Text-Types-Speech

3. SPEECH                            

Aristotle coined the terms : Ethos, Pathos, and Logos as modes of persuasion used to convince audiences.  

Ethos or the ethical appeal, means to convince an audience of the author’s credibility or character. An author would use ethos to show to his audience that he is a credible source and is worth listening to. Ethos is the Greek word for “character.”

                                                                                                                     

Ethos can be developed by choosing language that is appropriate for the audience and topic , making yourself sound fair or unbiased, and by using correct grammar and syntax.

Pathos or the emotional appeal, means to persuade an audience by appealing to their emotions. Authors use pathos to invoke sympathy from an audience; to make the audience feel what  the author wants them to feel. A common use of pathos would be to draw pity from an audience. Another use of pathos would be to inspire anger from an audience; perhaps in order to prompt action. Pathos is the Greek word for both “suffering” and “experience.”

Pathos can be developed by using meaningful language, emotional tone, emotion evoking examples, stories of emotional events, and implied meanings. 

Logos or the appeal to logic, means to convince an audience by use of logic or reason.

To use logos would be to cite facts and statistics, historical and literal analogies, and citing certain authorities on a subject. Logos is the Greek word for “word”. 

Logos can be developed by using advanced, theoretical or abstract language, citing facts (very important), using historical and literal analogies, and by constructing logical arguments.

HOW TO WRITE A SPEECH

For a lot of people, the prospect of standing in front of a group and speaking is actually more terrifying than dying. That’s a pretty serious phobia to overcome!

1) Audience. First, determine who your audience is and customize your writing accordingly.
2) Purpose and message. Two things must be settled in your own mind before you are ready to write your speech. First, what is the purpose of your talk? Secondly, what do you most want audiences to come away with after hearing you.

3) Brainstorming. It may take you some time to figure out just what the purpose and main message of your speech will be, especially if you have a lot of diverse knowledge about your subject. Make a list of all the things you might possibly be interested in speaking about. Once the list is in written form, it will be easy to see which points are not likely to fit into your time frame.
4) Attention grabber. Remember your audience will not be feeling any of the anxiety you are likely to feel. After all, their requirements are few: sitting, listening. However, do yourself and your audience a favor and have something interesting to say at the beginning—an anecdote, a joke, or a question that will allow them time to settle in and focus.
5) Introduction. After you’ve grabbed their attention, use the introduction of your speech to let the audience know what to expect.
6) Body. Sticking firmly to the topics you’ve introduced will be easier if you create each section like a mini-paper.
7) Conclusion. Have you said enough? Too much? If you say “finally” or “in conclusion,” be prepared  to end the speech pretty quickly. Audiences know that it’s over; to keep going can irritate them and may even lose any good will you’ve accumulated. So take care in your speech writing to draw an apt and memorable conclusion. And stick to it!
8) Practice, practice. Once you have your speech written, practice it several times until you feel comfortable with the entire process. If possible, gather a few trusted friends to listen to you and offer constructive criticism....