An effective speech needs an effective thesis statement. The thesis statement for a speech is the part of your introduction that identifies your position and provides an outline for your ideas. A good thesis will help keep the rest of your speech focused. Keep these five things in mind when writing your thesis statement for a speech. When we talk about the strength of a thesis statement, we look at how arguable it is. Your thesis statement should state your position. If everyone agrees with your position, however, what’s the point in offering your speech? Make sure that you can defend your thesis statement and support your position throughout your speech. Your thesis should be clear and concise. It needs to explain what your speech is about by offering a quick summary of your main points. Write the first draft of your thesis statement, and think about whether or not you can narrow it down any more. If your thesis statement is narrow, then your speech will be focused for your audience. The position that you offer in your thesis statement should not just be your personal opinion. You need to be able to find texts and research that supports your ideas. Without the proof to back up your claim, you won’t be able to gain the credibility needed to get your audience to validate your ideas. If they don’t believe that you’re a credible source, you’re going to have a hard time convincing them of your position. There isn’t a specific length needed for your thesis. However, you should try to keep it concise and specific. In many cases, the thesis statement is one sentence that states your position and offers the supporting details that you’ll discuss throughout the rest of your speech. Your thesis should be located in the introduction. It’s typically found in the last two to three sentences at the end of the paragraph. By placing it at the end of your introduction, you can use it as a good way to lead into the body paragraphs. Also, remember that you should restate your thesis in the conclusion. Don’t just repeat it word-for-word, but remind your listeners what your position and supporting points were in your speech. Although it’s helpful to write your thesis statement for a speech before writing the rest of your speech, remember that your thesis statement is not set in stone. As you continue to work through your speech, you may find that your thesis statement needs to be revised. For this reason, it’s important to frequently review your thesis statement for a speech and make sure that it perfectly fits the rest of your ideas. We’d love to hear from you: What are you speaking about, and what will your thesis statement be? Check out our Professional Writing lessons for even more information on speech writing! [crp limit=”4″ post_thumb_op=”after”] Blog > Academic Writing Advice Academic Writing AdviceAcademic, Writing, Advice ServiceScape Incorporated ServiceScape Incorporated 2018Understanding what makes a good thesis statement is one of the major keys to writing a great research paper or argumentative essay. The thesis statement is where you make a claim that will guide you through your entire paper. If you find yourself struggling to make sense of your paper or your topic, then it's likely due to a weak thesis statement. Let's take a minute to first understand what makes a solid thesis statement, and what key components you need to write one of your own. A thesis statement always goes at the beginning of the paper. It will typically be in the first couple of paragraphs of the paper so that it can introduce the body paragraphs, which are the supporting evidence for your thesis statement. Your thesis statement should clearly identify an argument. You need to have a statement that is not only easy to understand, but one that is debatable. What that means is that you can't just put any statement of fact and have it be your thesis. For example, everyone knows that puppies are cute. An ineffective thesis statement would be, "Puppies are adorable and everyone knows it." This isn't really something that's a debatable topic. Something that would be more debatable would be, "A puppy's cuteness is derived from its floppy ears, small body, and playfulness." These are three things that can be debated on. Some people might think that the cutest thing about puppies is the fact that they follow you around or that they're really soft and fuzzy. All cuteness aside, you want to make sure that your thesis statement is not only debatable, but that it also actually thoroughly answers the research question that was posed. You always want to make sure that your evidence is supporting a claim that you made (and not the other way around). This is why it's crucial to read and research about a topic first and come to a conclusion later. If you try to get your research to fit your thesis statement, then it may not work out as neatly as you think. As you learn more, you discover more (and the outcome may not be what you originally thought). Additionally, your thesis statement shouldn't be too big or too grand. It'll be hard to cover everything in a thesis statement like, "The federal government should act now on climate change." The topic is just too large to actually say something new and meaningful. Instead, a more effective thesis statement might be, "Local governments can combat climate change by providing citizens with larger recycling bins and offering local classes about composting and conservation." This is easier to work with because it's a smaller idea, but you can also discuss the overall topic that you might be interested in, which is climate change. So, now that we know what makes a good, solid thesis statement, you can start to write your own. If you find that you're getting stuck or you are the type of person who needs to look at examples before you start something, then check out our list of thesis statement examples below. Thesis statement examplesA quick note that these thesis statements have not been fully researched. These are merely examples to show you what a thesis statement might look like and how you can implement your own ideas into one that you think of independently. As such, you should not use these thesis statements for your own research paper purposes. They are meant to be used as examples only.
Still stuck? Need some help with your thesis statement?If you are still uncertain about how to write a thesis statement or what a good thesis statement is, be sure to consult with your teacher or professor to make sure you're on the right track. It's always a good idea to check in and make sure that your thesis statement is making a solid argument and that it can be supported by your research. After you're done writing, it's important to have someone take a second look at your paper so that you can ensure there are no mistakes or errors. It's difficult to spot your own mistakes, which is why it's always recommended to have someone help you with the revision process, whether that's a teacher, the writing center at school, or a professional editor such as one from ServiceScape. |