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Speech Writing Essentials Worksheet

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Speech Writing Essentials Worksheet

Help Nathan, Mere and Tevita persuade a community group to support their food bank. Study the short scenario, practise speech-writing choices, then plan and draft your own persuasive speech. Use the checklist to improve it.

The food bank challenge

A local food bank helps whānau access groceries when money is tight. Nathan, Mere and Tevita want more people to donate long-lasting food and volunteer. They have been invited to speak at a community meeting. Their audience may care about helping others, but they need clear reasons and a practical next step.

Hooks that invite people to listen

A hook opens a speech and catches the audience’s attention. Common choices include a thought-provoking question, a relevant fact, a brief story, or a quotation. A hook should connect to your message, not distract from it.

1.Read each opening and identify its hook type: question, fact, story, or quotation. A. “What would it mean to your whānau to know there was food on the table this week?” B. “On Saturday morning, Mere helped sort a box of groceries; by lunchtime, every box had found a home.” C. “According to the United Nations, about 2.33 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023.” D. “On Saturday morning, Mere arrived at the food bank to volunteer. She sorted groceries into boxes, and by lunchtime the boxes were ready to go to local families.”

2.Which opening is most likely to make a community audience curious about the food bank? Choose one, then give one reason. A. “Today I will talk about food banks.” B. “What could one bag of groceries change for a family facing a tough week?” C. “Food is an important thing that people eat.”

3.Improve this weak opening so it becomes an engaging hook for a speech asking people to volunteer at the food bank: “I am going to talk about volunteering.” Write one sentence.

Build a persuasive introduction

A clear introduction usually has a hook, enough background for the audience to understand the issue, and a thesis: your main viewpoint or request. For this scenario, the speakers want the community to donate suitable groceries and volunteer.

4.Read the two introductions. Which one has the clearest viewpoint and a more purposeful opening? Explain using two details from the writing. A. “Food banks are places where food is stored. People can donate food. I think food banks are good. That is my speech.” B. “What could one bag of groceries change for a family facing a tough week? A food bank connects donated groceries with people who need extra support. Our community should donate long-lasting food and volunteer, because small contributions can help keep this service ready for whānau.”

5.Complete the introduction plan for the food bank speech. Write: (1) a hook, (2) one sentence of background, and (3) a clear viewpoint or request. Make sure the three parts connect.

Make your reasons convincing

A useful body paragraph develops one reason at a time. Start with a topic sentence, add evidence or a relevant example, then explain how it supports your viewpoint. Evidence must be accurate: if you do not know a statistic, use a realistic example rather than inventing one.

6.Label each sentence T (topic sentence), E (evidence or example), or X (explanation). 1. “Donating long-lasting groceries is one practical way to support the food bank.” 2. “For example, a household could add a tin of beans or a packet of rice to its regular shop.” 3. “These everyday items can help volunteers prepare useful food parcels, so a small donation can contribute to a larger community effort.”

7.Which piece of support is strongest for the claim “Volunteering helps the food bank serve its community”? Choose the best option and explain why. A. “Volunteering is obviously the best thing ever.” B. “At a recent packing session, volunteers sorted groceries into separate parcels, making it easier to prepare each collection.” C. “Everyone knows volunteering is helpful.”

8.Write one body paragraph to support this viewpoint: “Our community should support the food bank.” Include a topic sentence, an example or evidence, and an explanation. Do not invent statistics.

Finish with purpose

A strong conclusion briefly restates your viewpoint and leaves the audience with a memorable thought or clear action. Avoid introducing a completely new argument at the end.

9.Choose the stronger conclusion and explain what makes it effective. A. “That is everything I wanted to say. Thank you.” B. “A tin in a shopping bag may seem small, but together our donations and volunteer hours can help the food bank be there for local whānau. Choose one way to help this week.”

10.Write a two- or three-sentence conclusion for the food bank speech. Restate the request and end with a memorable call to action.

11.Final speech-writing check: mark each statement True or False. 1. A thesis tells the audience the speaker’s main viewpoint or request. 2. A body paragraph should include evidence or an example connected to its topic sentence. 3. Making up a statistic is acceptable if it makes a speech sound convincing. 4. A conclusion can end with a clear call to action.