Speech Writing 11th class cbse: Format and Sample Questions
What is a Speech?
The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English defines a speech as a talk, especially a formal one about a particular subject, given to a group of people”. We ‘give’, ‘make’ or ‘deliver” a speech ‘on’ or ‘about’ something or someone Speaking in public comes naturally only to some people, but we can all acquire the skill and learn to perform well if we understand what making speeches involves and practise this sufficiently.
The first step in the process of making a speech is its drafting. Begin the preparations for your speech by putting down the points you think it should contain Group and order the points so that they form the opening section of your speech, its body-with one or more sub-parts and the concluding section. (You will find it useful to save a copy of this to refer to when speaking.) Next develop each point with explanations, examples, etc. Go through the draft of your speech carefully and edit it, modifying the content and making corrections in the language and punctuation.
Important Points to Remember
1.Make sure you have enough to say on the topic of your speech and also that each of your points is relevant to what you are speaking on.
2.You, as the speaker, must believe in what you say if you are to make an impression on the listeners or convince them.
3.The points should be presented in a logical order.
4. Avoid repeating yourself or dwelling on one point-this will only make your speech uninteresting for the audience.
5. Use connectives, such as ‘first’, ‘next’, consequently’, ‘finally’, etc.
6. The language you use in writing your speech will depend on its purpose.
7. Before finalising the draft, ask yourself if your speech will interest or enrich in some way the audience.
8. after finalizing the draft, read it aloud.
A list of dos and don’ts:
- Walk up to the lectern or the area where you are supposed to stand and face the audience.
2. Pause briefly, breathe in deeply to relax and look straight at the audience. If you feel nervous, look into the empty space behind the audience and tell yourself that you understand what you are going to talk about just as well as, if not better than, anyone present there.
3. Greet your audience formally (with, for e.g., ‘Good morning!’) or informally (with a ‘Hello!’ or ‘Hi!’). Remember that the greetings of the first kind are used commonly in informal situations. A greeting could include a term of address, for example, Ladies and gentlemen’, ‘members of the jury’, ‘colleagues’, Friends’ or simply ‘everyone’.
4. State briefly and clearly what you are going to talk about.
5. Make your speech, referring to the draft or the list of points before you in case you need to.
6. Speak clearly and loudly enough to be heard by everyone a the audience. Just how loud you need to be will depend on the size of the audience, the venue of the speech (for e.g., a large open space or a small room) and also on whether you will be swing a microphone.
7. Do not hesitate to go hack or correct yourself in case you make a slip, making use of the words ‘Excuse me’ or ‘Tm sorry, but It will help if you remember that speaking, by its very nature, is not “final in the sense that writing is and changes can be made as you go along.
8. While delivering your speech, adopt a straight but relaxed posture. It is not a good idea to fix your eyes on any one person or part of the audience. Instead let your eyes move from one end of the audience to other so that everyone feels included.
9. You will not only appear more natural but will also be able to add more meaning to your words if you make small gestures with your hands and use appropriate facial expressions and body language to emphasize a point.
10. * Pause at places to give time for something you said to sink into the minds of your audience or to allow the audience to react to your words-for example, with laughter or a round of applause.
11. Remember to thank your audience at the end of your speech.
Sample 1
Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the hostel. Hope you had a nice vacation. I thought I would speak to you about something that I noticed when I went round the floors while you were away-it is something that worries me. Many of you seem to be living in terrible filth. I found overflowing dustbins, unwashed clothes and plates, and piles of old journals and notebooks in many rooms. Besides, I do not understand how you can scribble notes and make cartoons on the walls of your rooms-it is such a depressing sight! You are now grown- up, and I certainly do not feel good about lecturing you on hygiene. I hope you will understand my point in bringing this up and that you will clean up your rooms immediately, Now let us go for dinner, shall we?
The above sample is a type of informal speech. You can observe the language used in it.