A solid and compelling thesis statement is the one simple act that will improve most speeches. A thesis sentences is a one sentence summary of the content of the speech. For most of us, getting to a good thesis sentence isn't something we succeed at on the first try. Instead, writing a good thesis sentence is like playing with play dough. You mold, reshape and mold again. There are three criteria for effective thesis sentences. You might think of these as the three ways a speaker shapes the thesis sentence.
Independently Informative (or persuasive, or instructional, or inspirational, or entertaining). There are five general purposes for a public speech--to inform, instruct, persuade, inspire or entertain. The thesis should aim at accomplishing the most appropriate purpose for the occasion. For an informative speech, for example, you should clearly say what you want your audience to understand. The thesis should complete the sentence, "If you remember nothing else from my presentation remember . . . ."
Audience oriented. The thesis sentence should be the place where the audience and topic meet. Speeches do not address topics, they address audiences. The thesis should include the audience intended. In a speech on attention deficit disorder, a speaker might have written an independently informative thesis as, "Attention deficit disorder's effects can be reduced through dietary changes." Adding the audience orientation to the thesis would focus on who this speech is for. Is it for adults dealing with their own ADD? Parents dealing with their children? After this rewrite, the speaker might say, "Adults managing their own Attention Deficit Disorder can reduce ADD's effects through simple dietary changes."
Orally Deliverable. A speaker should learn to reverse the normal process of composition. When we learn to write, we are taught to write and read aloud what we have written. For speech purposes, however, it is important to speak to write rather than to write to speak. That is, the speaker should talk through their thesis, structural "tag lines" and transitions. These are frequently the statements a speaker will write verbatim in an otherwise extemporaneous (outlined) speech. When a person writes to speak, the written statements look right but sound clumsy. That's because there are significant differences between good writing and good speaking. When speaking to write, we tend to condense, remove modifiers, and simplify. Consider the following question--do you need every modifier (adjectives and adverbs)? Do you need every prepositional phrase? If you have a conjunction, do you need it? Sometimes in the orientation to the topic--which is part 2 of 4 in an introduction, a speaker will introduce the abbreviations they will use throughout the speech. This can simplify the structure of the thesis. So, our rewritten thesis now with oral deliverablity in mind is, "Adults with ADD can reduce distraction by making changes to their diet." OR "ADD adults can change their diet and reduce their distractions." In both cases, I have either a modifier or a conjunction but, as a speaker I deemed them necessary. I'm not trying to suggest we live by rigid rules saying "no adjectives" or "no conjunctions" but to look at these and determine what's necessary. The important thing is to say it aloud different ways until it sounds right and then to write down what you've said.
When a speaker takes the time write a compelling thesis sentence and then disciplines themselves to build the speech around that compelling thesis statement, it provides the speech with clarity, focus and coherence. If you take the time to complete the "if you remember nothing else . . . " sentence for yourself, it's improves your audience's chances of actually remembering what you said.
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