Course Work on Effective Speech Writing Essay

The following three deliberative speaking occasions and their expectations are discussed here under: (1) Political Assemblies. In these occasions, the speech to be delivered by political candidates is expected to be informal because they are talking to the masses. It should be somehow emotional so as to be able to appeal to the emotions of the listeners. It is expected to be not too long so it won’t bore the listeners. The language style should be that of the common people. It should present facts and figures to convince people to vote for him/ her as a candidate and to lay down platforms or proposals of changes in the government. The speaker is also expected to identify with the listeners by referring to one’s own experiences that will relate to their experiences. (2) Sales Presentation. The type of speech in this speaking occasion presents a product or service and it tries to persuade and convince the listener-customer to buy. Thus, the speech is expected to be informal, brief and concise, quiet emotional and attention-getting. It must provide evidences to explain and support the benefits of the product or service being promoted and it must also make a comparison and contrast between that product or service and that of a competitor to illustrate that the product or service is far better than others. (3) Legislative Speeches. The speeches delivered in legislation are expected to have a high degree of formality. These are lengthy and have a low emotional intensity. They must present data to prove the claims on the positive benefits of a bill if it is passed into a law. The speaker should also form a sense of identification with his listeners so as to persuade and convince them to believe in what he or she believes is true and right. The three general types of ceremonial speaking occasions and the expectations in these occasions are explained below: (1) Acceptance Speeches. These are delivered when an individual is given an award or recognition for a job well done. The acceptance speech must be formal, brief and direct to the point. It is a little bit emotional especially that the speaker will have to express his or her feelings of gratitude and happiness over his or her receiving the award or recognition. It might have supporting materials such as citing one’s work but it should dwell on the expression of thanks to those who have given him or her the award or recognition and to the people who have helped him or her achieve that. (2) Introduction Speeches. The speech of introduction is delivered when a person comes to deliver a speech and the audience is to be prepared in listening to him. Hence, it is the task of the introducer to arouse the interest of the audience towards the speaker. It should be formal in tone, brief yet succinct. Most of all, it should grab the attention of the listeners. It also needs to present the speaker’s background as well as the qualifications and expertise to explain why he or she was chosen to be the speaker for that theme or topic. (3) Speeches of Tribute. The speech of tribute is delivered to express praise to a person during his birthday, oath to office, retirement and even death. The emotions involved in this speech would depend largely on the occasion. If it is for the person’s birthday or oath to office, it has cheerful tone. But if it is during a person’s retirement or death, the emotions range from pain to sorrow to regret because there is a need to say good bye to that person. This type of speech is expected to provide accurate information about the person being spoken of. The following are the types of speeches that combine ceremonial and deliberative speeches. The expectations for each of the types are included. (1) Commencement Addresses. A commencement address is always delivered on the graduation day of students. Thus, a speaker is expected to motivate and inspire the graduates to reach their goals, dreams and ambitions in life. The tone of the speaker should not be too formal, nor should it be too long. A 45 to 60 minute talk would be enough. A rather long speech might bore the graduates. The speaker is not emotional but he expresses his congratulations to the students who are graduating and his happiness for their achievement in life. Facts, figures and statistics also show support to whatever he will try to persuade his listeners to do such as becoming productive citizens of the country and of the world. (2) Commemorative Addresses. To celebrate an event or occasion, a speaker needs to speak about the background of the person or event being celebrated. It should present the achievements of the person or the positive after effects of that event so as to inspire and motivate the listeners to achieve their dreams. The speech ought to be formal, not lengthy and full of emotions. (3) Keynote Addresses. In a seminar or a conference, almost always there is a keynote address. This type of speech is expected to explain the theme or the subject matter of the seminar or conference as well as to give an overview of the entire proceedings of the seminar or conference. This is when the participants become interested, inspired and motivated to listen to the lectures and discussions during that seminar or conference. A keynote address must have formality, is lengthy, and there is no emotional attachment involvement. The speaker, of course, should be objective in presenting his speech. Former President Richard Nixon’s farewell speech on August 9, 1974 is an example of a combination of the forensic, deliberative and ceremonial speaking occasions which include the five elements of decorum. These elements are formality, length, intensity, supporting materials and explicitness of identification. Nixon’s speech is not too formal because it was delivered to the White House staff with whom he has been familiar with and also to his supporters who were always there by his side. In fact, they are seen laughing once in a while to something he has mentioned in his speech. Its length is not long because it took about 18 minutes for him to finish his speech. This is probably because Nixon considers it â€Å"spontaneous†. It is very emotional considering he has to say good bye to the people who has worked for him and who has supported him. It involved emotions of pain, sorrow and regret for leaving a position he has occupied for the past five and a half years. The supporting materials he included were the experiences of his father, his mother and the former president Theodore Roosevelt or â€Å"T. R. † These supporting materials especially about his father and mother tell the audience that he is just an ordinary person like them. Thus, he explicitly identified with his listeners. As for the expectations of the situation, the speech of Nixon is expected to be emotional, to clear him out of the accusations made against him and his administration, to inspire and motivate the White House Staff to continue with their work and to express gratitude and recognition to the Staff for their untiring efforts to serve the government. Based on analysis, these expectations were fulfilled in Nixon’s farewell speech. During his speech, Nixon was teary-eyed and he even shed tears. He defended himself and his administration by saying â€Å"We can be proud of it – 5 ? years. No man or no woman came into this administration and left it with more of this world’s goods than when he came in†¦ Mistakes, yes. But for personal gain, never. † He ended by saying â€Å"Thank you very much. † References CAS 100C Lesson 11 Commentary Nixon, R. (1974, August 7). Nixon’s Final Remarks To The White House Staff. April, 2008, from http: //www. watergate. info/nixon/resignation-speech. shtml.