A speech is, by nature, a formal text. You should use formal language and address your audience in a formal way, even if you are talking to family. Use did not, have not and will not instead of didn't, haven't and won't, for example.
Before you start, check the following things:
who are you? (a student, a member/representative of a group/team, an activist, ...)
who are you talking to? (your fellow students, veterans, parents, members of your community, experts,...)
what are you talking about? (you want to recruit people, you want to raise money, you want to thank people, you want to raise awareness about something, you want to introduce a product/a person/a company/an organisation, ...)
A speech must ALWAYS have a special phrase at the beginning and at the end. Because a speech is formal, you should not start with "Hi" or "Hello".
At the beginning:
Welcome, everyone,
It is my very great privilege to address you on this most special occasion.
Dear guests,
It is my honour/pleasure to welcome you all here. I have come here today to talk about a very important issue...
Good morning, everyone,
My purpose today is to introduce our new product…
Dear audience, distinguished guests of honour,
On behalf of ... I would like to say a few words about...
Dear friends and family,
It is my great pleasure to speak on behalf of the entire family and congratulate dear Granddad on his 80th birthday.
Esteemed guests,
I would like to extend a special welcome to our distinguished guest, Mr. X.
Dear Kirsi, (when giving a speech to a friend, for example)
I would like to talk to you about ...
Dear listeners,
...
Dear friends,
...
Dear audience,
...
Fellow students,
...
Esteemed guests, (= extremely formal!!)
....
NOTE: “Ladies and gentlemen” is a common way to address a group of people, particularly in a formal, public setting. Long seen as a standard and polite—if not old-fashioned—way to address a group, its day has come and gone. Not everyone identifies as either a lady or a gentleman, and luckily, there’s an easy fix for addressing a crowd that is inclusive of all: “Welcome, everyone.”
(source)
At the end:
Finally , dear guests, let me thank you all for participating in this event.
Thank you all, and once again, congratulations Granddad!
Thank you for your attention.
I want to conclude my speech by...
So, dear colleagues, let us raise our glasses in a toast to the future cooperation between our companies.
Let’s all raise our glasses to dear Kirsi! Happy Birthday!
Make your speech interesting!
https://www.briantracy.com/blog/public-speaking/how-to-start-a-speech/
https://preply.com/en/blog/how-to-start-a-presentation-and-grab-your-audiences-attention/
10 Ways Great Speakers Capture People's Attention: First you must grab your listeners' attention--then you need to hold it. Check out these simple ways to do both.
SUDENKUOPAT:
Muista aloitus- ja lopetusfraasit
Muista, että on puhe on aina JUHLALLINEN tilaisuus, myös vaikkapa kavereiden kesken. "Moikka" ei ole sopiva aloitus.
Tarkista nämä: kuka puhuja on, mikä tilaisuus on kyseessä ja kuka tai keitä yleisössä on.
ENTERTAINING SPEECHES
If you’ve been to a birthday party before, that awkward toast given by friends or family of the lucky birthday person is considered to fall under the definition of an entertaining speech.
Examples of entertaining speeches: speeches by maids of honor or best men at weddings, acceptance speeches at the Oscars, or even the one given by a school’s principal before or after a talent show.
MOTIVATIONAL SPEECHES
A motivational speech is a special kind of persuasive speech. is more dependent on stirring emotions instead of persuasion with logic. For example, a sports team pep talk is considered to be a motivational speech where the coach motivates his players by creating a sense of unity between one another.
One of the most well-known motivational speeches (and of all speeches at that) is I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr.
PERSUASIVE SPEECHES
to persuade = suostutella tekemään jotain, vakuuttaa joku omien ajatustensa oikeellisuudesta
Persuasive speeches can either be logical by using the help of facts or evidence, or can make use of emotional triggers to spark specific feelings in the audience.
An example of a persuasive speech is a sales pitch.
INFORMATIVE SPEECHES
you want to educate your audience about a certain topic in a clear manner
Informative speeches are the opposite of persuasive speeches since they don’t relate to the audience’s emotions but depend more on facts, studies, and statistics.
OPTION 13
Autumn 2024
Is it ok to cheat?
Your school’s debate club has a debate on the topic of cheating and whether it is ever acceptable. People have discussed cheating from the point of view of job applications and con artists. Talk about cheating in a specific context and give your reasons for why cheating is ok or not ok. Write your speech.
Vastauksen pituus on enintään 1300 merkkiä. Ylityksestä seuraa pistevähennys.
Opettajan kommentti:
Jos yleisön tervehtiminen puuttuu, vähennetään -2p
Jos huijaamisen konteksti puuttuu, -5p
Jos perustelut puuttuvat, -5p
Jos ei valitse selvästi kantaansa puolesta tai vastaan, ei tehdä pistevähennystä.
OPTION 12
Autumn 2023
Opettajan kommentti:
Jos puheen tunnusmerkki aloituksessa puuttuu, -2p
Jos ei esitä perusteluja, -5p
Jos käsittelee vain ohjannassa mainittua Instagramia, -5p
Plain English
The Plain English Campaign has said that many texts, like the terms of use for Internet services like Instagram, are too hard for people who are not lawyers to understand. Where else would Plain English be needed? Write a speech for the participants of the International Youth Forum outlining some other areas where Plain English should be used. Don’t forget to give reasons.
Vastauksen pituus on enintään 1300 merkkiä. Ylityksestä seuraa pistevähennys.
OPTION 11
Autumn 2022
Opettajan kommentti:
-2p, jos yleisön puhuttelu puuttuu
-10p, jos ei käsittele kryptovaluutan kieltämistä
OPTION 10
Spring 2022
OPTION 9
Autumn 2018
OPTION 8
Spring 2018
OPTION 7
Autumn 2017
OPTION 6
Spring 2017
OPTION 5
Autumn 2016
OPTION 4
Spring 2016
Your neighbourhood library is closing. In a community evening you will give a speech on the role of libraries in Finnish society referring to the statistics above. Since there are immigrants in your community, you will give the speech in English. Write the speech.
OPTION 3
Autumn 2015
OPTION 2
Spring 2015
(note: This is one of the few cases where you MUST invent a title of your own. You would write the title in the text box (in Abitti) and it would be included in the character count. ) -> tämä opettajan huomio EI löydy YO-kokeesta!
OPTION 1
Autumn 2014
*Stop bullying *
Your school has launched a campaign against bullying. As the chair of the student council, you have been asked to give a talk about the issue in English at your school, which has a number of exchange students. Write an opening speech for the campaign.