One method for brainstorming is to create a mind map. You can do this with a paper and pencil, starting by writing your central idea or theme in the middle of the page. Then use lines to connect ideas and points that branch off from this central idea. For a speech about yourself, you might start with a central bubble labeled “Me”. Then you might have three or four bubbles connected to the central one that say things like “Interests”, “Aspirations”, etcetera. Then as you continue branching out the bubbles will get more specific. There are other methods for brainstorming you might find useful. You could try the alphabet method, where you list a few things related to the subject of your speech for each letter, starting with A and working down. Another brainstorming method is the three perspectives method. You think about the subject of the speech in three perspectives. First, describe the subject, which is yourself in this case. Then, trace it. Trace your history, where you came from and where you’ve come to, and how you’ve changed over that journey. Finally, map it. Think about who and what has influenced you and how. How do you fit into the bigger picture. [3] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC’s on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source
It’s worth thinking about various aspects of the audience, because this will determine various aspects of your speech, such as its length, its tone, etcetera. For example, if your audience is a wedding reception, and this is a best man speech, your audience will be most interested in your relationship with the groom and your history with him. You also don’t want a speech like this to drag on because the best man isn’t the focal point of the event.
The most important difference between a long and a short speech is the amount of detail. A two minute speech in which you introduce yourself to a class will have a short intro that might be just your opening statement. There might be only a paragraph or two in the body of the speech, and the conclusion will probably be only a sentence or two. A ten to fifteen minute speech will have an introduction that in itself has a beginning, middle, and end, an opening statement, an introduction fo the main points of speech, and a summary of the main theme. The body might consist of four to six paragraphs, and each one will include both explanations of the main points, as well as examples. The conclusion will be a lengthier summary, and might include a sentence or two that ties the theme of the speech into a broader context.
Depending on the length of your speech, you may need to break up the body section into multiple parts, like “Paragraph 1,” “Paragraph 2,” etcetera. Speeches two minutes and shorter should have one or two main points, which can probably fit into a single body paragraph. Speeches between two and five minutes should have two to three main points, given a paragraph each in the body. Longer speeches, over five minutes, should have up to five main points, given a paragraph each in the body. At this stage, you should also begin thinking about how your content will be organized. For a speech about yourself, it would make sense to either organize your content chronologically, with each main point being a different period in your history, or topically, with each main point as a different topic related to yourself.
If this is a simple, short speech, meant to introduce you to your class or group, you can start with a basic introduction that includes a brief greeting, your name, and the purpose of the speech. This can look something like “Good morning everyone! My name is so-and-so and I’d like to take this chance to introduce myself to the group. " If this speech about yourself is for a more specific purpose than just introducing yourself, you may want to make the introduction a little more entertaining and interesting. You can start with a provocative question, a shocking fact, a joke, or an evocative image. For example, if your speech is about an interesting aspect of your life, like your unusual profession, you can start with something like “Imagine waking up every morning to sound of safari wildlife in every direction around you. "
For example, if you’re giving a small speech about yourself to your class you can say something like “First I’ll tell you a little bit about my past, and then I’ll tell you about some of my interests and aspirations. I’ll close with my plans for my career. "
For example, if you’re writing an introductory speech for a college organization, like a photography club, you might start the body with a paragraph about how you got interested in photography. The opening sentence might go like “Photography caught my interest very early on, especially with its ability to caption and preserve life’s precious moments. " The closing sentence might look like “Since then, I’ve been eagerly pursuing more knowledge on the ins and outs of what makes a photo great. "
For example, if your speech was about your interest and experience in the film industry, you can tie your own experiences with the idea of cinema on a grand scale. The conclusion should focus on the overarching importance of the topic of your speech. If your speech is simply to introduce yourself, you can end with a less grand conclusion. The conclusion of a self-introduction speech should reiterate and summarize the most important parts of your speech, the main details about yourself that you shared.
Read your speech out loud as well. This will help you hear the rhythm of the speech and make adjustments to improve its flow. Fragments are okay, as long as they’re used sparingly. Use active verbs in favor of passive ones. When reading your speech out loud to yourself, note any sentences that are too long to be spoken comfortably in one breath. Split these sentences up as you edit.
When running through a short list of ideas, numeric signposts are used like “first,” “second,” and “third,” or “firstly,” “secondly,” and “thirdly. " Signposts that show how two ideas relate to each other include, “furthermore,” “in addition,” “nevertheless,” “however,” “subsequently,” and “for instance. " Major signposts tell the listener where in the speech you are. For example, the first paragraph will often start with something like, “I’d like to start by. . . " and the final paragraph will often start with something like “To summarize. . . "
What do you replace cliches with? First you have to deduce the basic meaning of the cliche phrase, then you can either think of a more interesting way to say the same thing, or, in many cases, you can forgo the phrase entirely. For example, the phrase “in conclusion” means that you are signaling that you going to summarize all the ideas previously stated. This can be replaced by something like, “So what does this all mean?” or “I’ve told you a lot about myself. Here’s the reason. " Often, cliche phrases are just filler that don’t add anything important to the speech. Instead of saying, “Today I’ll be talking to you about. . . " just start talking about it.
Avoid speaking too highly of yourself. For example, saying “everyone know’s that I’m the best soccer player on the team. . . " when receiving the captain award in the presence of your entire soccer team probably won’t go over well. If, for example, you’re the best soccer player on your team, you can instead humbly highlight your accomplishments by saying something like, “I’ve beat my personal record this season and scored 12 total goals. While it feels great to set this record, I know that it wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and help of my teammates. " If you feel uncomfortable, it’s okay to add some humor or briefly acknowledge that you feel awkward about talking about yourself. This will just make your audience feel like they can relate better to you.
