Original Oratory - An Example of Speech Construction

An Example of Speech Construction

While having a factual baseline is still one of the most important parts of the speech, the inclusion of humor and personal anecdotes may boost performance. An oratory may follow a pattern:

Introduction: The introduction may begin with a joke, a story, or an interesting fact, often called the "Attention Getting Device". A successful oratory will either make the audience and judge laugh or grab their attention. Apart from grabbing the attention of those listening, the main purpose of the introduction is to explain in an interesting and creative manner what your speech is about. It is often important to explicitly state from the very beginning what you are talking about so the judge and audience doesn't have to guess. This also makes it easier for the judge, because they know what sort of things to look for when listening to the speech.

Problem: After the introduction, an oratory will usually explain in a little more detail than what was given in the introduction what the topic is about. When doing this, the orator should explain why this topic is important. For example, if the topic is about individuality or being your own person, an Orator might explain that a decrease in individuality is bad because it lowers your ability to stand up for what you believe in or it makes you conform to standards instead of forming your own beliefs and values.

Causes/Effects: Next, the orator could explain what is causing the problem. Since Oratory is generally a speech used to encourage people to take action against a problem, it is important to explain what specifically is causing the problem. This allows the audience to know specifically what they need to look out for. An orator will possibly explain that by attacking the problem by the "roots" (what causes it), it will be easiest to solve it. Similarly, it is important to explain the negative effects of the causes. Discussing the causes is important to the oratory because it validates the fact that the topic is in fact a significant problem.

Solution: The most important part of an oratory is often considered the "solution." This should be creative, innovative, and should be presented in such a way that will encourage both the judge and the audience to take proactive measures to act against the problem. In an oratory about individuality, the solutions might be to 1) Relax and decide what you yourself want to do, 2) Resist temptations to simply follow others even though it might be the easiest way 3) Even if others don't follow you, if you think its right, then it is the best path for you personally to take. This part of the oratory will also explain the positive benefits of following these solutions which will make the judge and the audience want to listen to them (i.e. it gives the speech merit). It is imperative that the solution is not forgotten, otherwise an oratory is simply a wasted ten minutes. No one wants to hear about a problem without being told what they can do to fix it.

Conclusion: Judges look at the conclusion and judge based on whether or not it ties in with the introduction. If you told a story about a problem you got yourself in for your introduction, use the conclusion to finish the story and tell how you fixed the problem. If it was a fact, elaborate on the fact. By tying the introduction to the conclusion, it gives the speech a feeling of fluidity.