THE
QUALITIES OF A GOOD SPEECH
Speech is defined as a formal talk that a person gives to an
audience. Some of its synonyms are lecture, address, discourse, oration and
sermon.
According to seasoned speakers a good speech should be structured thoughtfully with a
captivating opening, a well-organized body, and a conclusion that reinforces
the main message. They believe that good speech writing embraces the power of
engaging content, weaving in stories, examples, and relatable anecdotes to
connect with the audience on both intellectual and emotional levels.
A good speaker knows his audience, uses the language that catches
their attention, keeps them focused on his words, is sufficiently audible,
sticks to the subject of his speech, remains relevant and does not beat about
the bush.
Whereas a speech should be
interesting and should look complete, it should not be very long and should not
become boring.
The best quality of a good speech is
that the listener finds it useful, educative, enlightening and illuminative.
It is correct to say that speeches
cannot be made long enough for the speakers, nor short enough for the listeners.
According to the English essayist William
Hazlitt (1778-1830) the English dramatist Richard Sheridan (1751-1816) once
said of some speech, in his acute, sarcastic way that “it contained a great
deal both of what was new and what was true; but that what was new was not
true, and what was true was not new.”
Finally, as the Scottish American
divine John Witherspoon (1723-94) said : “never rise to speak till you have something
to say; and when you have said it, cease.”
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G.R.Kanwal
2nd July 2024
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