UNDERSTANDING

SPEECH CONTEXT,
SPEECH STYLE,
SPEECH ACT, AND
COMMUNICATIVE
STRATEGY
FACTORS AFFECTED BY A SHIFT IN SPEECH CONTEXT, SPEECH
STYLE, SPEECH ACT, AND COMMUNICATIVE STRATEGY

2
FACTORS AFFECTED BY A SHIFT IN SPEECH
CONTEXT, SPEECH STYLE, SPEECH ACT, AND
COMMUNICATIVE STRATEGY

3
FACTORS AFFECTED BY A SHIFT IN SPEECH
CONTEXT, SPEECH STYLE, SPEECH ACT, AND
COMMUNICATIVE STRATEGY

4
FACTORS AFFECTED BY A SHIFT IN SPEECH
CONTEXT, SPEECH STYLE, SPEECH ACT, AND
COMMUNICATIVE STRATEGY

5
FACTORS AFFECTED BY A SHIFT IN SPEECH
CONTEXT, SPEECH STYLE, SPEECH ACT, AND
COMMUNICATIVE STRATEGY

6
THE SPEECH
WRITING
PROCESS
A good speech requires days or even
weeks of preparation depending on
the topic and the availability of
materials needed. While many are
expert enough to compose their
speech a night before they deliver it,
seldom that it become very
successful for a beginner writer. For
this reason, careful planning is
important to come up with a well-
written speech.

20XX Pitch deck title 8

20XX Pitch deck title 9
20XX Pitch deck title 10
20XX Pitch deck title 11
• The purpose for writing and delivering the
speech can be classified into three—to
inform, to entertain, or to persuade.
 An informative speech provides the
audience with a clear understanding of the
concept or idea presented by the speaker.
 An entertainment speech provides the
audience with amusement.
 A persuasive speech provides the
audience with well-argued ideas that can
influence their own beliefs and decisions.

12
13
14
• The topic is your focal point of your
speech, which can be determined once
you have decided on your purpose. If
you are free to decide on a topic,
choose one that really interests you.
There are a variety of strategies used in
selecting a topic, such as using your
personal experiences, discussing with
your family members or friends, free
writing, listing, asking questions, or
semantic webbing. 15
• Narrowing down a topic
means making your main idea
more specific and focused. The
strategies in selecting a topic
can also be used when you
narrow down a topic.

16
In the example below, “Defining and developing
effective money management skills of Grade 11
students” is the specific topic out of a general one,
which is “Effective money management.”

17
• Data gathering is the stage where
you collect ideas, information,
sources, and references relevant or
related to your specific topic. This can
be done by visiting the library,
browsing the web, observing a certain
phenomenon or event related to your
topic, or conducting an interview or
survey. The data that you will gather
will be very useful in making your
speech informative, entertaining, or
persuasive. 18
• Writing patterns, in general,
are structures that will help
you organize the ideas related
to your topic. Examples are
biographical,
categorical/topical, causal,
chronological,
comparison/contrast,
problem-solution, and spatial. 19
20
21
22
• An outline is a hierarchical list that shows
the relationship of your ideas. Experts in
public speaking state that once your
outline is ready, two-thirds of your speech
writing is finished. A good outline helps
you see that all the ideas are in line with
your main idea or message. The elements
of an outline include introduction, body,
and conclusion. Write your outline based
on how you want your ideas to develop.

23
Below are some of the suggested formats.

24
25
• The body of the speech provides
explanations, examples, or any
details that can help you deliver
your purpose and explain the main
idea of your speech.
One major consideration in
developing the body of your speech
is the focus or central idea. The
body of your speech should only
have one central idea. 26
The following are some strategies to
highlight your main idea.
• Present real-life or practical
examples
• Show statistics
• Present comparisons
• Share ideas from the experts or
practitioners

27
The introduction is the foundation of your speech.
Here, your primary goal is to get the attention of your
audience and present the subject or main idea of your
speech. Your first few words should do so. The
following are some strategies.
• Use a real-life experience and connect that
experience to your subject.
• Use practical examples and explain their connection
to your subject.
• Start with a familiar or strong quote and then
explain what it means.
• Use facts or statistics and highlight their importance
to your subject.
• Tell a personal story to illustrate your point.
28
The conclusion restates the main idea of your speech.
Furthermore, it provides a summary, emphasizes the
message, and calls for action. While the primary goal
of the introduction is to get the attention of your
audience, the conclusion aims to leave the audience
with a memorable statement.
The following are some strategies.
• Begin your conclusion with a restatement of your
message.
• Use positive examples, encouraging words, or
memorable lines from songs or stories familiar to
your audience.
• Ask a question or series of questions that can make
your audience reflect or ponder.
29
• Editing/Revising your written speech
involves correcting errors in mechanics, such
as grammar, punctuation, capitalization,
unity, coherence, and others. Andrew Dlugan
(2013), an award-winning public speaker,
lists six power principles for speech editing.
Edit for focus.
“So, what’s the point? What’s the message of
the speech?”
Ensure that everything you have
written, from introduction to conclusion,
is related to your central message.
30
• Edit for clarity.
“I don’t understand the message because the examples
or supporting details were confusing.”

Make all ideas in your speech clear by arranging them

in logical order (e.g., main idea first then supporting
details, or supporting details first then main idea).

• Edit for concision.

“The speech was all over the place; the speaker kept
talking endlessly as if no one was listening to
him/her.”

Keep your speech short, simple, and clear by

eliminating unrelated stories and sentences and by 31
• Edit for continuity.
“The speech was too difficult to follow; I was
lost in the middle.”
Keep the flow of your presentation smooth by
adding transition words and phrases.

• Edit for variety.

“I didn’t enjoy the speech because it was
boring.”
Add spice to your speech by shifting tone and
style from formal to conversational and vice-
versa, moving around the stage, or adding
humor. 32
• Edit for impact and beauty.
“There’s nothing really special about the
speech.”
Make your speech memorable by using
these strategies: surprise the audience,
use vivid descriptive images, write well-
crafted and memorable lines, and use
figures of speech.

33
• Rehearsing gives you an opportunity
to identify what works and what does
not work for you and for your target
audience. Some strategies include
reading your speech aloud, recording
for your own analysis or for your peers
or coaches to give feedback on your
delivery. The best thing to remember at
this stage is: “Constant practice makes
perfect.”
34
Some Guidelines in Speech Writing
1. Keep your words short and simple. Your speech is meant to
be heard by your audience, not read.
2. Avoid jargon, acronyms, or technical words because they
can confuse your audience.
3. Make your speech more personal. Use the personal pronoun
“I,” but take care not to overuse it. When you need to
emphasize collectiveness with your audience, use the
personal pronoun “we.”
4. Use active verbs and contractions because they add to the
personal and conversational tone of your speech.
5. Be sensitive of your audience. Be very careful with your
language, jokes, and nonverbal cues.
6. Use metaphors and other figures of speech to effectively
convey your point.
7. Manage your time well; make sure that the speech falls
under the time limit.
35
PRINCIPLES OF
SPEECH
WRITING
1. Audience Profile
Knowing your audience
specifically their general age,
gender, educational level, religion,
language, culture and group
membership is one of the most
important aspects in developing
your speech. Basically, this is
done so that you can tailor-fit
your speech content and delivery
to your audience
20XX Pitch deck title 37
1. Audience Profile
Analyzing your audience will
help you discover the
information you can use to
build a connection between
you and members of your
audience.

20XX Pitch deck title 38

20XX Pitch deck title 39
20XX Pitch deck title 40
20XX Pitch deck title 41
The Introduction
The introduction is the most crucial part
of the speech. It is generally only 10 to
15 percent of the time the speaker
spends speaking. According to Wrench
(2012), a good introduction serves five
functions: (1) you should be able to gain
audience attention and interest, (2) it
states the purpose of your speech, (3) it
establishes your credibility, (4) it should
provide reasons for your audience to
listen and (5) your introduction should
preview the main idea of your speech.
20XX Pitch deck title 42
The Body
The body of the speech is the
core part of the speech that
addresses the main ideas and
principles of the speech. It
consists of the main points.
This is presented using
methods of organization
(Flores, 2016).

20XX Pitch deck title 43

20XX Pitch deck title 44
20XX Pitch deck title 45
Make sure that you move
smoothly from one paragraph
to another. Transitional words
are used to connect words,
phrases, or sentences. They
help the reader to move from
one idea to the next to build
coherent relationships within
the text.
20XX Pitch deck title 46
Study the table showing examples of different
transitional words and their functions.

20XX Pitch deck title 47

Adapted from: The Transitional Devices Table.
https://kielikompassi.jyu.fi/kookit06/corpus/micase/transitionaldevicetable.html

20XX Pitch deck title 48

The Conclusion
After writing the body of your
speech following the methods of
organization, the last thing that
you need to work on is how to end
it.
The conclusion functions as the
summarizer of the entire speech.
The conclusion has to be written
using different strategies (Tandoc,
2016).
20XX Pitch deck title 49
20XX Pitch deck title 50
3. Duration
No matter how long the speech is,
always divide it into five parts: an
introduction, the body (paragraph 2,
paragraph 3, and paragraph 4) and a
conclusion. This format is adaptable
to a speech of almost any length. By
doing this, you can actually monitor
the time and length of your speech
or the so-called Duration. Most
experts say that the ideal length of
speech is up to 20 minutes. (Gray-
Grant, 2017).
20XX Pitch deck title 51
Introduction: 2 minutes (250 words)
Body:
Point 1: 5 minutes (625 words)
Point 2: 5 minutes (625 words)
Point 3: 5 minutes (625 words)
Conclusion: 3 minutes (375 words)
Total word count: 2,500 words (20
minutes)
20XX Pitch deck title 52
4. Word Choice
There are a lot of vocabularies
available to describe one's idea.
However, the speaker should carefully
use the correct word in writing the
speech. The use of conversational
language helps put the audience feel
at ease and creates a special bond
between the speaker and the
audience. However, there are things
that you should consider in choosing
your words.
20XX Pitch deck title 53
The following words should be
avoided in a written speech
(Tandoc, 2016).
a. Jargons or technical terms
specific only for a group of people
b. Redundancy or excessive
repetition of words
c. Language inappropriate for the
audience
d. Language inappropriate for the
occasion
20XX Pitch deck title 54
Jargons are specific words or phrases
used by a certain individual or group
which are difficult for others to
understand.

For example, the word idiopathic (which

means unknown cause) and hyperventilate
(rapid breathing) are jargons because they are
technical terms in medical fields. The word
affidavit (sworn) and circumstantial (specific
details) are heard commonly in legal aspect or
terms in in the field of Law. These words can
be confusing if you are speaking in front of a
general crowd or audience.
20XX Pitch deck title 55
5. Grammatical Correctness
Using correct grammar when you give
a speech is important to prevent
misunderstanding and
misinterpretation between you and the
audience. Good command of the
language helps listeners understand
you quickly. Grammar inconsistencies
slow down the communication process
and generate negative impressions for
the audience, as your ideas and
thoughts are not clear and coherently
conveyed.
20XX Pitch deck title 56
PRINCIPLES OF
SPEECH
DELIVERY
Types of Speech According to Purpose
1. An informative speech provides the
audience with a clear understanding of a
concept or idea. The lectures of your
teachers are the best examples of this type.
2. An entertainment speech amuses the
audience. The humorous speeches of
comedians and performers are the best
examples of this type.

20XX Pitch deck title 58

Types of Speech According to
Purpose
3. A persuasive speech seeks to
provide the audience with favorable
or acceptable ideas that can influence
their own ideas and decisions. The
campaign speeches of the running
candidates for government posts are
the best examples of this type.
20XX Pitch deck title 59
Types of Speech According to Delivery
1. Extemporaneous

20XX Pitch deck title 60

Types of Speech According to Delivery
1. Extemporaneous

20XX Pitch deck title 61

2. Impromptu

20XX Pitch deck title 62

3. Manuscript

20XX Pitch deck title 63

4. Memorized

20XX Pitch deck title 64

Delivery for Different Situations
As a public speaker, you need to be ready to deal with
the most common challenges in different speaking
environments. Below are some of them.
1. Speaking to a specific audience size

20XX Pitch deck title 65

2. Speaking in an open-air venue or outside a
building

20XX Pitch deck title 66

3. Speaking in different venues

20XX Pitch deck title 67

4. Speaking with a microphone

20XX Pitch deck title 68

5. Speaking with a podium or lectern

20XX Pitch deck title 69

Tools for Effective Speech Delivery
To be effective in your delivery, watch and
emulate people who speak in public
excellently. While observing, take note of
the following:
• How they approach their audience
(formal, informal, personal,
conversational, intimate, among others)
• How they connect with their audience
(using eye contact, body movements,
and facial expressions)
20XX Pitch deck title 70
• How they present themselves (stage
presence: how they look, stand, walk,
use nonverbal cues, act on and off the
stage)
• How they use their voice in terms of
volume (loudness or softness), pitch
(highness or lowness), rate or speed,
pauses to show emphasis and strengthen
the clarity of the message, vocal variety
(effective changes in volume, pitch, rate
and pauses), and pronunciation
20XX Pitch deck title 71
More Tips for Effective Speech Delivery

Following are more techniques and tips to

help you deliver your speech well:
1.Use a conversational style more often.
This is the style that is more natural; it is
the style that you always use when you
express yourself with your family and
friends. Audience members do not like
the speaker to sound unnatural or
exaggerated.
20XX Pitch deck title 72
2. Look your audience members in the
eye so they will feel that they are part
of your speech. Eye contact should be
maintained to keep the attention of
your audience and enhance your
delivery.
3. Remember to adjust your volume to
the size of the audience and the venue.
When addressing a large audience,
modulate your voice in such a way that
you speak loudly without sounding like
shouting or yelling.
20XX Pitch deck title 73
4.Vary your rate or speed to keep your
audience interested and to avoid a
monotone pattern. The audience might
get bored if you speak very slowly and
they might get confused if you speak
very fast. Hence, your rate should be at
an appropriate speed.

20XX Pitch deck title 74

5.Master your voice and find your pitch
level (high or low). If you have a high
pitch level, modulate or slightly move it
down. If you have a low pitch level,
modulate or slightly move it up. Your
performance will definitely be affected if
you do not modulate.

20XX Pitch deck title 75

6.Use pauses when you emphasize the
most important words, phrases, or
sentences. Your pauses should not last
for three seconds. Otherwise, it will
result in dead air or a moment of
awkward silence.
7.Pronounce and enunciate words
correctly. You will confuse the audience
if you mispronounce words, and it could
distract them and affect your credibility.
20XX Pitch deck title 76
8.Avoid fillers or expressions that substitute
actual words in your speech because these
words are distracting. Examples of fillers are
“like,” “um,” “ah,” “uh,” and “er.” To reduce
the use of these fillers, detect the instances
when you use them: Do you generally use
fillers after each sentence, between different
ideas, or whenever you make transitions?
Then, instead of using them the next time you
deliver a speech, simply stop and pause.
20XX Pitch deck title 77
9.Start your speech by standing straight
and balancing your weight. This will
give a positive first impression.
10.Use precise movements. Avoid
distracting mannerisms like swaying
back and forth, leaning on the podium,
licking or biting your lips, playing with
your wristwatch or jewelry, scratching
parts of your body, frowning, and
others. Observe your mannerisms and
learn how to avoid them when speaking
in public.
20XX Pitch deck title 78
11.Avoid having a poker face or a highly
animated face. These facial expressions
appear distracting and may even be
annoying. Instead, follow the most
highly suggested tip: smile. However,
make sure that the meaning of your
speech reflects in your facial
expressions; do not smile if you are
talking about something sad.

20XX Pitch deck title 79

12.Dress properly and appropriately.
Wearing the proper attire will make you
look more confident and professional.
Make sure not to overdress, as this may
distract your audience.

20XX Pitch deck title 80

13.Observe ethics by coming prepared,
being honest with your words, being
polite, avoiding offensive words and
back-biting or talking negative things
about other people, or copying
someone’s work without proper
documentation.
14.Breathe in and out to relax before
your speech. Most importantly, have
fun.
20XX Pitch deck title 81
Tools for Effective Speech Delivery

Articulation
When a speaker’s words cannot be
understood because of poor
articulation, the speech might as well
not have been delivered at all.
Articulation refers to the clear
pronunciation or diction and speech
which is very essential in effectively
transmitting the message.

20XX Pitch deck title 82

Tools for Effective Speech Delivery
Articulation
Word choice and grammatical
correctness are necessary in writing
the speech, but it is highly important
to know by the speaker the correct
way of saying a word, whether they
are familiar or unfamiliar. It also
includes proper breathing techniques
together with the correct production
of sounds that make up words
contribute to an efficient articulation.
20XX Pitch deck title 83
 Modulation
This happens when you control or
adjust the tone or volume of your
voice as you try to lower your voice to
a loud whisper in order to get the
attention of your audience as they
find your message more appealing,
dramatic and mysterious.
Modulation has various meanings,
such as a change of key in music or
of the sound of a person's voice.
Modulation refers to the capability of
the vocal tone to adjust to the
resonance and timbre of the voice.
20XX Pitch deck title 84
 Stage presence
Stage Presence refers to the ability of
the speaker to “own the stage,”
meaning to be able to fill the space and
project his/her personality to the
audience. The speaker’s ability to get
and secure the audience's interest in
listening to him / her through his or
her presentation style refers to stage
presence. Every time the speaker faces
his audience, he is encouraged to
keep his poise, posture, gestures, and
movements since they may make or
break the presentation.
20XX Pitch deck title 85
 Stage presence
A good stage presence
essentially engages the audience
into the performance. It is the
ability to make the audience
connect with the speaker and
pull them into the story being
told, and as a result, the
audience are affected by the
feelings, emotions, and ideas
being conveyed.
20XX Pitch deck title 86
 Facial Expressions, Gestures
and Movements
To effectively communicate emotions
and enthusiasm while speaking, the
speaker must use emphatic and
descriptive gestures. These helps
enhance the verbal content of our
speech. Gestures should appear
spontaneous but purposeful.
Movements from the waist down
should be decisively used to
emphasize a point or as a transition
during a speech.
20XX Pitch deck title 87
Facial expressions are essential in
setting the emotional tone for a speech. It
is helpful that facial expressions jive with
the message being delivered. To achieve
the positive tone of the speaker before he
begins, he simply must glance at the
audience and smile. A smile may be
simple, but its value is indispensable in
communicating friendliness, openness,
and confidence. In addition, facial
expressions communicate various types of
emotions which reflect the speaker’s
moods and personality traits.
20XX Pitch deck title 88
Arm and hand movements constitute gesture. We
all may have developed our native culture and we
tend to internalize them as we speak. Becoming
fluent in a language is part of this process. On the
other hand, we also become fluent in non-verbal
communication through our gestures. We all use
hand gestures while we speak, but we didn’t ever
go to any class in learning how to match our verbal
communication with the appropriate gestures; we
just internalized on these norms as a result of long
period of time based on observation later
incorporate them as we speak. By this point in
your life, you have a whole vocabulary of hand
movements and gestures that spontaneously come
out while you’re speaking. Some of these gestures
are emphatic and some are descriptive (Koch,
2007).
20XX Pitch deck title 89
Movement of the whole body,
instead of just gesturing with
hands, is appropriate in a speech.

20XX Pitch deck title 90

 “The success of your
presentation or speech, will be
judged not by the knowledge
you send but with what the
listener receives.”

20XX Pitch deck title 91