Bill SituClub President "Hey Bill, I'm doing my Ice Breaker speech next week. How much should I plan for it?" This is a fairly common question that I get from new members at the club. Chances are, you may have wondered about this yourself or had someone ask you this before. Let me cut straight to my answer, and that is, it really depends. "Really Depends?"Speech outline worksheet for the Ice Breaker project, the first project for every path in the Pathways program I know this response might seem a little disappointing. You were probably looking for something more definitive. Still, think of it this way: If the answer were that clear-cut, then there wouldn't really be a point of me writing an entire post on this. I'll start off by saying that some form of preparation is entirely necessary for any prepared speech. After all, a prepared speech isn't called a "prepared speech" for nothing! In the previous post, I talked about how writing is, if not the best, at least a highly effective way to coherently organize thoughts. Every prepared speech project in Pathways comes with a speech outline, and that's for your benefit. In other words, writing things down on paper is a step that I would certainly never skip. The question thus remains as to how much planning is needed for you to effectively deliver your speech. This is where preferences may be different for every person. Find What's Right for YouSome people may find that it necessary to write out a complete and detailed script for a speech. Others may find it more helpful to only write down the key points. Either way, both methods have their unique and distinct advantages.
Writing out a speech in its entirely can be helpful in that you can prepare more fully. This way, once you hit the stage, you would know more exactly what to say at every moment and articulate it correctly. Supposedly, this is helpful if you're delivering a speech in a language that you don't speak very fluently. This may also be a good practice if you're going to speak on content that you're not particularly familiar with. However, I personally have found that a fully scripted speech can actually impede my flow of delivery. I have noticed that whenever I present on a speech that I've written out verbatim, I am more likely to lose my train of thought. This is because I find myself constantly trying to recall what I specifically need to say next. Simply put, the fewer things I have to remember, the fewer the things I will forget. As such, I personally prefer to prepare just a few key points and then focus on covering them during the speech. Yet again, you might beg to differ on this, and that's completely okay! If all of this comes down to one piece of advice, then it would be to see for yourself what works best. There's really no one-size-fits-all method when it comes to planning speeches. What are your personal preferences for preparing speeches? What has worked best for you? Comment down below!
2 Comments
Shoko Ueno
8/8/2020 09:21:15 pm
Like Bill, I prefer to write all my ideas down and pick a few ideas that I really want to speak about. Then I write a full script and revise it several times. As English is my second language, it takes time for me to find the best expression or word. After I make the script, I practice in front of a mirror or I self reflect on my speech verbally whenever I am awake and revise again.
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Bill Situ
8/8/2020 09:41:00 pm
Thanks for commenting Shoko. She can't be more right about speaking from your heart! That was wonderfully worded :)
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