A Step-By-Step Guide to Write a Political Speech That’s Authentic
If you’re running for a local office, you probably won’t be giving speeches every day, but you will inevitably have a few moments where all eyes are on you. These may be your campaign kickoff, that first big "meet the candidate" night, or the party on election night.
So, what do you say? How do you connect with the audience, lay out your vision, and engage them without sounding robotic?
Well, it’s easier than you think. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. There’s a classic, five-step framework speechwriters have used for decades to build strong, powerful, and authentic speeches.
If you’re looking for a deeper dive into building your message for your speech, check out our Political Campaign Strategy Guide.
How to Organize Your Political Speech with Monroe’s Motivated Sequence
Monroe’s Motivated Sequence is used by most political speechwriters, whether they realize it or not. When you write a political speech and use these five components, you can really create a persuasive argument to communicate just about anything, whether that’s GOTV, asking for donations, or defending a policy position. All you have to do is frame your argument in these five boxes:
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Attention: This is where you draw the audience in at the top of a speech. Sure, you’ll usually have to welcome people and thank certain members of your audience right away, but try to keep that part as short as possible. After that part’s out of the way, focus on engaging your listeners. This might be an attention-grabbing line, a short personal anecdote, or a rhetorical question, and allows the audience to connect with you and settle in for the rest of the speech.
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Need: The Need step could also be known as the Problem step. This is where your argument takes shape. In the context of your strategic communications plan, the Need step will lay out what’s not working, whether that’s an elected official who’s not doing their job or a policy that’s falling short. Your goal in this phase is to invite the audience to reflect critically and begin questioning the status quo.
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Satisfaction: Satisfaction comes when you provide a solution to the problem that was laid out in the Need step. You want to calm the audience’s anxieties by explaining how you are going to make their lives better, and how the problem doesn’t have to exist. Is the problem that the district’s representative is failing to support small businesses? Lay out your plans to promote the local economy.
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Visualization: The Visualization step builds on the Satisfaction phase but takes it a step further. While the Satisfaction step explains the details of your solution, Visualization helps the audience see it in action. Here, you want to create a visual of what life would be like if your solution becomes reality. You need to paint a clear, compelling picture that the audience can see themselves in.
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Action: Everything leads to the final stage: the Action step. This is where you call on your audience to do something to help achieve your solution. In a strategic communications plan, that often means asking for a vote, a donation, or another concrete form of support. The most effective Action steps are clear and simple. You want the audience to understand exactly what it is that they can do and for them to feel compelled to do it. The Action step should sum up the purpose of your speech is all about.
How to Draft Your Political Speech
It’s important to remember that writing for something that’s delivered verbally is very different than writing for something you’re reading on paper. If you were to speak in the same style as you write, you would probably come off as sounding distant or robotic. Starting sentences with conjunctions and using common language can actually work really well in political communications.
Here are a few practical tips for making your speech sound natural and engaging:
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Use short, punchy sentences. Long, complex sentences are hard for your audience to follow. Shorter sentences are more impactful and are easier for your listeners to digest.
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Don't be afraid to repeat yourself. In an essay, you want to avoid saying the same thing twice. In a speech, repetition can be a powerful tool. It builds rhythm and drives home your most important points.
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Don’t be afraid to break grammar rules. Sometimes the way we talk doesn’t always fit into the strict rules of grammar, and that’s okay. When you’re giving your speech, your goal isn’t to impress the English teacher in the crowd. It’s to connect with people. If bending a rule here or there makes your message sound more natural and conversational, go for it.
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Use uncomplicated, everyday words. The goal is to deliver the speech in the way you actually talk. So, feel free to use contractions: “We’re” and “don’t” are warmer and more human than "we are" and "do not." And ditch the fancy academic words and just use everyday language.
How to Deliver Your Political Speech
You should never give a speech that you haven’t read aloud. Once your speech is written, you must practice it. Read it in front of a mirror, record it on your phone, or deliver it to your family (or even your dog or cat!). The goal isn't to memorize the entire thing word-for-word. The goal is to become comfortable with its rhythm and flow.
When you give the speech, remember to make eye contact with your audience, use pauses to let your big points land, and let your genuine passion shine through.
This is also a great time to make edits. For instance, if you find yourself stumbling over a phrase, getting tongue-twisted, or running out of breath in the middle of a sentence, that sentence is too complicated. Rewrite it.
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