ENGL 13012 Introduction to Public Speaking

Here is the transcript of a speech made by an undergraduate. Read it carefully and look at the various techniques/ strategies and transitional expressions used by the speaker. A very good morning to all of you! Ladies and Gentlemen, Today I am here to talk about the role of richer nations in helping poorer nations of the world. To begin with Todays world has been divided into developing and industrialized countries which the main difference between them is the amount of money that governments apply in important sectors such as education, health and commerce. Most of the poorer nations are buried in debts as a result of their unbalanced finances which are reflected in a failed health care, an unstructured education system and a weak international trade. This vicious cycle will continue indefinitely unless wealthier nations show interest in minimizing the worldwide economic differences, as well as taking more responsibility for assisting less fortunate countries. For example, most of the African countries live in sub-human conditions because of extreme poverty, internal conflicts , hunger, disease, unemployment, lack of education and both inexperienced and corrupt administrations. The devastating consequences of the AIDS epidemic in those countries could improve if the infected population were to receive free drugs to control the disease, have access to health professionals and get information on how to prevent its spread. This can only be achieved through international help programs in which leaders of the worlds richest countries donate medicine and also send doctors and nurses to treat and educate those in need. Moreover, most of the poor countries rely on selling agricultural products and raw materials to rich nations and buying industrialized products from them resulting in a huge financial deficit. Consequently, they borrow a significant amount of money from the World Bank to try to improve their broken economies, but sometimes the money disappears with no significant changes and they cannot even pay the interest to the bank. Regarding this issue, last year the G8, which is comprised of leaders of the eight richest nations, decided to forgive billions of dollars worth of debt owed by the worlds poorest nations. In addition, they developed adequate loan programs to financially assist those countries. In conclusion, leaders of the industrialized countries play an indispensable role in assisting developing nations in dealing with essential areas such as health, education and trade. Also, their aid is the key to breaking the vicious cycle, which results in poverty and death. All in all, I am therefore inclined that the governments of richer nations should take more responsibility for helping the poorer nations in areas such as health, education and trade to make this world a better place for all of us. I would like to finish my speech with these memorable lines from Michael Jackson: Heal The World/ Make It A Better Place/ For You And For Me/ And The Entire Human Race. Thank you!

Read the following short biography of Mahathma Gandhi. Write a short speech about Gandhi based on the information given here. Use the speech script about Leonardo Da Vinci in your module handout as a guide.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, India. He became one of the most respected spiritual and political leaders of the 1900's. GandhiJI helped free the Indian people from British rule through non-violent resistance, and is honoured by Indians as the father of the Indian Nation. The Indian people called Gandhiji 'Mahatma', meaning Great Soul. At the age of 13 Gandhi married Kasturba, a girl the same age. Their parents arranged the marriage. The Gandhis had four children. Gandhi studied law in London and returned to India in 1891 to practice. In 1893 he took on a one-year contract to do legal work in South Africa. At the time the British controlled South Africa. When he attempted to claim his rights as a British subject he was abused, and soon saw that all Indians suffered similar treatment. Gandhi stayed in South Africa for 21 years working to secure rights for Indian people. He developed a method of action based upon the principles of courage, non-violence and truth called Satyagraha. He believed that the way people behave is more important than what they achieve. Satyagraha promoted non-violence and civil disobedience as the most appropriate methods for obtaining political and social goals. In 1915 Gandhi returned India. Within 15 years he became the leader of the Indian nationalist movement. Using the principles of Satyagraha he led the campaign for Indian independence from Britain. Gandhi was arrested many times by the British for his activities in South Africa and India. He believed it was honourable to go to jail for a just cause. Altogether he spent seven years in prison for his political activities. More than once Gandhi used fasting to impress upon others the need to be non-violent. India was granted independence in 1947, and partitioned into India and Pakistan. Rioting between Hindus and Muslims followed. Gandhi had been an advocate for a united India where Hindus and Muslims lived together in peace. On January 13, 1948, at the age of 78, he began a fast with the purpose of stopping the bloodshed. After 5 days the opposing leaders pledged to stop the fighting and Gandhi broke his fast. Twelve days later a Hindu fanatic, Nathuram Godse who opposed his program of tolerance for all creeds and religion assassinated him.

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

Some Useful Expressions for Public Speaking: Today I would like to talk to you about/ on...... To begin with I would like to take this opportunity to tell how... My objective is to The main points I will be talking about today Lets start/begin with Id like to start by . First/ Foremost/ First and Foremost/ In the first place/ At the beginning of my speech, I would like to... Secondly,/ Thirdly Id like to illustrate this by showing you On the one hand, __________ and on the other hand ________________ In addition,/ Furthermore,/ At the same time, Now lets move on to Id now like to turn to Let me go back to what I said earlier about/ As I said earlier, For example/ instance, In other words, Fore this reason, Above all, More importantly, To make matters worse, As you may know, This brings me to my last point, which is that Id like to recap the main points of my Im going to conclude by saying that / inviting you to / quoting Finally, In conclusion,

Top tips for writing an effective speech:

Know Your Main Motive for Speaking. Understand the Requirements and the Audience. Decide on Your Overall Message. Record Your Ideas. Create the Speech Outline. Write the Speech Sections. Use a Visual Map to Create the Speech. Build Good Stuff into Your Speech. Review Your Speech. Determine Your Delivery Style. Practice Your Speech. Record Yourself on Audio and Listen. Memorize Your Opening and Ending. Give the Speech to Family or Friends. Prepare Your Slides or Speaker Notes.