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Last updated on
8 September, 2007

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Speech Writing
with Elsie Walker

REGISTRATION:

COST, LENGTH, PREREQUISITES:

No prerequisites.

Standard course: $100 / 4 weeks. Click here to register

Extended course: $125 / 8 weeks. Click here to register
Extended course gives you two weeks to do each lesson but contains NO additional material.

For questions about this COURSE, e-mail Elsie Walker at

If you're thinking of selling your freelance writing services to local businesses and agencies, adding speechwriting skills to your writer's toolkit can make you more marketable. Public relations firms, businesses, local government officials, non-profit organizations, etc need people with this skill. (In addition, if you're a writer/self-publisher who is thinking of going out as a speaker to market your work, this class can help you learn how to develop your speeches/presentations.)

The goal of this course is in to introduce you to the mechanics of speechwriting. I'll discuss the basic format of a speech and what goes into creating the three different types of speeches: Narrative, Informative, and Persuasive. Through homework, you'll look at some famous speeches to get a feel for some of the wording techniques used. Also, you'll get a chance to practice some skills by writing two short speeches. In addition, I'll talk about PowerPoint, a presentation graphics software package that can be used to create visual aids and handouts to go with speeches/presentations. (You might want to consider learning a presentation graphics package to enhance the services you could offer prospective clients.) Other topics addressed in the class will include audience, things to consider when writing speeches for others, and what Toastmasters Internationals can do to help a speechwriter to hone their skills.

Week 1: Overview of Course
Looking at the Basic Speech Format
Anatomy of a Speech

• Opening
• Body
• Closing

Speech Delivery Methods
Writing a Speech for someone else - things to consider
Homework: Read Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech and JFK's Inaugural address (students will be provided with web site addresses at which they can find the speech text). Write down what made the text memorable (give examples).

Week 2: Types of Speeches (Part 1 - The Narrative Speech)
Types of Speeches - Overview

• The Narrative speech
• Purpose Elements Involved
• Debrief prior week's homework
• Working with Words
• Consider the Audience - who are you addressing?

Homework: write a 2 - 3 minute narrative speech introducing yourself

Week 3: Types of Speeches (Part 2 - The Informative Speech)

• The Informative Speech
• Purpose
• Ways to present your information through words
• Using visual aids & the speech
• PowerPoint and what is offers the speechwriter

Homework: Write a 3 - 4 minute speech telling the audience about a hobby, your job, etc.

Week 4: Types of Speeches (Part 3 - the Persuasive Speech)

• Artistotles' Powers of Persuasion
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
• The Persuasive Speech
  - Purpose
  - Elements Involved
  - Further Resources: Toastmasters International - What can offer the speechwriter?

Elsie Walker is a freelance writer with over 1000 published articles to her credit. Her professional background includes working as a technical writer for Prudential Healthcare, ADP, and Honeywell (the latter as a consultant). Her magazines credits include articles in: Succeed (continuing education), Hope (general interest), College Bound (education), Byline (writer’s trade magazine), Fiddler Magazine (special interest), The Quiet Hour (religious devotional), Sussex County Magazine (travel) and many more. In the past few years, she has moved on to doing mostly newspaper work, first for the Recorder Publishing chain and then for Gannett. Now she writes for five New Jersey newspapers including The Animal Companion (a specialty paper which focuses on animals, animal rescue and rehabilitation groups, etc.)

Elsie has also been a corporate trainer and a member of Toastmasters, International (an international public speaking club). Currently, she is an English instructor for the University of Phoenix online.

Walker is involved in public speaking, too. As a member of Toastmasters International, she earned her CTM designation. (Elsie believes so much in the value of Toastmasters as an aid in helping people to succeed in public speaking, that she wrote an article on the organization for Succeed magazine.) She puts her public speaking skills to use as instructor of Introduction to Freelance Writing For Magazines and Introduction to Technical Writing at New Jersey's County College of Morris. Also, several Sundays a year you can find her delivering sermons at the Port Morris (New Jersey) United Methodist Church, where she is a certified Lay Speaker.