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How to Write a Student Council Speech

Last Updated: January 17, 2024 Approved

This article was co-authored by Patrick Muñoz . Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has 125 testimonials from our readers, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 2,001,592 times.

Being a member of the student council can help you help your school. However, it takes hard work to get into the student council . You need to craft a good speech that gives your classmates incentives to vote for you.

Sample Speeches

how to write a good student leader speech

Writing the Introduction

Step 1 Find an attention-grabbing opening statement.

  • Do not merely start by saying, "My name is ___ and I'm running for student council." Your classmates will already know as much and this is not really a unique statement. There will be time to state the basic information after you've got the class's attention. [1] X Research source
  • You can open with a question. Something like, "If there was one thing you could change about this school, what would it be?" Or a question that adds some humor , like, "I know what you're thinking. Why should I listen to this person?" and then proceed to lay out your credentials. Quotes on leadership, power, and guidance would also make good openings. However, make sure to double-check your sources and especially if you're finding quotes online. Many online quote databases, like Quote Garden or Brainy Quote, sometimes attribute quotes to the wrong sources. [2] X Research source
  • If you're stuck, look up and read famous speeches. You can find many speeches from presidents, world leaders, civil rights activists, and others online. Pay attention to how they opened their speeches and ask yourself, "Was this interesting? Do I want to keep reading/listening? Why?" [3] X Research source

Step 2 State the basics.

  • State your name and grade in school. This may feel somewhat unnecessary if you go to a small school, but it's considered a formality. If you're missing this part of the speech, you may end up looking sloppy in comparison to other students. [5] X Research source
  • State what you want. That is, what you're running for. Do you want to be the president , vice president , treasurer, secretary? Even if you think most students are aware of what position you're running for, make sure you state it here to remind them. [6] X Research source
  • Try to keep this section brief as it's not as important as your qualifications and plans to improve the school . Even one sentence would suffice. For example, "My name is Ramona Hart, I'm in the 11th grade, and I'm running for treasurer of the student council."

Step 3 List your qualifications.

  • Any accomplishments relevant to the position warrant mentioning here. If you're running for secretary, for example, talk about your summer job filing papers in your uncle's law firm. If you're running for student council president, talk about your leadership experience being captain of the swim team. [7] X Research source
  • While this section is important, try to keep it minimal. A couple of sentences laying out your qualifications is enough as the body of your speech is where you should spend the most time. For example, let's go back to the above example. From there, we could say, "I am currently enrolled in advanced placement algebra and I have been an honor roll student for three years. This knowledge of numbers and diligence qualifies me to have responsibility for finances for our student council." [8] X Research source

Writing the Body of the Speech

Step 1 State your main ideas on how to improve the school.

  • You should list your ideas and then expand on them later in the body. It might take a bit of research to figure out what you want to change. Ask around the school, talking to students and teachers, and see where there's room for improvement. What are the concerns of the students? What are people happy with regarding the school? What would they like to see change? Asking these questions can help you get a sense of your audience and community.
  • Remember, you should not make promises you cannot keep. Do not say anything just to get elected. While many students might want gum-chewing policies eliminated or for the lunch period to run twice as long, this is probably not necessary or possible. Try to focus on areas that seem important to keep your school running safely and efficiently. Concerns about things like bullying , academic standards, and extracurricular activities should be your concern over fun and games. [10] X Research source
  • A good opening statement for your body would state the causes important to you and what you plan to do about them. For example, if you were running for president, you could say something like, "I understand we need to improve how we handle bullying, increase interest in extracurricular activities, and expand access to AP courses throughout the school. As your president, I would work to bring in speakers to talk about sensitivity in the classroom, increase advertising for basketball games and quiz bowl tournaments, and start a tutoring program to help students struggling with certain subjects." [11] X Research source

Step 2 Find support for those ideas.

  • Using the school library or computers, figure out the best means to tackle certain problems many schools face. How have other schools dealt with bullying? Poor test scores? Low interest in extracurricular activities? What can you reasonably do as a student council member to address these problems? [12] X Research source
  • You do not have to have a point-by-point plan laid out, but a few sentences on some preliminary ideas can help you stand out from your peers. People are more inclined to vote for someone who's thought about how to solve problems in addition to identifying problems. [13] X Research source

Step 3 Keep your ideas short but very strongly worded.

Ending with a Strong Conclusion

Step 1 Reiterate your main points briefly.

  • Do summarize, briefly, your qualifications but do not put the main focus on them. This is where you should sincerely state your passion. Students should not just vote for you because you'd do a good job but because you genuinely care about the school. State your passion for your community and how much you want to see other students succeed. Lots of students have high qualifications. You can set yourself apart by being a candidate who really cares. [16] X Research source

Step 3 Ask the audience for their vote.

  • Research what other student council speeches are like on video websites. This could help give you ideas.

Expert Q&A

Patrick Muñoz

  • Only promise to do things that you really can do. Thanks Helpful 9 Not Helpful 2
  • Practice reading your speech a few times, as you'll likely be nervous before giving it. Thanks Helpful 8 Not Helpful 2

how to write a good student leader speech

  • Even if you write a great speech, understand you may lose. Be prepared to lose graciously and sincerely congratulate the winning candidate. Thanks Helpful 98 Not Helpful 15
  • Unlike in a governmental election, student council candidates should not attack each other, previous leaders, or other students. Otherwise, you could get into trouble and leave a bad impression on voters. Thanks Helpful 73 Not Helpful 16

You Might Also Like

Improve Your School

  • ↑ http://www.studentcouncilpro.com/student-council-speeches.html
  • ↑ http://www.write-out-loud.com/student-council-speeches.html
  • ↑ Patrick Muñoz. Voice & Speech Coach. Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.

About This Article

Patrick Muñoz

To write a student council speech, start with an attention-grabbing statement such as a question or a powerful quote about leadership. Next, briefly explain who you are, what position you are running for, and why you are running. Then list any relevant qualifications, such as a summer job. In the body of the speech, discuss at least 3 ways to improve the school. For this section, make sure not to make any promises you can’t keep. Finally, end by briefly reiterating your main points and asking for the students’ vote. To learn more about how to support your ideas and research for your speech, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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10+ Leadership Speech Examples & Samples in PDF

Leadership Speech Examples

Leadership is a character a lot of us wants yet only a few can master. Being a leader entails great responsibility. Speech writing could be a challenge for some but for a leader, it is more of a necessity. It requires both the mind and the spirit to come up with a powerful speech.

A leadership speech could be likened to a keynote speech because it stirs emotions among the audience. However, a leadership is more of an encouragement message. It should be filled with words of unity, camaraderie, and trust. Let us discuss in great detail what a leadership speech is.

Short Leadership Speech

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Size: 66 KB

School Speech

school speech1

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What Is  a Leadership Speech?

A leadership speech is a particular kind of speech that is used to deliver a strong message with the purpose of influencing others and providing inspiration when necessary. It is a composition designed with the objective to motivational speech others, lead them in the right direction, and drive them towards a common goal.

Although most speeches require to use proper language to deliver a message, a leadership speech takes more than that. The language to be used should be easily understood by the audience yet able to convey a strong and powerful effect.

Leadership Conference

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School Captain Speech

school captain speech

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How to Give a Leadership Speech

In order to give an inspiring leadership speech, you need to have the spirit and heart of a true leader. Here are some tips for you.

1. Be Confident.

Confidence is the first thing you need to practice before delivering a leadership speech in pdf . If you do not sound confident, your audience will see as weak and an inefficient leader.

2. Show Enthusiasm.

If you happen to read some welcome speech examples, you will know that they have a common denominator, i.e., it is filled with energy and emotion. You should be able to convey the right emotion to your audience.

3. Use Body Language.

You cannot just stand in front o everybody and read your lines. You have to use hand gestures and other parts of your body to send your message.

Leadership Elevator

leadership elevator

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High School Speech

high school speech

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Leadership Motivational

leadership motivational

Tips for an Effective Leadership Speech

When you write your speech , make sure to use proper language and style. Here are a few tips for you.

1. Start with a Strong Opening.

This is always an essential key in any speech. You have to start strong. Remember that you have to catch your audience’s attention.

2. Create an Outline.

When presenting speech make sure to prioritize the important ones. In addition to that, organize your thoughts for a clearer message.

3. Develop a Connection.

Always bear in mind that in order for your message to be understood, you need to have a connection with the crowd. You may also see appreciation speech examples & samples.

High School Graduation Speech

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Size: 75 KB

Effective Leadership Speech

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Size: 10 KB

International Women’s Day Leadership Speech

international women%e2%80%99s day leadership speech

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Leader’s Breakfast Speech

leader%e2%80%99s breakfast speech

Size: 71 KB

Benefits of a Leadership Speech

Delivering speeches has always been proven an effective way to send out important message. It can change the course of history. Graduation speech examples have always united the spirit of students although the celebration means they are separating their ways.

A leadership speech word in the same way acts as an instrument to ignite emotions and encourage others. People who do not have a voice in the society consider it an opportunity to be heard and acknowledge specially if the leader understands their sentiments. It is through the leader’s speech that the rest of the members’ thoughts are brought out in the open.

how to write a good student leader speech

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Student Council Speech Ideas: How to Craft the Perfect Speech

student-council-speech

Now that you’ve decided to take on the challenge of running for student council, it’s time to consider how to craft that all-important speech that will make your candidacy stand out from the rest.

It goes without saying that writing the perfect speech requires some preparation and a variety of creative approaches. This post will provide you with student council speech ideas that will help you put together a memorable and persuasive talk that will propel your candidacy.

Here, we will look at ways to structure your speech, as well as techniques for convincing the student body that you’re the right person for the job. With the following tips, you’ll have the winning speech that gets you elected!

Understand the Position and Responsibilities

When crafting the perfect student council speech, it is important to understand the position and responsibilities associated with a student council leader.

Student council leaders are elected by fellow students to represent their class or school in governance-related decisions. In addition to seeking input from peers, they often work with faculty members, administrators, and other key stakeholders when making major decisions.

Being a student council leader requires strong interpersonal skills and the ability to think critically. It is important to understand the roles and responsibilities of other student leaders, staff, and faculty members alike so that collaboration can be fostered under one’s leadership.

Not only is it essential to maintain positive relationships but also to demonstrate proficiency in areas such as problem solving, communication, and decision-making.

While some may view the role of a student council leader as administrative paperwork and organizational tasks, a leader should have an understanding of more than just policymaking. They must be able to promote good citizenship among peers and create an atmosphere that encourages engagement.

Drafting the perfect student council speech should not be done without regard for the objectives of a student council leader.

When speaking on behalf of peers it is essential to remember that both knowledge of positions and values are required for successful leadership. With this in mind we can move forward into the next section where we explore “What Does a Student Council Leader Do?”

What Does a Student Council Leader Do?

Being a student council leader requires more than just giving a speech .

The responsibilities of leading the student council consist of building productive relationships, setting ambitious goals and executing plans, communicating effectively, listening to peers and understanding their concerns, advocating for students’ rights in the school and community, and organizing events to benefit the student body.

Leaders must possess both soft skills such as being organized and hard skills like public speaking . With both sets of skills, these leaders are able to skillfully manage a team or individual volunteers and create a focus on important goals that the council wants to accomplish.

A successful student council leader should have a strong sense of responsibility and accountability while also displaying enthusiasm towards achieving collective goals.

The debate can be seen as to whether or not student council leaders should participate more in decision-making power or serve more as figureheads for their group goals.

Advocates for more decision-making authority argue that student councils can be valuable partners with school administrative teams by providing insight into issues that face students directly and providing perspective into how policies are playing out in the student body.

Opposing sides argue that although student councils can provide insight into certain issues, they cannot be expected to make major decisions regarding school policies given their lack of experience with those matters.

No matter the opinion on this debate, all agree that student council leaders play an integral role in school culture and environment by representing their peers. Those seeking election to a leadership role must demonstrate their commitment to furthering the mission of their student body.

This is done through crafting speeches that elucidate why they’re qualified for the position as well as show evidence of previous service accomplishments. To learn how to do this properly, it is useful to understand how to craft the perfect speech by demonstrating your experience.

Demonstrate Your Experience

When crafting your student council speech, it is important to demonstrate your experience and expertise.

Being able to speak confidently about your qualifications and previous accomplishments will help convince your audience of your ability to take on a leadership role.

Start off with a statement that introduces yourself and the reasons why you are qualified for the position. Use specific examples of projects or responsibilities that you have undertaken in the past, as well as how you were successful in completing them.

You may want to describe any volunteer or organizational activities that you are involved in or any educational qualifications or awards that you may have earned.

It is also worthwhile debating the various pros and cons of your candidacy. This will demonstrate your ability to think analytically, as well as showcase your knowledge on the subject matter. However, be warned to not make any personal attacks or remarks, which could alienate portions of your audience if they disagree with your viewpoint.

The next section will discuss how to talk about your leadership skills and convince your audience of their importance in making an impactful student council member.

Most Important Summary Points

When crafting a student council speech, it is important to demonstrate experience and qualifications to ensure an effective appeal to the audience. Talking about past achievements and providing specific examples will help make a case for why you are the best fit for the position.

Additionally, it may be beneficial to provide an analytical debate stating both the pros and cons of your candidacy; however, it should be done without making any personal attacks on opponents. Finally, discussing leadership skills and their relevance to the role may also work in favor of your candidacy.

Talk About Your Leadership Skills

When crafting a student council speech, it is important to talk about one’s qualifications in order to demonstrate leadership.

Before doing so, it is beneficial to list tangible accomplishments, such as working on a particular project or volunteering for an organization. It is also important to discuss any awards won or leadership roles held prior to speaking in front of the student council.

Being able to communicate one’s importance and impact helps prove why one is the best candidate for the role and can potentially sway the audience in their favor.

On the other hand, discussing past and current leadership roles does not always need to include tangible accomplishments.

Talking about oneself in terms of what they have learned and how they plan on using it moving forward can also be very powerful. For example, talking about mistakes made, lessons learned, and how one plans on incorporating that knowledge into their candidacy can show wisdom beyond their years.

It can also serve as proof that even though they may be young, they are still capable of making a great contribution to the student council if elected.

Ultimately, striking a balance between tangible accomplishments and experiences learned will ensure that your leadership speaks for itself during your student council speech.

By combining both sides of the argument and effectively conveying them to your audience, you will be best positioned for success when discussing your leadership skills with potential voting members of the student council. Now, let’s move on to discussing our ideas and goals for being on the council if given the opportunity.

Discuss Your Ideas and Goals

When discussing your ideas and goals, it is important to be direct and succinct. Start by introducing yourself and briefly outlining why you are running for Student Council in the first place.

Explain what inspired you to run and what you hope to bring to the table. Being clear and concise while still providing tangible examples will help voters better understand both your dedication and drive.

Once your motivation has been made clear, detail the specific things you plan to change or implement as a representative of the student body if elected.

Speak from the heart and talk about what issues are most important to you. During this time, it is crucial that you have done research on the particular problems that may be faced by the student council at their respective school. Then, use this information to inform your ideas, goals, and propositions on any particular issue.

In addition to thoroughly preparing for your speech in advance, it is also a good idea to practice beforehand. Students should train themselves not only in speaking but also in presenting facts throughout speech so that they can defend their ideas if someone questions them.

To ensure success during a presentation, test yourself with hard questions, rehearse extensively and get comfortable with the material ahead of time.

Lastly, students should remember that their goal is to deliver an effective speech which can influence enough people’s desire to make a difference within their school and community.

Debating both sides when discussing your ideas and goals is a great way to both show your understanding of a particular subject and present yourself as an engaged student looking to truly make a change.

Showing awareness of how opposing views affect policy changes can demonstrate your analytical skills while making sure everyone hears all sides of an argument allows for more informed decision-making among fellow students.

With this understanding in place, students can then start considering proposed changes or improvements for their respective student councils with confidence.

Explain Proposed Changes and Improvements

When proposing changes and improvements in a student council speech, it is important to explain why the proposed changes are necessary.

In order to effectively discuss both sides of the argument, craft your speech so that you first suggest why the changes are needed, followed by possible counterarguments and how you plan on addressing them.

Explain the current problems and deficiencies within your community or organization, as this can help emphasize why the suggested changes are needed.

For example, if you are suggesting increasing funding for student sports teams, you could draw attention to their lack of proper equipment and uniforms due to not enough money.

Offering solutions on how to acquire more funds is also important; brainstorm with other student council members to come up with ideas like requesting donations from teachers or local businesses.

In addition, anticipate and address any doubts that your peers may have about the suggested changes. Be aware of other perspectives surrounding the issue at hand and discuss every angle in detail in your speech.

If some students feel as though certain aspects of the changes will cost too much for their comfort, propose ways that costs can be kept low without sacrificing results.

Additionally, point out positive aspects of the proposed changes from multiple points of view, such as how they benefit various groups within the school or organization.

Explaining proposed changes and improvements is a key tool in crafting an effective student council speech. It’s important to detail why each change is necessary and offer solutions on how to make it happen while also standing firm on your viewpoint.

By showing dedication and commitment towards these ideas through a comprehensive analysis of both sides of each argument , you’ll be able to give an impactful speech that resonates with your peers.

Show Dedication and Commitment

When crafting a student council speech, showing dedication and commitment is key. This is important to discuss with students as they prepare to give their speeches because it will help them to sound confident in their ability to carry out the tasks of being on student council.

This can be done through highlighting past accomplishments that demonstrate a commitment to projects, as well as pledging to continue to work hard on future initiatives. It is also beneficial for speakers to emphasize the importance of making an impact both on campus and within the broader community.

It is important to highlight both sides of the argument when discussing dedication and commitment. For example, it can also be beneficial to discuss how there are many challenges in achieving objectives, but if one is motivated and determined, goals can still be realized.

Also, considering how student council represents a wide array of points of view and perspectives, it is essential for speakers to commit to being open-minded when discussing issues. Acknowledging opposing views with respect shows dedication and commitment not only to staying civil but also representing everyone in student council effectively.

Ultimately, dedicating time, energy and effort and remaining committed throughout this process is essential for success when it comes to executing student council duties.

By showcasing these qualities during a speech, speakers have the opportunity to demonstrate determination and initiative that fellow students should admire and stand behind. With that in mind, addressing the student body appropriately will help ensure an effective presentation overall.

Address the Student Body Appropriately

When addressing the student body, an important consideration for any Student Council speech should be to consider the audience.

After all, this is ultimately who the message is intended for. You want to make sure that you craft a message that speaks to and resonates with your peers.

This can be as simple as mentioning a common interest or having a connection with something they can relate to, such as pop culture.

However, it is also important to remember to maintain a certain level of professionalism in your speech throughout so as not to alienate members of the student body or allow the tone and atmosphere of the occasion to become unwelcoming.

It is also important to address different members including teachers involved in helping put together the council, staff members and other bodies involved in school activities.

It can also be beneficial to openly thank those involved for their hard work and dedication regardless of opinion or stance during preparations for the council meeting and election process.

This shows respect from one side as well as appreciation from you—to endear yourself more towards the wider student body.

Regardless of the approach when addressing fellow students, no matter how persuasive or heartfelt they may be, you will want to make sure that your words are not viewed as inflammatory or disrespectful.

Consideration must be taken into account when making statements that highlight potential issues within a school or resident authority because these can cast a negative light on you as well as them.

A balanced approach where both sides are heard endorses fairness towards each viewpoint and encourages healthy debate among members of the student body.

Having established what’s appropriate when talking directly to fellow students, it is now time to explore ways of creating a powerful speech to ensure that your message hits all the right notes. The next section will discuss ways in which you can prepare a speech that has maximum impact on the student body.

Prepare a Speech that Hits All the Right Notes

Preparing a speech for student council can be an intimidating process. It is important to make sure that you hit all the right notes within your speech. Through careful planning, practice and consideration of your audience, it is possible to construct an impactful, memorable speech.

When writing your speech, begin by recognizing the qualities that make you a great candidate. Detail the goals of your platform by articulating the various ways in which you will serve your constituents and their needs.

Demonstrate a clear understanding of the real issues facing students and illustrate how you understand their perspectives on them. Showcase your character by outlining concrete actions that demonstrate why you are uniquely qualified for the position.

The most important part of any speech is having a strong conclusion . Your conclusion should restate the core message and summarize some of the key points from throughout the entirety of the address.

Additionally, include a call to action that encourages students to get involved – whether simply by voting or actively campaigning on behalf of your candidacy.

Make sure to end on an inspiring note that reinforces your leadership skills and offers an optimistic outlook for the future of the student body with you as their representative.

Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts on Your Student Council Speech

When crafting your closing remarks, the most important thing to remember is to keep it brief and to the point. Try not to repeat yourself and instead emphasize key points that you want your audience to remember. Here are some tips on how to close your student council speech with impact:

1. Summarize Your Ideas: After spending time talking about your ideas and plans, briefly summarize your message in a few sentences. If you have raised any specific issues, make sure to include any solutions or opinions that you have presented in the course of your speech.

2. Express Gratitude: Show your appreciation towards all those who voted for you and stuck around to listen, thanking them for their time and energy spent affirming their belief in you as a capable leader.

3. Leave On A High Note: End on a high note by expressing optimism about the future outcomes of the initiatives you raised during your speech, no matter what the results may be. Take this opportunity to give the audience a feeling of immense hope and excitement, ensuring they depart with a positive outlook on all that can be achieved through leadership.

4. Keep It Short And Simple: Above all, ensure that whatever final words you choose express confidence in yourself and remember that overthinking can derail your performance. Do not give too much information but rather provide powerful points that will ensure everyone knows where you stand—then step down!

In conclusion, taking into consideration the tips outlined above when creating your closing remarks will ensure dramatic effect when delivering a successful student council speech. Keep it short, sweet, memorable and sincere—the perfect recipe for an effective finish!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most important elements to include in a student council speech.

One of the most important elements to include in a student council speech is the audience. When crafting the perfect speech, it is important for the speaker to consider who their audience is, and how their topic will be received. It’s best to tailor the content to fit the interests of the particular audience, so that they can relate more directly to what you’re saying.

Another key element would be credibility. The speaker should provide solid evidence and facts behind their ideas, in order to gain trust from their audience and prove that their points are valid and reliable. This includes anticipating any questions or counterarguments and being prepared with justifications for any potential criticism.

Additionally, the organization of the speech should be a priority. The speaker should have an outline or plan in place beforehand, so as not to get lost or overwhelmed in the middle of their address. Having an organized structure helps maintain unity throughout the speech, while promoting a professional presentation overall.

Finally, an effective student council speech should also tell a story . Incorporating personal anecdotes or experiences related to your topic can help make your words more memorable and meaningful to your audience. Doing this can also create a more intimate connection between yourself and whoever is listening.

How should a student council speech be structured?

A student council speech should be structured in such a way as to effectively communicate the speaker’s ideas while keeping their audience engaged .

The speech should generally start with an attention-grabbing introduction , followed by a statement of purpose or goal that outlines the speaker’s main argument. The body of the speech should then provide evidence and reasoning for why the argument is valid. Finally, the conclusion of the speech should reiterate the key points, summarize the overall message and close with a memorable quote or call to action.

In order for a student council speech to be effective, it must be well organized and cohesive. To ensure this, each point should be supported by clear examples and logical evidence .

Additionally, arguments and information should be presented in chronological order, making it easy for listeners to follow the flow of thought being presented. Visual aids can also be extremely helpful in breaking up sections of longer speeches while providing supporting images and facts.

Overall, crafting the perfect student council speech involves organizing information into an understandable format while creating an engaging story throughout. By highlighting key arguments and providing persuasive evidence along the way, presenters have a better chance of having their message heard and remembered.

What are some effective techniques for delivering a student council speech?

When delivering a student council speech, there are a few key techniques that can help make it more effective.

1. A Clear Starting Point: Start your speech by introducing yourself and briefly explain why you are running for office. Make sure to be extremely clear with your audience so they understand where you stand.

2. Speak Intentionally: Speak slowly and intentionally so your points come across clearly without stuttering or stumbling over words. Pause in order to better make your point, gather your thoughts, and allow the audience to digest what you’ve said.

3. Use Audience Engagement: Ask the audience questions and provide them with opportunities to show their support or contribute to the conversation. This is an effective way of getting the audience involved while also allowing you to gauge their interests or lack thereof, thus providing feedback that can inform your future decisions if elected.

4. Establish Goals: Provide realistic and achievable goals that you plan to accomplish during your time in office, should you be elected. Showing a desire for change and progress will ensure that the audience understands what you are striving for and hopefully motivate them to support you in achieving it.

5. Rehearse: Rehearase tiyour speech multiple times beforehand in front of friends, family members, or even teachers, in order to become comfortable with every aspect of it – from its content to its delivery – as this helps create an easier flow throughout your delivery when done live.

Above all else, it is important that you remain confident in what you are saying and who you are as a person – this will give the audience assurance that they are voting for the right candidate who is able to fulfill their goals and expectations as student council president!

Student Council Speech Ideas & Tips to Help You Win

Whether you want to be president or head up PR, we've got you covered with tips and example student council speeches.

Lori personal and professional experiences have helped her cultivate a broad writing portfolio, spanning publications on subjects like education and parenting.

Learn about our Editorial Policy .

Kate is an experienced writer who has written hundreds of articles for publication.

Getting involved in student council is an amazing way to have a little extra influence in your school, but you have to win an election to get that influence. If you want to convince people to vote for you, you'll need a great student council speech that they'll remember on election day.

Serving on your school's student council gives you a say in student activities and a voice with the school administration, and that's a pretty big deal. It also looks good on college applications. However, to make it onto the student council, you'll first need to give a speech and gather votes from the other students. We've got you covered with writing tips, examples, and ideas to give you tons of extra confidence (and hopefully that win you want).

Winning Student Council Speech Ideas

You've probably done a little (or a lot) of persuasive writing in your classes, and you can totally build on that to write a great speech. You'll also want to make your speech memorable and fun to listen to since you need these kids to think of you when it's time to vote.

  • Funny Student Council Speech Ideas to Help Everyone Relate to You
  • Tips for a Winning Student Council Speech for Treasurer
  • Self-Introduction Speech Examples & Tips to Help You Be Confident & Calm

Use these suggestions to help you craft a speech they'll never forget. It's important that you make sure your speech suits your school and position.

Open With a Humorous Story

Start your speech with something that will make everyone laugh . That can be a joke or a hilarious anecdote — there are no wrong answers as long as you amuse people and don't offend them.

  • Funny Intro Ideas for Student Council Speeches

Tell What You've Done Already

Next, you need to establish your credibility. Why should people vote for you? Why are you awesome at this role already? Show off your leadership experience and your connections to people in the school or community.

Explain the Role You're Running For

At this point in the speech, you want to clearly state what you want people to do. Tell them what student council role you're hoping to get and that you will do well in this position.

Keep your speech short and to the point and be honest about why you'd like the position regardless of whether it's a big or smaller role. For smaller roles, such as sergeant-at-arms, auditors, or public relations, hone in on what qualifications you have and use vivid examples to keep your audience interested.

Clearly Ask for Their Vote

Finally, you need to make sure you clearly ask people to vote for you. Mention the election day specifically. It's also nice if you offer to answer any questions or chat with people one-on-one.

Make Your Student Council Speech Stand Out

While there are certain traits and promises the student body expects from every candidate's speech, they want to choose one person who stands out from the crowd. Even if you're running for a smaller position, such as a PR officer or sergeant-at-arms, you may need to make a great speech as well in order to get elected. Make your speech the most memorable one in the room.

  • Grab a thesaurus and look for synonyms of common words used to describe the position you're running for. When all the other secretarial candidates talk about their attention to detail, you can use words like "meticulous" or "assiduous" to sound different.
  • Include visuals like props, a themed outfit, or specific hand gestures to give your speech a multidimensional feel.
  • Choose a speech theme to structure your presentation like a specific social media platform, a historical event, or a particular sport. Look for a theme that relates well to the role you want.
  • Invent a catchphrase that captures the spirit of your speech to keep the student body talking about it all the way to the polls.
  • Add sound effects, song lyrics, or music to give the speech more life.

Student Council Speech Examples for Each Role

Get inspired to write the perfect speech with these examples for each major role. Whether you're hoping to be president or secretary, these samples can help you get started writing your own speech.

Sample Speech for President

Hello, my name is John Doe and I'm a junior. I'm not the type of student who will lead a senior prank or skip class with you, but that probably isn't what you want in a class president anyway. What I do offer is steadfastness, hard work, and the ability to work with others even during difficult circumstances while still keeping a sense of humor.

Last year, when the cafeteria stopped serving the salad bar, I was able to get it reinstated by starting a petition, having many of you sign it, and taking it to Principal Smith. Because we worked together, we were able to bring the salad bar back, and now it's better than ever.

During the last three years at Sample High School, I've been involved in many activities. I've played basketball, spent a short time in the school band, worked on various committees, and helped tutor students after school. Last year, I was adopted into the National Honor Society and started an after school club for airplane enthusiasts that meets once a week.

As your student council president, I vow to end all homework. Just kidding. I can't do that, but what I can do is be your voice with the school administration and work to make this the best year Sample High has ever had. I will introduce ideas for events, such as dances after high school basketball games, and we'll work together to help the community through volunteer work and showing them just how dedicated the students at Sample High are.

I would appreciate your vote for president. If elected, I will continue to fight for the things that are important to students, no matter how big or small they might be. Let's work together to make our stamp on this community and on the world.

If you're running for the highest role in your class or school, your speech really needs to stand out. This is the most competitive race, so make sure you leave people with a clear idea of who you are and what you want to do.

Vice President Speech Example

Instead of starting with my name and what I'm running for, at which point you'll tune me out and start looking at the smudge on your left shoe, I am going to tell you my favorite memory so far from high school. On my first day at Sample High School, I had no idea how to get to my classes. This school is big, and I was lost.

On top of that, I was rushing around trying to find my class and tripped and fell flat on the floor in front of the cutest guy I'd ever seen. Not only was he nice enough to help me up, but several other students rushed to help me, got me to my classroom, and made me feel better about how goofy I was. That was the moment I fell in love with Sample High School. We all help each other and you don't find that just anywhere.

One of the reasons I'm running for Vice President of the student council is that I want to give back to the high school I love so much. I want to be that friendly face for new students coming in and a defender for students already here.

During the last two years, I've prepared myself to serve as Vice President by taking on extra work organizing a fan club for our football players to cheer them on when they play at home and make sure our school is represented in the stands at every away game. I've spent time as an office aid, learning about the everyday running of the school and silently taking notes on what we as students can do to improve things and how we can work with the administration.

As your Vice President, I will stand beside your president, offering support and stepping in when she is not able to be here or asks for some extra help. I'll sit on the student council and get actively involved in planning prom , graduation, and homecoming. I will always be here to listen to your concerns or to help you off the floor should you fall flat on your face like I did.

I am asking for your vote for VP of the student council. I love this school. I want to be helpful, and I want us all to build memories we'll remember and treasure forever. Now, if I can just get off this stage without falling on my face, I'll be in good shape.

A vice presidential speech needs to be highly effective to gain student confidence. This means you need to grab their attention and keep it throughout the speech, as well as clearly telling your audience what you want to accomplish.

Secretary Election Speech Sample

Today, I want to tell you something about me that you might not know. From the time I was five years old, I've been taking guitar lessons. I don't play in a band and I don't take music classes at school, but every night when I get home, I pick up my Fender and I relieve any stress from the day by playing a few of my favorite classic rock songs.

Learning to play a musical instrument takes a lot of time and stubbornness. There are times when I just wanted to quit because my fingers were raw from trying to learn a new chord or that song just didn't sound right. However, I stuck with it until I overcame the challenge and that is exactly what I'll do as your secretary. If there is an issue that needs to be solved, I won't quit until we figure out a solution. I will bring your concerns to the other council members, and like learning a new chord, I will stick with that concern until we figure it out.

I would like your vote for secretary of the student council. You never know, I may even bring my guitar to a student council meeting or two and just set it by my side as a reminder of why we need to work hard to achieve worthwhile things.

In your secretary speech, explain why you are perfect for the role. Highlight your organizational skills, perseverance, and ability to get along with everyone.

Treasurer Election Speech Example

Those of you who already know me probably know that math is my favorite subject. I'm proud of my inner geek, and I think it makes me perfect for the job of Treasurer. The student council treasurer is in charge of keeping track of money and numbers, so this role is a perfect fit for me and I've decided to run for the position.

I've been a member of Jackson High's Mathletes for the last two years. In case you're not familiar with this group, we are a group of students who love math and go out and compete in events. We've won state twice in the last three years. I also am a member of the orchestra. We perform throughout the school year and at school basketball games.

The student council treasurer has to be good at math to keep track of all those numbers. Vote for me, and I'll make sure our numbers add up. I'll also have fun doing it because I'm just crazy enough to love numbers.

  • Example Student Council Speech for Treasurer & Tips to Write Yours

A class treasurer needs to show his or her trustworthiness and math abilities during the speech.

Example Speech for Any Student Council Role

Many of you probably know me best for tripping over my feet and falling face-first off the stage during prom. Once I got over that embarrassment, I decided I could face you here today.

From the first day I arrived at Sample High School, I knew I wanted to become more involved. From serving on the school newspaper as the Features Editor to helping plan prom last year, I consistently spend time in leadership roles and try to make this school an even better place than it already is. Many of you probably know me from my work with Key Club and the volunteer time I've spent at Sunnyvale Nursing Home and cleaning up our community park.

It probably won't surprise you that I have decided to run for student council for the role of ___________. As student council _________ (role), I will strive to continue to make improvements in the school for every student here at Sample High. The student council works side-by-side with the student body and the administration to ensure student events throughout the year are successful. As _______, I will ensure that you have a memorable year.

Today, I am asking for your vote for me on election day. Should you elect me, I will listen to your concerns and work hard for you. I'm happy to chat with anyone after this event to answer any questions you might have.

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Ways to Add Humor to Your Speech

One of the best election speech ideas for students is to work some humor into your speech. Infusing a bit of humor into your speech can help you better connect with your audience while making your speech really stand out. You can try using silly jokes, sarcasm, or inside jokes that only those who attend your school would get. These ideas might help. 

  • Say in a serious tone, "Settle in, I've got about three hours' worth of material to get through."
  • After your speech, say, "Okay, now for my speech."
  • Use a teacher or principal as a funny example, such as, "I'm as passionate about our school as (insert teacher) and as energetic as (insert teacher) after he/she's finished his/her coffee."
  • Say, "I care about this position as much as (teacher) cares about (insert book, movie, or learning principle that teacher speaks about a lot)."
  • Say, "I was really nervous to give this speech, so I've been practicing a lot in front of my (insert pet). He/she/they said it could use some work, so I guess I'll just give this my best shot."
  • Use self-deprecating humor by saying, "My annoying need to be organized and scheduled would make me a great fit for this position."
  • 65+ "Anything But a Backpack" Day Ideas That’ll Make You a School Legend

Deliver the Speech With Confidence

Once you've prepared your speech, practicing a few times alone and in front of an audience can help you get ready to deliver your speech with confidence. Whether your speech is lighthearted and funny or serious and to the point, there are a few things to keep in mind.

  • Make eye contact with those you are speaking to and don't focus too heavily on one person.
  • If you make a mistake, keep going. No one knows what your speech is supposed to sound like.
  • Practice some deep breathing exercises or mindfulness beforehand to calm nerves. Remember to take deep breaths throughout your speech and speak a bit slower than you normally would, as nerves can cause you to speak more rapidly.
  • Visualize yourself doing your speech well the morning of it.

Make Your Election Speech Memorable

Whether you use one of the samples listed here or write an entirely new speech, be sure to put a personal touch on the speech. By focusing on what makes you unique, your passions, and your skills, you will show confidence in front of your classmates and let them see a side of you they may not have seen before. Whether you win or lose the election, you can hold your head high and know you gave the speech your best.

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  • Speech on Leadership

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Introduction

Before you start reading or mugging anything on leadership for your speech, we want you to first understand the basics about the term leadership. You should know who a leader is, what makes him or her a leader and why should we have a leader? Can you be a leader yourself?

We at Vedantu not only focus on providing you with the study material, but we want to bring a change in the system of education. We want students to be more curious, we want students to make their contribution above and we want the students to be a leader themselves.

What does leadership mean?

Leadership is a skill or ability of an individual to influence others. In other order, it is the quality of an individual to make you do something which you did not even want to do. 

For example - Indians had a weakness of littering garbage around but the leadership quality of our Prime Minister persuaded us to follow the Swachh Bharat Mission. 

Who is a leader?

So, anyone can be a leader. It is a skill that can be learned. Though it may not come in a day or month and it requires the right environment to grow your perception, right thought, the right information, and a will to lead for a better cause. Adolf Hitler was a leader too, but it is the conscience and the intention of a leader which differ them. 

In this article, we have provided a long and short speech on leadership and along with that we have also given 10 line pointers about inspirational speech on leadership

Long Speech on Leadership Qualities

A warm welcome to everyone present here today. I feel honored to be given this opportunity to give a speech on leadership. I hope this speech makes you think about what a leader is. What is the role of a great leader and what are the true leadership qualities?

Let us go back to the history of the world. Many events happened around the world. Events such as injustice towards people, slavery, racism, and dictatorship. During all these events the universe provided us with a few people who rose to the occasion and helped humanity to fight injustice. They taught us how to fight, they led us towards a better future, and those my friends were leaders. Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin king Luther Jr and so on were present to lead and guide people towards a better future. One quality that was common in all of these leaders was that they had this amazing ability to persuade people to respect and follow them.

Firstly let’s just not confuse leadership with dictatorship. A good leader will never dominate or subjugate people because of their sex or position in society, that is done by a dictator and the best example of a dictator was Adolf Hitler. Surely he had thousands of followers but he dominated them and made them forcefully adapt his mentality, a good leader will never do that. The world is full of people who have a great desire to take charge and forcefully rule over other people’s lives and call themselves a leader which rests assured, is not a sign of a leader.

So who is a true leader? Well, a true leader is someone who is known for his work ethic, A true leader is someone who earns respect through his rightful actions and mass following without any dictatorship. A true leader inspires others in his or her group to be better persons. A great leader will inspire other people to follow in his/her footsteps to become a guiding light for humanity. A good leader will always lead the people towards the path of growth and progress by carrying the torch of wisdom. As the phrase goes ‘Action speaks louder than words, a true leader will never tell people to follow them but the benchmark he or she has set and his or her actions will allow people to trust in him or her. A good leader will always set the goal and will start working towards the goals to achieve it without compromising morals and ethics and this is a sign of a true leader.

Let us take the example of Mahatma Gandhi, you could ask anyone about him and the only general answer the crowd will give is that Mahatma Gandhi was a great leader. A journey of a great leader starts with an incident and this could be applied to Gandhi as well. Mahatma Gandhi had settled down in South Africa with his family practicing law but one night during his train journey he was exposed to the cruelty of people in the society towards those with different skin color. He saw that he was a judge because he was an Indian and was considered to be inferior because of his skin. This incident is considered to be the turning point in Mahatma Gandhi’s life. After the incident, he decided to change the perspective of people and also to free India from British rule, and as they say, the rest is history.

Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi possess a great quality of effectively channelizing their energy and also devote themselves to a cause or the growth and progress of humanity. Nelson Mandela, Martin King Luther Junior, and many more have this ability and are considered to be a pattern found in great leaders. The restrictions or the obligations they faced only enabled them to rise against all odds and never bow down to any circumstances.

Leadership is not an easy task and I can assure you that it cannot be cultivated within a day. It is not for people with weak hearts who cannot tolerate hatred, betrayal, and jealousy. A true leader will always have a goal and vision and he or she with his or her team will work every day to accomplish that dream. We often see that in a few working places many bosses call themselves leaders but are never present to help or appreciate the work the employee has done. This is not a sign of a leader. A true leader will always work with the team and listen to the concerns of everyone and also note down the ideas that would be helpful to complete the given task. A true leader never boosts himself or herself for the work and will always try to understand the team.

My dear friends, I want to conclude this speech by saying that it is not easy to become a great leader in a day, week, or year. It is a process of facing your fears, discomfort, and failure. A true leader will always learn from his past mistakes and will always try his or her best to correct those mistakes. A true leader will also respect his team members and will always help them, guide them when they are in need. So if you want to be a good leader, start practicing gratitude and always respecting people irrespective of their profession. Thank you.

Short Speech on Leadership Qualities

Greetings to everyone. It is my privilege to give a small leadership speech and I hope at the end of the speech everyone understands who a true leader is.

A true leader is someone who is known for his or her work ethic. A true leader is known for his/her actions which allow people to trust him or her. A true leader will always guide everyone and help them to find themselves on the darkest path.

The world has had many great leaders in the past such as Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Barack Obama, and so on. The one quality of truth that is common in many leaders in the past is that they could influence and guide people for the betterment of society. For example, When Barack Obama was elected as the 44th president of the United States of America, the country was in a recession phase where the citizens were suffering as many of them did not have proper medical facilities, food to eat, etc but Barack Obama was able to guide everyone. He was able to understand everyone and the difficulties the common people were facing and finally in 2014 he was able to make America recession-free.

The qualities of great leaders cannot be cultivated in a day, month or year as it requires years of patience and to have the ability to understand the situation and lead from the front. Great leaders are always committed to their goals and they have great respect for every person in a team.

To conclude this speech I want to say that it is not easy to become a  good leader within a day or years as it requires years of hard work. Leadership is also not for the weaker hearts as many leaders deal with hardships and sacrifices for the betterment of society. Anyone can be a good leader if the qualities required to become one are practiced from an early age. Thank you.

10 Lines about Leadership Speech in English

An inspirational speech on leadership should always start by describing the qualities of a great leader. 

 A true leader is not born or created but is formed after years of practicing the art of guiding people towards a greater future. 

 Leaders like Barack Obama, Subhash Chandra Bose, Nelson Mandela could guide people and people listened to them because they were good at convincing people to fight for a better cause. 

 Being a good leader is related to actively listening to people’s concerns and searching for solutions.

 While giving a leadership speech try to make the audience understand the difference between leadership and dictatorship. 

 While giving a leadership speech it is advised to always include examples of great leaders in the past.

 The skill of leadership is linked to commitment, honesty, loyalty, sacrifice, selflessness, and earning respect.

Everyone always asks, How do you give a speech on leadership? The answer is to define what a great leader is and always try to connect with the audience. 

A true leader will never boost himself for the work he or she has done.

Start and end the speech on leadership by thanking the audience for participating in the event.

Small Exercise to practice 

Write down on paper the name of your favorite leader

Write down the qualities you admire the most in that leader

Try to write a speech on your own using the speech we have provided as a reference

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FAQs on Speech on Leadership

1. How to write a good essay or a speech on leadership?

It is very important for the students to learn to write on their own. To write a good essay or a speech students should follow the following steps - 

Try to understand the topic you want to write about 

Read from multiple sources to get an idea of the topic.

Prepare a structure that is what all you want to cover in your writing.

Note down all the important points according to your structure.

Arrange the collected information in the pre-decided structure.

Remember to keep your audience engaged in your speech.

Try to use ideas and words which don't hurt anyone's emotions.

Start writing and with time you will get better in the process.

You can also send us your essays or writing which will be evaluated by the faculty. 

2. How to deliver the speech in the right manner?

To be able to deliver a speech perfectly you need to keep the following points in mind - 

First, you need to have a clear idea of the topic you want to deliver a speech on.

You should know your audience well in advance to understand their interest.

Make use of the language your audience is comfortable with.

Have control over your voice, keep it clear, balanced and audible to the audience.

Make use of different tones and pitches of the voice to emphasize certain points.

Make use of examples and stories to get the attention of your audience.

Make the speech in the right order.

Always let your audience know what they can expect and learn from the speech.

Try to connect with your audience frequently.

3. What should be the structure of writing a speech?

Like every writing, the speech also has three parts that are the introduction, body, and conclusion. Keep the introduction very interesting, get the attention of your audience by starting with a short story then gradually introduce your topic through that story. Secondly, make the audience aware of the keywords of the topic.

In the body, talk in detail about your topic like state the historical, economical, social factor of your topic.

And then conclude your speech by summarizing the key message and the takeaways of the speech. Try to practice with this framework and in due course of time, you will be able to write an excellent speech. Also, try to learn from some great speeches of the leaders.

4. How important is it to have a command of the English language while writing a speech?

If you are writing a speech in English then yes you should have a very good command of the language. You should not be committing grammatical errors or mistakes while framing the sentence. For this, read the basic grammar and practice writing frequently. You can make others read your writings and suggest the needed corrections. 

The more you read, the more you write the better command you will have over the language.

5. Can I use quotes from other personalities in my speech?

Yes you can use any quotes which you think are relevant for your topic. But you should keep a few things in mind - 

Do not overuse quotes that are you should have a maximum of two to three quotes in your speech

Do not make use of any disputed quotes

Use simple quotes which your audience can understand easily.

6. How can I download reading material from Vedantu?

Accessing material from Vedantu is extremely easy and student-friendly. Students have to simply visit the website of  Vedantu and create an account. Once you have created the account you can simply explore the subjects and chapters that you are looking for. Click on the download button available on the website on Vedantu to download the reading material in PDF format. You can also access all the resources by downloading the Vedantu app from the play store.

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Tips for Writing Better Class Officer Speeches

Table of Contents

To win your class leadership election or get unanimously chosen, you need to talk to your audience and win them to your side.

Writing a memorable class leadership speech can be daunting and challenging. There are many thoughts in your head. You want to make a good first impression on fellow students and show your capability. But it is possible to deliver an effective and impactful address with the right strategies and techniques in mind.

This article shows you how to write a class office speech that leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

How to Write a Class Office Speech

A class office speech is an essential part of a student’s journey in gaining leadership and inspiring others .

Knowing how to write a class office speech can be the difference between having a lasting impression on your peers or being forgotten quickly. To ensure that you deliver a speech that has an impact, below are five steps for writing a powerful class office speech. 

1. Introduce Yourself

First, start by introducing yourself and why you want to be a leader. It’s important to explain what sets you apart from other candidates and highlight your skills and qualifications. Don’t forget to include any experience relevant to the role.

Make sure to include why you’re passionate about leading the class and have clear goals in mind that will help develop the school environment. This introduction should capture the audience’s attention; use interesting and captivating language while conveying enthusiasm.

2. Connect With the Audience

Focus on connecting with your audience through stories, facts, and emotion. Showing genuine interest in them and understanding their experiences is key.

Illustrate ideas with examples that they can relate to and make them feel like you are speaking directly to them. Use simple language to explain complex concepts without overwhelming listeners, and keep your sentences concise for easy comprehension. 

3. Show Energy and Enthusiasm

Third, build excitement within your speech. Your content needs to flow naturally and reflect enthusiasm.

Use uplifting phrases such as “I’m excited to work together and achieve our goals!” and generate buzz by building suspense into your address. Additionally, avoid using jargon which may confuse your audience.

4. Express Your Gratitude to Stakeholders

Thank everyone who helped you along your campaign journey-from teachers and friends to family members and voters.

Demonstrate gratitude towards those around you and take the time to recognize volunteers and other leaders in the school community. Also, express appreciation for all students presents and acknowledge their support in choosing you as their leader.

5. Proofread

Like any other written piece, read your speech again to make sure there is no mistake. If you only have one person to read it to, that’s all the more important. While it may sound easy to write a speech, especially with the outline, the speech needs to be practiced over and over again.

Examples of Class Office Speech

man and woman sitting on chairs

Below are some examples of well-written class office speeches generated with the Hey INK tool.

Greetings students, 

I’m sure you all remember me from the student council last year. I am here again today to canvass for your votes to become your class leader. With my extensive experience in problem-solving and organizing school events, I believe I have the best qualities to become your class leader. 

I’ve been active in our school’s community since freshman year, where I gained invaluable knowledge about how to lead with humility and confidence. My time on the student council has provided me with a platform to be heard and amplify other people’s voices. As your class leader, I promise to continue being an advocate for those who feel unheard or discouraged by the current system of representation. 

I also recognize that we need to take tangible steps toward meaningful change. That is why, if chosen as your class leader, I will prioritize formulating policies that are both inclusive and equitable. We should strive to make our school environment more welcoming, safe, and respectful of all backgrounds. This means holding ourselves accountable when necessary and proactively creating measures that ensure fairness across the board. 

In conclusion, I ask you to please consider voting for me as your next class leader. My combination of enthusiasm, practicality, and leadership skills makes me the ideal candidate for this role. With every vote cast for me, you would be investing in making our school a better place for everyone. Thank you for taking the time to hear out my candidacy!

Greetings, everyone. I hope this day finds you all well! My name is [Name], and I’m running for class president. As we look to the future, there are a few things that stand out to me as integral components of our successful path forward. 

I have spent a lot of time considering how best to run and manage our school efficiently and effectively. After much deliberation, I believe it’s essential for us to emphasize developing strong leadership skills and building meaningful connections between students and faculty. 

I plan on leveraging my past experiences in order to bring forth initiatives to ensure an enriching environment for every student. Specifically, I will work to increase student participation in clubs and raise awareness about mental health issues. In addition, I plan to develop strategies to reduce bullying in the classrooms. 

As your class president, I can promise to always try to understand your needs and make decisions with those needs in mind. To me, success is only achieved when each individual has had their voice heard. With that being said, if elected, I will actively listen to the concerns and opinions of fellow classmates before making any important decisions. 

Overall, I am ready to take on the challenge of leading our class together toward a better tomorrow. It would be an honor and privilege to serve as your class president. Thank you for taking the time to hear my thoughts — let’s end this off by working together, so we can reach our full potential!

Greetings everyone! I’m standing here today with a question that needs an answer: who should be the class president? Let me tell you why it should be me. 

I have great experience in this field, having been a student leader for multiple years and serving as treasurer of our class last year. My tenure has allowed me to gain invaluable knowledge about how things work around here and how best we can propel our school forward. I think it’s important for any potential leader to have insight into the structure and dynamics of their position – something I am well-acquainted with. 

I’m also a personable individual, eager to help out my peers whenever they are in need. It is clear that there are certain problems that our school is facing which require immediate attention. Problems like low graduation rates and bullying in the hallways must be solved. I know these issues inside and out, so I can provide solutions that would not only benefit our community but also make tangible change. Plus, I’m committed to making sure everyone feels heard, respected, and valued regardless of race, gender identity, or sexual orientation. 

I believe I have all the necessary qualities to be a successful class president: expertise, empathy, and ambition. That’s why I invite you to join me in this endeavor. Together, we can find a way to create a brighter future for our beloved school. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Final Thoughts

If you are planning on giving a class election speech, you should follow our tips on  how to write a class office speech . The most important tip is to make a good case for your candidacy.

The speech should be enthusiastic, and you should show appropriate amounts of energy . Revising and proofreading your speech is crucial to making it as professional looking as possible.

Be creative when it comes to delivering your speech. Employ various methods of engagement, such as body movements, facial expressions, vocal variations, pauses, and hand gestures.

Vary the speed at which you speak and occasionally pause to emphasize key points in your speech. Doing this creates intrigue throughout your presentation and adds character to the words you say.

With a good speech, you can go into the election feeling confident about your chances of winning the election.

Tips for Writing Better Class Officer Speeches

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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Student Council Speeches

How to give a speech they’ll be talking about for years.

So what did I do?  I told them a story about a guinea pig biting my hand in Kindergarten.  My startled response was to accidentally drop and step on the poor creature.  Obviously, I felt horrible. (Thankfully Nutmeg the guinea pig was unscathed and went on to lead a long and healthy existence thereafter.)

Wait, that’s it?  You just told them a funny guinea pig story?

Well there was a little more to it.  I tried to attach a small moral lesson. I think I told them, life is full of bad days but its how you respond that really matters, or something like that.

That was it.  Nothing too profound. Yet years later people who had attended our graduation would come up to me saying that speech had stayed with them.  I was dumbfounded.

Some of the best speeches you’ll ever hear are filled with powerful or funny narratives that put the listener in the driver seat.  It’s an escape, really.  It allows the listener to take a break from noticing how hot the room is or how hard the seats are.  Stories are an invitation to break away from reality and be entertained or even moved emotionally.

So here are a few humble ideas for rock solid student council speeches.  They are based on my own experiences in student government and other public speaking opportunities, so take that as you will.  I have used them on many occasions and it has always yielded good results. So, here it goes:

FREE Student Council Speech Templates:      (click to download Word file)

Featured articles:, the 5 worst speeches ever (…and what we can learn from them), common speech stunts:, food for thought:.

RED HOT TIP : Avoid starting your speech with “Hello my name is ________ and I am running for __________.  Chances are somebody will already be introducing you!  Why waste the precious little time you have regurgitating was has just been said?  Why not dive head first into a joke, funny story or inspirational quote? You’ll have a much better chance grabbing people’s attention…IMHO.

1. Have an introduction that tells a story, makes people laugh or inspires them.

I used to find it so lame whenever someone would start their speech with “Hi my name is _________ and I’m running for _________________ .”

What’s weird is that somebody will probably be introducing you.  So why waste that time just regurgitating the same old tired introduction?

When people hear that intro, in their heads they think, “Um, yeah.  I’m going to tune out for a second and think about the gum that’s stuck beneath this bleacher. Whoa, wait is that a penny? And its head up, no less!  Cool!”

A better approach for you may be to start with a story about something that happened to you recently that really hit home.  It’s best if the story has something to do with your student council ideas.

Maybe you have a cool story about your childhood that fits with your campaign theme.  Maybe there’s a witty joke you can tell (make sure its truly funny though, lame humor can backfire.)  Or perhaps an inspirational quote from an historic leader that sets a majestic tone.

In any event any event, your introduction should grab people attention by 1.) Making in them laugh 2.) Make them think or 3.) Help them catch a feeling such as inspiration.

Stories, jokes, quotes and sometimes bizarre facts (“..did you know 65% of sophomores cannot spell ‘sophomore’?”) can help get them eating out of the palms of your sweaty hands.

2. Limit yourself to three REALLY good ideas

One common mistake we all make is trying to cram 20 ideas into a 3 minute speech.  Sorry but that ain’t gonna work, boss.

Instead do some research about what students want (see campaign section) or think of some of your own. Narrow it down to three or four solid ideas you will mention in your speech.

Why not more?  Well it’s simple.  After a short time people’s attention begins to….. SQUIRREL!   

Besides, your speech isn’t suppose to be a doctoral thesis on how you plan to improve your schools bond rating.  You don’t need to explain every detail.  Just keep it simple and positive.

The bottom line is, keep our ideas solid and straight forward.  They also need to be realistic. (Promising soda fountains in every classroom would be an example of a bad because it’s extremely unlikely you can follow through with it and its also bad for your teeth! Gulp. Gulp.)

3. Finish strong and give the BIG ASK!

My opinion is that finishing with a mini-version of your introduction coupled with a BIG ASK is a solid way to finish. The mini-introduction is a one-liner, a shorter story or an inspirational quote that hold people’s attention.

Your ending should be much shorter than your introduction but functions in much the same way.  You want to connect with your audience one last time at the “gut-level” or “heart-level” to leave a lasting impression.

Finally, the BIG ASK is simply asking people to “Vote for you!”

You want to do it in a way that is sincere and hits a high note after all the funny, powerful, thought provoking things you just told them!

“I would be honored by your support!”

Also be sure to say “Thank You” as your last statement. Even the President of the United States ends their speech in this manner, so don’t forget to thank people for their time and support!

How to give persuasive student council speeches

In order to give a persuasive student council speech, you must put yourself in the mindset of your audience. Chances are a large percentage of students listening to your speech will be experiencing the following:

  • Boredom: “This is boring.”
  • Apathy: “I don’t care.”

Students in these categories will often vote for candidates who cure the short-term feelings of boredom and apathy . This why many student elections and speeches turn into popularity contests or stand-up comedy routines. Students are either bored or don’t care and just want someone who will entertain them !

The good news is that what people actually want are leaders who are credible . Student don’t necessarily want to vote for the class clown or the cheerleading captain, but if no other credible candidates are out there offering compelling ideas, they will default and go with the candidates that ease the boredom of listening to student council speeches!

So you might be wondering what does it mean to be a “credible leader”? Credible leaders are those who act in private as they say in public . In other words they are genuine and truthful in their words and actions. People trust them for who they are not just who they claim to be. Credible leaders are honest, forward thinking, team-players who cast a hopeful vision for the future. This is the kind of leader you should strive to become!

Ideally, you would persuade people with the strength of your character and not have to resort to crazy stunts to get people to vote for you. The process of developing personal credibility takes time – but it is worthy goal to strive for. You will become a better person and a better leader if your words, match your actions.

Let’s fast forward for a moment and say that your personal credibility is fine, but you want to add a little extra flare to your speech to grab people’s attention. What should you do? Well, hang on to your flapjacks amigo and check out these powerful tactics of personal persuasion.

1. Use the bandwagon effect

Often times people will vote for a candidate based on how they believe other people will vote . This is called the “bandwagon effect”.

One way you can legitimately harness the power of the ‘bandwagon effect’ is to start a petition (sign up sheet) of the people who say they will vote for you and like your ideas. You can start off by asking your friends to sign up and then ask people you don’t know as well to join your cause.

Once you have a good number of names, you can reference your petition as ‘proof’ that your ideas are gaining traction. For example, you might say in your speech, “Over 200 people signed a petition to get the school board to update the lockerooms. I invite you to join us in making this dream become a reality!”

Whoa! Suddenly you have shifted the audience’s mindset. Now their vote actually carries some weight. You have told them that a big group of people are already supporting your ideas, so maybe they’ll think, “I should too!”.

2. Help others “visualize” the problem

There is a famous story about a manager of a glove-making (for yard work, gardening, etc.) factory who wanted to convince her co-workers that the assembly line was making too many mistakes. For months, she tried sending out emails or stopping people in the hallway to warn them that too many mistakes were being made and that it was costing the company a lot of money.

Her co-workers ignored her until one day they came to work to find an enormous pile of thousands of gloves on the factory floor. The pile was waist high and everybody stood around wondering what those gloves were doing there. Suddenly the manager came out and said, “Good morning! The pile in front of you represents the number of unusable gloves our factory makes every week! From now on, this kind of waste will be unacceptable!”

Needless to say that kind of in-your-face visual was impossible to ignore and her co-workers finally understood the magnitude of the problem. If your school will allow it, you can use the same kind of visual to grab people’s attention!

For example, let’s say you want to convince people that your school is wasting too much water and you happen to know how many gallons per month or year that is. You could create a visual representation of this by filling a jar full of marbles where each marble represents a gallon of water wasted! Maybe the number of jars would fill up an entire table! You could use the same effect for such things as number of days students miss school or the number dollars wasted doing a ridiculous project that nobody really likes.

People respond to visuals in a powerful way, so use this to your advantage. Make sure the numbers are accurate so you don’t mislead anyone, but try to think of a visual that will have a powerful symbolic meaning!

Leadership Speech for Students and Children

Leadership speech.

Leadership is basically a research area and a skill that encompasses the ability of an individual or any organization. Moreover, its motive is to “lead” or direct other individuals, teams, or entire administrations of an organization. The specialist literature debates numerous viewpoints, contrasting the Eastern and Western methods and techniques to the leadership. It also contrasts within the West. The United States against European approaches. According to the U.S. academic environments leadership is a “process of social influence where a person can enlist the aid and support of other persons or any team for the accomplishment of a common task or goal”. Read leadership speech here.

Leadership Speech

Importance of Leadership

Initiates the action or the work: Leader is someone who initiates the work. The work starts by communicating the policies and plans. The plans and the policies are discussed with the assistants and the followers from where the work or the task actually begins.

Provides Motivation

The leader fills the employees with motivation. In addition, employees get economic and non-economic rewards. And thereby the leader gets the work from the subordinates or the juniors following him/her.

Get the Huge list of 100+ Speech Topics here

Provides Guidance

A leader, not just only supervises the team that follows him/her but also plays a guiding role for them. Guidance here means instructing and training the subordinates or the juniors in the way they have to execute their work effectively and efficiently at the same time.

Generates Confidence

Confidence is a very important element for an individual. An individual can achieve confidence by expressing the work efforts. Moreover, one can provide confidence by explaining them clearly their role to achieve the target effectively. It is also necessary to hear the employees with regards to their objections or problems.

Developing Morale

Morale generally denotes the willing co-operation of the employees towards their work. Moreover, by getting them into confidence and gaining their trust and loyalty. A leader can be a morale enhancer by accomplishing full co-operation so that the team performs best. When the team or the individuals perform better, then it becomes much easier to achieve the goals.

Maintains Work Environment

Management gets things done from the people effectively. An efficient working atmosphere helps in stable growth. Therefore, human relations should be kept in mind by a mentor or a leader. The leader must have personal contacts with the employees and should listen to their problems personally and solve them. The leader should treat the employees on humanitarian terms and should respect them and their good work.

Generates Co-ordination

One can accomplish the co-ordination in an organization or a team through reconciling personal interests with organizational goals and objectives. Thus, we can achieve management through proper and effective coordination. Perfect management should be the primary motive of any leader or mentor.

Role of a Leader

Necessary at all Levels

Leadership is a function and system that is important at all levels of management in an organization. At the topmost level, it is necessary to get co-operation in preparation of the plans and the policies.

In the middle level and the lower level, we need it for interpretation and execution of plans. The top-level management of an organization plans the programs.

A representative of the organization: A leader is said to be the representative of the entire organization. He has to represent the concern at various seminars, conferences, general meetings, and events.

Leadership is the key element of an organization or enterprise. Leadership helps in controlling the crowd with the power and authority of a leader. A leader plays the role of the mentor for the team or individuals that follow his/her instructions.

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How to write a speech that your audience remembers

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Whether in a work meeting or at an investor panel, you might give a speech at some point. And no matter how excited you are about the opportunity, the experience can be nerve-wracking . 

But feeling butterflies doesn’t mean you can’t give a great speech. With the proper preparation and a clear outline, apprehensive public speakers and natural wordsmiths alike can write and present a compelling message. Here’s how to write a good speech you’ll be proud to deliver.

What is good speech writing?

Good speech writing is the art of crafting words and ideas into a compelling, coherent, and memorable message that resonates with the audience. Here are some key elements of great speech writing:

  • It begins with clearly understanding the speech's purpose and the audience it seeks to engage. 
  • A well-written speech clearly conveys its central message, ensuring that the audience understands and retains the key points. 
  • It is structured thoughtfully, with a captivating opening, a well-organized body, and a conclusion that reinforces the main message. 
  • Good speech writing embraces the power of engaging content, weaving in stories, examples, and relatable anecdotes to connect with the audience on both intellectual and emotional levels. 

Ultimately, it is the combination of these elements, along with the authenticity and delivery of the speaker , that transforms words on a page into a powerful and impactful spoken narrative.

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What makes a good speech?

A great speech includes several key qualities, but three fundamental elements make a speech truly effective:

Clarity and purpose

Remembering the audience, cohesive structure.

While other important factors make a speech a home run, these three elements are essential for writing an effective speech.

The main elements of a good speech

The main elements of a speech typically include:

  • Introduction: The introduction sets the stage for your speech and grabs the audience's attention. It should include a hook or attention-grabbing opening, introduce the topic, and provide an overview of what will be covered.
  • Opening/captivating statement: This is a strong statement that immediately engages the audience and creates curiosity about the speech topics.
  • Thesis statement/central idea: The thesis statement or central idea is a concise statement that summarizes the main point or argument of your speech. It serves as a roadmap for the audience to understand what your speech is about.
  • Body: The body of the speech is where you elaborate on your main points or arguments. Each point is typically supported by evidence, examples, statistics, or anecdotes. The body should be organized logically and coherently, with smooth transitions between the main points.
  • Supporting evidence: This includes facts, data, research findings, expert opinions, or personal stories that support and strengthen your main points. Well-chosen and credible evidence enhances the persuasive power of your speech.
  • Transitions: Transitions are phrases or statements that connect different parts of your speech, guiding the audience from one idea to the next. Effective transitions signal the shifts in topics or ideas and help maintain a smooth flow throughout the speech.
  • Counterarguments and rebuttals (if applicable): If your speech involves addressing opposing viewpoints or counterarguments, you should acknowledge and address them. Presenting counterarguments makes your speech more persuasive and demonstrates critical thinking.
  • Conclusion: The conclusion is the final part of your speech and should bring your message to a satisfying close. Summarize your main points, restate your thesis statement, and leave the audience with a memorable closing thought or call to action.
  • Closing statement: This is the final statement that leaves a lasting impression and reinforces the main message of your speech. It can be a call to action, a thought-provoking question, a powerful quote, or a memorable anecdote.
  • Delivery and presentation: How you deliver your speech is also an essential element to consider. Pay attention to your tone, body language, eye contact , voice modulation, and timing. Practice and rehearse your speech, and try using the 7-38-55 rule to ensure confident and effective delivery.

While the order and emphasis of these elements may vary depending on the type of speech and audience, these elements provide a framework for organizing and delivering a successful speech.

Man-holding-microphone-at-panel-while-talking--how-to-give-a-speech

How to structure a good speech

You know what message you want to transmit, who you’re delivering it to, and even how you want to say it. But you need to know how to start, develop, and close a speech before writing it. 

Think of a speech like an essay. It should have an introduction, conclusion, and body sections in between. This places ideas in a logical order that the audience can better understand and follow them. Learning how to make a speech with an outline gives your storytelling the scaffolding it needs to get its point across.

Here’s a general speech structure to guide your writing process:

  • Explanation 1
  • Explanation 2
  • Explanation 3

How to write a compelling speech opener

Some research shows that engaged audiences pay attention for only 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Other estimates are even lower, citing that people stop listening intently in fewer than 10 minutes . If you make a good first impression at the beginning of your speech, you have a better chance of interesting your audience through the middle when attention spans fade. 

Implementing the INTRO model can help grab and keep your audience’s attention as soon as you start speaking. This acronym stands for interest, need, timing, roadmap, and objectives, and it represents the key points you should hit in an opening. 

Here’s what to include for each of these points: 

  • Interest : Introduce yourself or your topic concisely and speak with confidence . Write a compelling opening statement using relevant data or an anecdote that the audience can relate to.
  • Needs : The audience is listening to you because they have something to learn. If you’re pitching a new app idea to a panel of investors, those potential partners want to discover more about your product and what they can earn from it. Read the room and gently remind them of the purpose of your speech. 
  • Timing : When appropriate, let your audience know how long you’ll speak. This lets listeners set expectations and keep tabs on their own attention span. If a weary audience member knows you’ll talk for 40 minutes, they can better manage their energy as that time goes on. 
  • Routemap : Give a brief overview of the three main points you’ll cover in your speech. If an audience member’s attention starts to drop off and they miss a few sentences, they can more easily get their bearings if they know the general outline of the presentation.
  • Objectives : Tell the audience what you hope to achieve, encouraging them to listen to the end for the payout. 

Writing the middle of a speech

The body of your speech is the most information-dense section. Facts, visual aids, PowerPoints — all this information meets an audience with a waning attention span. Sticking to the speech structure gives your message focus and keeps you from going off track, making everything you say as useful as possible.

Limit the middle of your speech to three points, and support them with no more than three explanations. Following this model organizes your thoughts and prevents you from offering more information than the audience can retain. 

Using this section of the speech to make your presentation interactive can add interest and engage your audience. Try including a video or demonstration to break the monotony. A quick poll or survey also keeps the audience on their toes. 

Wrapping the speech up

To you, restating your points at the end can feel repetitive and dull. You’ve practiced countless times and heard it all before. But repetition aids memory and learning , helping your audience retain what you’ve told them. Use your speech’s conclusion to summarize the main points with a few short sentences.

Try to end on a memorable note, like posing a motivational quote or a thoughtful question the audience can contemplate once they leave. In proposal or pitch-style speeches, consider landing on a call to action (CTA) that invites your audience to take the next step.

People-clapping-after-coworker-gave-a-speech-how-to-give-a-speech

How to write a good speech

If public speaking gives you the jitters, you’re not alone. Roughly 80% of the population feels nervous before giving a speech, and another 10% percent experiences intense anxiety and sometimes even panic. 

The fear of failure can cause procrastination and can cause you to put off your speechwriting process until the last minute. Finding the right words takes time and preparation, and if you’re already feeling nervous, starting from a blank page might seem even harder.

But putting in the effort despite your stress is worth it. Presenting a speech you worked hard on fosters authenticity and connects you to the subject matter, which can help your audience understand your points better. Human connection is all about honesty and vulnerability, and if you want to connect to the people you’re speaking to, they should see that in you.

1. Identify your objectives and target audience

Before diving into the writing process, find healthy coping strategies to help you stop worrying . Then you can define your speech’s purpose, think about your target audience, and start identifying your objectives. Here are some questions to ask yourself and ground your thinking : 

  • What purpose do I want my speech to achieve? 
  • What would it mean to me if I achieved the speech’s purpose?
  • What audience am I writing for? 
  • What do I know about my audience? 
  • What values do I want to transmit? 
  • If the audience remembers one take-home message, what should it be? 
  • What do I want my audience to feel, think, or do after I finish speaking? 
  • What parts of my message could be confusing and require further explanation?

2. Know your audience

Understanding your audience is crucial for tailoring your speech effectively. Consider the demographics of your audience, their interests, and their expectations. For instance, if you're addressing a group of healthcare professionals, you'll want to use medical terminology and data that resonate with them. Conversely, if your audience is a group of young students, you'd adjust your content to be more relatable to their experiences and interests. 

3. Choose a clear message

Your message should be the central idea that you want your audience to take away from your speech. Let's say you're giving a speech on climate change. Your clear message might be something like, "Individual actions can make a significant impact on mitigating climate change." Throughout your speech, all your points and examples should support this central message, reinforcing it for your audience.

4. Structure your speech

Organizing your speech properly keeps your audience engaged and helps them follow your ideas. The introduction should grab your audience's attention and introduce the topic. For example, if you're discussing space exploration, you could start with a fascinating fact about a recent space mission. In the body, you'd present your main points logically, such as the history of space exploration, its scientific significance, and future prospects. Finally, in the conclusion, you'd summarize your key points and reiterate the importance of space exploration in advancing human knowledge.

5. Use engaging content for clarity

Engaging content includes stories, anecdotes, statistics, and examples that illustrate your main points. For instance, if you're giving a speech about the importance of reading, you might share a personal story about how a particular book changed your perspective. You could also include statistics on the benefits of reading, such as improved cognitive abilities and empathy.

6. Maintain clarity and simplicity

It's essential to communicate your ideas clearly. Avoid using overly technical jargon or complex language that might confuse your audience. For example, if you're discussing a medical breakthrough with a non-medical audience, explain complex terms in simple, understandable language.

7. Practice and rehearse

Practice is key to delivering a great speech. Rehearse multiple times to refine your delivery, timing, and tone. Consider using a mirror or recording yourself to observe your body language and gestures. For instance, if you're giving a motivational speech, practice your gestures and expressions to convey enthusiasm and confidence.

8. Consider nonverbal communication

Your body language, tone of voice, and gestures should align with your message . If you're delivering a speech on leadership, maintain strong eye contact to convey authority and connection with your audience. A steady pace and varied tone can also enhance your speech's impact.

9. Engage your audience

Engaging your audience keeps them interested and attentive. Encourage interaction by asking thought-provoking questions or sharing relatable anecdotes. If you're giving a speech on teamwork, ask the audience to recall a time when teamwork led to a successful outcome, fostering engagement and connection.

10. Prepare for Q&A

Anticipate potential questions or objections your audience might have and prepare concise, well-informed responses. If you're delivering a speech on a controversial topic, such as healthcare reform, be ready to address common concerns, like the impact on healthcare costs or access to services, during the Q&A session.

By following these steps and incorporating examples that align with your specific speech topic and purpose, you can craft and deliver a compelling and impactful speech that resonates with your audience.

Woman-at-home-doing-research-in-her-laptop-how-to-give-a-speech

Tools for writing a great speech

There are several helpful tools available for speechwriting, both technological and communication-related. Here are a few examples:

  • Word processing software: Tools like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or other word processors provide a user-friendly environment for writing and editing speeches. They offer features like spell-checking, grammar correction, formatting options, and easy revision tracking.
  • Presentation software: Software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides is useful when creating visual aids to accompany your speech. These tools allow you to create engaging slideshows with text, images, charts, and videos to enhance your presentation.
  • Speechwriting Templates: Online platforms or software offer pre-designed templates specifically for speechwriting. These templates provide guidance on structuring your speech and may include prompts for different sections like introductions, main points, and conclusions.
  • Rhetorical devices and figures of speech: Rhetorical tools such as metaphors, similes, alliteration, and parallelism can add impact and persuasion to your speech. Resources like books, websites, or academic papers detailing various rhetorical devices can help you incorporate them effectively.
  • Speechwriting apps: Mobile apps designed specifically for speechwriting can be helpful in organizing your thoughts, creating outlines, and composing a speech. These apps often provide features like voice recording, note-taking, and virtual prompts to keep you on track.
  • Grammar and style checkers: Online tools or plugins like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor help improve the clarity and readability of your speech by checking for grammar, spelling, and style errors. They provide suggestions for sentence structure, word choice, and overall tone.
  • Thesaurus and dictionary: Online or offline resources such as thesauruses and dictionaries help expand your vocabulary and find alternative words or phrases to express your ideas more effectively. They can also clarify meanings or provide context for unfamiliar terms.
  • Online speechwriting communities: Joining online forums or communities focused on speechwriting can be beneficial for getting feedback, sharing ideas, and learning from experienced speechwriters. It's an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and improve your public speaking skills through collaboration.

Remember, while these tools can assist in the speechwriting process, it's essential to use them thoughtfully and adapt them to your specific needs and style. The most important aspect of speechwriting remains the creativity, authenticity, and connection with your audience that you bring to your speech.

Man-holding-microphone-while-speaking-in-public-how-to-give-a-speech

5 tips for writing a speech

Behind every great speech is an excellent idea and a speaker who refined it. But a successful speech is about more than the initial words on the page, and there are a few more things you can do to help it land.

Here are five more tips for writing and practicing your speech:

1. Structure first, write second

If you start the writing process before organizing your thoughts, you may have to re-order, cut, and scrap the sentences you worked hard on. Save yourself some time by using a speech structure, like the one above, to order your talking points first. This can also help you identify unclear points or moments that disrupt your flow.

2. Do your homework

Data strengthens your argument with a scientific edge. Research your topic with an eye for attention-grabbing statistics, or look for findings you can use to support each point. If you’re pitching a product or service, pull information from company metrics that demonstrate past or potential successes. 

Audience members will likely have questions, so learn all talking points inside and out. If you tell investors that your product will provide 12% returns, for example, come prepared with projections that support that statement.

3. Sound like yourself

Memorable speakers have distinct voices. Think of Martin Luther King Jr’s urgent, inspiring timbre or Oprah’s empathetic, personal tone . Establish your voice — one that aligns with your personality and values — and stick with it. If you’re a motivational speaker, keep your tone upbeat to inspire your audience . If you’re the CEO of a startup, try sounding assured but approachable. 

4. Practice

As you practice a speech, you become more confident , gain a better handle on the material, and learn the outline so well that unexpected questions are less likely to trip you up. Practice in front of a colleague or friend for honest feedback about what you could change, and speak in front of the mirror to tweak your nonverbal communication and body language .

5. Remember to breathe

When you’re stressed, you breathe more rapidly . It can be challenging to talk normally when you can’t regulate your breath. Before your presentation, try some mindful breathing exercises so that when the day comes, you already have strategies that will calm you down and remain present . This can also help you control your voice and avoid speaking too quickly.

How to ghostwrite a great speech for someone else

Ghostwriting a speech requires a unique set of skills, as you're essentially writing a piece that will be delivered by someone else. Here are some tips on how to effectively ghostwrite a speech:

  • Understand the speaker's voice and style : Begin by thoroughly understanding the speaker's personality, speaking style, and preferences. This includes their tone, humor, and any personal anecdotes they may want to include.
  • Interview the speaker : Have a detailed conversation with the speaker to gather information about their speech's purpose, target audience, key messages, and any specific points they want to emphasize. Ask for personal stories or examples they may want to include.
  • Research thoroughly : Research the topic to ensure you have a strong foundation of knowledge. This helps you craft a well-informed and credible speech.
  • Create an outline : Develop a clear outline that includes the introduction, main points, supporting evidence, and a conclusion. Share this outline with the speaker for their input and approval.
  • Write in the speaker's voice : While crafting the speech, maintain the speaker's voice and style. Use language and phrasing that feel natural to them. If they have a particular way of expressing ideas, incorporate that into the speech.
  • Craft a captivating opening : Begin the speech with a compelling opening that grabs the audience's attention. This could be a relevant quote, an interesting fact, a personal anecdote, or a thought-provoking question.
  • Organize content logically : Ensure the speech flows logically, with each point building on the previous one. Use transitions to guide the audience from one idea to the next smoothly.
  • Incorporate engaging stories and examples : Include anecdotes, stories, and real-life examples that illustrate key points and make the speech relatable and memorable.
  • Edit and revise : Edit the speech carefully for clarity, grammar, and coherence. Ensure the speech is the right length and aligns with the speaker's time constraints.
  • Seek feedback : Share drafts of the speech with the speaker for their feedback and revisions. They may have specific changes or additions they'd like to make.
  • Practice delivery : If possible, work with the speaker on their delivery. Practice the speech together, allowing the speaker to become familiar with the content and your writing style.
  • Maintain confidentiality : As a ghostwriter, it's essential to respect the confidentiality and anonymity of the work. Do not disclose that you wrote the speech unless you have the speaker's permission to do so.
  • Be flexible : Be open to making changes and revisions as per the speaker's preferences. Your goal is to make them look good and effectively convey their message.
  • Meet deadlines : Stick to agreed-upon deadlines for drafts and revisions. Punctuality and reliability are essential in ghostwriting.
  • Provide support : Support the speaker during their preparation and rehearsal process. This can include helping with cue cards, speech notes, or any other materials they need.

Remember that successful ghostwriting is about capturing the essence of the speaker while delivering a well-structured and engaging speech. Collaboration, communication, and adaptability are key to achieving this.

Give your best speech yet

Learn how to make a speech that’ll hold an audience’s attention by structuring your thoughts and practicing frequently. Put the effort into writing and preparing your content, and aim to improve your breathing, eye contact , and body language as you practice. The more you work on your speech, the more confident you’ll become.

The energy you invest in writing an effective speech will help your audience remember and connect to every concept. Remember: some life-changing philosophies have come from good speeches, so give your words a chance to resonate with others. You might even change their thinking.

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Frantically Speaking

15 Powerful Speech Opening Lines (And How to Create Your Own)

Hrideep barot.

  • Public Speaking , Speech Writing

powerful speech opening

Powerful speech opening lines set the tone and mood of your speech. It’s what grips the audience to want to know more about the rest of your talk.

The first few seconds are critical. It’s when you have maximum attention of the audience. And you must capitalize on that!

Instead of starting off with something plain and obvious such as a ‘Thank you’ or ‘Good Morning’, there’s so much more you can do for a powerful speech opening (here’s a great article we wrote a while ago on how you should NOT start your speech ).

To help you with this, I’ve compiled some of my favourite openings from various speakers. These speakers have gone on to deliver TED talks , win international Toastmaster competitions or are just noteworthy people who have mastered the art of communication.

After each speaker’s opening line, I have added how you can include their style of opening into your own speech. Understanding how these great speakers do it will certainly give you an idea to create your own speech opening line which will grip the audience from the outset!

Alright! Let’s dive into the 15 powerful speech openings…

Note: Want to take your communications skills to the next level? Book a complimentary consultation with one of our expert communication coaches. We’ll look under the hood of your hurdles and pick two to three growth opportunities so you can speak with impact!

1. Ric Elias

Opening: “Imagine a big explosion as you climb through 3,000 ft. Imagine a plane full of smoke. Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack. It sounds scary. Well I had a unique seat that day. I was sitting in 1D.”

How to use the power of imagination to open your speech?

Putting your audience in a state of imagination can work extremely well to captivate them for the remainder of your talk.

It really helps to bring your audience in a certain mood that preps them for what’s about to come next. Speakers have used this with high effectiveness by transporting their audience into an imaginary land to help prove their point.

When Ric Elias opened his speech, the detail he used (3000 ft, sound of the engine going clack-clack-clack) made me feel that I too was in the plane. He was trying to make the audience experience what he was feeling – and, at least in my opinion, he did.

When using the imagination opening for speeches, the key is – detail. While we want the audience to wander into imagination, we want them to wander off to the image that we want to create for them. So, detail out your scenario if you’re going to use this technique.

Make your audience feel like they too are in the same circumstance as you were when you were in that particular situation.

2. Barack Obama

Opening: “You can’t say it, but you know it’s true.”

3. Seth MacFarlane

Opening: “There’s nowhere I would rather be on a day like this than around all this electoral equipment.” (It was raining)

How to use humour to open your speech?

When you use humour in a manner that suits your personality, it can set you up for a great speech. Why? Because getting a laugh in the first 30 seconds or so is a great way to quickly get the audience to like you.

And when they like you, they are much more likely to listen to and believe in your ideas.

Obama effortlessly uses his opening line to entice laughter among the audience. He brilliantly used the setting (the context of Trump becoming President) and said a line that completely matched his style of speaking.

Saying a joke without really saying a joke and getting people to laugh requires you to be completely comfortable in your own skin. And that’s not easy for many people (me being one of them).

If the joke doesn’t land as expected, it could lead to a rocky start.

Keep in mind the following when attempting to deliver a funny introduction:

  • Know your audience: Make sure your audience gets the context of the joke (if it’s an inside joke among the members you’re speaking to, that’s even better!). You can read this article we wrote where we give you tips on how you can actually get to know your audience better to ensure maximum impact with your speech openings
  • The joke should suit your natural personality. Don’t make it look forced or it won’t elicit the desired response
  • Test the opening out on a few people who match your real audience. Analyze their response and tweak the joke accordingly if necessary
  • Starting your speech with humour means your setting the tone of your speech. It would make sense to have a few more jokes sprinkled around the rest of the speech as well as the audience might be expecting the same from you

4. Mohammed Qahtani

Opening: Puts a cigarette on his lips, lights a lighter, stops just before lighting the cigarette. Looks at audience, “What?”

5. Darren Tay

Opening: Puts a white pair of briefs over his pants.

How to use props to begin your speech?

The reason props work so well in a talk is because in most cases the audience is not expecting anything more than just talking. So when a speaker pulls out an object that is unusual, everyone’s attention goes right to it.

It makes you wonder why that prop is being used in this particular speech.

The key word here is unusual . To grip the audience’s attention at the beginning of the speech, the prop being used should be something that the audience would never expect. Otherwise, it just becomes something that is common. And common = boring!

What Mohammed Qahtani and Darren Tay did superbly well in their talks was that they used props that nobody expected them to.

By pulling out a cigarette and lighter or a white pair of underwear, the audience can’t help but be gripped by what the speaker is about to do next. And that makes for a powerful speech opening.

6. Simon Sinek

Opening: “How do you explain when things don’t go as we assume? Or better, how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions?”

7. Julian Treasure

Opening: “The human voice. It’s the instrument we all play. It’s the most powerful sound in the world. Probably the only one that can start a war or say “I love you.” And yet many people have the experience that when they speak people don’t listen to them. Why is that? How can we speak powerfully to make change in the world?”

How to use questions to open a speech?

I use this method often. Starting off with a question is the simplest way to start your speech in a manner that immediately engages the audience.

But we should keep our questions compelling as opposed to something that is fairly obvious.

I’ve heard many speakers start their speeches with questions like “How many of us want to be successful?”

No one is going to say ‘no’ to that and frankly, I just feel silly raising my hand at such questions.

Simon Sinek and Jullian Treasure used questions in a manner that really made the audience think and make them curious to find out what the answer to that question is.

What Jullian Treasure did even better was the use of a few statements which built up to his question. This made the question even more compelling and set the theme for what the rest of his talk would be about.

So think of what question you can ask in your speech that will:

  • Set the theme for the remainder of your speech
  • Not be something that is fairly obvious
  • Be compelling enough so that the audience will actually want to know what the answer to that question will be

8. Aaron Beverley

Opening: Long pause (after an absurdly long introduction of a 57-word speech title). “Be honest. You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

How to use silence for speech openings?

The reason this speech opening stands out is because of the fact that the title itself is 57 words long. The audience was already hilariously intrigued by what was going to come next.

But what’s so gripping here is the way Aaron holds the crowd’s suspense by…doing nothing. For about 10 to 12 seconds he did nothing but stand and look at the audience. Everyone quietened down. He then broke this silence by a humorous remark that brought the audience laughing down again.

When going on to open your speech, besides focusing on building a killer opening sentence, how about just being silent?

It’s important to keep in mind that the point of having a strong opening is so that the audience’s attention is all on you and are intrigued enough to want to listen to the rest of your speech.

Silence is a great way to do that. When you get on the stage, just pause for a few seconds (about 3 to 5 seconds) and just look at the crowd. Let the audience and yourself settle in to the fact that the spotlight is now on you.

I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something about starting the speech off with a pure pause that just makes the beginning so much more powerful. It adds credibility to you as a speaker as well, making you look more comfortable and confident on stage. 

If you want to know more about the power of pausing in public speaking , check out this post we wrote. It will give you a deeper insight into the importance of pausing and how you can harness it for your own speeches. You can also check out this video to know more about Pausing for Public Speaking:

9. Dan Pink

Opening: “I need to make a confession at the outset here. Little over 20 years ago, I did something that I regret. Something that I’m not particularly proud of. Something that in many ways I wish no one would ever know but that here I feel kind of obliged to reveal.”

10. Kelly McGonigal

Opening: “I have a confession to make. But first I want you to make a little confession to me.”

How to use a build-up to open your speech?

When there are so many amazing ways to start a speech and grip an audience from the outset, why would you ever choose to begin your speech with a ‘Good morning?’.

That’s what I love about build-ups. They set the mood for something awesome that’s about to come in that the audience will feel like they just have to know about.

Instead of starting a speech as it is, see if you can add some build-up to your beginning itself. For instance, in Kelly McGonigal’s speech, she could have started off with the question of stress itself (which she eventually moves on to in her speech). It’s not a bad way to start the speech.

But by adding the statement of “I have a confession to make” and then not revealing the confession for a little bit, the audience is gripped to know what she’s about to do next and find out what indeed is her confession.

11. Tim Urban

Opening: “So in college, I was a government major. Which means that I had to write a lot of papers. Now when a normal student writes a paper, they might spread the work out a little like this.”

12. Scott Dinsmore

Opening: “8 years ago, I got the worst career advice of my life.”

How to use storytelling as a speech opening?

“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.” Steve Jobs

Storytelling is the foundation of good speeches. Starting your speech with a story is a great way to grip the audience’s attention. It makes them yearn to want to know how the rest of the story is going to pan out.

Tim Urban starts off his speech with a story dating back to his college days. His use of slides is masterful and something we all can learn from. But while his story sounds simple, it does the job of intriguing the audience to want to know more.

As soon as I heard the opening lines, I thought to myself “If normal students write their paper in a certain manner, how does Tim write his papers?”

Combine such a simple yet intriguing opening with comedic slides, and you’ve got yourself a pretty gripping speech.

Scott Dismore’s statement has a similar impact. However, just a side note, Scott Dismore actually started his speech with “Wow, what an honour.”

I would advise to not start your talk with something such as that. It’s way too common and does not do the job an opening must, which is to grip your audience and set the tone for what’s coming.

13. Larry Smith

Opening: “I want to discuss with you this afternoon why you’re going to fail to have a great career.”

14. Jane McGonigal

Opening: “You will live 7.5 minutes longer than you would have otherwise, just because you watched this talk.”

How to use provocative statements to start your speech?

Making a provocative statement creates a keen desire among the audience to want to know more about what you have to say. It immediately brings everyone into attention.

Larry Smith did just that by making his opening statement surprising, lightly humorous, and above all – fearful. These elements lead to an opening statement which creates so much curiosity among the audience that they need to know how your speech pans out.

This one time, I remember seeing a speaker start a speech with, “Last week, my best friend committed suicide.” The entire crowd was gripped. Everyone could feel the tension in the room.

They were just waiting for the speaker to continue to know where this speech will go.

That’s what a hard-hitting statement does, it intrigues your audience so much that they can’t wait to hear more! Just a tip, if you do start off with a provocative, hard-hitting statement, make sure you pause for a moment after saying it.

Silence after an impactful statement will allow your message to really sink in with the audience.

Related article: 5 Ways to Grab Your Audience’s Attention When You’re Losing it!

15. Ramona J Smith

Opening: In a boxing stance, “Life would sometimes feel like a fight. The punches, jabs and hooks will come in the form of challenges, obstacles and failures. Yet if you stay in the ring and learn from those past fights, at the end of each round, you’ll be still standing.”

How to use your full body to grip the audience at the beginning of your speech?

In a talk, the audience is expecting you to do just that – talk. But when you enter the stage and start putting your full body into use in a way that the audience does not expect, it grabs their attention.

Body language is critical when it comes to public speaking. Hand gestures, stage movement, facial expressions are all things that need to be paid attention to while you’re speaking on stage. But that’s not I’m talking about here.

Here, I’m referring to a unique use of the body that grips the audience, like how Ramona did. By using her body to get into a boxing stance, imitating punches, jabs and hooks with her arms while talking – that’s what got the audience’s attention.

The reason I say this is so powerful is because if you take Ramona’s speech and remove the body usage from her opening, the entire magic of the opening falls flat.

While the content is definitely strong, without those movements, she would not have captured the audience’s attention as beautifully as she did with the use of her body.

So if you have a speech opening that seems slightly dull, see if you can add some body movement to it.

If your speech starts with a story of someone running, actually act out the running. If your speech starts with a story of someone reading, actually act out the reading.

It will make your speech opening that much more impactful.

Related article: 5 Body Language Tips to Command the Stage

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Final Words

So there it is! 15 speech openings from some of my favourite speeches. Hopefully, these will act as a guide for you to create your own opening which is super impactful and sets you off on the path to becoming a powerful public speaker!

But remember, while a speech opening is super important, it’s just part of an overall structure.

If you’re serious about not just creating a great speech opening but to improve your public speaking at an overall level, I would highly recommend you to check out this course: Acumen Presents: Chris Anderson on Public Speaking on Udemy. Not only does it have specific lectures on starting and ending a speech, but it also offers an in-depth guide into all the nuances of public speaking. 

Being the founder of TED Talks, Chris Anderson provides numerous examples of the best TED speakers to give us a very practical way of overcoming stage fear and delivering a speech that people will remember. His course has helped me personally and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to learn public speaking. 

No one is ever “done” learning public speaking. It’s a continuous process and you can always get better. Keep learning, keep conquering and keep being awesome!

Lastly, if you want to know how you should NOT open your speech, we’ve got a video for you:

Hrideep Barot

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How to Give a Great Elevator Pitch (With Examples)

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How to Give a Great Elevator Pitch (With Examples) was originally published on Forage .

Picture of one business person giving an elevator pitch to another

Though people are complex and so much more than just their jobs, in a new social situation you’re often asked, “So, what do you do?” or “What are you majoring in?” While you probably have a stock answer ready to go (I’m in sales; I’m majoring in English), the person asking may be able to help you achieve your career goals — but they won’t know unless you’ve got an elevator pitch ready to go.

An elevator pitch is an enticing and interesting three or four-sentence summary of you. But you do more than talk about yourself. Your elevator pitch gets the listener interested in what you’re capable of.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

What Is an Elevator Pitch?

How to write an elevator pitch, elevator pitch examples, elevator pitch bonus tips.

Mike Gardon of CareerCloud sums up elevator pitches like this: “When meeting someone for the first time, we all get asked what we do, right? Well, an elevator pitch is how you answer that question.”

At its core, an elevator pitch is a brief synopsis of who you are and what you do (or are trying to do). It’s named so because of the idea that you’re in an elevator with the one person who can make your career dreams come true. You’ve got the length of that elevator ride (approximately 30 seconds) to convince that person to keep listening to you.

Why You Need an Elevator Pitch (and When You’ll Use It)

In many respects, an elevator pitch is all about you. And though it may seem strange — uncomfortable even — to talk about yourself, a well-designed elevator pitch starts with you and ends with the listener.

Gardon explains, “The elevator pitch is designed to engage the person with whom you are communicating, and get them to take some next action. Think about it like this: if you were writing an email, the elevator pitch would be the subject line plus the next couple of lines that are shown in an inbox. The purpose is to get the recipient to open the email.”

In the case of your elevator pitch, you’re attempting to spark a longer conversation (or later meeting) with someone who could potentially help you professionally.

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Your elevator pitch comes in handy when you’re looking for a job. But you’ll also use various versions of your elevator pitch in situations like:

  • Networking events
  • Prospecting for new sales and clients
  • When you’re interviewing and asked, “Tell me about yourself.”
  • As the “about me” on LinkedIn, Twitter, or other social media page
  • In the summary of qualifications on your resume

How Long Should an Elevator Pitch Be?

While elevator ride times vary, the general rule of thumb is that an elevator pitch is no longer than 30 seconds, which means your pitch needs to be concise.

So, you can’t include every accomplishment from your last three jobs, just the top most recent ones. As you’re honing your pitch, write it down and limit yourself to four sentences. This will help you focus on your top highlights.

In general, an elevator pitch includes four essential elements: who you are, what you do, what’s unique about you, and what your “ask” is. Though the “meat” of your pitch likely doesn’t change often, you should prepare multiple elevator pitches that you can tailor to your situation.

For example, if you’re a student, the pitch you use at a career fair may not be the same one you use at a networking event. Likewise, if you’re changing careers, you may need to switch up what your “ask” is depending on who you talk to.

Gardon offers an example. “I wear so many different hats and am involved in different businesses. So, if I want someone to be a guest on my podcast, I might tell them how we’ve done over 400 episodes, instead of telling them that I’m a former derivatives trader.”

Also, while the below elements are crucial, they can go in almost any order. While a good elevator pitch usually begins with your name, you may find that listing your skills before your accomplishments is better for your pitch.

Part 1: Who Are You?

Your elevator pitch starts with your name, of course, but also consider throwing in a “hook” that gives the person you’re speaking with an opening to ask you questions. Here are some examples:

“I’m [your name], a recent graduate of [university] with a degree in [your degree].”

“My name is [your name] and I’m a junior at [university] majoring in [your major].”

“I’m [your name] and while I’m currently in product development, I’ve decided I want to change gears and go into graphic design.”

Part 2: What Do You Do?

The second part of your elevator pitch explains what you do. However, you shouldn’t limit yourself to a job title. This is the place to mention one outstanding accomplishment from your job, internship, or even a class that will wow your listener.

Like all parts of your elevator speech, this needs to be brief, but it should also be detailed and help the listener get an idea of what you’re capable of:

“During my marketing internship at [name of company], I grew social media engagement by 43%, which resulted in an uptick in newsletter sign-ups year over year.”

“Our business is small, but that lets us have more personal interaction, which has helped us keep a small but loyal and profitable client base for 15 years.”

“After learning about the stock market, I wanted to test what I learned as well as my skills, so I created a mock portfolio that’s realized a 24% gain over the last year.”

Part 3: What’s Unique About You?

The next section of your elevator pitch includes something unique about you. While this can include specific skills, you can also trace your career path or accomplishments to illustrate how you use your skills.

Because you only have 30 seconds, you might be tempted to list your skills or accomplishments like a grocery list. But try to link them to an outcome or something you can do.

“I enjoy analyzing data and using the results to plan my content calendar, including social media posts.”

“I worked on my college newspaper, starting on the sports beat, eventually moving my way up to chief editor.”

The first example mentions one skill (data analysis ) and two outcomes (planning the content calendar and social media posts). The second example doesn’t mention any skills but illustrates the speaker’s career path (sports beat to chief editor), demonstrating an increase in skills and responsibilities.

>>>>>> Ready to level-up your data analysis skills? Try the Data & Analytics Virtual Work Experience

Part 4: Call to Action (or What’s Your Ask?)

The final part of your elevator pitch includes a call to action. Or, more specifically, what are you asking for?

Much like networking, you may not want to blurt out “a job!” even if that’s your desired outcome. This section is what you hope will happen, which could be a job, internship, or just a new networking connection.

“I would love to speak to you about being a potential mentor, if you have time.”

“I’d like to follow up with you about how I can get involved in and conduct summer research.”

“Can you tell me how you decided on [this] career?”

Each of these invites the listener to continue engaging with you either right now or in the future. 

Optional Part 5: Something Memorable

Finally, depending on the situation, you might want to include something memorable in your pitch. This is situation-dependent and only something you should do if you’re comfortable.

For example, the pitch on Gardon’s LinkedIn profile says, “Earned the Title ‘World Champion Funniest Person In The World (to my kids)’ 10 years running.”

Of course, not everyone can be the “Funniest Person in the World,” but your memorable moment could be your love of science fiction, who your favorite author is, or the fact that you just adopted a cat.

Here’s what all the elements look like when you put them together:

“I’m David, a rising senior at XYZ University and an education major. I spent last year student teaching at my old high school, and it was quite the experience being on the other side. I’m graduating in the spring and am looking to teach high school biology.”

“I’m Ella, and I’m currently an individual contributor at XYZ company running the social media accounts. I use Google Analytics to analyze and improve content performance, and my personal TikTok has XXX followers. I’m looking to move to a leadership role at a mid to large-size company where I can mentor others.”

“I’m Mike and I’m a sophomore at XYZ university. When I was a kid, I really wanted to communicate with animals, which is partly why I’m majoring in zoology. I’m not sure what career is best suited for me. Can you tell me how you ended up in yours?”

Once you’ve written (and rewritten) your elevator pitch, you’re almost ready to try it out. Before you do, though, ensure your delivery is memorable — for the right reasons!

  • Practice. Practice makes perfect, of course. And while you don’t want to sound too rehearsed, you also don’t want to trip over your pitch or start rambling. Practice in front of a mirror, with friends or family, or record yourself to make sure you’re getting it right.
  • Time yourself. Thirty seconds can feel like forever or fly right by. Time yourself to make sure your pitch isn’t too long or too short, and adjust as necessary.
  • Use your “excited” voice. While you’ll want to use your “inside voice,” vary your tone. When you give a rehearsed speech, it should be polished but not robotic. Try to bring some excitement to your voice as you speak.
  • Speak slowly. You may want to cram as much as possible into your 30 seconds, but that could result in you speaking too quickly to try to get it all in, making it tough for the listener to understand you. As hard as it might be, stick to one or two main points.
  • Maintain eye contact. While you don’t want to stare at the listener the whole time, you don’t want to stare at the floor either. Maintain the level of eye contact that feels normal and natural to you, and break eye contact when appropriate.

Make Your Pitch

An elevator pitch is useful in all sorts of professional (and even personal!) situations. By taking stock of what you do and what you want to do, you’ll find the perfect elements to include in yours and impress the next person you pitch it to.

Want more insights into creating the perfect pitch? Check out Ashurst’s Building Your Personal Brand Virtual Experience Program .

Image credit: Canva

The post How to Give a Great Elevator Pitch (With Examples) appeared first on Forage .

TheNextSkill

Speech On Leadership [1,2,3 Minutes]

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the ways and shows the way”. This is one of my favourite quotes which describes the meaning of leadership in just a few words. Leadership is a process of influencing, inspiring and helping others to achieve goals along the way.

In this article, we shared some examples of speech on leadership. These speeches have a time duration of 1, 2 and 3 minutes. This article will explain to you what is leadership, who is a good leader and how to choose a good leader.

1 Minute Speech On Leadership

Hello and welcome all of you gathered here. I am here to present a speech on leadership.

What is leadership? If you find the definition in the dictionary, you will see it is the ability of a person to influence individuals and guide them in a way that maximizes their efforts and leads to optimum outcomes.

This is why It becomes important for any kind of organisation to have a great leader who has good visionary skills and risk-computing skills so that he can lead the organisation on the path of progress.

Many say that leadership can not be taught but I believe this is an assumption. Various leadership development programmes can help you develop leadership skills.

To sum it up, developing leadership skills is a slow process but anyone can definitely learn leadership. Thank you!

2-Minute Speech On Leadership

I warmly welcome all of you gathered here. I am here to deliver a speech on leadership. Before I start speaking my thoughts, I would like to wish you a good day. Also, I want to thank you for giving me this valuable opportunity.

Leadership is a skill that not everyone is blessed with. Yet, it is not something that can not be learned. It is a process of influencing, inspiring and helping others to become their best selves, building their skills and achieving goals along the way.

Leadership skills are always needed to accomplish a great goal of an organisation. A good leader has a good vision and risk-calculating abilities which reduce the risk of a decline in progress. Working for a goal without having a good leader is no less than shooting arrows in the darkness.

A leader can make or break all of your future dreams. So, it is very vital to choose a leader very wisely. But then a question arises in the mind; how to identify a good leader who can actually help us to lead ahead in life?

Well, there are some common personality traits of a good leader which can help in finding a good leader. First , good observation skill is one of the features of great leaders, they observe well before making a decision.

Second , they are action-takers, they do not waste their time on unnecessary activities. Third , they are good communicators. They have a great deal of sense of how to present views in a positive way. This quality enables them to influence and persuade each kind of person.

Fourth , Flexibility is another great quality of great leaders. They change strategies whenever they feel the need. So, pay close attention to who is leading you. Thank you!

2 minute Speech On Leadership

A Speech On Leadership | 3 Minutes

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the ways and shows the way”. This is one of my favourite quotes which describes the meaning of leadership in just a few words.

Good morning! All of you. Before heading ahead to my speech on leadership, I would like to wish you all the best wishes and also want to pay thanks for giving me this valuable opportunity.

Who is a leader? The answer is “someone who can lead you somewhere is called a leader” and this kind of capability is called  leadership . Also, a good leader is also a great mentor. Thus, It becomes necessary for any kind of organisation to have a splendid leader.

Leadership is not a new idea. If we examine history, we will find It has been ruling the world since human civilizations came into existence. A leader possesses good visionary skills and risk-computing skills so that he can lead the organisation on the path of progress.

Whether a person, a business or an organisation, all of this desire to lead to new heights. There is no choice but to have a great leader who can show them the right path and help them get there. This is why leadership holds great importance in every sphere of life.

But choosing a good leader is not easy yet not even very tough. Great leaders show some common qualities which can help us select a good leader who can actually help us to achieve goals and accomplish success. Let’s talk about these qualities.

This is the greatest quality that a great leader can have. This quality his see the broad picture of the scene to decide what are the next essential steps to take and where these steps will lead to.

2. Inspiration

Planning without action is worthless. Similarly, having a vision not going to work unless you have the ability to convey a clear picture of your vision to the people. Hence, inspiring people by showing them their vision is another quality of a good leader.

3. Continuous Improvement

A leader strives for continuous improvements as they know that there is always room for improvement. They’ll always be ready to help the members to discover ways to develop new skills or improve upon a weakness,

4. Flexibility

If one strategy does not work, try the other one. This activity is called flexibility. Being flexible enables a person to find out the best way to achieve goals in less time.

If a person possesses these qualities, he or she qualifies to be a good leader. This is all I wanted to say. I hope you liked my thoughts. Thank you!

3 Minutes Speech On Leadership

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Takeaways from fani willis’ stunning testimony in georgia.

Marshall Cohen

The Georgia election subversion case against Donald Trump and 14 of his allies took a stunning turn Thursday when two top prosecutors testified under oath about their romantic relationship at a hearing triggered by allegations of self-dealing that have the potential to derail the indictment.

The all-day hearing escalated steadily throughout the day, culminating with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis taking the witness stand for a combative brawl with defense attorneys that drew several rebukes from the judge.

Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on stage for a Get Out The Vote rally at the North Charleston Convention Center on February 14, 2024 in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Related article Trump’s team facing a new conundrum: How to stay on the trail during a weekslong criminal trial

Judge Scott McAfee convened the hearing after some of Trump’s co-defendants surfaced allegations of a relationship between Willis and Nathan Wade, whom she hired in 2021 to join the prosecution team. Trump and his co-defendants want the judge to disqualify Willis’ team from the case – or throw out the charges – because of a possible conflict-of-interest.

There was talk of cash exchanging hands from Willis to Wade, where they store their money at home, CashApp usage, and their spending habits – all to get to the question of whether Willis benefitted financially from putting him on her staff.

Willis was expected to return Friday to be be cross-examined by district attorney lawyer Anna Cross, but Cross said at the beginning of Friday’s hearing that she did not have any additional questions .

The judge said he does not plan to issue a ruling on Friday.

Here are takeaways from the hearing that was at times jaw-dropping, awkward and strikingly personal.

Willis’ defiant afternoon on the stand

What unfolded on Thursday is extremely rare in American courtrooms. The district attorney who has charged Trump with racketeering went under oath to defend her ethics and answer personal questions about her relationship with Wade.

The risks could not be greater, and Willis’ credibility is on the line.

erin burnett fani willis testimoney vpx

Things quickly went off the rails. Willis didn’t act much like a traditional witness and was more like a prosecutor, arguing with the defense attorneys, raising objections, making legal arguments and even having exchanges with the judge. She even raised her voice at one point.

This led to a few rebukes from McAfee, who urged her and other attorneys in the courtroom to maintain “professionalism” and to not “talk over each other.”

Willis repeatedly accused some of the defense attorneys of peddling lies – before and after the judge’s admonishment.

“You’ve lied in this. … I think you lied right here,” Willis said to attorney Ashleigh Merchant, pointing to copies of filings that raised accusations of self-dealing and nepotism.

‘I’m not on trial,’ Willis says

Willis seized several opportunities to defend herself.

The district attorney had fought efforts to make her appear, both in Wade’s ongoing divorce proceedings and in the hearing on Thursday, up until the moment she came into the room to take the stand. She said at the beginning of her testimony that she was “very anxious” to defend herself, “so I ran to the courtroom.”

“You think I’m on trial,” Willis said, in her sharpest pushback of the day. “These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020,” she added, pointing toward the table of attorneys representing defendants in the criminal case. “I’m not on trial, no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.”

She later slammed the defense attorneys, calling them “confused” and “intrusive.”

“Ms. Merchant’s interests are contrary to democracy, not to mine,” Willis said, attacking the attorney for Trump campaign attorney Michael Roman, who is accused of playing a leading role in the multi-state “fake electors” plot to subvert the Electoral College.

When did the relationship start?

On the stand, Wade stuck to his earlier claim – in a sworn affidavit submitted to the court – that his romantic relationship with Willis began in early 2022 and that they split travel and vacation expenses.

But Robin Bryant-Yeartie, a former friend of Willis and Fulton County employee, contradicted that claim, testifying that she had “no doubt” that the Willis-Wade affair began in late 2019. Notably, that would be before Willis hired Wade to lead the Trump probe in late 2021.

Bryant-Yeartie said she observed “hugging, kissing, close affection” between Willis and Wade prior to 2022, when they claimed their romantic relationship began. She also testified that Willis had told her in 2020 and 2021 that she was dating Wade.

There was some Clinton-esque parsing of words on whether Wade cheated on his ex-wife by being with Willis. Past filings from Roman’s team salaciously noted that she had been dating “a married man.”

Wade testified that his previous marriage was broken since 2015, long before his relationship with Willis began, saying, “My marriage was irretrievably broken” in 2015, and “I was free to have a relationship.”

Wade and Willis describe using cash for reimbursements

Wade and Willis have offered a simple explanation for why there’s essentially no paper trail to back up his claims they split expenses: Willis used cash.

Credit card statements submitted in Wade’s divorce proceedings show he paid for two flights for them in recent years, to San Francisco and Miami. They also took lavish trips to Belize, the Bahamas and some Caribbean cruises.

When pressed on whether he paid for Willis’ travel when they vacationed together, Wade said that Willis reimbursed him for a flight “in cash.” Wade said he did not have receipts for all of the times Willis reimbursed him for trips – pushing back against the allegations from the defense side that Willis was essentially getting kickbacks from him in the form of vacations.

“I did not deposit the cash in my account,” Wade replied, smirking at times.

Defense attorney Craig Gillen, who represents one of the fake electors, grilled Wade on what he would do with the cash reimbursements – in at least one case, thousands of dollars.

“You don’t have a single solitary deposit slip to corroborate or support any of your allegations that you were paid by Ms. Willis in cash?” Gillen shot back, raising his voice slightly.

“No sir,” Wade said, to which Gillen replied: “Not a single solitary one?”

“Not a one,” Wade responded.

Willis: ‘I don’t need anybody to foot my bills’

There was also a dispute over when the relationship ended, and whether it had any impact on the decision to seek the massive RICO indictment against Trump and others in last August.

Both said the relationship ended in summer 2023. Willis implied that the physical component ended earlier in the summer, but that the two had a “tough conversation” that fully ended things afterward.

Trump lawyer Steven Sadow asked Willis about the breakup, eliciting an answer that revealed sexist remarks that Wade allegedly made to Willis in the past. She said, he “is used to women that, as he told me one time, ‘the only thing a woman can do for him is make him a sandwich.’” She explained that this was a part of their breakup – but it also was a defense to the self-dealing claims against her.

“We would have brutal arguments about the fact that ‘I am your equal,’” Willis said. “I don’t need anything from a man – a man is not a plan. A man is a companion. And so there was tension always in our relationship, which is why I would give him his money back.”

Willis added, “I don’t need anybody to foot my bills.”

Earlier, Sadow asked Wade during his own testimony whether the two had any “personal relationship at all” since their relationship ended, saying “and you know what I mean by that.”

Wade shot back, asking if Sadow meant “if I had intercourse with the district attorney.”

“We’re very good friends, probably closer than ever because of these attacks,” Wade said. “But if you’re asking me about specific intercourse, the answer is no.”

Huge distraction from the charges against Trump – for now

Nothing that happened Thursday undercut the factual allegations against Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, or the other GOP allies who are accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election.

But the hearing shifted the conversation away from those allegation and away from Trump’s legal woes for now.

Earlier in the day, a New York judge set the trial date for Trump’s historic first trial, in the hush-money criminal case, for March 25. But by the afternoon, that news was nearly washed away by the jaw-dropping testimony taking place in Atlanta and being beamed across the country on national television. (Unlike the New York case, cameras are allowed in Georgia courtrooms.)

Friday, a separate New York judge is expected to issue his decision in the Trump civil fraud case that’s an existential threat to his business.

State prosecutors want that judge to issue a $370 million fine against Trump, after finding that Trump and his company committed significant fraud against banks and insurers by lying about his net worth and assets. They also want Trump barred from doing business in New York.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Jason Morris, Nick Valencia, Hannah Rabinowitz, Maxime Tamsett, Shirin Faqiri, Jim Rogers, Sarah Davis, Eva Roytburg and Fabiana Chaparro contributed to this report.

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COMMENTS

  1. How to Write a Student Council Speech: 10 Steps (with Pictures)

    1 Find an attention-grabbing opening statement. To begin your speech for student council president, you need to begin with a strong, attention-grabbing opening. You'll likely be giving this speech during school hours, so your classmates' attention spans might be a bit strained.

  2. Student Council Speech

    Here are some examples of quotes from well known people that you can cite: "Leadership is not about the next election. It's about the next generation.". Simon Sinek. "I think leadership is service and there is power in that giving: to help people, to inspire, and motivate them to reach their fullest potential.".

  3. Leadership Speech

    It should be filled with words of unity, camaraderie, and trust. Let us discuss in great detail what a leadership speech is. Short Leadership Speech tomcoyne.org Details File Format PDF Size: 66 KB Download School Speech cardigan.org Details File Format PDF Size: 55 KB Download What Is a Leadership Speech?

  4. Leadership Speech in English for Students

    CBSE CBSE Study Material Textbook Solutions CBSE Notes Long and Short Speech on Leadership for Students A leader is someone who has a powerful intellect and not mere intellect. Leadership is a skill that not everyone is blessed with, a skill that allows an individual to lead people for the greater good of society.

  5. 22 Tips to Write the Best Leadership Speeches

    1. There are two languages - written and oral. Note that the leader's speech will not be read but heard. So it must be natural. 2. Follow the structure of public speaking. Formulate sentences briefly and clearly. Avoid cluttering up complex speech turns. 3. Take your time. Do not write a speech in an hour.

  6. Student Council Speech Ideas: How to Craft the Perfect Speech

    Demonstrate Your Experience When crafting your student council speech, it is important to demonstrate your experience and expertise. Being able to speak confidently about your qualifications and previous accomplishments will help convince your audience of your ability to take on a leadership role.

  7. Student Council Speech Ideas & Tips to Help You Win

    You can try using silly jokes, sarcasm, or inside jokes that only those who attend your school would get. These ideas might help. FG Trade/ E+ via Getty Images. Say in a serious tone, "Settle in, I've got about three hours' worth of material to get through." After your speech, say, "Okay, now for my speech."

  8. The Ultimate Go-To Guide to Prepare for Your Student Council Speech

    1. Understand the Role of the Student Council and Identify Your Goals. 2. Research the Audience and Tailor Your Message accordingly. 3. Craft a Compelling Opening that Grabs Attention and Sets the Tone. 4. Structure Your Speech Effectively with Clear Main Points and Supporting Details. 5.

  9. Speech on Leadership for Students in English

    Download PDF NCERT Solutions CBSE CBSE Study Material Textbook Solutions CBSE Notes Introduction Before you start reading or mugging anything on leadership for your speech, we want you to first understand the basics about the term leadership. You should know who a leader is, what makes him or her a leader and why should we have a leader?

  10. Tips for Writing Better Class Officer Speeches

    3. Show Energy and Enthusiasm. 4. Express Your Gratitude to Stakeholders. 5. Proofread. To win your class leadership election or get unanimously chosen, you need to talk to your audience and win them to your side. Writing a memorable class leadership speech can be daunting and challenging.

  11. Student Council Speeches

    Maybe there's a witty joke you can tell (make sure its truly funny though, lame humor can backfire.) Or perhaps an inspirational quote from an historic leader that sets a majestic tone. In any event any event, your introduction should grab people attention by 1.) Making in them laugh 2.) Make them think or 3.)

  12. Leadership Speech for Students and Children

    Leadership Speech for Students and Children. Table of content. 1 Leadership Speech. 1.1 Importance of Leadership. 1.1.1 Provides Motivation. 1.1.2 Provides Guidance. 1.1.3 Developing Morale. 1.1.4 Maintains Work Environment. 1.1.5 Generates Co-ordination.

  13. Speech on Leadership

    Hello! Good morning to every last one of you presents over here. Before going ahead of I would like to extend a warm welcome to every person present over here. Also, I want to thank all for giving me this golden opportunity to share my thoughts on leadership.

  14. How to Write a Speech: 6 Tips for a Powerful Address

    Second Part: Describes a possible solution or set of solutions. Third Part: Summarizes how the solutions will solve the problem. 3. Write in the same tone as you speak. One of the most important public speaking tips is to remember that you are writing something that you will be speaking out loud for people to hear.

  15. How to Write a Good Speech: 10 Steps and Tips

    Create an outline: Develop a clear outline that includes the introduction, main points, supporting evidence, and a conclusion. Share this outline with the speaker for their input and approval. Write in the speaker's voice: While crafting the speech, maintain the speaker's voice and style.

  16. 15 Powerful Speech Opening Lines (And How to Create Your Own)

    1. Ric Elias Opening: "Imagine a big explosion as you climb through 3,000 ft. Imagine a plane full of smoke. Imagine an engine going clack, clack, clack. It sounds scary. Well I had a unique seat that day. I was sitting in 1D." How to use the power of imagination to open your speech?

  17. Here's How to Write a Perfect Speech

    Step 3: Edit and polish what you've written until you have a cohesive first draft of your speech. Step 4: Practice, practice, practice. The more you practice your speech the more you'll discover which sections need reworked, which transitions should be improved, and which sentences are hard to say. You'll also find out how you're doing ...

  18. PDF Applying for Student Leadership

    Respecting Others A big part of being a school leader is to respect others. It is important to listen to what your peers have to say and give them positive feedback on their ideas. You should utilise what you have learnt through participation in the "You Can Do It" program - remember the 5 keys to success. Writing an Application

  19. What Makes a Good Leader?

    Helping students keep up motivation goes a long way to promoting leadership skills in students. Talk to students about having a growth mindset (or use some of our fun resources!) and encourage your class to motivate each other towards common goals. Being motivated and motivating others is a big part of what makes a good leader.

  20. How to Give a Great Elevator Pitch (With Examples)

    Try to bring some excitement to your voice as you speak. Speak slowly. You may want to cram as much as possible into your 30 seconds, but that could result in you speaking too quickly to try to get it all in, making it tough for the listener to understand you. As hard as it might be, stick to one or two main points.

  21. Speech On Leadership [1,2,3 Minutes]

    November 9, 2022 - By Siddhant Rathour Contents "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the ways and shows the way". This is one of my favourite quotes which describes the meaning of leadership in just a few words. Leadership is a process of influencing, inspiring and helping others to achieve goals along the way.

  22. 8 Tips for Developing Your Leadership Skills

    When starting out, look for broad leadership topics like communication or conflict resolution. Then you can explore more specialized areas like negotiating global contracts. 7. Take on leadership roles in your current position. You can start practicing leadership skills before you have an official leadership role.

  23. Takeaways from Fani Willis' stunning testimony in Georgia

    Things quickly went off the rails. Willis didn't act much like a traditional witness and was more like a prosecutor, arguing with the defense attorneys, raising objections, making legal ...