Writing Your Speech .sx Now you are ready to put pen to paper , or finger to wordprocessor .sx Most people , including some of the most experienced raconteurs , write their speeches down , even if they then transfer the words to cue cards or speak extempore .sx Writing your speech out in full is a useful exercise , even for experienced speakers , for two reasons .sx Firstly , it helps to organise all your thoughts .sx Secondly , if you are still stuck for ideas , the actual process of writing will help your creative buds to produce inspiration .sx Drafting a speech step by step .sx The recommended steps are :sx first , write a rough draft ; .sx second , refine your draft , adding illustrations and changing words ; .sx third , rewrite it into spoken English , shortening sentences and changing words ; .sx fourth , rehearse the speech aloud , timing it ; and .sx fifth , make alterations in order to fit the time slot .sx We are going to look now at how to use language to communicate effectively in speech , how to make an impact at the beginning and bring the presentation to a suitable close .sx Finally , once you have written your speech you will then learn how to transfer this to cue cards or other prompt devices .sx Learn how to " write like a good talker " and " think like a listener " .sx ( David Bernstein , Put it together , put it across .sx ) .sx THE USE OF LANGUAGE IN SPEECH .sx Language is simply a code which conveys meaning .sx Like morse code or semaphore it works because the sender and receiver of the communication understand similar meanings for the same words - or at least they should do .sx Your choice of language is crucial if you are to make contact with your audience .sx If you use too much jargon to a 'lay' audience you will lose them .sx If you use formal language with a group of teenagers you will send them off to sleep .sx If you speak English in a pompous , written style then people will switch off .sx Language is the main tool by which you communicate your ideas and facts to the audience .sx However , the response of the audience will depend very much upon how you use that language .sx Simply telling people facts will fail because it won't affect their emotions or meet their needs .sx Facts need to be dressed up for the audience to remain interested and to remember what you have said .sx The main errors of language that speechwriters make are :sx 1 .sx Writing an essay and then reading it without translating it into spoken English .sx 2 .sx Being too long-winded and using long sentences .sx 3 .sx Not understanding how to use repetition and rhythm .sx 4 .sx Failing to give the audience frequent signposts to tell them where the speaker is heading .sx 5 .sx Failing to use rhetorical questions and the word YOU .sx 6 :sx Failing to harness the emotive power of words .sx 7 .sx Overuse of clich e s and redundant language .sx 8 .sx Using jargon and abbreviations that people don't understand .sx 9 .sx Failing to use anecdotes , quotations and illustrations to add colour .sx 10 .sx Overusing dry facts and statistics without making analogies and using colourful illustrations .sx 11 .sx Failing to consider the limits of memory of the audience .sx So what should you bear in mind when writing a speech ?sx ELEVEN GOLDEN RULES .sx 1 :sx Use spoken rather than written English .sx What is oral style and why should you use it ?sx .sx The commonest error of the inexperienced speechmaker is to write down their speech and then read it with their head buried in the paper .sx The audience immediately feels that the speaker is not talking to them but at them .sx Experienced speakers , politicians included , often do read speeches , but they still manage to make them sound as it they are just speaking from notes .sx Newscasters have to be able to read from an autocue whilst making it appear that they are talking directly to the viewers .sx ( At the end of this chapter are examples of radio and television scripts for you to read as an exercise .sx ) Don't write your notes in long sentences ; they be too difficult to get your tongue around .sx Look at the way advertisements are written .sx They break most of the rules of grammar , starting sentences with 'And' for instance and they use a very chatty style .sx Take a look at this extract from an advertisement of Ovaltine :sx Yes , Ovaltine can be drunk for breakfast .sx And why not ?sx It's made , is it not , from barley , malt extract and eggs .sx What better for setting you up for the day ?sx .sx .. In fact , a mug of Ovaltine provides most of the nutrients required by the body .sx And Ovaltine contains no added sugar , no artificial flavour , colour or preservatives .sx Formidable !sx Eh ?sx Mind you , if Ovaltine is such a good source of energy how come we Brits drink it before bed ?sx .sx This is English written to be read out loud - and it is an example of the kind of style you should use when writing your speech .sx To show you how stilted written English can sound when spoken aloud , try reading aloud this passage from The Student Book ( Macmillan ) on studying Chemistry :sx " Chemistry is an area of study which touches human life at innumerable points .sx It is the science which forms a bridge between physics and biology as well as between earth sciences and life and medical sciences .sx It is therefore a central science which holds the key to an appreciation and understanding of life-cycles on the one hand through to man-made processes on the other .sx The development of chemistry as a science has taken place at an increasingly rapid rate over the last two centuries , and has depended upon quantitative reasoning .sx Chemists of the nineteenth century could not have anticipated the contribution which their research would make to the applications of chemistry today - applications which range from micro-circuits and developments in solid state devices to the use of hormones as a new generation of pesticides , and which even give a glimmering of understanding of the chemical basis of life itself .sx In many cases this rapid progress in the application of chemistry has itself created new crises for man ( eg :sx some forms of pollution ; the effect of some pesticides on the environment , or the side effects of some pharmaceuticals ) , but chemists have immediately led the search for an answer to the resulting problems so that the advances could be controlled or harnessed to the benefit of man .sx Superficially it is fairly easy to visualise the earth in terms of basic chemical concepts - it is an apparent equilibrium between solid , liquid and vapour phases surrounded by space and supplied with energy from the sun .sx However , the apparent position of the equilibrium is continually moving and small changes have profound effects on the processes of life .sx .. " .sx So why doesn't it work as a piece of English to be spoken aloud ?sx The sentences are too long .sx Take the one which starts :sx " Superficially it is fairly easy to visualise .sx .. " .sx Some of the language is too complicated .sx It can't all be taken in at once ( solid state devices , micro-circuits , etc) .sx There are no pointers or linking words like 'however' , 'firstly' and 'although' .sx It would need phrases to coax the audience into the next points , like :sx 'Let's look at some of the practical uses of chemistry .sx .. Firstly .sx ..'. There is no reference to the needs of the audience , or the word YOU .sx When you read such a passage , you can take it at your own pace , go back and read bits again .sx When it is spoken , you lose most of it once it's been said .sx Try reading a piece from a newspaper and see how it sounds .sx Try re-writing the piece for a radio news bulletin ( example on page 98) .sx Here are the main points to bear in mind when writing English to be spoken aloud .sx Use 'You've' instead of 'You have' and other such abbreviations .sx See how clumsy this sounds :sx 'I have come here today to tell you why you are making the wrong decision and why you cannot pursue this course of action .sx ' Use 'I've' , 'you're' and 'can't' .sx Use positive sentences .sx Don't say :sx 'I am not here today to persuade you to choose accountancy as a career , nor will I try and tell you that it isn't boring , sometimes .sx ' .sx Use active not passive sentences .sx Don't say :sx 'The rules of the common room have been changed by the school governors .sx ' Say 'The school governors changed the common room rules .sx ' .sx Use direct speech .sx Avoid the use of the pronoun 'One' .sx Hear how stilted it sounds :sx 'When one goes to the races one often makes a bet , doesn't one ?sx ' Use the word you - it makes direct contact with your audience .sx Incidentally , try and avoid too much reference to yourself and limit the use of the word 'I' .sx Don't write numbers ( ie figures ) into your speech .sx Write them out in full .sx For example , 1,797,021 is much easier to say if you write one million , seven hundred and ninety-seven thousand and twenty-one .sx ( There will be more on using facts and statistics in point 10 .sx Keep sentences short .sx They have more impact .sx They are more forceful .sx People cannot ( can't ) remember long sentences .sx If in doubt , write as if for a reader of The Sun not The Times .sx This brings us onto point number two - the question of sentence construction .sx 2 .sx Use short sentences and vary the structure .sx A sentence consists of a number of words strung together with a subject and a verb .sx Generally , sentences do one of the following :sx make a statement , make a wish , ask a question , instruct or command , or make some kind of exclamation .sx How you arrange the words is called syntax - and the order can completely change the meaning .sx What should we consider when writing sentences for speech ?sx Sentences should normally be short .sx .sx Forget about sub-clauses and long sentences .sx Where you would normally write one long sentence , speak it in three short ones .sx For example , here is a perfectly constructed sentence with a subordinate clause :sx 'The cat , which had just licked its saucer of milk clean of every final scrap , curled up into a fluffy ball of ginger fur , licked its lips and fell asleep on the mat .sx ' .sx Translated into spoken English , this would read :sx 'The cat licked its saucer clean of milk .sx It curled up into a ginger fluffy ball .sx And finally , it licked its lips and fell asleep on the mat .sx ' .sx Go back to the extract on Chemistry .sx This will be easier to read if rewritten as :sx 'Superficially it is fairly easy to imagine the earth in terms of basic chemical concepts .sx The earth is an apparent equilibrium between three phases .sx These are - solid , liquid and vapour .sx The three phases are surrounded by space and supplied with energy from the sun .sx ' .sx Sentences should vary in length .sx Try and keep your sentences to between 5 and 15 words as a general rule .sx Longer sentences can work but only if they run before or after short sentences .sx Consider this example from a speech by Victor Hugo on the centenary of the death of Voltaire :sx " A hundred years ago today a man died .sx He died immortal .sx He departed laden with years , laden with the most illustrious and fearful of responsibilities , the responsibility of the human conscience informed and rectified .sx .. " .sx Put the key words at the end of a sentence .sx This will make the audience anticipate your key word or point .sx Take these two sentences :sx 'The National Westminster Bank in the City of London is the tallest building in Britain .sx ' .sx This would have more impact if rephrased as :sx 'The tallest building in Britain is .sx .. the National Westminster Bank in the City of London .sx ' .sx Make use of parallelism , antithesis , inversions and balanced construction , where appropriate .sx Constructing a sentence with two distinct halves can make an impact .sx Here are some examples :sx " It is nothing to die ; it is frightful not to live .sx " Victor Hugo) .sx " Life is rather like a tin of sardines - we're all of us looking for the key .sx " ( Alan Bennett in Beyond the Fringe ) .sx " Life is a tragedy when seen close-up , but a comedy in long shot .sx " ( Charlie Chaplin) .sx " Ask not what your country can do for you .sx