Q&A for How to Write a Student Council Speech

The easiest way to memorize a speech is to map it out for yourself. Figure out your speech's major intention and memorize the key points. When practicing, try using flash cards or recording yourself and watching it back.

It depends on the purpose of the speech. If you are running for student council, then yes, your speech should tell people about yourself. If your speech has nothing to do with you directly, then you do not need to talk about yourself unless you feel a personal anecdote will better your main point.

It shouldn't be, because the audience likely will stop paying attention. If you insist on making it long, make it entertaining by adding stories or making it different.

Yes! It might be a good idea to introduce yourself with your name at the beginning of your speech, and repeat your name at the end, ie: So if you'd like a new playground, vote for Jane Doe! This way, people will know who to vote for. If someone loves your speech but doesn't know your name, they won't be able to vote for you.

Tell them that you have experience, what sorts of changes you would make, or tell why you would like this position.

Use a quote, or search up 'Speech One Liners' to start of with something funny to grab their attention. Find things that are current and fit with the cool things everyone identifies with.

Take a survey. Surveying your peers or teachers about what they would want to improve in the school is a great way to come up with ideas others can relate to.

Emphasize as many other qualities you have as possible. If done correctly, the audience probably won't ask and will focus on these qualities. I have done a similar thing before.

Yes. You should definitely include what you promise to do - just remember not to make it too unrealistic.

You can ask that they please consider voting for you as the part of the student council to make the school a better place.

You could go around with a pen and paper asking different students their opinions about the school, then let the staff know how students feel.

Your speech should include the right words for the message you're trying to convey. Just use the standard vocabulary you normally would to get your point across. If you attempt to use "professional" words, it may seem forced, like you're just trying to impress people; worse yet, if they're not words with which your audience is familiar, you'll only confuse them.

You can start your speech by saying, "Hi, I'm [your name] and I'm running for student council." Then try to come up with something memorable to say next, like a joke, a catch phrase, etc.

There are some good tips in Give a Speech Without Getting Nervous .

If you're giving a speech in something like a gym or auditorium without a microphone, you will need to speak very loudly. If possible, visit the room with a friend sometime when it's empty and have your friend sit all the way in the back. Practice different volumes until your friend says they can hear you well.

3 or 4 minutes, but try not to exceed 5. It can get boring, and people may tune out.

Add humor, stories of your first day of school, or just something that informs your peers that you are just like them.

Summarize all you've said. List your qualities and remember to thank them for their time. You want to be remembered as kind and considerate.

Yes, definitely! That makes people want to vote for you more, because you inspire them to do good things. They will most likely see you as responsible, trustworthy, and a great role model.

Try involving the audience a little bit. For instance, if you were running for student council president, show off your leadership skills by getting volunteers from the audience and making them do silly things.

When you finish, say something like 'I would like to wish good luck to all my fellow candidates' at the end of your speech.

Practice repeatedly with a stopwatch app, ensuring you leave yourself about five seconds of leeway at the end. Know where you should be at the fifteen-second mark, 30 seconds, and 45 seconds so that you pace yourself properly when delivering it.

Try something to the effect of "In the past, I have [insert accomplishments]. These accomplishments have formed a solid foundation for a successful career in student council."

It may sound counter-intuitive, but avoid wikiHows, or any other online resources. Any ideas you will find on there will have already been done. Come up with something unique. It doesn't have to be funny if that's not your strong suit, it just has to be interesting!

By thinking of more ideas to benefit your school and describing/going into detail on those ideas. But don't make your speech long just to fill time. A short, succinct speech is best.

Simply state your name, then mention the problems at the school that you want to try to solve, and say how you're going to solve them, what skills you have that make you best suited for the job, etc. Write everything down you want to say, then start timing yourself and see if you need to cut or add anything.

No, this isn't information the listeners need to know. Keep your speech to the topics you actually need to cover.