into a compelling, coherent, and memorable message that resonates with the audience. Here are some key elements of great speech writing:

• It begins with clearly understanding the speech's purpose and the audience it seeks to engage. 
• A well-written speech clearly conveys its central message, ensuring that the audience understands and retains the key points. 
• It is structured thoughtfully, with a captivating opening, a well-organized body, and a conclusion that reinforces the main message. 
• Good speech writing embraces the power of engaging content, weaving in stories, examples, and relatable anecdotes to connect with the audience on both intellectual and emotional levels. 

Ultimately, it is the combination of these elements, along with the authenticity and delivery of the speaker , that transforms words on a page into a powerful and impactful spoken narrative.

What makes a good speech?

A great speech includes several key qualities, but three fundamental elements make a speech truly effective:

Clarity and purpose

Remembering the audience, cohesive structure.

While other important factors make a speech a home run, these three elements are essential for writing an effective speech.

The main elements of a good speech

The main elements of a speech typically include:

• Introduction: The introduction sets the stage for your speech and grabs the audience's attention. It should include a hook or attention-grabbing opening, introduce the topic, and provide an overview of what will be covered.
• Opening/captivating statement: This is a strong statement that immediately engages the audience and creates curiosity about the speech topics.
• Thesis statement/central idea: The thesis statement or central idea is a concise statement that summarizes the main point or argument of your speech. It serves as a roadmap for the audience to understand what your speech is about.
• Body: The body of the speech is where you elaborate on your main points or arguments. Each point is typically supported by evidence, examples, statistics, or anecdotes. The body should be organized logically and coherently, with smooth transitions between the main points.
• Supporting evidence: This includes facts, data, research findings, expert opinions, or personal stories that support and strengthen your main points. Well-chosen and credible evidence enhances the persuasive power of your speech.
• Transitions: Transitions are phrases or statements that connect different parts of your speech, guiding the audience from one idea to the next. Effective transitions signal the shifts in topics or ideas and help maintain a smooth flow throughout the speech.
• Counterarguments and rebuttals (if applicable): If your speech involves addressing opposing viewpoints or counterarguments, you should acknowledge and address them. Presenting counterarguments makes your speech more persuasive and demonstrates critical thinking.
• Conclusion: The conclusion is the final part of your speech and should bring your message to a satisfying close. Summarize your main points, restate your thesis statement, and leave the audience with a memorable closing thought or call to action.
• Closing statement: This is the final statement that leaves a lasting impression and reinforces the main message of your speech. It can be a call to action, a thought-provoking question, a powerful quote, or a memorable anecdote.
• Delivery and presentation: How you deliver your speech is also an essential element to consider. Pay attention to your tone, body language, eye contact , voice modulation, and timing. Practice and rehearse your speech, and try using the 7-38-55 rule to ensure confident and effective delivery.

While the order and emphasis of these elements may vary depending on the type of speech and audience, these elements provide a framework for organizing and delivering a successful speech.

How to structure a good speech

You know what message you want to transmit, who you’re delivering it to, and even how you want to say it. But you need to know how to start, develop, and close a speech before writing it. 

Think of a speech like an essay. It should have an introduction, conclusion, and body sections in between. This places ideas in a logical order that the audience can better understand and follow them. Learning how to make a speech with an outline gives your storytelling the scaffolding it needs to get its point across.

Here’s a general speech structure to guide your writing process:

• Explanation 1
• Explanation 2
• Explanation 3

How to write a compelling speech opener

Some research shows that engaged audiences pay attention for only 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Other estimates are even lower, citing that people stop listening intently in fewer than 10 minutes . If you make a good first impression at the beginning of your speech, you have a better chance of interesting your audience through the middle when attention spans fade. 

Implementing the INTRO model can help grab and keep your audience’s attention as soon as you start speaking. This acronym stands for interest, need, timing, roadmap, and objectives, and it represents the key points you should hit in an opening. 

Here’s what to include for each of these points: 

• Interest : Introduce yourself or your topic concisely and speak with confidence . Write a compelling opening statement using relevant data or an anecdote that the audience can relate to.
• Needs : The audience is listening to you because they have something to learn. If you’re pitching a new app idea to a panel of investors, those potential partners want to discover more about your product and what they can earn from it. Read the room and gently remind them of the purpose of your speech. 
• Timing : When appropriate, let your audience know how long you’ll speak. This lets listeners set expectations and keep tabs on their own attention span. If a weary audience member knows you’ll talk for 40 minutes, they can better manage their energy as that time goes on. 
• Routemap : Give a brief overview of the three main points you’ll cover in your speech. If an audience member’s attention starts to drop off and they miss a few sentences, they can more easily get their bearings if they know the general outline of the presentation.
• Objectives : Tell the audience what you hope to achieve, encouraging them to listen to the end for the payout. 

Writing the middle of a speech

The body of your speech is the most information-dense section. Facts, visual aids, PowerPoints — all this information meets an audience with a waning attention span. Sticking to the speech structure gives your message focus and keeps you from going off track, making everything you say as useful as possible.

Limit the middle of your speech to three points, and support them with no more than three explanations. Following this model organizes your thoughts and prevents you from offering more information than the audience can retain. 

Using this section of the speech to make your presentation interactive can add interest and engage your audience. Try including a video or demonstration to break the monotony. A quick poll or survey also keeps the audience on their toes. 

Wrapping the speech up

To you, restating your points at the end can feel repetitive and dull. You’ve practiced countless times and heard it all before. But repetition aids memory and learning , helping your audience retain what you’ve told them. Use your speech’s conclusion to summarize the main points with a few short sentences.

Try to end on a memorable note, like posing a motivational quote or a thoughtful question the audience can contemplate once they leave. In proposal or pitch-style speeches, consider landing on a call to action (CTA) that invites your audience to take the next step.

How to write a good speech

If public speaking gives you the jitters, you’re not alone. Roughly 80% of the population feels nervous before giving a speech, and another 10% percent experiences intense anxiety and sometimes even panic. 

The fear of failure can cause procrastination and can cause you to put off your speechwriting process until the last minute. Finding the right words takes time and preparation, and if you’re already feeling nervous, starting from a blank page might seem even harder.

But putting in the effort despite your stress is worth it. Presenting a speech you worked hard on fosters authenticity and connects you to the subject matter, which can help your audience understand your points better. Human connection is all about honesty and vulnerability, and if you want to connect to the people you’re speaking to, they should see that in you.

1. Identify your objectives and target audience

Before diving into the writing process, find healthy coping strategies to help you stop worrying . Then you can define your speech’s purpose, think about your target audience, and start identifying your objectives. Here are some questions to ask yourself and ground your thinking : 

• What purpose do I want my speech to achieve? 
• What would it mean to me if I achieved the speech’s purpose?
• What audience am I writing for? 
• What do I know about my audience? 
• What values do I want to transmit? 
• If the audience remembers one take-home message, what should it be? 
• What do I want my audience to feel, think, or do after I finish speaking? 
• What parts of my message could be confusing and require further explanation?

2. Know your audience

Understanding your audience is crucial for tailoring your speech effectively. Consider the demographics of your audience, their interests, and their expectations. For instance, if you're addressing a group of healthcare professionals, you'll want to use medical terminology and data that resonate with them. Conversely, if your audience is a group of young students, you'd adjust your content to be more relatable to their experiences and interests. 

3. Choose a clear message

Your message should be the central idea that you want your audience to take away from your speech. Let's say you're giving a speech on climate change. Your clear message might be something like, "Individual actions can make a significant impact on mitigating climate change." Throughout your speech, all your points and examples should support this central message, reinforcing it for your audience.

4. Structure your speech

Organizing your speech properly keeps your audience engaged and helps them follow your ideas. The introduction should grab your audience's attention and introduce the topic. For example, if you're discussing space exploration, you could start with a fascinating fact about a recent space mission. In the body, you'd present your main points logically, such as the history of space exploration, its scientific significance, and future prospects. Finally, in the conclusion, you'd summarize your key points and reiterate the importance of space exploration in advancing human knowledge.

5. Use engaging content for clarity

Engaging content includes stories, anecdotes, statistics, and examples that illustrate your main points. For instance, if you're giving a speech about the importance of reading, you might share a personal story about how a particular book changed your perspective. You could also include statistics on the benefits of reading, such as improved cognitive abilities and empathy.

6. Maintain clarity and simplicity

It's essential to communicate your ideas clearly. Avoid using overly technical jargon or complex language that might confuse your audience. For example, if you're discussing a medical breakthrough with a non-medical audience, explain complex terms in simple, understandable language.

7. Practice and rehearse

Practice is key to delivering a great speech. Rehearse multiple times to refine your delivery, timing, and tone. Consider using a mirror or recording yourself to observe your body language and gestures. For instance, if you're giving a motivational speech, practice your gestures and expressions to convey enthusiasm and confidence.

8. Consider nonverbal communication

Your body language, tone of voice, and gestures should align with your message . If you're delivering a speech on leadership, maintain strong eye contact to convey authority and connection with your audience. A steady pace and varied tone can also enhance your speech's impact.

9. Engage your audience

Engaging your audience keeps them interested and attentive. Encourage interaction by asking thought-provoking questions or sharing relatable anecdotes. If you're giving a speech on teamwork, ask the audience to recall a time when teamwork led to a successful outcome, fostering engagement and connection.

10. Prepare for Q&A

Anticipate potential questions or objections your audience might have and prepare concise, well-informed responses. If you're delivering a speech on a controversial topic, such as healthcare reform, be ready to address common concerns, like the impact on healthcare costs or access to services, during the Q&A session.

By following these steps and incorporating examples that align with your specific speech topic and purpose, you can craft and deliver a compelling and impactful speech that resonates with your audience.

Tools for writing a great speech

There are several helpful tools available for speechwriting, both technological and communication-related. Here are a few examples:

• Word processing software: Tools like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or other word processors provide a user-friendly environment for writing and editing speeches. They offer features like spell-checking, grammar correction, formatting options, and easy revision tracking.
• Presentation software: Software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides is useful when creating visual aids to accompany your speech. These tools allow you to create engaging slideshows with text, images, charts, and videos to enhance your presentation.
• Speechwriting Templates: Online platforms or software offer pre-designed templates specifically for speechwriting. These templates provide guidance on structuring your speech and may include prompts for different sections like introductions, main points, and conclusions.
• Rhetorical devices and figures of speech: Rhetorical tools such as metaphors, similes, alliteration, and parallelism can add impact and persuasion to your speech. Resources like books, websites, or academic papers detailing various rhetorical devices can help you incorporate them effectively.
• Speechwriting apps: Mobile apps designed specifically for speechwriting can be helpful in organizing your thoughts, creating outlines, and composing a speech. These apps often provide features like voice recording, note-taking, and virtual prompts to keep you on track.
• Grammar and style checkers: Online tools or plugins like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor help improve the clarity and readability of your speech by checking for grammar, spelling, and style errors. They provide suggestions for sentence structure, word choice, and overall tone.
• Thesaurus and dictionary: Online or offline resources such as thesauruses and dictionaries help expand your vocabulary and find alternative words or phrases to express your ideas more effectively. They can also clarify meanings or provide context for unfamiliar terms.
• Online speechwriting communities: Joining online forums or communities focused on speechwriting can be beneficial for getting feedback, sharing ideas, and learning from experienced speechwriters. It's an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and improve your public speaking skills through collaboration.

Remember, while these tools can assist in the speechwriting process, it's essential to use them thoughtfully and adapt them to your specific needs and style. The most important aspect of speechwriting remains the creativity, authenticity, and connection with your audience that you bring to your speech.

5 tips for writing a speech

Behind every great speech is an excellent idea and a speaker who refined it. But a successful speech is about more than the initial words on the page, and there are a few more things you can do to help it land.

Here are five more tips for writing and practicing your speech:

1. Structure first, write second

If you start the writing process before organizing your thoughts, you may have to re-order, cut, and scrap the sentences you worked hard on. Save yourself some time by using a speech structure, like the one above, to order your talking points first. This can also help you identify unclear points or moments that disrupt your flow.

2. Do your homework

Data strengthens your argument with a scientific edge. Research your topic with an eye for attention-grabbing statistics, or look for findings you can use to support each point. If you’re pitching a product or service, pull information from company metrics that demonstrate past or potential successes. 

Audience members will likely have questions, so learn all talking points inside and out. If you tell investors that your product will provide 12% returns, for example, come prepared with projections that support that statement.

3. Sound like yourself

Memorable speakers have distinct voices. Think of Martin Luther King Jr’s urgent, inspiring timbre or Oprah’s empathetic, personal tone . Establish your voice — one that aligns with your personality and values — and stick with it. If you’re a motivational speaker, keep your tone upbeat to inspire your audience . If you’re the CEO of a startup, try sounding assured but approachable. 

4. Practice

As you practice a speech, you become more confident , gain a better handle on the material, and learn the outline so well that unexpected questions are less likely to trip you up. Practice in front of a colleague or friend for honest feedback about what you could change, and speak in front of the mirror to tweak your nonverbal communication and body language .

5. Remember to breathe

When you’re stressed, you breathe more rapidly . It can be challenging to talk normally when you can’t regulate your breath. Before your presentation, try some mindful breathing exercises so that when the day comes, you already have strategies that will calm you down and remain present . This can also help you control your voice and avoid speaking too quickly.

How to ghostwrite a great speech for someone else

Ghostwriting a speech requires a unique set of skills, as you're essentially writing a piece that will be delivered by someone else. Here are some tips on how to effectively ghostwrite a speech:

• Understand the speaker's voice and style : Begin by thoroughly understanding the speaker's personality, speaking style, and preferences. This includes their tone, humor, and any personal anecdotes they may want to include.
• Interview the speaker : Have a detailed conversation with the speaker to gather information about their speech's purpose, target audience, key messages, and any specific points they want to emphasize. Ask for personal stories or examples they may want to include.
• Research thoroughly : Research the topic to ensure you have a strong foundation of knowledge. This helps you craft a well-informed and credible speech.
• Create an outline : Develop a clear outline that includes the introduction, main points, supporting evidence, and a conclusion. Share this outline with the speaker for their input and approval.
• Write in the speaker's voice : While crafting the speech, maintain the speaker's voice and style. Use language and phrasing that feel natural to them. If they have a particular way of expressing ideas, incorporate that into the speech.
• Craft a captivating opening : Begin the speech with a compelling opening that grabs the audience's attention. This could be a relevant quote, an interesting fact, a personal anecdote, or a thought-provoking question.
• Organize content logically : Ensure the speech flows logically, with each point building on the previous one. Use transitions to guide the audience from one idea to the next smoothly.
• Incorporate engaging stories and examples : Include anecdotes, stories, and real-life examples that illustrate key points and make the speech relatable and memorable.
• Edit and revise : Edit the speech carefully for clarity, grammar, and coherence. Ensure the speech is the right length and aligns with the speaker's time constraints.
• Seek feedback : Share drafts of the speech with the speaker for their feedback and revisions. They may have specific changes or additions they'd like to make.
• Practice delivery : If possible, work with the speaker on their delivery. Practice the speech together, allowing the speaker to become familiar with the content and your writing style.
• Maintain confidentiality : As a ghostwriter, it's essential to respect the confidentiality and anonymity of the work. Do not disclose that you wrote the speech unless you have the speaker's permission to do so.
• Be flexible : Be open to making changes and revisions as per the speaker's preferences. Your goal is to make them look good and effectively convey their message.
• Meet deadlines : Stick to agreed-upon deadlines for drafts and revisions. Punctuality and reliability are essential in ghostwriting.
• Provide support : Support the speaker during their preparation and rehearsal process. This can include helping with cue cards, speech notes, or any other materials they need.

Remember that successful ghostwriting is about capturing the essence of the speaker while delivering a well-structured and engaging speech. Collaboration, communication, and adaptability are key to achieving this.

Give your best speech yet

Learn how to make a speech that’ll hold an audience’s attention by structuring your thoughts and practicing frequently. Put the effort into writing and preparing your content, and aim to improve your breathing, eye contact , and body language as you practice. The more you work on your speech, the more confident you’ll become.

The energy you invest in writing an effective speech will help your audience remember and connect to every concept. Remember: some life-changing philosophies have come from good speeches, so give your words a chance to resonate with others. You might even change their thinking.

Elevate your communication skills

Unlock the power of clear and persuasive communication. Our coaches can guide you to build strong relationships and succeed in both personal and professional life.

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

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Radio National: What makes a great speech?

• X (formerly Twitter)

Bill Clinton loves history, he loves American history. He's very well read in it. And he liked having unusual sources quoted in speeches. He didn't always read everything I put in there. That's true for any speechwriter. But he liked being surprised and challenged. And that's what you're trying to do for the audience, also. You can't always quote the same three people. So over the long haul I think it did help me.

And, Michael, what about your relationship with the man you wrote the speeches for?

I think it's absolutely critical that you like the person, for a start. Because what you're trying to do, and what I was always trying to do with Bracks, was to find the rhythm of the man, you know? And he has a reputation as not being a great public speaker, which never bothered me. Because I think we're shooting for honesty, not for showbiz. And I think when you hit honesty that's what transmits. And at the time we were up against one of the greatest showbiz practitioners in Australian politics in Jeff Kennett. So I also began with Bracks when his common… The common way he was described in the media was 'Steve who?' I remember the great line that was in some newspaper was, 'Here is another nice-looking man in a suit who'll be sacrificed to the lost cause that is the Victorian ALP'. I like a challenge. And so it was the whole idea of taking what seemed to be absolutely impossible and then taking it forward. So we did go on a bit of a journey together.

What about the idea that Michael's just said, 'they were going for honesty, not showbiz'? Now, surely, that can't be the way everybody does every speech. Especially when you're in power, surely not 'honesty, not showbiz'. What about… Ted, what do you think?

I think it's always a little bit of both, but I felt like Bill Clinton knew enough about showbiz to handle that for himself so my job… Especially in the foreign policy realm, there were two offices. There was domestic speechwriting and foreign policy. Our speeches were more serious and more focussed on factual matters. A speech by the President of the United States becomes foreign policy by definition. So we couldn't take too many liberties with humour or great drama, but, nevertheless, Bill Clinton is Bill Clinton. And he would always enliven the speech with asides or little metaphors or folksy ways of describing complicated situations. It was his great strength as a politician.

What about you, Don? Honesty? Showbiz? What?

I think probably the question is phrased slightly the wrong way. I think what matters in a speech… Speeches work when they're concrete. It's not so much a matter of honesty. It's when any great speech — speeches which are often regarded as rhetorical masterpieces, Gettysburg or the Second Inaugural of Lincoln or Roosevelt's inaugural speech or Martin Luther King, they change an audience when they attach something that they recognise and feel, even if they've long lost contact with it. And when they are verb-filled and talk about things which people actually experience or know or sense, then they take off. When they're full of managerial speak or any other form of abstraction or cliche then people turn off. I mean, one of the things speechwriters do, it seems to me, if they're any good, is actually keep the language of politics alive and meaningful.

Let's talk a little bit about language since you've introduced it here, Don. Do we agree that verbs are important, that lots of verbs are good, Michael?

Absolutely. Abstraction is the death of anything.

But hang on. What about complex ideas? Does that mean you can never have a speech about something important in a theoretical vein or a set of complex ideas?

I think you can, but I think it has to be very grounded in what Don was saying, in the actual experience of people's lives. And that, I suppose, is where you're part of the speechwriter's armoury, it's the anecdotal. So that things are brought down to actual experience. The avoidance of great endless lines of statistics, which end up sounding like a kind of white noise. After you've got about two statistics in a sentence it's finished.

Absolutely. I think active verbs are important. The passive voice does not work usually. And simplicity is better than complexity. That was hard for me to learn, at first, coming from my academic background, but it helped me greatly as a writer to write for a politician, because you don't need five paragraphs to express a thought. You can express it in one or two sentences. But I also agree that there is a strategic moment in a speech where you can insert a complicated idea maybe one time only. You can work up to it. And that's the best part of the speech. But you have to be very careful not to overcomplicate the speech. In Lincoln's Gettysburg address there are very short words and sentences, but every now and then he'll introduce a word like 'consecrate' and it sounds beautiful in that simple context.

You're on The Book Show with me, Ramona Koval, on ABC Radio National. We're talking about what constitutes a great speech with great speechwriters. Michael Gurr in the studio with me in Melbourne, Don Watson in New York and Ted Widmer who wrote speeches for President Bill Clinton in Providence, Rhode Island. That 'I have a dream' speech, though, which was the one that made my hair stand on end at the back of my neck last week when I heard it again, that seems to work with gentle repetitions. And there was a certain hymnal element to the sound, the rhythm.

It actually quotes the gospel songs. And the speech works as a kind of tide. It keeps coming in and out. One of the extraordinary things about that speech is that you keep thinking that it's over and it's not, there's another one that just keeps breaking across you. So what that does emotionally is it just builds you and builds you and builds you until you're actually enveloped by it, you're kind of swimming in it. And it is simply impossible to disagree. Just back on that point you mentioned, the Gettysburg thing before, Ted, and the use of the word 'consecrate', there's another really beautiful thing that Lincoln does in there, he uses three words which are virtually meaning the same thing, but he says, 'We cannot dedicate, we cannot hallow, we cannot consecrate this ground'. But what I think he realises is that each of those words would hit different people in different ways. You may not respond to 'hallow' and 'dedicate', but you might to 'consecrate'.

I think it actually hinges on the word 'struggle'. That's the word which is so cleverly conceived, I think. When he says, 'the men who struggled here', when he could have chosen a whole lot of grander words. That's the illustration of how choosing the right word really matters. And it's the plainest word you could think of, but it actually paints immediately a picture of what war is. And the battle's still fresh when he speaks. It's funny, some of the great speeches in American history have all been written just before the man died. Lincoln died soon after Gettysburg. Well, no. The Second Inaugural, he died soon after that or was killed soon after. Robert Kennedy made his best speech just before he was killed and so did Martin Luther King. Well, his second best speech, the one he made before he was shot where he actually predicts his own death.

I spend all my time reading old Lincoln speeches and I don't think I'm normal, but it sounds like you have the same obsessions I do.

You haven't met Don and Michael. They're not normal, either.

And the King, too. I feel exactly the same about the King. I've been reading his later speeches. He started to turn against the Vietnam War at the end of his life and gave fascinating speeches as he was wrestling with that. I've enjoyed those lately, too.

You do have such a… The religious tradition in America is so different to Australia and I think, in different ways, both Lincoln and King Arthur influenced our fate via that traditional sermonising.

I think Clinton very much, without him having to say it, people could just intuit that he knew his Bible very well, which he… He's a rare liberal who knows the Bible extremely well.

It gives the whole architecture to it, I think.

Yes, you have that advantage, too, Ted. I've often thought it would be so much easier if we could evoke God in Australian speeches, but at least until about two years ago that was a complete no-no. No Labor politician would dare mention God, whereas it's almost mandatory now in America.

It is. You basically have to. You have to end the final line with 'God bless America'.

Yes, yes. I think it's a bit of a pity. I think it's a bigger test if you can't mention God.

Someone it's rather horrifying if you're listening to an Australian speech and occasionally you'll hear the 'God' word and you'll think 'What on earth is that about? Who are they talking to here?'

You just feel excluded.

They've imported it recently, I think. And I know where we've imported it from.

What Lincoln is saying I think is more religious. He's saying it's insulting to God to say that we know exactly what he's planned for us. It's a little more respectful to say we don't quite know but we're doing the best we can. I think that's a great attitude for us to take on the left over here, but people just like certainty in US politics, so it's always 'God bless America'.

The thing about Lincoln, it's a sort of cliche of speechwriting, but there was a head and a heart involved in every sentence. There was such a marvellous soulfulness about his writing, but it had this intellectual quality that not many people have had since.

And a kind of modesty, too.

Michael, as a playwright, did you approach the writing of a political speech as a storytelling exercise, as a performance?

The thing to remember about speechwriting is that there are many hands in the job, so many sometimes it can feel like you're on one vast committee. And you can feel as it goes through different hands of different advisors back to the person who's going to deliver it then back to you, then back to the advisors. You can sometimes feel the energy begin to drain out of it. What I think having written plays helped me with was I'm very used to writing in other people's voice and, I hope, able to capture rhythm. And I'm quite happy with being invisible.

There are many different kinds of speeches that a single politician has to make, so some are more theatrical than others. And some of ours had to be very dry, a statement of regret or approval of an action by another country. Or an extremely long persuasive speech to get Congress to do something and then you might have a statement of emotion over the passing of Sonny Bono all in the same day. So we're always kept on our toes.

SUBJECTS:   English

YEARS:  7–8, 9–10

Did you know that making a speech in public is rated as one of most people's greatest fears?

There is however an art to making a great speech.

Listen as Don Watson speech-writer for the former Prime minister Paul Keating, Michael Gurr playwright and speech-writer, and Ted Widmer foreign policy speech writer for former US president Bill Clinton, discuss the secrets to writing a great speech on The Book Show.

If you like this clip, visit https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/archived/bookshow/panel-discussion-what-makes-a-great-speech/3392316 for further information.

Things to think about

• 1. Have you ever had to speak in public? What do you think are the things that are most important when making a speech? Think about a really good speech you may have heard. Perhaps a classic like Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream'. Or perhaps a speech someone made on school assembly or at a family event. What made this speech memorable for you?
• 2. Listen carefully to each speech-writer. Jot down a point or two that they make about each of the following features of good speech writing: 1 Knowing who or what you are writing the speech for 2 Being passionate about your subject 3 Good research 4 Use of humour 5 Use of anecdote 6 Use of concrete examples 7 Use of active verbs 8 Use of abstraction and cliche 9 Ending 10 Storytelling and the use of drama and emotion. List ways that the panel think that Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' speech works? How and why do the panel say Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address works?
• 3. Listen to one of the following great speeches referred to in the broadcast: Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' (1963) or Abraham Lincoln 'Gettysburg Address' (1863). What techniques discussed in the broadcast are used in this speech?
• 4. Research the top ten speeches of all time. Get your friends or family to listen to a number of them. Vote and decide which you think are the top speeches. Compare and discuss your results with what the experts say. Choose an idea or issue that you are passionate about. Use one of the 'top ten' speeches as a model for writing your speech. Or just use the techniques discussed. Broadcast your speech in some way. Perhaps as a recording to friends or family. Perhaps through social media like Facebook. Check your audience response. How many 'likes' did you get and why do you think this was the case?

Date of broadcast: 16 Feb 2007

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Radio National: Ways of talking

ABC News: Julia Gillard addresses misogyny in parliament

Four Corners: Pretty polly How politicians speak

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• 11 Tips for Giving a Great Speech

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Chances are you’ll be asked to give speeches or presentations in classes at school. If you get involved in volunteer groups, brief speeches to open events or thank participants are a must. Then there are the speeches at events such as weddings, as well as speeches that you might have to give in the workplace. That amounts to the average person being required to give quite a lot of speeches, even if they don’t get involved in an area such as politics where the ability to give a good speech becomes even more important. You might also have suffered through quite a number of bad speeches from other people – whether that’s at family events where the microphone squeaks the whole way through or a school presentation where the headteacher can’t quite make the jokes work. If you don’t want to inflict the same sort of experience on others, here are our top tips for giving a great speech.

1. Practise your microphone technique

2. Keep it short

Particularly at something like a party or a wedding, no one will be unhappy if your speech runs a little short; it’ll just give them more time to investigate the canapés. If you are giving a speech for a class in school, and it’ll be assessed, you need to prioritise keeping it within the required time limits. But even under these circumstances, if you’ve been tasked – say – with giving a 10-15 minute speech, it’s usually better to come in nearer the 10 than the 15 minute mark. Put simply, even if your speech is terrible, your audience can probably tolerate it for 10 minutes. Much longer, and they’ll be struggling. This shouldn’t limit what you can cover; in the film Up , the whole of Carl and Ellie’s heartbreaking love story is told in under 12 minutes. Do you really need longer to make your points? Achieve brevity by writing out the speech you would give if you had all the time in the world, and then cut anything that seems extraneous or boring.

3. Consider what your audience wants to hear

If you are giving a speech in class because it’s your assignment, what your audience wants to hear is likely to be “the bell ringing for lunch”; you can’t help them there. But under other circumstances, consider what your audience wants to hear and what you want to say, and strive for there to be as much overlap as possible. In the context of a political speech, for instance, what you want to say might be why your party should receive votes; what your audience wants to hear is what your party would do for them, if they won power. Hopefully it should be possible to write a speech that meets both sets of needs, rather than focusing solely on whatever it is that you want to say and leaving your audience disappointed.

4. Pick a theme and stick to it

Here’s a goal for giving a speech: someone sitting near the back, who’s messing around on their phone for at least two-thirds of it and focusing mainly on how long it will be until lunch, should nonetheless be able to give a reasonably accurate answer to the question, “what was it about?” If you’re supposed to be giving a speech in defence of the nuclear deterrent, for example, both the topic and your position on it should be clearly identifiable. This means – to stick with the nuclear deterrent example – not talking for a while about jobs, and then the wider economy, and then the North-South divide, and then Scottish independence, and then Ukraine with a brief digression into South Ossetia before rounding off by squeaking out “and that’s why we should renew Trident!” seconds before you run out of time – no matter how relevant that cornucopia of topics may feel (and they are all relevant, albeit tenuously). It means that even if you do have to take a while to explain a more complex idea, you need to be concise, and bring it back to your theme as quickly as you can.

5. Speak slowly

Most people speak more quickly than they realise when they’re on stage, especially if they’re nervous. But no one will be able to follow your speech if you’re jabbering it out. Thankfully, this one is easy to fix with a little effort and practise. First of all, figure out how quickly you’re actually speaking: do a word count for your speech and then time yourself saying it. A fast speaker will speak at maybe 160 words per minute, a slow speaker at 100 wpm and an average speaker at 130 wpm. For a formal speech, you want to be speaking on the slow side. While this will vary by culture and environment, 120 wpm is a reasonable target to aim for; slow enough that everyone should be able to understand you, and fast enough that you hopefully won’t be sending them to sleep.

6. Tell a couple of jokes

This is a tricky tip because there are lots of pitfalls in the world of telling jokes. For instance, there’s the temptation to include an in-joke that three of your friends will understand and find hilarious, that is utterly baffling to everyone else in the room. Avoid this – if you include any jokes, witty references or anything along those lines, make sure they are accessible to everyone present. All the same, if you can manage a joke or two, it can be a useful way to break up a speech and retain the audience’s interest. A little self-deprecation (not too much!) or the use of classic joke formats such as “the scene was chaotic; it looked as if a bomb had hit and we didn’t know where to start on repairs – but that’s enough about the hen party…” work nicely even if you’re not very confident. Don’t turn it into a stand-up comedy sketch if you’re not a comedian, don’t wait for ages for laughter that’s not showing up, and don’t make jokes at the expense of anyone who you don’t know for sure can take it.

7. Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself if you need to

If you follow US or UK politics at all, you’ve probably heard some of these phrases recently: take back control, make America great again, long-term economic plan, son of a bus driver. Three of these have already led the party or people they’re associated with to electoral victory; the fourth remains to be seen. To take the ‘son of a bus driver’ as an example, this refers to Sadiq Khan, now Mayor of London. There can be hardly anyone in London who doesn’t know what their Mayor’s dad did for a living. Meanwhile, many of them probably can’t remember his rival Zac Goldsmith’s name, let alone anything he said during the campaign. The point is that repetition works. In pursuit of point 4, if you want people to remember your key theme, you’re going to have to say it more than once. Don’t assume that everyone will have paid attention to everything you’ve said, unless you’re in a classroom setting where they’ll get told off if they don’t.

8. Only use the visual aids you need

This tip applies to two things: PowerPoints and notes. If you can do without either (and your assignment allows it), then do. Every time you’re glancing over your notes or up at the screen, fiddling with the laptop to get the slide to move on, fighting with a video that isn’t working or struggling to read your own handwriting, is time that you’re not spending engaging with your audience. A well-written, clear speech delivered without notes is always going to be better than someone awkwardly reading aloud the bullet points on their PowerPoint slides. If you must do a presentation – for instance, because there are photos that need to be included – have as little text on it as possible, preferably none. That way, if there are people at the back who can’t really see the screen through the sea of heads in front of them, they’ll still be able to follow what you’re saying.

9. Get a friend to check for awkward mannerisms

Mannerisms that are entirely fine in normal life become awkward and strange when you’re speaking in public. Perhaps you’re inclined to fiddle with your hair or your cuffs, you rock back and forth on the balls of your feet, or you have a habit of reaching your hand to your cheek when you’re talking. No one would notice in everyday conversation, but when you’re on a stage, it’ll become all they’ll see. Some of this is easily avoidable – for instance, if you have long hair that you’re inclined to twirl or otherwise fiddle with, tie it up. For other mannerisms, get the critical friend who helped you sort out your microphone technique to tell you what they are, and do your best to suppress the more annoying ones.

10. Look around the room

Talking about eye contact usually has the effect of making normal eye contact a lot harder, and so does giving a speech. All of a sudden, you’re up on stage, and you have no idea what a normal way to look at a group of people is. Some speakers deal with this by picking a point in the middle distance and speaking to it; others by picking a particular person near to the back and addressing their entire speech at them. This is obviously no fun for that person, who probably spends the whole thing feeling extremely uncomfortable, but it’s not too weird for everyone else. Better still, though, if you can manage it, is to look slowly and steadily around the room, trying to make eye contact with a decent range of people, before returning to the middle distance for a while, rinse and repeat. This needs to be slow and steady, or you give the impression that you’ve just smelled smoke and are casting about for a fire exit before the stampede beings.

11. Don’t be scared of a good reaction

If your speech is genuinely engaging, funny, inspiring or any of the other things you might hope it would be, your audience will react to it. There might be laughter, or applause, or even a bit of cheering depending on the setting. This can be daunting because when you’re practising your speech in front of your bedroom mirror, there’s no way to prepare for it. And it’s where even the best speakers can go wrong, by launching straight into what they were going to say next without waiting for the laughter or applause to stop, or by looking painfully awkward while it’s going on. It’s a pitfall that’s mostly solved by being aware it might happen. If your audience is applauding you or otherwise reacting well, it’s OK to smile, look up, wait for them to stop and then keep going with your speech – it’s as simple as that. You could even throw in a “thank you” before you continue in the knowledge that it’s all going well. Image credits: microphones ; audience ; boy with microphone ; clock ; winding road ; enjoy a joke ; sticky notes ; 

10 Tips for Improving Your Public Speaking Skills

Few are immune to the fear of public speaking. Marjorie North offers 10 tips for speakers to calm the nerves and deliverable memorable orations.

Marjorie North

Snakes? Fine. Flying? No problem. Public speaking? Yikes! Just thinking about public speaking — routinely described as one of the greatest (and most common) fears — can make your palms sweat. But there are many ways to tackle this anxiety and learn to deliver a memorable speech.

In part one of this series,  Mastering the Basics of Communication , I shared strategies to improve how you communicate. In part two, How to Communicate More Effectively in the Workplace , I examined how to apply these techniques as you interact with colleagues and supervisors in the workplace. For the third and final part of this series, I’m providing you with public speaking tips that will help reduce your anxiety, dispel myths, and improve your performance.

Here Are My 10 Tips for Public Speaking:

1. nervousness is normal. practice and prepare.

All people feel some physiological reactions like pounding hearts and trembling hands. Do not associate these feelings with the sense that you will perform poorly or make a fool of yourself. Some nerves are good. The adrenaline rush that makes you sweat also makes you more alert and ready to give your best performance.

The best way to overcome anxiety is to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more. Take the time to go over your notes several times. Once you have become comfortable with the material, practice — a lot. Videotape yourself, or get a friend to critique your performance.

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2. Know Your Audience. Your Speech Is About Them, Not You.

Before you begin to craft your message, consider who the message is intended for. Learn as much about your listeners as you can. This will help you determine your choice of words, level of information, organization pattern, and motivational statement.

3. Organize Your Material in the Most Effective Manner to Attain Your Purpose.

Create the framework for your speech. Write down the topic, general purpose, specific purpose, central idea, and main points. Make sure to grab the audience’s attention in the first 30 seconds.

4. Watch for Feedback and Adapt to It.

Keep the focus on the audience. Gauge their reactions, adjust your message, and stay flexible. Delivering a canned speech will guarantee that you lose the attention of or confuse even the most devoted listeners.

5. Let Your Personality Come Through.

Be yourself, don’t become a talking head — in any type of communication. You will establish better credibility if your personality shines through, and your audience will trust what you have to say if they can see you as a real person.

6. Use Humor, Tell Stories, and Use Effective Language.

Inject a funny anecdote in your presentation, and you will certainly grab your audience’s attention. Audiences generally like a personal touch in a speech. A story can provide that.

7. Don’t Read Unless You Have to. Work from an Outline.

Reading from a script or slide fractures the interpersonal connection. By maintaining eye contact with the audience, you keep the focus on yourself and your message. A brief outline can serve to jog your memory and keep you on task.

8. Use Your Voice and Hands Effectively. Omit Nervous Gestures.

Nonverbal communication carries most of the message. Good delivery does not call attention to itself, but instead conveys the speaker’s ideas clearly and without distraction.

9. Grab Attention at the Beginning, and Close with a Dynamic End.

Do you enjoy hearing a speech start with “Today I’m going to talk to you about X”? Most people don’t. Instead, use a startling statistic, an interesting anecdote, or concise quotation. Conclude your speech with a summary and a strong statement that your audience is sure to remember.

10. Use Audiovisual Aids Wisely.

Too many can break the direct connection to the audience, so use them sparingly. They should enhance or clarify your content, or capture and maintain your audience’s attention.

Practice Does Not Make Perfect

Good communication is never perfect, and nobody expects you to be perfect. However, putting in the requisite time to prepare will help you deliver a better speech. You may not be able to shake your nerves entirely, but you can learn to minimize them.

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About the Author

North is a consultant for political candidates, physicians, and lawyers, and runs a private practice specializing in public speaking, and executive communication skills. Previously, she was the clinical director in the department of speech and language pathology and audiology at Northeastern University.

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How to Make a Good Speech for School

Last Updated: February 26, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Patrick Muñoz . Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,262,901 times.

A good speech in school will earn you the admiration of your teachers and peers alike. You probably won't deliver the kind of speech you hear in the movies, but that's a good thing: people will enjoy your original take much more. From getting an idea to conquering stage fright, here are the steps to take if you want to make your final speech a memorable, exciting success.

Sample Speeches

Writing the Speech

• If you're not sure which theme to choose, write down or summarize a few stories and statements you could include in your speech. Pick the ones you like best and see if there's a unifying theme to tie them together.
• See What to Do and What Not to Do for more advice on themes.

• Don't interrupt one point with a clause, or section set aside by commas or parentheses. Instead of saying "Our tennis and basketball teams, which we all know won the regional championships two years ago, need increased funding to compete," say "Our tennis and basketball teams both won the regional championships two years ago. Now we need to increase their funding to compete with other schools."
• You can reference your school's slang once or twice to get a laugh, but don't overdo it, especially if there are parents in the audience.

• Find a broad message that your whole audience can connect to their own life, but still deals with a specific idea. For instance: "Become an even better version of the hero who inspired you." (But don't steal your "original" idea from this website!)
• Your stories can be specific incidents in your life or from history, but you should connect them to a more general idea. For instance, you could tell a story about your sibling's hospital visit, then go on to talk about overcoming fear and hardship in general.
• If you like what you're writing but it doesn't fit the theme you had planned, it's fine to adjust your topic or switch it entirely. Switch back and forth between writing stories and brainstorming a theme if you keep getting stuck.

• Surprise your audience by diving right into a tough story. "When I was ten years old, I lost my father."
• Make your audience laugh by telling a joke, especially one that everyone in the room will get. "Hello everyone. Let's have a round of applause for the guy who installed air conditioning."
• Start with a grand, thought-provoking statement. "Our galaxy contains billions of earth-like planets, and we're only just beginning to discover them."
• Most likely, someone else will introduce you, and many of your classmates know you already. Unless you're asked specifically to introduce yourself, you can get right to the good stuff.

• To use an example from earlier, if your theme is "Become an even better version of the hero who inspired you," you could begin your speech with two or three sentence about your hero, then say "You all have heroes who inspire you, but you don't have to just follow them. You can become even greater than the people you look up to."

• Include phrases such as "Now I'd like to talk about..." and "But we should also remember..." when moving on to your next idea.

• Build up to a big ending, then crack a joke to wrap up a funny speech. "And I know when you walk to the ballot box tomorrow, you'll be ready to do the right thing. Protect the interests of yourself and your school by washing your hands afterward. Do you know how many people touch that thing?"
• If you're giving a commencement speech, leave people feeling excited or awed about the future. This is a big moment and you have the power to help them realize it. "Years from now, you will be the father or mother your kid looks up to. The writer who changes the way we think. The inventor who creates new ways to live. Come up to the stage and start becoming heroes!"

• Have a teacher, family member, or trusted friend check it over for grammar mistakes and offer feedback. Spelling isn't as important, since you'll be speaking out loud.

• If your topic involves a lot of numbers, plan to write them on the board so your audience can remember them

• Your notes are there to remind you what to say next and of important facts. "Move on to bear wrestling story (guy's name is Paul Bunyan)" is the level of detail you need.

Practicing and Delivering the Speech

• Practice giving your speech in as situation as similar to your actual speech as possible.
• In general, you should stay fairly still while giving a speech. Small hand gestures and occasionally moving to a new spot are fine, especially if they help you feel and appear confident

• If you speech is too long, you absolutely need to cut some material out of it or shorten the longer stories or ideas. If you're giving a commencement speech, aim for a 10 or 15 minute maximum. An election speech should be no more than a few minutes, and your teacher should be able to tell you the time limit for a class assignment speech.

• If you can't stop rushing, work out how long you should spend on each section and write the number of minutes at the top of each index card or paragraph. Practice near a clock so you can check whether you're on pace.

• Use slightly different words each time once you have the main ideas down. Try not to get caught up on exact memorization; using a new phrase to communicate the written idea makes your speech sound more natural.

• Practice varying your facial expression if your face looks fixed and mechanical.
• Try to vary the tone of your voice as well. Don't make it sound like you're reciting every word from memory; pretend you're speaking in ordinary conversation.

• Try to make eye contact with different members of your audience throughout the speech. Don't stare at any one person for too long.
• Resist the temptation to hide by standing near a corner or large object.
• Don't fidget, tap your foot, or make other nervous gestures. Try slowly walking back and forth across the stage to get rid of your nervous energy.

• Dressing nicely will increase your confidence and gain respect and attention from your audience.

What to Do and What Not to Do

• Memories your class shares and personal memories that many people will connect to, such as your first day at the school.
• Overcoming obstacles. Talk about how your classmates overcame problems related to academics, finances, and health, and how proud everyone is that they're standing here.
• The diversity of your classmates and celebrating the rich variety of experiences, personalities, and interests at your school. Describe some of the many ways people will go on to do good in the world.

• Address your audience directly. Ask them questions to get them thinking, although you shouldn't expect an answer.
• Use groups of three. The human brain loves repetition, and especially trios. Start three sentences with the same phrase, speaking louder each sentence.
• Use emotive language. Try to provoke a strong emotional response in your audience, not present a list of facts to them.

• Don't tell stories that only a few friends will understand. Even references that your whole class will get should be used sparingly if there are parents in the room as well.

• Go change the world!
• Today is not the last day of your education, but the first.
• The future belongs to you.
• If elected, I will be the voice of the students.
• It's time for change!

• If you're giving a high school commencement speech, remember that not everyone in your class will be attending college. Don't joke about your education letting you avoid a "bad" profession; chances are good there's a parent who has that job out in the audience.=

Common Questions: Tips for Writing & Rehearsing a Speech

How do you start a speech for school?

Start by introducing yourself and thanking the audience. You can kick off the speech with a relevant “what if” question that gets the audience thinking and expand on it. Or try starting with a strong statement or quote related to your topic, then follow it up with an impactful question to answer in your speech. [14] X Research source

Where do I start when I'm writing a speech?

Start by sitting down and brainstorming to get your creative juices flowing. What is the focus of your speech? Who is your audience? Why is your speech important? Once you have some notes down, start refining your ideas until you get to one main point or theme that you’ll base your speech on. [15] X Research source

What parts should I include in a speech to make it the most effective?

Create a speech that has a clear introduction for your main point or thesis statement. Then, include and expand on 2-3 main points to make up the body of your speech. To conclude, summarize and restate your thesis to include your key points, and then make your closing statement. [16] X Research source

How do I get better at giving a speech I've written?

Read the speech out loud several times to get a feel for it. Record or take video of yourself giving the speech to find any weak spots and adjust anything that feels awkward or choppy. Ask friends or family to watch you rehearse and give you honest feedback. Then, just keep practicing until you've nailed it. [17] X Research source

• Look at everyone in the audience, not just one person. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Make sure you don't offend or embarrass your audience. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Before you start, pick a spot on the wall to focus on. Throughout the speech, keep looking at that spot after each sentence. This shows to your audience and teacher that you can make eye contact! Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Things You'll Need

• Writing tool
• Index cards

You Might Also Like

• ↑ [v161163_b01].12 November 2019.
• ↑ https://finley-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/f/finley-h/localcontent/how_to_write_a_speech.pdf
• ↑ https://www.toastmasters.org/magazine/articles/for-the-novice-six-simple-steps-to-writing-a-fantastic-speech
• ↑ https://www.unr.edu/writing-speaking-center/student-resources/writing-speaking-resources/speech-introductions
• ↑ [v161163_b01]. 12 November 2019.
• ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zv7fqp3/articles/z4w96v4
• ↑ https://classroom.synonym.com/write-good-speech-school-4859.html
• ↑ https://www.unr.edu/writing-speaking-center/student-resources/writing-speaking-resources/speech-delivery
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-start-off-a-speech
• ↑ https://open.maricopa.edu/com225/chapter/selecting-a-topic-brainstorming-your-ideas/
• ↑ https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/support/writingcenter/public-speaking/resources-for-public-speaking/speech-structure
• ↑ https://open.maricopa.edu/com225/chapter/practicing-your-speech/

About This Article

To make a good speech for school, choose a theme or topic to focus your speech on so it's easier to write. When you're writing your speech, stick with simple language so your audience understands and doesn't get bored. Also, try to start your speech with a joke, story, or shocking fact that will immediately grab their attention. Remember to talk directly to your audience by asking rhetorical questions and making references they'll understand. End your speech with something memorable, like an inspirational quote or a call to action. To learn more about how to practice and memorize your speech before you present it, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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16 Public Speaking Tips for Students

Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of The Anxiety Workbook and founder of the website About Social Anxiety. She has a Master's degree in clinical psychology.

Aron Janssen, MD is board certified in child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry and is the vice chair of child and adolescent psychiatry Northwestern University.

Public speaking tips for students aim to reduce anxiety that can interfere with giving presentations or speeches in class. These tips can also be helpful for those with social anxiety disorder (SAD)   who have difficulty speaking in front of a group or telling a story among friends.

Public Speaking Tips

If you have SAD and need to give a speech  in elementary school, high school, college, or university, it helps to be as prepared as possible . Beyond preparation, however, there are strategies that you can use to reduce anxiety and fight the urge to stay home with a fake illness.

Even great speakers practice their speeches beforehand. Practice out loud with a recording device or video camera and then watch yourself to see how you can improve. If you are feeling brave, practice in front of a friend or family member and ask for feedback.

• Talk about what you know : If possible, choose a topic for your speech or presentation that you know a lot about and love. Your passion for the topic will be felt by the audience, and you will feel less anxious knowing that you have a lot of experience to draw from when other students ask you questions.
• Concentrate on your message : When you focus on the task at hand, anxiety is less likely to get out of control. Concentrate on the main message of your speech or presentation and make it your goal to deliver that message to the other students in your class.
• Grab the audience's attention : Most of your fellow classmates will pay attention for at least the first 20 seconds; grab their attention during those early moments. Start with an interesting fact or a story that relates to your topic.
• Have one main message : Focus on one central theme and your classmates will learn more. Tie different parts of your talk to the main theme to support your overall message. Trying to cover too much ground can leave other students feeling overwhelmed.

Tell Stories

Stories catch the attention of other students and deliver a message in a more meaningful way than facts and figures. Whenever possible, use a story to illustrate a point in your talk.

Being prepared to speak in public can also be important if you have social anxiety disorder. Feeling confident and prepared to give your speech may help lessen your feelings of anxiety. Some of the things that you can do to prepare include:

• Visit the room : If you have access to the classroom where you will be speaking outside of class hours, take the time to visit in advance and get used to standing at the front of the room. Make arrangements for any audio-visual equipment and practice standing in the exact spot where you will deliver your speech.
• Rack up experience : Volunteer to speak in front of your class as often as possible. Be the first one to raise your hand when a question is asked. Your confidence will grow with every public speaking experience.
• Observe other speakers : Take the time to watch other speakers who are good at what they do. Practice imitating their style and confidence.
• Organize your talk : Every speech should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Structure your talk so that the other students know what to expect.

Manage Your Anxiety

Taking steps to deal with your feelings of anxiety can also make public speaking easier. Some of the things that you can do:

• Tell someone about your anxiety : If you are speaking in front of a high school or college class, meet with your teacher or professor and describe your public speaking fears . If you're in elementary or high school, share your fears with your parents, a teacher, or a guidance counselor. Sometimes sharing how you feel can make it easier to overcome stage fright.
• Visualize confidence : Visualize yourself confidently delivering your speech. Imagine feeling free of anxiety and engaging the students in your class. Although this may seem like a stretch for you now, visualization is a powerful tool for changing the way that you feel. Elite athletes use this strategy to improve performance in competitions.
• Find a friendly face : If you are feeling anxious, find one of your friends in class (or someone who seems friendly) and imagine that you are speaking only to that person.

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Maintain Perspective

Remember that other students are on your side. Think about a time when you have been an audience member and the student delivering the speech or presentation was noticeably nervous. Did you think less of that student? More likely, you felt sympathetic and wanted to make that person more comfortable by smiling or nodding.

Remember—other students generally want you to succeed and feel comfortable. If for some reason the audience is not on your side or you experience bullying or social exclusion, be sure to discuss this with a parent, teacher, or guidance counselor.

Be Confident

Sometimes just knowing what makes a good speech can help you feel more confident. Focus on some of the following elements and practice them before you have to speak in public.

• Develop your own style : In addition to imitating good speakers, work on developing your own personal style as a public speaker. Integrate your own personality into your speaking style and you will feel more comfortable in front of the class. Telling personal stories that tie into your theme are a great way to let other students get to know you better.
• Avoid filler words : Words such as "basically", "well", and "um" don't add anything to your speech. Practice being silent when you feel the urge to use one of these words.
• Vary your tone, volume, and speed : Interesting speakers vary the pitch (high versus low), volume (loud versus soft), and speed (fast versus slow) of their words. Doing so keeps your classmates interested and engaged in what you say.
• Make the audience laugh : Laughter is a great way to relax both you and the other students in your class, and telling jokes can be a great icebreaker at the beginning of a speech. Practice the timing and delivery of your jokes beforehand and ask a friend for feedback. Be sure that they are appropriate for your class before you begin.
• Smile : If all else fails, smile. Your fellow classmates will perceive you like a warm speaker and be more receptive to what you have to say.

Don't Apologize

If you make a mistake, don't offer apologies. Chances are that your classmates didn't notice anyway. Unless you need to correct a fact or figure, there is no point dwelling on errors that probably only you noticed.

If you make a mistake because your hands or shaking, or something similar, try to make light of the situation by saying something like, "I wasn't this nervous when I woke up this morning!" This can help to break the tension of the moment.

A Word From Verywell

It's natural to feel frightened the first time you have to speak in front of your class. However, if you fear continues, interferes with your daily life and keeps you awake at night, it may be helpful to see someone about your anxiety.

Try talking to a parent, teacher, or counselor about how you have been feeling. If that doesn't get you anywhere, ask to make an appointment with your doctor. Severe public speaking anxiety is a true disorder that can improve with treatment .

Spence SH, Rapee RM. The etiology of social anxiety disorder: An evidence-based model . Behav Res Ther. 2016;86:50-67. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2016.06.007

By Arlin Cuncic, MA Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of The Anxiety Workbook and founder of the website About Social Anxiety. She has a Master's degree in clinical psychology.

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What Makes a Good Graduation Speech?

Listen to this 'talk of the nation' topic.

With all the anxiety and relief associated with graduation day, it can be hard to remember what was said during the ceremony. In an article for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Jay Parini, a professor at Middlebury College, distills the qualities of a memorable speech.

Jay Parini, novelist; poet; professor of English, Middlebury College

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Value of Education Speech for Students and Children

Value of education speech.

Good Evening, Ladies and gentlemen. I am here before you today to present the Value of Education speech. Education is the basic human right. The value of education is very essential for the exercise of all other human rights. It provides freedom and empowerment to all individuals. Education is the most powerful tool by which economically and socially backward adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty line. It is the foundation of our society. Education helps to stimulate our minds and mold curious minds into intellectuals. Education takes the intellect to the next level. It provides a deeper understanding of the world around us. It forms the very essence of our actions.

Source: pixabay.com

Our behavior, our perception is what we have learned, either through instructions or through observation. Education is a ladder that can carry us to high limits. Without education, without knowledge, you cannot contribute to the world or earn money. Knowledge is power.

The value of education helps you know what you can do, and so you can go that extra mile. The value of education is much higher than we can express in words. It helps to remove dirt from our mind, doubts and fears what could lead us in backsteps. It helps to makes us happy and successful and makes us better human beings. The light of education removes the darkness, and suddenly we find how beautiful this world is.

Types of Education

We can divide the education system into 3 types; formal, informal and non-formal education. What we learn from school, colleges or universities gives us formal education. Informal education can be earned throughout our life. It doesn’t follow any specific syllabus or time table.

Learning informal education is endless and we continue to learn it as our lives go on. Non-formal education is often used interchangeably with terms such as community education, adult education, continuing education, and second-chance education.

Get the Huge list of 100+ Speech Topics here

Importance of Education in Life

Reading, writing, and understanding is the first value that we receive from Education. Most information is done by writing. Without writing skill we will miss out on a lot of information. Consequently, Education makes people literate. Above all, Education is extremely important for employment. Proper education gives us a great opportunity to make a decent living.

We understood the values of education when we see people with a high paying job. Uneducated people have a huge disadvantage when it comes to jobs due to a lack of education. Better Communication is yet another role in Education. It enhances and improves the speech of a person. Educated individuals can express their views efficiently and in a clear manner.

Importance of Education in Society

The values of Education lies in spreading knowledge in society. Spreading of knowledge creates our environment and this is perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of Education. Education brings in the development and innovation in fields of technology, medicine, lifestyle, etc.

The more the proper education we get, the more technology will spread. Apart from this the value of education plays a very crucial role in securing a country’s economic and social progress and improving people’s income distribution.

The value of Education is the most important ingredient to change the world. It helps us to gain knowledge and that knowledge can be used to make a better living. Most importantly the value of education is something that can never be destroyed by any type of natural or manmade disaster. It plays an important role in an individual’s life. Education is the path for the development of society and the overall development of the Nation also.

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Delivering a speech can be stressful, especially when you’re on stage in front of your peers at school. A good speech not only keeps the audience engaged but also imparts valuable knowledge or insights. In this article, we will explore the key elements and techniques that will help you create a captivating and thought-provoking speech for your school event.

1. Research and Preparation:

The first and foremost step in crafting an excellent speech is doing thorough research on the topic. Understand the subject matter and gather relevant information and data to reinforce your points. List down the key ideas you want to convey, and organize them into a structured outline. Preparation is crucial because it builds your confidence and ensures that your speech flows smoothly

2. Understand Your Audience

Keeping your audience in mind is essential while devising your speech. Consider their age group, interests, preferences, and any existing knowledge they might have about the topic. A great approach is to engage with your audience by using relatable examples or anecdotes from daily life. By understanding your audience, you can craft a speech that connects with them intellectually and emotionally.

3. Have a Clear Message:

An outstanding speech carries a clear message that stays with the audience long after it’s delivered. Create a statement that sums up the core message you want to convey through your speech. It could be an important lesson, inspirational thought, or even a call-to-action—whatever it is, make sure this central idea is clear and well-defined throughout the speech.

4. Keep It Structured and Organized:

A well-structured speech ensures that your ideas flow together seamlessly from one point to another without leaving the audience confused or lost. You can utilize several methods to organize your content effectively—these include:

– The chronological approach (following a particular time order)

– Topical approach (dividing your speech into different aspects or categories)

– Problem-solution pattern (outlining a problem and providing possible solutions)

Ensure that your ideas are organized logically and transition smoothly from one point to another.

5. Be Concise and Clear:

One of the most important aspects of a great speech is clarity. Avoid jargon or complex language that may deter your audience. Instead, use simple, concise words and phrases to make your speech accessible to a wide range of audience members. Additionally, avoid repeating the same points multiple times; focus on delivering concise yet impactful statements.

6. Use Effective Nonverbal Communication:

Nonverbal communication plays a significant part in making your speech more compelling. Maintain good eye contact with the audience, as it helps establish rapport and keeps them engaged. Adopt a confident posture and body language, as it enhances credibility and authority. Use gestures wisely to emphasize crucial points or convey emotions—just ensure they complement your speech rather than distract from it.

7. Assertive Vocal Techniques:

Using a clear, confident voice is imperative in conveying authority and credibility. Project an even tone and regulate your pace: don’t speak too rapidly or drawl. Vary your tone when appropriate to underscore essential points or convey different emotions which brings life to your words.

8. Practice Makes Perfect:

Lastly, there’s no substitute for practice when it comes to delivering a terrific school speech. Rehearse multiple times, making sure you’re using all the right nonverbal cues, vocal techniques, and annunciations. Practicing will also help you overcome anxiety or stage fright.

In conclusion, crafting a captivating speech for school requires thorough research and preparation, audience consideration, clear messaging, structured organization, concise delivery, effective nonverbal communication, assertive vocal techniques, and plenty of practice. Implementing these pointers will not only help you deliver memorable speeches for school events but also give you

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Speech on Good Education

Good education is like a key that opens doors to a brighter future. It helps you grow, learn new things, and make better choices.

But what makes an education good? Is it just about getting high grades? Let’s explore this interesting topic together.

1-minute Speech on Good Education

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good education is like a key. This key opens doors to a world of opportunities, just like a key opens doors to rooms full of treasures. It is a gift that keeps on giving, a light that never goes out.

The first thing that good education does is to teach us how to think. It’s not just about learning facts and figures. It’s about learning how to use our minds, how to solve problems, and how to make good decisions. It teaches us to be curious, to ask questions, and to seek answers.

Next, good education helps us to understand the world around us. It shows us how things work, from the tiniest atom to the biggest star. It helps us to understand other people, their thoughts, their feelings, and their cultures. It makes the world a smaller and friendlier place.

Good education also prepares us for the future. It gives us the skills we need to find good jobs and to do them well. It helps us to become good citizens, to know our rights and responsibilities, and to respect the rights and responsibilities of others.

Lastly, good education helps us to grow as people. It helps us to become more confident, more compassionate, and more understanding. It helps us to set goals and to reach for them. It helps us to become the best that we can be.

In conclusion, good education is one of the most important things in life. It is a key to a world of opportunities, a light that never goes out. Let us cherish it, let us respect it, and let us make sure that every child has the chance to receive it.

2-minute Speech on Good Education

Good afternoon, friends! Today, we are here to talk about a very important topic – good education.

Good education is like a key. Just like a key opens a door, good education opens the door to a bright future. It helps us learn new things, understand the world better, and make our dreams come true.

The first thing to remember about good education is that it’s not just about reading books and getting good grades. It’s about learning how to think, how to solve problems, and how to make good choices. It’s about understanding what’s right and what’s wrong. It’s about learning to respect others, to work in a team, and to be a good person.

Good education also helps us discover what we are good at. Maybe you are good at drawing, or writing, or playing a sport. Good education helps you understand your own strengths and interests. It gives you the chance to learn more about these things and become even better at them.

Another important part of good education is learning about different cultures and people. We live in a big, diverse world. There are so many different kinds of people, with different beliefs and ways of life. Good education helps us understand and respect these differences. It teaches us to treat everyone with kindness, no matter where they come from or what they believe in.

But good education is not just the responsibility of teachers or schools. It’s also the responsibility of parents, families, and communities. We all have a role to play in making sure that every child gets a good education. We can help by encouraging children to study, by making sure they have the resources they need, and by showing them that learning is fun and important.

In conclusion, good education is one of the most valuable things we can have. It’s a gift that keeps on giving, because the more we learn, the more we can do. It’s a tool that helps us build a better future for ourselves and for the world. So let’s all do our part to make sure that every child gets the good education they deserve.

Thank you for listening. Let’s keep learning, keep growing, and keep making the world a better place.

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Education is not just about which school you go to, or what qualifications you gain; it also about what you learn from your experiences outside of school. Write a speech for your school or college Leavers Day to explain what you think makes a good education

‘Education is not just about which school you go to, or what qualifications you gain; it also about what you learn from your experiences outside of school’. Write a speech for your school or college Leaver’s Day to explain what you think makes a good education

What is education? For some people, it may be going to school and listening to those extremely boring lectures that seem to drag on for hours. For others, it may be achieving that 90% in their maths test, and constantly trying to aim higher. And for a few - including me- it means learning valuable life lessons from real experiences which will help you throughout your life.

This is a preview of the whole essay

Let me give you an example. If you were to become stuck in a situation in which you and the people with you were forced to rely on things you had learnt in the past, what would you rely on?  Those test papers with 100% stamped on the front page of each and every one of them? Or those survival skills you learnt at Scouts all those years ago? The choice is easy to make now, but unfortunately, we usually find revising for tests much more important than going to extra-curricular clubs. But why? Because we all want to hit that top boundary. We all want to wave our papers high up in the air and scream out our achievements for the world to hear. We all want to go home and be bombarded with hugs and kisses from our proud parents and enjoy the gifts they promise us. But what we fail to realise, is that learning to cook and play sports can prove to be equally as important as our academic learning.

Because learning cannot be confined to a classroom. Books may be very informative, but they can’t teach us everything we need to know. Science. English. Maths. They’re extremely important topics that open up our minds, but they aren’t the only things we need to learn. People who become successful in their field did so by learning from real experiences. Bill Gates did not create Microsoft by simply reading a How-To book and following carefully-written instructions. He explored the different outcomes and learnt from his mistakes to create something spectacular in the end.

Speaking of mistakes, we all make them. But they’re not something we should be shameful of. It is pointless dismissing the mistakes you’ve made without learning from them. Instead, we should welcome them, as they are a great source of learning. After all, learning can come in all shapes and sizes.

Resilience also plays an important role in education. You can only become successful if you try again and again. It is highly unlikely that anybody would get everything right the first time (unless luck is on their side). It takes time, effort and practice to be able to fully understand something, and that in itself is an important life lesson that some people fail to understand.

You see, education doesn’t just come from attending school or getting good grades. It comes from exploring the world around you; learning from real-life experiences and the mistakes you’ve made and about standing back up every time you fall down. These are what make a good education.

Document Details

• Author Type Student
• Word Count 540
• Page Count 2
• Subject English
• Type of work Exam preparation

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