This advanced course teaches participants how to write great speeches. The seminar is designed for those who need a speech writing refresher course and those who need advanced speech writing training. Students will learn techniques that will empower them to write memorable speeches that set them apart from other speakers.
Topics include:
- Organizing the many critical components necessary to write a speech
- Developing a thesis for each speech
- Using supporting statements, supporting claims, and transition statements
- Employing numerous speech preparation checklists
- Obtaining tips on the best ways to practice a speech
- Reviewing the requirements of various forms of speeches including informative, stimulating, persuasive, entertaining, and impromptu speeches
- Learning techniques that improve clarity, add sparkle, and make speeches more memorable
- Learning how to use humor in speeches
- Seeing, hearing, and reading famous American speeches to observe how the techniques taught in this course were used in speeches that changed the course of history
Seminar Tips:
Transitions are important tools in speech writing. Two categories of transitions are introducing a topic and emphasizing a certain point.
To Introduce a Topic:
- Additionally
- Again
- Also
- Another
- A second point
- Likewise
- Similarly
- Too
To Emphasize:
- Above all
- Another key
- As indicated
- Beyond question
- In other words
- Once again
- Most important
- Without a doubt
Speech Writing Internet Resources
- Use the History Channel's speech archive to study hundreds of famous 20th-century speeches. From this site you can download audio files and hear the words that changed the world. The History Net www.historynet.com/ contains links to most historical periods and is an excellent source of historical information.
- The GIGA site www.giga-usa.com contains a broad collection of ancient and modern quotations, aphorisms, maxims, proverbs, sayings, truisms, mottoes, book excerpts, and poems that are browsable by author or cross-referenced topic.
Instructor
Randall P. Whatley
Randall P. Whatley is a media veteran with diverse business experience. He is president of Cypress Media Group, an advertising, public relations, and training firm. He has extensive experience advising government officials, political candidates, public officials, and corporate executives.
Whatley teaches the practical, real-world skills that he has acquired and refined over three decades as an advertising and public relations practitioner. His presentation and media relations skills were honed as a lobbyist and political consultant on over 50 campaigns in five states. He has written two books, two syndicated newspaper columns, and many magazine and Internet articles. He has also hosted his own television and radio program and appeared often as a TV and radio program guest, including a CNN appearedance. Whatley has also produced TV and radio ads.
