After the outline has been perfected comes the time to write the speech, if

write it you must. Then, whatever you do, write it at white heat, with not _too_

much thought of anything but the strong, appealing expression of your ideas.

 

The final stage is the paring down, the re-vision--the seeing again, as the word

implies--when all the parts of the speech must be impartially scrutinized for

clearness, precision, force, effectiveness, suitability, proportion, logical

climax; and in all this you must _imagine yourself to be before your audience_,

for a speech is not an essay and what will convince and arouse in the one will

not prevail in the other.

 

_The Title_

 

Often last of all will come that which in a sense is first of all--the title,

the name by which the speech is known. Sometimes it will be the simple theme of

the address, as "The New Americanism," by Henry Watterson; or it may be a bit of

symbolism typifying the spirit of the address, as "Acres of Diamonds," by

Russell H. Conwell; or it may be a fine phrase taken from the body of the

address, as "Pass Prosperity Around," by Albert J. Beveridge. All in all, from

whatever motive it be chosen, let the title be fresh, short, suited to the

subject, and likely to excite interest.

 

QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES