how to write a thesis statement for a speech

If you say you are a go getter, think of two or three specific examples that back up that statement. When writing a speech, you mostly think of argumentative thesis statement. Generally, speakers focus on one or more interrelated topics—relatively broad concepts, ideas, or problems that are relevant for particular audiences. Saying you are a quick learner, for example, would not be as effective as sharing that you taught yourself a new language or computer software over the summer break by studying five hours a day from books checked out from the library. Public domain. If the bog turtle enthusiast knows that she will be talking to a local zoning board and that she hopes to stop them from allowing businesses to locate on important bog turtle habitat, her topic can easily morph into something more specific. ~ Ice Cube. When you sit down to write a thesis statement, make sure that you have a clear opinion about your topic. In short, a purpose statement clearly states what it is you would like to achieve. Express an Opinion. In short, the general purpose statement lays out the broader goal of the speech while the specific purpose statement describes precisely what the speech is intended to do. Brown holds a master’s degree in English, a minor in writing and has an associate degree in early childhood education. The specific purpose statement is a tool that you will use as you write your talk, but it is unlikely that it will appear verbatim in your speech. Read and compare your sources : What are the main points they make? Moreover, the thesis statement should reflect the general purpose of your speech; if your purpose is to persuade or educate, for instance, the thesis should alert audience members to this goal. The Clarke County Zoning Commission should protect bog turtle habitats by choosing to prohibit business from locating in these habitats. Usually, the thesis statement will appear at the end of the first paragraph of your paper. When deciding which main points, facts, and examples to include, you should simply ask yourself whether they are relevant not only to the topic you have selected, but also whether they support the goal you outlined in your purpose statement. A thesis statement for a speech has a similar role to that of an essay. In most cases, students write a single concise sentence that contains 2 clauses: A personal opinion or an independent clause; Reasons or a dependent clause. Whether you’re writing an argumentative paper, an informative essay, or a compare/contrast statement, you need a thesis. The rhetorical situation. Draft your thesis : Good ideas are rarely born fully formed. Rhetorical theorist Lloyd Bitzer[1] describes this as the rhetorical situation. According to "Essentials of Public Speaking" by Cheryl Hamilton, "The key is to give enough vivid detail that your listeners can picture the event." But the most common place for a thesis statement (and probably why you’re reading this article) is in an essay. See the textbox entitled “Questions for Selecting a Topic” for a few questions that will help you choose a topic. Your persuasive speech thesis statement can be either long or short based on how many points are included. When one of the candidates realizes he or she will not be successful, the particular circumstances change and the person must craft different kinds of speeches—a concession speech, for example. In this example, the thesis statement outlines the main points and implies that the speaker will be arguing for certain zoning practices. A thesis can be found in many places—a debate speech, a lawyer’s closing argument, even an advertisement. Using narrative and anecdotes will do more to engage listeners than cut-and-dried declarative statements. Chapter 8 The Topic, Purpose, and Thesis. Position: A thesis statement always belongs at the beginning of an essay. CC-BY-NC. Restate your thesis' controlling idea and summarize any supporting examples. In other words, their campaign for presidency, and its many related events, necessitates the creation of various speeches. Quickly writing down a few key points before diving in goes a long way toward making an introduction speech appear seamless and creating a great first impression. Instead, you will want to convert the specific purpose statement into a thesis statement that you will share with your audience. Put simply, the rhetorical situation is the combination of factors that make speeches and other discourse meaningful and a useful way to change the way something is. Bitzer, L. (1968). In doing so, you lay the foundation for your speech by making important decisions about what you will speak about and for what purpose you will speak. Now, her speech topic is two-pronged: bog turtle habitat and zoning rules. If everyone agrees with your position, however, what’s the point in offering your speech? By committing your thesis to paper… You probably should aim for a single sentence that is at least two lines, or about 30 to 40 words long. Thesis Statements for Speeches. Developing Your Argument. By honing in on a very specific topic, you begin the work of formulating your purpose statement. Marie Brown is a Nashville-based writer who has been writing professionally since 2004. While the first reaction may be to panic, in the book "If You Can Talk You Can Write" author Joel Saltzman states, "By writing about what you know---what you've lived through---you suddenly have the inside track on telling your story better than anyone." Continue where the introductory narrative left off, such as describing the exhilaration of playing a successful show. However, if a thesis for research paper has to be well-grounded and profound, the goal of thesis … How to write a thesis statement – A step-by-step guide. To resolve this problem, speakers must also consider the audience to whom they will speak, the scope of their presentation, and the outcome they wish to achieve. Then we will focus on one of these questions and develop it … Once you have answered these questions and narrowed your responses, you are still not done selecting your topic. When we talk about the strength of a thesis statement, we look at how arguable it is. This helps them understand its importance. What beliefs/attitudes do I want to share? We’ll now look at the process for writing a thesis statement. “Bog turtle sunning” by U.S. The most important work that these questions do is to locate topics within your pre-existing sphere of knowledge and interest. For instance, presidential candidates craft short policy speeches that can be employed during debates, interviews, or town hall meetings during campaign seasons. Whether at the beginning of a new class or when joining a new club, students often find themselves suddenly having to deliver a speech to introduce themselves to others. Write down one sentence---a thesis---that communicates something about your character, a passion in your life or your goals. Make sure that you can defend your thesis statement and support your position throughout your speech. http://publicspeakingproject.org/psvirtualtext.html, CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives, https://www.flickr.com/photos/shakespearesmonkey/4939289974/, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bog_turtle_sunning.jpg. If you are still not sure how to write a thesis for a research paper or essay, you should know that you can access a thesis statement generator online. In her book "Business Communication: Process and Product" Mary Ellen Guffey advises, "decide what you want your audience to believe, remember, or do when you finish." It means that your entire speechwriting process will focus on something you find important and that you can present this information to people who stand to benefit from your speech. If you don't know how to create a specific purpose statement, check out our lesson on … For instance, you might have decided that you really care about conserving habitat for bog turtles. The thesis statement for a speech, like the thesis of a research- based essay, should be easily identifiable and ought to very succinctly sum up the main points you will present. They need to be refined. What important events are occurring locally, nationally and internationally? Is there some information the audience needs to know? This is a very broad topic and could easily lead to a dozen different speeches. “The Reader” by Shakespearesmonkey. O’Hair, D., Stewart, R., Rubenstein, H. (2004). To create a thesis statement, start with your specific purpose statement. In either case, it is the situation that makes their speeches appropriate and useful for their audience of students and university employees. Do not put yourself down, diminish your accomplishments or paint yourself as a slacker; instead, focusing on the positive helps listeners think the best of you. Write one brief sentence about 30-40 words to meet academic requirements. How to Turn a Good Thesis Statement Into a Great One; How to Make a Thesis Statement the Easy Way (Infographic) How to Write a Compare and Contrast Thesis Statement; Now that you have a better understanding of the all things thesis statement, here are 15 more thesis statement examples to inspire your next argumentative essay. Do your sources conflict with one another? I think a person who’s trying to learn to like reading should start off reading about a topic they are interested in, or a person they are interested in. Moreover, the thesis statement should reflect the general purpose of your speech; if your purpose is to persuade or educate, for instance, the thesis should alert audience members to this goal. To do so, we will look at a few different questions so you can get a broad sense of what a thesis needs to do. The general purpose statement of a speech may be to inform, to persuade, to inspire, to celebrate, to mourn, or to entertain. It does contain at least two clauses, usually an independent clause (the opinion) and a dependent clause (the reasons). Imagine what you think others might want to know. The bog turtle enthusiast might prepare the following thesis statement based on her specific purpose statement: Bog turtle habitats are sensitive to a variety of activities, but land development is particularly harmful to unstable habitats. A suitable thesis statement length. These decisions will influence and guide the entire speechwriting process, so it is wise to think carefully and critically during these beginning stages. Writing down your major course of study, favorite classes, music, books and hobbies and including specific information about genres, titles, authors and instruments gives listeners enough information to identify with you in a positive way. Your thesis statement should state your position. And remember this: even a speech must have a thesis statement that is given to the audience very early on. A successful thesis statement is one that is made up of one or two sentences clearly laying out your central idea and expressing an informed, reasoned answer to your research question. Hit the main points quickly if you are given fewer than five minutes to prepare. Start with a descriptive icebreaker. ~ Vince Lombardi. Starting with a topic you are already interested in will likely make writing and presenting your speech a more enjoyable and meaningful experience. This is because all speeches are brought into existence as a result of circumstances, the multiplicity of activities going on at any one given moment in a particular place. There are notable differences between a paper and a speech thesis. If your reason for getting up in the morning is music, describe those few moments before taking the stage to draw listeners into your experience. Student government leaders, for example, speak or write to other students when their campus is facing tuition or fee increases, or when students have achieved something spectacular, like lobbying campus administrators for lower student fees and succeeding. According to O’Hair, Stewart, and Rubenstein, a specific purpose statement “expresses both the topic and the general speech purpose in action form and in terms of the specific objectives you hope to achieve.”[3] For instance, the bog turtle habitat activist might write the following specific purpose statement: At the end of my speech, the Clarke County Zoning Commission will understand that locating businesses in bog turtle habitat is a poor choice with a range of negative consequences. It should grab the attention of your audience while giving them an idea of the speech’s topic. The thesis statement for a speech, like the thesis of a research- based essay, should be easily identifiable and ought to very succinctly sum up the main points you will present. In her book "Business Communication: Process and Product" Mary Ellen Guffey advises, "decide what you want your audience to believe, remember, or do when you finish." Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Education, Explore state by state cost analysis of US colleges in an interactive article, If You Can Talk You Can Write; Joel Saltzman; 1993, Business Communication: Process and Product; Mary Ellen Guffey; 2003, Essentials of Public Speaking; Cheryl Hamilton; 2003. There are other questions you might ask yourself, too, but these should lead you to at least a few topical choices. Is there someone or something I can advocate for? Perhaps the simplest way to find a topic is to ask yourself a few questions. Success demands singleness of purpose. If You are Struggling. Write down one sentence---a thesis---that communicates something about your character, a passion in your life or your goals. Come up with key points to back up your thesis. A thesis statement encapsulates the main points of a speech in just a sentence or two, and it is designed to give audiences a quick preview of what the entire speech will be about. Conclude with an upbeat statement that looks forward to the future, including your excitement about getting to know others, and contributing to and being part of the group. More importantly, they speak when there is an opportunity to change a university policy or to alter the way students think or behave in relation to a particular event on campus. Fish and Wildlife Service. The following information will help you write a thesis statement for a persuasive essay. The thesis statement generally appears after a brief introduction of your topic, often as the last sentence of your first paragraph. She began writing instructional articles online in 2009, writing articles about writing, business, home organizing and childcare issues. Thus, it is common to frame a specific purpose statement around one of these goals. I think reading is important in any form. The most common way that speakers discover topics is by simply observing what is happening around them—at their school, in their local government, or around the world. Purpose statements are especially helpful for guiding you as you prepare your speech. On the contrary, opportunities abound for those interested in engaging speech as a tool for change. David Zarefsky[2] also identifies brainstorming as a way to develop speech topics, a strategy that can be helpful if the questions listed in the textbox did not yield an appropriate or interesting topic. But you need not run for president or student government in order to give a meaningful speech. It has a lot in common with thesis statement for a research paper or argumentative essay thesis: you need to put forward your idea and add details, which are to demonstrate where your research or analysis is going to move. 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