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The Importance of Setting Speech Goals
A speech is a wonderful opportunity to inform, persuade or entertain. The best speeches often take
on a combination of all three of these components. However, before you can go about the writing of a
great speech, it is important to set goals. Goals keep you, your speech and your audience focused.
What a goal is
In the context of a speech, a goal is the purpose of the speech, and what it hopes to accomplish. For
example, the goal of a eulogy (颂歌) might be to celebrate the life of a loved one. The goal of a speech
at a political gathering would be to inform the crowd about the political position of a candidate and
persuade them to vote and campaign for the candidate in question.
Why a goal is important
Without a goal, a speech is without direction. The goal informs the structure and content of the speech. For example, if a speech's goal is to convince people that smoking is bad for them, the speech will be
structured with persuasive arguments to back up the goal. A speech with a goal of informing the audience will keep the information fair and factual.
A goal is incredibly important to the speech's ability to connect with an audience. If the speaker is
unaware of the goal of the speech, the audience will likely be unaware as well. This severely reduces the
effectiveness of the message.
Aside from informing the audience of the content and structure, a speech's goal drives the speaker to
greater heights. If a speaker is asked to speak on a specific subject, but never establishes the goal, they
won't know where to start in the research, organizing and writing of the speech.
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If you have been charged with (被委以) delivering a speech, establishing a goal can seem difficult at
first. There are several things to take into consideration. First, think about who you will be speaking to.
The demographic (人口统计) of your audience will likely determine whether you will be able to persuade them, or whether they will be able to sit through. Second, think about the topic itself. If the topic is
something controversial(有争议的), it may be worth your while to consider an informative approach to
present both sides of the issue. Finally, consider your resources. A speech with an informative or
persuasive goal usually requires a great deal of research, and sometimes takes more time to write.
1. According to the passage, what three components does the best speech combine?
A. Informing, delivering and entertaining.
B. Informing, persuading and entertaining.
C. Informing, writing and delivering.
D. Informing, writing and persuading.
2. The goal of a speech at a political gathering might be _______.
A. to persuade the audience to vote for a candidate
B. to celebrate the life of a person you admire
C. to entertain the audience with humor and magic
D. to persuade the audience to buy new products
3. All the following indicate the importance of a speech goal EXCEPT that _______.
A. a speech will lose its direction without a goal
B. a speech goal can help keep the audience aware of the speech
C. a speech goal can help the speaker know about the research, organizing and writing
D. a speech goal makes it possible for the speaker to achieve whatever he wants in life
4. Which of the following can be filled into the blank as the subtitle for the last paragraph?
A. How to achieve a speech goal
B. How to deliver a difficult speech
C. What to consider to establish a goal
D. What to consider to deliver a speech