Planning your Speech

Aim to follow the below structure as closely as possible when planning your speech:

•Introduction (30 seconds):

–State briefly what your argument is about.

•E.g. Today, I’m going to be arguing that…

•Main body (4 minutes):

–Prepare 2-3 detailed, strong ideas that will support your overall argument.

–One idea should naturally lead on to the next. Link your ideas using a range of connectives.

–Refer to 2-4 sources to support each of your points

•You cannot achieve a high level unless you refer to some of your own sources.

•You should refer to a variety of different source types, i.e. articles, poems, TEDTalks.

•Personal anecdotes are another effective way of supporting your point.

•Try to use a range of persuasive devices studied in previous years (ISAFORREST).

•Conclusion (30 seconds):

–As with essay writing, your conclusion should simply be a summary of your main ideas. You’re not expected to bring in new information here.

In order to ensure that your speech is as convincing as possible, you should aim to incorporate a range of persuasive devices into it:

•Imperatives

•Statistics/ Facts

•Anecdote

•Flattery

•Opinions

•Rhetorical questions

•Repetition

•Emotive language

•Second person pronouns

•The rule of three