SPEECH

XI
 PURPOSE

 To convey information orally to a large gathering of

people, forcefully and convincingly.
 To make the listeners understand the speaker’s point of
view.
 To express opinion, share a point of view, experience or
observation.
 To persuade the listeners to believe in what the speaker
believes.
 To inspire, mobilize and call for action.
 Format
 An Attractive Title
 A byline that states the name of the writer
 An appropriate salutation (Distinguished Chief Guest/Honourable Principal,
respected teachers and my dear friends, )
 A key sentence that carries the central theme of the speech. (Today I am going
to express my views on…)
 One can also begin the speech with a catchy introduction in the form of an
anecdote, quotation, statistical data or a thought-provoking question and then
use the salutation and the key sentence.
 Expressing one’s views – what you feel about the topic (A balanced view)
 Comparing and contrasting – what others feel and why your views are better
 Presenting supporting facts/evidences
 Summing up – by highlighting the speaker’s viewpoints. (An advice, suggestion
or exhortation)
 Vote of thanks to the audience (Thank you!)
 Points to Remember
 Bring credibility by supporting data.
 Infuse humour if needed through anecdotes.
 Use language that is persuasive and powerful.
 Develop each point in a systematic and logical way.
 Use references from the available literature.
 Simple and short sentences should be used to make
the speech understandable to the audience.
 An Example

Media has a strong hold on society. Write a

speech in 150-200 words on ‘How Media
influences Public Opinion’ to be delivered in
the morning assembly. You are Naveen or
Neha.
 Media – A double-edged Sword
- Naveen
“ The media is the most powerful entity on earth. It has the power to make the
innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s the power. Because
they control the minds of the masses.”
Good morning honorable Principal, respected teachers and my dear friends,
I deem it a great honour this morning to address this
…gathering and share my views on how media influences the
public opinion. The media nowadays is engaged in distorting
critical facts, omitting vital stories and polarizing the masses
with biased ideologies and perspectives. On the other hand,
it is also benefiting the society by providing information,
mobilizing people, revealing secrets and spreading
awareness. The media is doing a wonderful job in educating,
entertaining and instigating the people but not without
flaws. The influence of the media is such that we know
essentially nothing other than what we hear from them.
Today’s society absorbs whatever the media presents or
depicts. That is the whole trouble.
Today, Media has become a double-edged sword. At its
…best, it offers unprecedented opportunities for marginalized
people to speak and bring the much needed attention to the
issues they raise. At its worst, it also offers 'everyone' an
unprecedented opportunity to share false ideologies in
collective outrage without reflection. According to Jim
Morrison, whoever controls the media controls the mind. It
is rightly said that If people in the media cannot decide
whether they are in the business of reporting news or
manufacturing propaganda, it is all the more important that
the public understand that difference, and choose their
news sources accordingly.
Thus, dear friends, I think, it is the need of the hour that
… become cautious about the negative impact that media
people
can create in the society in the pretext of educating and
entertaining the masses. We must be able to judge and discern
in various scenarios, form our own opinions and make wise
judgments and decisions. It takes discipline not to let media
steal our time. The duty of the media is to observe truth and
social responsibility. It must adhere to an ethics of fairness. But
if it fails to do so, let’s not be irrational to believe and take in
whatever is presented to us, but instead prudent to recognise
what is right and wrong and to know the difference between
them. It’s my humble suggestion to all of you to be wise in your
judgments, decisions and to perceive things in the way they
have to be perceived.
Thank you!
 FOR PRACTICE
 There have been several instances of fundamental human
rihgts violations and violence towards women and children in
the recent years in our country. Draft a speech to be
delivered during the morning assembly at your school on the
ocassion of the Interational Women’s Day. You are Noel or
Nikhitha.