Directed Writing – Speech

A speech has 4 important elements that must be included in the write-up:-

1. greetings (Good morning/afternoon …)

2. role (What is your role or position that allows you to give the speech?)

3. topic (What is your speech about?)

4. ending (Thank you …)

*1, 2 & 3 are typically mentioned within the first paragraph itself.

Additional tips:

1. Most questions at the SPM level are based on the school setting. As such, the greetings should include all of the people that one will typically encounter in a school such as the Principal, teachers and of course, fellow students. If the question is set within a competition, then “judges” and “timekeepers” should also be included. Students can also add in the phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen” at certain intervals of their speech but limit it to two or three mentions at most.

2. Typically, the question will set us up as someone with a certain post that allows us to give a speech. For example, Head Prefect, President of Interact Club etc. It is wise to get students familiar with such terms and phrases (I think I’ve mentioned this before?).

3. It is important to state the topic of your speech. Sometimes, the title is very clearly highlighted in the question with quotation marks. Other times, it is not and students will have to identify the title themselves from the question given.

Example:

You are the President of the Environment Club. You have been asked to give a speech to the students in your school on “The Importance of Recycling”.

or

You are the President of the Environment Club. You have been asked to give a speech on the importance of recycling during the assembly.

**The topic can be introduced with a simple phrase such as “Today, I would like to give a speech about …”

***This might be slightly obsessive-compulsive on my part but if students are writing the topic using quotation marks, then the topic should begin with big letters. If the topic is written as part of the sentence, then it should be written like a normal sentence with small letters.

4. Students must remember to thank the audience at the end of the speech. A simple “Thank you.” will do for the weaker students while better students can try phrases such as “Thank you for your attention.” or “Thank you for your time.“.

5. Speeches often revolve around a certain aspect of an issue such as the benefits, the causes, the effects etc of something. Students with a higher level of language should be taught to write an “introductory” paragraph on the issue before going into the points given. Talk about the issue in general, explaining what is the issue all about. Remember, it should come after the first paragraph (greetings, role & topic) and before the points (the benefits, the causes, the effects etc). This will give the essay a more “polished” feel overall.