I gave this lecture on March 18, 2023.
Speak With Purpose!
INTRODUCTION
Nothing is more frustrating than listening to someone ramble on about who knows what, getting a five-minute tour of the universe when a few sentences would do. This kind of speaking is an extended form of circumlocution, “the unnecessary use of extra words to express an idea.” It could be as simple as saying, “a fat, dirty, smelly farm animal whose meat is unclean to Jews, Muslims, and some Christians and has feral cousins that are taking over wild areas in many Southern states,” when “pig” or “hog” gets the idea across nicely.
While such an information-laden description may seem “colorful,” it is tedious, pointless, and far too broad. Is the topic pigs, farming, meat, religious practices, wild pigs, wilderness, hunting, the South, or what? If it were in a Speech Club speech, it would be a waste of about ten seconds when every second of a six-minute speech counts. Done purposely, it is padding your speech because you are unprepared or have little or nothing to say on your chosen topic.
SPS This is why the “Speak With Purpose” speech is #2 in the manual. A short speech must stay on topic for its full time, or it becomes worthless. Believe it or not, it is a foundational principle of the universe: God has one purpose, one goal, found in Genesis 1:26, to create man in His image—both physically and spiritually—so that He and humanity can enjoy life as He lives it forever in His Kingdom. He does not let Himself deviate from it—and thank God for that! Having a defined purpose in doing anything is vital to its success and effectiveness. That principle holds true for a speech.
It is also why your Specific Purpose Statement (SPS) is so necessary—even vital. It sets the parameters, the boundaries, the limits, for the whole speech. In these short speeches, everything in your speech MUST relate to its chosen purpose. You do not have enough time to veer off into what may seem like a related subject. You must stay on target all the way through your conclusion. That is what Luke Skywalker had to do to blow up the Death Star: He could not allow himself to become distracted.
As I taught in another lecture, the SPS fits between the introduction and your first point. In these speeches, it should be precise, clear, and foreshadow your conclusion. It should convey exactly where you are taking the speech and what you want your audience to get out of it and remember. You should revisit the SPS after you have finished writing your speech to ensure that your original SPS mirrors your conclusion. If you have found that your SPS no longer supports the speech’s body and conclusion, rewrite the SPS.
The most common problem for new speakers when writing a speech is their choice of subject. They often choose one that is too broad. A new speaker may believe six minutes is a long time and needs a vast topic to fill the time. But the truth is just the opposite. With a bit of experience, you realize how hard it is to confine a topic to that short a time. You should choose a small slice of a more extensive subject and expound it thoroughly. For instance:
- Do not speak about cars, race cars, or F1/NASCAR cars.
Speak about how a spoiler creates drag and helps to increase grip. - Do not speak about movies, television, or video streaming.
Speak about how the proliferation of streaming services has undermined the other two. - Do not speak about trees, deciduous trees, or oak trees.
Speak about a particular beetle, fungus, or disease killing particular species of trees.
So, choose a subject you already know well or are genuinely interested in and pare it down until you find a limited facet you can drill down into. Find something intriguing about it that you can explore, illuminate, or prove with three solid points. Arrange those points from weakest to strongest because you want to end as persuasively as possible. Finally, attach an engaging introduction to warm your audience to the subject and a satisfying conclusion (perhaps a summary, a warning, or an action your listeners can take), and you will have an effective Speak With Purpose speech!
CONCLUSION This speech appears right at the beginning of speech training because it is the foundation for all the other speeches you will eventually be assigned. If you fail to learn to speak with purpose—to give a concentrated talk on one specific, limited topic—you are wasting your breath and our time. So, find your purpose and focus everything you have into that one point you wish to drive home.