Speech writing is one of the basic writing skills that are mastered at colleges and universities. Students have already got used to writing essays and research papers but speech writing remains uncommon.

A good speech can become a secret tool of success. The mastery of speech writing is appreciated by politicians. Each of them has a person who writes those prominent speeches for them although the names of speech writers are also accompanied by a fame of a politician who delivers this speech. Moreover, most of the people do not even think that there is someone who writes those speeches. They think that politicians write those speeches by themselves!

A student who masters the art of speech writing can always expect good grades and success in the future. Here, we will tell you 10 of the most effective speech-writing strategies for college students.

1. Do a research

Speech writing starts with the research. First of all, you need to study the topic, trying to find the most useful ideas and the most interesting thoughts. Perhaps, you will be able to find other speeches and listen to them. This will help you determine important facts and understand how to implement intonation in your speech.

2. Make a plan

The next move is to create a plan for your speech. There is a tendency in the student circle to do everything without preparation. Sometimes, it may save time, but in most cases, it just ruins the result. We recommend that you write down a detailed plan for your speech before you start to write it. Additionally, we recommend setting time for each stage of your plan so you can control the time you spend on each task.

3. Determine the main message

There should always be one main message in your speech, otherwise, people will not be able to catch the idea. The matter is that you present your speech only once and people have only one chance to hear you. Besides, here is a marketing trick involved. In a good advertisement, there is always only one strong message. And this approach is effective in speech writing too.

4. Work on the opening sentence

Of course, the text of the whole speech should be flawless but the opening line is by far the most important. You need to catch the attention of people from the first sentence, so make sure you use your first sentence to reach your audience. For example, you may use a joke or some famous quote. In most cases, these are the most working methods.

5. Make sure the speech is coherent

Frequently, students do not notice that they switch from one point to another without any explanation. They forget what they have stated in the introduction and use absolutely different ideas in the main body. Their conclusion has nothing to do with the thoughts that they described in the speech. Check your speech for coherence and if you have some doubts, re-write weak parts.

6. Make sure your speech sounds naturally

Another frequent mistake is employing artificial language. A speech should always sound natural as if a person speaks without any preparation. To reach this effect, you need to include introductory words to the speech. Add these words at the beginning of the paragraphs or when you introduce some new thoughts.

7. Use simple language

When people listen to your speech, they should not think about the meaning of the words and phrases that you use. Your speech will be strong enough with simple words and proper intonation and if you use complicated language, you will lose the attention of the listeners, as it will be too difficult for them to comprehend you.

8. Be clear with each point

One of the biggest mistakes that you may make when creating a speech is to use ambiguous words and not to clarify your ideas. Again, if people cannot understand you, they will not listen to you. That’s why you need to make each point of your speech clear and easily understandable.

9. Do not mix up the ideas

If you want to misguide your audience, mix up the ideas of your speech. But if you don’t want to have such an effect, you need to split up the ideas and present them separately. Start each idea with presenting it in general words and then clarify and support it with arguments. Also, work on the final sentence of the paragraph where you present this idea. Your readers should understand that you are done with this thought and that you are going to start to talk about other things.

10. Read it aloud when checking

When you check your speech, always read it aloud. The matter is that when you read something aloud, it is easier to notice the mistakes and understand what sentences don’t sound natural. Besides, you will be able to understand what parts of your speech are difficult to pronounce. And of course, you will be able to work on your intonation.

These 10 basic tips on speech writing are in fact the most effective ideas on how to write a good speech that will impress everyone. Of course, there are many other factors that can influence the success of your speech, for example, its main topic, the ideas that you use, and even the audience to which you deliver your speech. However, these technical aspects will help you to strengthen any speech and get A grade!