After Dinner Speech
We’ve done three different speeches this semester so far, our introduction speeches, our informative speeches, and our persuasive speeches. Now we will begin working on an after dinner speech. Remember when we talked about speeches at the very beginning of the year and how there are specific occasions for some speeches? Well, an after dinner speech can be considered one of these. This speech is given in a banquet setting, so assume that you are dressed in formal attire and have just finished eating dinner. You are the host of this banquet and will, therefore, make the final speech of the evening. You will need to decide these things before you begin writing your speech:
• Where the banquet it being held
• What is the purpose of your banquet i.e. is it a charity function, a holiday party, a celebratory banquet, an award giving banquet, a funeral dinner, etc.
• Who your audience is
• Will your speech be persuasive or informative
These choices will affect how you will write your speech. You want your speech to be insightful, well-meaning, and a remembered ending to the evening. Attention getters are key here. This will either make or break your speech. Use something that is different, but unique to your specific banquet. For example, say you were at the Scrabble Association Banquet. Your attention getter could be something like this: “Writing a speech is difficult enough but writing one filled with words that would get me double points is much more difficult.” It is relevant to the event, can be relatable to the audience, and will draw the attention of those in the audience. Keeping in mind all that we have talked about, there are a few guidelines you will need to know.
This is a 4-6 minute speech. You will not get penalized if you go over or under by 15 seconds. These speeches will be given on the day assigned, unless you have talked to me prior to the day of your speech. You may have three 3×5 note cards, but they cannot have print smaller than 12pt. Speeches should include an attention getter, a body of relevant information, and an appropriate closer. Your speech should also tell the audience what function they are at, who the speaker is (that’s you), and include a thank you at the end. I will be grading on content, as well as delivery. Treat this speech as if it were the most important speech of your life.
Stacy Laue
Fall 2009