Week 5, Activity 3
Improving speech writing through Talk in action (Heritage & Clayman 2010)
Writing a good quality speech requires technical expertise and careful consideration. The writer needs to prioritise the listener, if their message is to clearly communicated.
The role of the audience
Audiences can be diverse and will determine whether or not devices such as ‘colloquialism‘ are used. Colloquial speech is informal and conversational, which is sometimes used in professional speaking to relate to an audience (Stack Exchange Inc. 2014).
Without the attention of an audience, there is little point in making a speech, therefore, ‘the audience has always had a make or break role’ (Heritage & Clayman 2010, p. 263). In connection with this, speakers can lose an audience through a poorly written and performed script.
The response an audience has will declare their level of approval and understanding, as well as provide a strong indication of how well they relate to the speaker. However, this can be improved as ‘applause is structured by the sentence(s) that lead up to it’ (Heritage & Clayman 2010, p. 264). Even so, the audience will need adequate time to respond to the ideas that are imparted.
Gaining a positive response
Great speeches are carefully planned and measured in order to create the intended response, using a combination of techniques.
Listeners require some basis from which to form agreement with the speaker. One important rhetorical device in memorable speech writing is to ‘compare and contrast’ ideas, thereby assisting the listener with processing the overall message (Heritage & Clayman 2010, p. 267). In a study by Heritage & Greatbatch (1986, cited in Heritage & Clayman 2010, p. 208) 25 per cent of the applause was attributed to the use of contrast. Contrasting gives the audience information from which they can decide to agree or disagree.
In 1961, John F Kennedy used contrast in this catch-phrase and statement during his inaugural address:
Figure 1: An example of contrast in John F Kennedy’s inaugural address (1961).
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLdA1ikkoEc
Presenting the ideas of a speech in a logical format is another essential element to successful speech writing. The use of lists can provide emphasis, clarity and prompt applause. Heritage & Clayman (2010, p. 269) note that the effective use of lists can increase the audience’s response by 6.5 per cent. Reality television shows such as MasterChef Australia (Tenplay 2016) use the list format to announce winners and losers, as it builds tension towards a stronger response. The same concept is used in awards ceremonies such as the Grammy Awards (The Recording Academy 2016).
Another tactic used by clever speakers is that of presenting the audience with a puzzle and solution. The puzzle (or problem) establishes a means for gaining approval, when the speaker presents a key point that they are making, as a valid solution (Heritage & Clayman 2010, p. 271). However, this technique is not as common, but produces strong results according to Heritage & Greatbatch (1986, cited in Heritage & Clayman 2010, p. 271).
Well-written speeches develop the expectations of an audience towards applause in three stages:
1. Establishing the structure and positioning of argument.
2. Making important points and using rhetorical devices.
3. The delivery of the speech (micro-structure).
(Heritage & Greatbatch 1986, cited in Heritage & Clayman 2010, p. 275).
Finally, there is a question of whether form or content are more important aspects. Heritage and Greatbatch (1986, cited in Heritage & Clayman 2010, p. 276) discovered formatted statements led to greater success, and that form elicits audience response; however, content is a vital component in developing the right conditions for the audience to respond.
In conclusion, the use of specific techniques can greatly improve a speaker’s change of gaining audience approval, positive response and imparting the intended message.
References
Atkinson, M 2011, ‘JFK’s inaugural speech: six secrets of his success’, BBC News, 19 January, viewed 10 April 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-12215248
Heritage, J & Clayman, S 2010, ‘Chapter 18: Interaction en masse: audiences and speeches’, in Talk in action: interactions, identities, and institutions, pp.263-287, Wiley-Blackwell, West Sussex, UK.
Kjeld17 2008, John F Kennedy ‘Ask not’, 5 July, viewed 10 May 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLdA1ikkoEc
Literary Devices 2016, Colloquialism, viewed 9 April 2016, http://literarydevices.net/colloquialism/
MasterChef Australia 2016, television program, tenplay, Ten Network Holdings Limited, viewed 10 May 2016, http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/masterchef
Stack Exchange Inc. 2014, ‘What are the characteristics of slang, dialect, and colloquial speech?’, 16 April, viewed 9 April 2016, http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/164241/what-are-the-characteristics-of-slang-dialect-and-colloquial-speech
The Recording Academy 2016, The GRAMMYs, viewed 10 May 2016, https://www.grammy.com/
Speech & Script by Sheena 