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From the course by University of Washington

Speaking to Inspire: Ceremonial and Motivational Speeches

15 ratings

University of Washington

Speaking to Inspire: Ceremonial and Motivational Speeches

15 ratings

Course 4 of 4 in the Specialization Dynamic Public Speaking

The most memorable speeches inspire, entertain, and praise. By blending stories and eloquence, great speeches highlight the core values motivating an audience. You might need to do this in a keynote address, a eulogy, or simply a business meeting. Inspiring audiences is a common, but difficult writing challenge. You want a speech that elevates the topic and the audience. This course gives you a method for preparing and delivering speeches that inspire and entertain. By the end of this course, you should be able to compose and deliver moving speeches that praise core audience values through evidence, storytelling, and humor. You should be able to write eloquent passages in tones appropriate to the audience and occasion and speak fluidly from either a well-prepared manuscript or from memory. Learners will record speeches, providing and receiving peer feedback.

From the lesson

Week 1. Using values and storytelling to develop a great speech

Welcome! We begin this week with an overview of the course: What it is and what we’ll be doing. With a sense for the topic, we can then get to know each other with an introductory speech. It’s a fun and easy speech that allows you to get to know some of your classmates. From there we can start preparing our speeches. We’ll start by finding the core values that will drive the speech. Values that speak to the topic and inspire your audience. We’ll then explore how to discuss those values through evidence and storytelling. By the end of the week, you’ll have a list of values and stories to write a speech. If you want, you can end the week by telling us a story and getting some feedback on it. This is a longer week. The storytelling material goes better in week one than week two. If you feel a bit overwhelmed, just know that this week will have a bit more content than the other weeks.

Sample introduction speech2:12

How to record speech videos4:28

Meet the Instructors

Dr. Matt McGarrity
Principal Lecturer
UW Department of Communication

Hi, my name's Matt McGarrity.

I live in Seattle, Washington, here in the United States.

I enrolled in this course because I've always loved public speaking.

And I wanted to talk to others in this class about the act of public speaking,

and get some feedback on what's working for me and what's not.

So what was a memorable ceremonial speech?

Well, I've seen a lot that I liked, but

I suppose the most memorable one was probably the most influential one.

And quite honestly, it's not a speech I can fully remember.

Now, this speech took place back when I was in graduate school.

Now at that time, I was trying to decide on what type of scholar I was going to be.

I had written some stuff on foreign policy rhetoric, but

I wasn't really enthused about it.

I didn't feel like I was going to make a difference with that.

Now, I loved teaching and coaching public speaking.

I was doing a lot of that at this time.

But that didn't really seem like a career avenue for me.

Anyway, one day my department hosted a keynote speaker at a democracy forum.

So basically he came in, and he delivered this compelling and

moving speech about the value of public education and rhetorical instruction.

And as I'm listening to this, I had thought all this stuff but

I hadn't heard someone so

movingly talk about the larger values driving college communication courses.

Man, I was eating this up.

Now, as it happened, my advisor was sitting right behind me.

So after the speech, I turn around and I'm like, man, that was great.

What did you think?

And my advisor was like, [SOUND], he was very dismissive.

He was not impressed with this.

So I was like, man, what do I do?

I thought about it and I'm like, man, I want to be a part of those values,

that public project.

So I quit my advisor.

I changed my entire research agenda.

I became a specialist in the teaching of public speaking.

And, honestly, that talk was the moment.

I don't even remember the speaker, but I do remember those values.

That one talk was a major turning point in my career and, consequently, in my life.

So it was pretty memorable as a ceremonial speech.

Anyway, I'm Matt McGarrity, Seattle, Washington.

I'm excited for this course.

[MUSIC]

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