Speeches

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Speech 1: The Baby Book Speech

Objective:  To introduce yourself, work on posture, and have fun!

Assignment: One way to deal with nervousness is to talk about something in which you are an expert: you!  Your challenge is to tell us what we would see if we were to look in your baby book.  If you don’t have one, tell us what your baby book would have in it if you had one. Bringing mementoes and pictures works great. Think of this assignment as more of a self-introduction than a speech.  You may bring index cards to remind you of what you plan to tell us, but refrain from reading out a written speech.  Tell us the story of you in 3 to 5 minutes. 

It takes time to develop good posture.  You are just getting started.  Read the Posture Checklist from the Student Checklist page.  See how much you can improve your posture with each speech you give this year. 

Many people do not realize that the speaker writes their own introduction for the person who introduces them.  The TOP Sheet is a template for the introduction you will write to help the Meeting Leader introduce you.

Find the TOP Sheet under Printouts.  There is a special TOP Sheet for the Baby book Speech. Print yourself a copy, fill it out and hand it in to the TOP Sheet Clerk before the meeting starts.  

Your classmates will enjoy getting to know you and hearing your story. The Baby Book speeches are a club favorite.

Here is an example TOP Sheet for a Baby Book Speech:

“The next speech is a Baby Book Speech which is one of everyone’s favorite type of speech to listen to.   It is easier to give a speech when you are an expert on a topic and everyone is an expert on themselves!  The objective of the Baby Book Speech is to work on posture and for the speaker to introduce themselves to the club.  We are really looking forward to getting to know our next speaker.  Our speaker loves cats, has climbed Mount Fuji and mint-chocolate-chip is their favorite flavor of ice cream.  Please, welcome Chris Jones.”

When you are done, celebrate!  You did it! Your first speech is behind you! Well done!  

Speech 2: The Pizza/Recipe Speech.

Objective: to control distracting mannerisms  and replace them with gestures that enhance your language. 

Distracting mannerisms are gestures that take away from your speech.  Replace them with gestures that enhance your speech. 

Assignment: Talk about 3 points on how to make pizza.  

  1. ingredients/preparation
  2. how to make
  3. how to serve

. . .  or come up with your own 3 points.

Include 10 to 20 gestures that compliment your words.

On the other hand, distracting mannerisms, such as cleaning your ear with your pinky, scratching your neck or rubbing your nose while modeling kneading dough are most unappetizing and do not enhance your speech! 

You are welcome to cook another recipe or discuss another topic like playing sports as long as you can use tons of gestures.  Bonne Appétit!  Enjoy!

Remember to prepare a TOP Sheet!!!

Include gestures such as: washing, pouring, measuring, mixing, peeling, kneading, rolling, chopping, twirling and tossing, spreading & sprinkling toppings, opening the oven, and putting on oven-mitts, an apron,  or a chefs’ hat. Demonstrate size and amounts with your hands. These gestures will make your speech 100% more interesting.

Speech 3: Give a 3-Point Speech on Public Speaking

Objective: Demonstrate improvement made so far, project your voice and learn to make good eye contact.

Pretend that you are teaching  3 fundamentals of Public Speaking to a class. Here is the outline of your speech.  You will need 5 index cards: 1 for your introduction, 3 for your body, and 1 for your conclusion. Use these cards to refer to as needed when you give your speech. 

I. Have an introduction 

II. a) Talk about how to have good posture and how it relates to breathing better and projecting your voice. 

b) Talk about the importance of body language and gestures.

c) Talk about how to make good eye contact and its importance.  Explain that a speaker should look at people in the audience or meeting, just long enough to recognize their eye color and then move their gaze on to an other person.  

III. “In conclusion…” restate the three points in part II. 

You may print the 3-Point Speech outline from the Printout section found on the student’s desk.

Remember to prepare a TOP Sheet!

Speech 4: The 3 Benefits Speech

Objective:  Project your voice, and every time you mention one of your three points you must say the number 1,2 or 3 while gesturing by holding up the correct number of fingers.

Assignment: Tell us the 3 benefits of just about anything under the sun: getting a driver’s licence, owning a cell phone, learning to cook, learning a language, traveling to foreign lands!  The important thing here is that if the class doesn’t have time to write out your three points, you have spoken too quickly.

On your TOP Sheet, under Objective, state your objective is to state your three points clearly and slowly.  Request  everyone to take out a piece of paper on which to write out the three points of your speech.  Say you would like to collect these papers at the end of your speech.  This exercise will help you to see whether or not you were speaking too quickly for the audience members to remember or write down what you said.

Remember to prepare a TOP Sheet!

Remember to print out a 3-Point Speech Outline!

Print out the 3-point Speech Outline.  

You will need a hook: a question, a scenario to imagine, statement/fact or brief story.

ie. Have you aver come home to fine your mild-mannered perfect and angelic dog has eaten a hole through the sofa? That furniture stuffing is strewn all through the house?   

You will also need an authority: according to a report, my parents, the news, the CDC, you etc.

Ie. You as an authority: As a dog owner, I have learned how important it is for your dog that you spend time with him everyday.

 

Speech 5: A Best, Amusing or Earliest Memory Speech

Objectives: To be descriptive by appealing to the senses and to use vocal variety.

Make your memory come alive to your audience.  Evoke sounds, smells/taste, touch, and vision to paint a picture of your memory.

Change your voice when quoting or imitating others.  This makes characters in your story come alive.

Project your voice and have fun!

Remember to prepare a TOP Sheet!

Speech 6: A story

Objective:  1) to tell a simple story with a beginning, middle and an end. and 2) to make parts of your speech more exciting by incorporating fast speech with long enough pauses for the audience catch up.  

Assignment:  Retell a fable, legend or familiar story.  Good resources are the ancient Greek, Roman, Norse, Australian, Polynesian, African, Native American gods, Aesop’s fables, La Fontaine’s fables and the Bible.  Too many sources to list!  

Use all the skills you’ve been working on since your first speech.  

  • Posture & breathing
  • Voice projection 
  • Slowing your pace of speech & breathing
  • Make eye contact
  • Be descriptive
  • Use vocal variety
  • Use gestures that complement your speech

An important skill is knowing how to use fast speech.  Fast speech adds excitement but it must be done properly.   You need to breathe and you must take long and purposeful pauses.  Fast speech without the proper pauses is a blur.  Fast speech used effectively by incorporating pauses gets the audience’s attention and is enjoyable to listen to.

Remember to prepare a TOP Sheet!

Speech 7: The Coat of Arms Speech

Objective: To give a three point speech and incorporate walking on stage.

Assignment:  design a family crest for your immediate family. Choose 3 symbols to honor your family and a motto. You may give a talk on it with or without a visual.

  1. talk about how you settled on what to include in the family crest. (The Process)
  2. Explain the significance of the symbols chosen
  3. Talk about your family motto.

If your family already has a crest or coat of arms, you may speak about that instead.  Another spin of this would be to to design a crest for your Pipe Up for Teens Club or a personal crest. 

Checklist:

  • Posture & breathing
  • Voice projection 
  • Slowing your pace of speech
  • Make eye contact
  • Use descriptive language
  • Use vocal variety
  • Include a brief story
  • Use gestures that complement your speech

Remember to prepare a TOP Sheet!

Speech Outline:

I. Introdution:

-Hook

– Authority = What gives you the authority to design a crest?

  • As I have lived in my family for XX years, I am qualified to design the (your last name) family crest. 
  • Or in the case of an existing crest, where it comes from.

i. State you will discuss the process of discovering or creating your family crest

ii. State you will explain the significance of the symbols

iii. State you will talk about the family motto.

II. Body:

i. Discuss the process of discovering or creating your family crest

ii. Explain the significance of the symbols

iii. talk about the family motto.

III. Conclusion

Today, I spoke about

i. the creative process I used to come up with my family crest,

ii. the symbols I chose and what they mean,

iii. and the motto for our family

Briefly end with what you gained from the experience and whether you recommend it as a good exercise and why. Make your ending strong by taking a strong position. 

Finish with: Are there any Questions?

Speech 8: What is your passion?

Objective: To answer the question, “What is your passion?”  in preparation for a job interview.

Assignment:  Prepare a story illustrating one of you passions.

You will likely be asked in a job interview, “What are you passionate about?” and a one-word answer such as hairdressing, engineering or baking will not do.  The name of the position you are applying for is too obvious  to be an answer and doesn’t give the employer any further information about you.  

What you will need to answer this question is: A STORY.  

You will need a story to DESCRIBE a time that you felt a GREAT SENSE of GRATIFICATION doing something or being a part of something productive. 

You should prepare two stories: one for the field in which you are applying and one for an interest outside of the job you are applying for.

The stories should allow the prospective employer to see your personality shine through and help them to visualize you bringing/transferring that passion you describe in your story to their workplace.  The kind of concerns this question helps an employer address about a potential hire includes:

  • Will you be friendly and personable to my customers or will you be too reserved or indifferent to them?
  • Are you a good conversationalist?
  • Do you have a positive outlook or perspective?
  • Will you care about my business and the work it does? (Are you conscientious?)
  • Will you make me look good as a hiring manager?
  • What kind of asset might you be to the organization?
  • Will you get along with or fit in with the rest of the staff?
  • What motivates you?

The story need not be about a huge accomplishment.  It could be about organizing a messy closet, helping a neighbor, or learning a new skill.

How you tell the story is as important as the story itself.  Keep the following in mind:

  • Whether you are standing or sitting, have excellent posture.  
  • Be sincere.
  • Be appreciative of the time you have been given by not making your story too long.
  • Make good eye contact with all who interview you.
  • Use appropriate gestures to enhance your speech and appear comfortable without seeming unprofessional.
  • Use appropriate facial expressions.
  • When interrupted, stop speaking and use that moment to show your listening skills; nod appropriately to show you are listening.

Finish by saying, “It gave me the greatest sense of gratification to take part in / to  see (the result).”   or choose your own wording to the same effect.

Prepare your TOP Sheet!