Speeches & opinion pieces Notes

Writing To Persuade And Influence

1. These text types test whether you can construct compelling arguments and move audiences to think or act differently.
2. They require strong voice, strategic structure, and awareness of rhetorical techniques.
3. Examiners will check if your writing demonstrates clear position and persuasive power.

Speeches

1. Purpose, Audience & Register
   1. Purpose: Persuade, inspire action, commemorate occasions, inform with impact, entertain.
   2. Audience: Specific group (students, community members, conference attendees) gathered to listen.
   3. Register: Formal to semi-formal, depends on occasion and audience relationship.
2. Layout & Conventions
   1. Opening that establishes speaker credibility and captures attention.
   2. Clear thesis or main message stated early.
   3. Body organized in logical sections with transitions.
   4. Use of rhetorical devices (repetition, rhetorical questions, direct address).
   5. Strong conclusion with memorable closing statement or call to action.
   6. Stage directions in brackets if needed [pause], [gesture to audience].

Key Features

1. Tone: Direct, confident, emotionally engaging, aware of live delivery.
2. Vocabulary: "You," "we," "us" for connection, repetition for emphasis, vivid imagery, varied sentence length for rhythm.

How to Write a Speech

1. Open with impact: The first sentences must capture attention and establish why listeners should care.
   1. Bad: "Good morning. Today I will talk about recycling, which is important."
   2. Good: "Right now, while we sit in this auditorium, 200 tons of plastic are entering our oceans. In the next hour, 200 more. By the time you go home today, another 4,800 tons. When does it stop? When we decide it stops."
2. Signal your structure clearly: Audiences cannot flip back to reread. Tell them where you're taking them.
   1. Example: "I want to share three reasons why this policy matters: first, the immediate impact on students; second, the long-term financial costs; and third, what we risk losing if we stay silent."
3. Use the rule of three: Three examples, three reasons, three phrases. The human brain loves patterns of three.
   1. Example: "We can choose to ignore this. We can choose to delay. Or we can choose to act now."
4. Build momentum: Vary sentence length. Short sentences create punch. Longer sentences build complexity and then resolve.
   1. Example: "Some say change takes time. Some say we need more research, more data, more consensus. I say we have time. I say we have data. And I say the consensus is already here, in this room, if we have the courage to claim it."
5. Connect emotionally: Facts inform, but emotion moves. Include personal stories, vivid scenarios, or appeals to shared values.
6. End memorably: Your conclusion should echo in listeners' minds after they leave.
   1. Techniques: Return to opening image, issue direct challenge, paint vision of future, use powerful quote, repeat key phrase from earlier.