Week Two - What Makes a Great Speech

According to blogger Fletcher Dean, there are five key components to writing a good speech. These components are ‘first, focus on the audience for whom the speech is intended; second, use anecdotes to engage with the audience; third, give your speech a structure; fourth, don’t over-rely on PowerPoint; and fifth, edit the speech so it is simple and clear, while also exciting and fresh, and engaging  (2012).’ I agree with his steps and consider a good speech to be well thought out, tell a story and involve the audience. The speech by motivational speaker, Nick Vujicic, is a good and successful speech as it engages and involves the audience. The student audience, all seem to be engaging and enjoying his speech. Even though the speech is causal and doesn’t have an evident structure, it does use language and have a focus on the age group. These factors seem to work for Nick Vujicic’s audience. Another great speech that takes a totally different structure and formality, is Martin Luther King’s speech, ‘I have a Dream’. This speech is arguably the most famous speech of the 20^th century. This speech involves all of Dean Fletcher’s five components of a great speech. It focuses on the audience, engages with the audience, has structure, has no visual reliability, is simple and clear and most of all exciting and engaging. His speech tells a story and relates to ever-single person in the audience. It is read with perfect pause and emphasis. Martin Luther King’s speech – ‘I have a Dream’ is a great speech and that is why over 50 years later it is still being discussed and recognized as one the greatest speeches of all time. His speech is formal, dramatically powerful, and passionate and directly relates to the audience. That is why it is such as great speech. Both Nick Vujicic’s and Martin Luther King’s speeches use Dean Fletcher’s components of a great speech. Although each takes a different path in the way there speech is delivered. Both paths taken by Nick Vujicic and Martin Luther King are successful for their target audience. As discussed speeches can use these components and be great speeches, however still be entirely different.

Reference:

Dean, F. 2012, ‘5 Steps to a successful speech’, Speechwriting 2.0, [blog], URL:

http://thespeechwriter.typepad.com/onspeechwriting/2011/12/5-steps-to-a-successful-speech-part-1.html.,  accessed 06 March, 2014.