Admit it, almost everyone has had to speak on the topic of ‘Cleanliness’, whether it’s school, college, or the workplace. It is, but ironical, that a topic so common and well-known would stump many a writer when asked to put pen to paper on the subject.
Here’s how you can write a speech on the importance of cleanliness, as well as, learn and follow a few universal techniques that could help you out for all your future speeches, as well!
Structuring Your Speech: Pointers to Help You Write a Great One
The most common dilemma is where to begin from. A vast topic like Cleanliness, can be approached through different perspectives.
Whatever your approach may be, always remember that you need to answer the 5Ws + 1H through your speech:
What (is cleanliness?)
Why (is it important?)
When (do we start?)
Where (do we start from?)
Who (is responsible?)
How (can it be inculcated?)
1. Start Strong
The most memorable of speeches have a solid introduction. The opening is considered to be absolutely crucial as it determines the level of interest your audience will have.
Attention spans are at their peak in the beginning, and a speaker must take full advantage of that. Thus, you have to think out of the box.
When it comes to writing about cleanliness, a topic widely spoken about, one must try to go beyond the cliche.
Hence, if you start with a line as common as “Cleanliness is Godliness” or “Good morning, I’m here to talk about cleanliness”, you might lose out on the attention of your audience.
Instead, make it interactive. Don’t directly introduce yourself. Ask them a question and try to break the ice.
We have written an entire on 15 powerful speech openings with examples. Check it out to get some inspiration on how to start your speech!
2. What’s the Point?
When a topic is allocated/chosen, it is important to know what the objective of your speech is.
This is possible only when you know your audience well enough to estimate what they wish to take away from your speech.
Of course, your speech must be comprehensive enough to cover all aspects of such a vast topic. But, it also shouldn’t be so vague and scattered, that the audience ends up missing the point.
Once you know what the objective of the speech is, you will automatically be able to know what to emphasise on when you structure your speech.
For example, if your speech on cleanliness is required to generate awareness and participate in a Cleanliness Drive, then enough emphasis needs to be laid on how important it is for one to be clean, not only individually, but also as a community.
3. Set the Tone
A speech on cleanliness can be delivered in scenarios innumerable– whether you’re a student, teacher, manager, or CEO, cleanliness is one aspect that is ubiquitous, irrespective of what your life entails.
Thus, the tone differs accordingly. If it’s a competition in school or college, the tone is formal, while if you’re campaigning for an initiative, the tone is more affirmative, driven, and demanding.
It is important to know what the situation demands, and set the tone with respect to that. Often, people underestimate the power of tonality.
Every quiver, inflection, pause, and emphasis counts. These help break the monotony of a speech, which would otherwise make it dull and uninteresting.
This article is all you need, to know about voice modulation and tonality.
4. Tell Them a Story
Aforementioned, the structure of the speech. We know how important it is to address the 5Ws + 1H through your speech, for a topic like cleanliness.
Apart from that, it is essential for one to keep a speech outline ready– basically, what you have to say, when.
Simply put, first comes the introduction, then comes the body, and lastly the conclusion. These are three, equally important aspects that formulate your speech.
The point of structuring your speech is to take your audience on a journey and give them some direction. The best of speakers don’t just speak, they narrate. They tell you a story, even if it isn’t theirs to tell and make you feel like you’re a part of what they’re saying.
Irrespective of the topic, the point is to have your audience wholly immerse themselves, throughout your story.
To take cleanliness as an example, a topic that’s not usually looked at as one to narrate about, try telling people stories from your own personal experiences– how you’ve come across unbearably filthy areas, and how it’s affected you and your family. Make it personal and take your audience with you on this journey.
5. The Trick of Theatrics
Public speaking is a performance in itself. It isn’t restricted to simply speaking well-written material–that’s just half of it. The other half comes to delivery.
How you deliver your written material, is what will grab the attention of your audience.
When you take cleanliness, it is something that is to be inculcated consciously and imperatively. Thus, through your tone and gestures, you would have to convey that necessity and express the urgency of the situation.
This can be expressed through tone, gestures, body language, and eye contact.
Walk around, look your audience in the eye. Emote through the inflection in your tone. Use your hands; gesture the necessity. This is how body language is used to convey what you feel.
This article will help you harness the power of body language.
6. The Endgame
Just like you started with a bang, you must also end it similarly. You seal the deal with a strong ending, leaving your audience spellbound, asking for more.
The graph of your speech should have an upward slope, and shouldn’t go down towards the end. The applause that you would command after ending on such a high note, would resonate throughout.
Your conclusion should reiterate your objective and summarise your speech. Once again, don’t stick to a cliche “Thank You” or “Hope you enjoyed this.”
If you notice, the best speeches never end on such notes. They either end with a strong quote or poem or leave by asking a question/ interacting with the audience.
When it comes to cleanliness, repeat and emphasize on the urgency–how cleanliness is the need of the hour. Leave them with a question, possibly around the grim future that must await, if adequate measures aren’t taken. Don’t end abruptly.
This article is the ultimate guide to help you end your speech, with maximum impact.
Sample Speech on the Importance of Cleanliness
Imagine feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin, as you place your feet in cool waters. You look up to see clear blue skies and all around you, there exists an endless beige, of velvet sands and an atmosphere of pure joy. That’s how I’d imagined it–a trip to the beach. Yet, I didn’t get that. Would you like to know why?
Spotless, clear, cleansed, scrubbed– these are words we use to describe something clean. That’s what cleanliness, in a general sense is. A person is neat and clean, when they’re well-dressed and well-groomed, while an area is clean when dirt, plastic, and other materials aren’t strewn around. Anything clean attracts a person. It’s as simple as that. So, a few weeks ago, when I’d planned a trip to the beach with my friends, I was SO excited! It’d been ages since we’d made plans, and frankly, it was long overdue. “It’s a beach, what could go wrong?” is what I’d thought to myself. Little did I know…
The day finally arrived, and there it was. I could see the beach from a distance. It looked just like I’d imagined it. We quickly removed our shoes, and placed our feet into the sand, when all of a sudden, I felt like my right foot hadn’t quite sunk into the sand, like my left one. I looked down and found a banana peel caught between my toes. That really sucked all the excitement out. I looked around and found plastic bottles, polythene bags, tin cans, paper plates, peelings, pieces of cloth–the list could go on. When did something so beautiful become tampered with? And who’s responsible?
Even as we came closer to the waters, I could see remnants of garbage floating by, and suddenly, the beach just wasn’t as appealing anymore. With this late, yet sudden realisation, I couldn’t look at anything the same way. There’s garbage all around us. And, we’ve perhaps gotten so accustomed to it, that the heap of garbage on the corner of our street will just happen to stay and remain that way.
Cleanliness- a term so multidimensional, that it invades every aspect of our lives. Some may even say that it’s a state of mind which translates onto our day-to-day activities. Yet, a fleeting thought– if we’re all so familiar with what cleanliness entails and how inculcating it improves our quality of life, why are we STILL in a position where it’s the need of the hour? How do we fix this?
They say charity begins at home, and that’s where we begin. A simple reorganising of your closet, or room is a great start. Of course, it doesn’t end there. Start with your area of residence, make note of the kind of garbage disposal and recycling it uses, stay informed, and inform others, as well. You see, it’s very easy to pin the blame on others for ‘not doing their job’ when it comes to an unclean environment. But, what if, we’re somehow the root cause? Are we doing EVERYTHING we possibly can to make a difference?
I started my speech by asking you to ‘imagine’ and envision something we’ve once had, and no more do. We’ve somehow found ourselves in a situation where the real has turned into the unreal, instead of it being the other way around.
I started my speech by asking you to ‘imagine’, as that, unfortunately, is the only place you’d find bliss, so taintless and untouched.
I started my speech by asking you to ‘imagine’, and I now end it with a sincere request. The time to do our bit starts from NOW. Every action counts. We owe it to our planet, society, and ourselves. Thank you for listening.
Download the sample speech on the Importance of Cleanliness here.
Conclusion
If you notice, in the sample speech above, the introduction isn’t a common “Good Morning”, rather a direct mention of the topic. A story has been added, to grip the audience, and certain words have been put in capitals, to help you understand where to emphasise on.
These guidelines will not only help you with your speech on cleanliness, but also, for other speeches as well!
