- Begin your speech by stating who you are, the position you’re running for, and a catchy slogan that reminds the audience what you’re working towards.
- Use the middle of your speech to explain your goals, if elected, and give a few specific steps on how you plan to achieve those goals.
- Keep your speech short and sweet; most school election speeches are only about 150-250 words.
Crafting Your Message
Brainstorm your main points. Start by jotting down all the things you’d like to accomplish in office. Think in broad strokes and let the ideas flow; it’s okay if they’re unfeasible or downright silly at first. Then, whittle down your list to about 3-5 key points that you feel are realistic and represent your goals as a candidate. For example, you might begin your brainstorming sesh with goals like “outlaw homework” and “allow skateboarding on campus.” Then, as you condense your ideas, you’ll become more realistic with plans like adding healthy food options at lunch, expanding a tutoring program, or working to reduce bullying.
Create a slogan. From “We Like Ike” to “Hope and Change,” presidential candidates have used (and won with) slogans that are personal yet easy-to-remember. Come up with a simple, pithy phrase (ideally no more than 6 words) that provides a quick glimpse of your personality and your plans. Your slogan can be lighthearted (“The Right Manuel for the Job”) or serious (“Your Voice for Change”). It can be focused on one specific issue (“Save the Spring Formal”) or aimed more broadly (“Let’s Fly Higher Together”). Most importantly, the slogan should make people think of you when they hear or see it, and give them an idea of how you’ll serve their interests. When writing a slogan, avoid negative language. You want to sound confident in yourself, rather than unconfident in your opponents. For example, if you’re trying to come up with a treasurer campaign slogan, you might say “A Vote for Maggie Makes Cents” or “Bank on Hank” rather than “Lyle Can’t Be Trusted With Money” or “Vote Hank, Not Celia.”
Write down why you’re qualified for this position. Before you begin writing your election speech, clarify why you’re a good fit for the position you’re running for. Is it your dedicated principles? Your network of friends who can help with outreach? Your extracurriculars that have given you relevant experience? Knowing why people should elect you will make preparing the speech itself a lot easier. A great way to show your qualifications and personalize your speech (without sounding like you’re blowing your own horn) is to tell a story. Talk about what made you want to run for office. For example, if you’re looking for FFA (Future Farmers of America) speech ideas, you might write “I’ve been working with animals since I was a kid and it taught me so much about life. I want to inspire other young people to do the same.”
Find ways to incorporate your personality into your speech. If you’re the class clown, inject your sense of humor into your speech. If you’re naturally quiet and reserved, talk about how you “speak softly but carry a lot of big ideas.” Your speech should provide your classmates some insight into who you really are, so be your truest self, not the candidate you think others want you to be. It can help to write down some key traits you possess and build your speech from there. For example, if you write “hardworking,” you could use your speech to talk about the countless hours of effort you plan to put into this job. If you write down “empathetic,” you can talk about how you understand people’s point-of-view and, if you’re elected, you’ll make sure everyone feels listened to. It can be difficult knowing how you come across. If you don’t know what your key traits are, ask your friends how they see you. They’ll be positive yet realistic.
Write your speech to be heard, not read. As you begin pulling your ideas together, know that how it looks on the page is far less important than how it’ll come across on-stage. Don’t worry about grammar. Keep your tone conversational and use short sentences (or even sentence fragments) to keep your message fresh and relatable. Avoid complicated sentences, jargon, or unnecessary asides. While your skill with language may work well in essays, now is the time to connect with an audience in words they can easily understand. As you draft your speech, read each sentence aloud after writing it. If it sounds awkward, clunky, or overly complex, revise it in simpler terms.
Structuring Your Speech
Begin your speech by introducing yourself and your message. Within the first handful of seconds, you want everyone listening to know who you are, what you’re running for, and why. Give 1-2 details about why you're the right person for the position, and find a way to organically plant your slogan early on. Something simple like “Hi. I’m Jane Thomas, and I want to be your class president because I am dedicated to Making Butler High Better Together” is a highly effective way to begin. Try to tweak your introduction to match your personality. You could say “Some people say that Leon Lawson is too wild and not serious enough to be vice-president. Well, I’m Leon Lawson, and I say that I’m Seriously Wild about shaking things up in Key Club.”
Identify your goals and the main issue(s) you hope to target in office. While there are likely dozens of causes you’d like to champion and things you’d like to change, remember that time is short and you need to establish a quick, clear, relatable connection with your voting audience. Target 1-2 issues and briefly explain why everyone can benefit from you fixing them. You want your audience to all feel on the same page, facing the same problems, and seeking solutions together. For instance, you might say “Bullying is an epidemic at Adams High School. Odds are that you have been bullied, seen someone being bullied, or even been a bully yourself. We can all do better.” Asking the audience can be a helpful tactic to connect over an issue. You might say “Raise your hand if you’ve been grossed out by the condition of our school bathrooms.” When stating the issue, avoid negative comments, or blaming a particular person or group. Instead of “Principal Stevens has done nothing to help with school lunches,” you might say “I hope to work with Principal Stevens to develop a plan so all our students are fed.”
Outline how you plan to achieve your goals. Walk your audience through how you plan to deliver on your promises. You don’t have to explain every little detail, but give specific, realistic examples of how you will put your plans into action. Be as precise as you can when explaining how you plan on accomplishing your mission. Instead of “I will unite the student body” (which is vague and unrealistic), you might say “I will create an open forum for students that meets every Friday at lunch so we can all share our ideas as a team.” Use active verbs to describe what you have done/will do. Some examples include: “pursue,” “follow,” “take up,” “initiate,” “present,” “represent,” “create,” “build,” and “lead.” If you’re running for re-election or have held a different office, talk about a few things you have done and a few you will do. Make it clear how they all link together. For example, you might say "As my work as President of Spanish Club shows, I can manage a team of people to achieve common goals. I will use this experience to pursue change in Student Government, too."
Try to strike a balance between ethos, pathos, and logos. The most effective way to persuade a crowd is to show them you’re qualified (ethos), your arguments/plans are valid (logos), and you’re a real person who understands them (pathos) in equal measure. Double check your speech to ensure you have a moment that demonstrates all of these qualities. To improve the ethos of your speech, find ways to connect yourself to the position you’re running for. Market yourself by listing your relevant experience and how you’ve prepared. For example, you might say “I’m secretary of 2 other clubs, so I can easily transition to secretary of Bible Club.” To improve the pathos of your speech, find moments to show off your personality. Are you goofy, fun-loving, sincere? Let that shine through in your language. You might add a joke or use some vivid adjectives. To improve the logos of your speech, make sure your goals are well-connected and realistic. Clearly explain why it’s reasonable for you to achieve each of your plans during your time in office.
Keep your speech clear, short, and sweet. Find out how much time you have to give your speech. School election speeches are often limited to only 1-2 minutes, which is only about 150-250 words. If this is the case, you want to be concise and laser-focused on what you’re trying to say. Trim unnecessary words and cut ideas if you can’t explain your plans for them quickly. Even if you don’t have a short time limit, people rarely complain that speeches are too short. Don’t waste time on unreasonable promises or unnecessary details.
Summarize your main points in your conclusion. Use the last moments of your speech to refresh your audience’s memory about your goals. In 1-2 sentences, re-identify yourself and your cause, reiterate your plans, and restate your slogan. This repetition can help tie everything together. For example: “We all know that there are too many cliques and factions that divide us as students here at West Branch High. This Friday, please consider voting for me, Ben Davis, for student council. I’ll make it my number one job to bring all West Branch Eagles together so we can Fly High as One.”
Leave the audience wanting more. A short speech means you can’t fully cover all your ideas and goals. But it also means that you can inspire the audience members to think about their own ideas for addressing your shared concerns. Let your classmates know you’re readily available to discuss your ideas more fully in the future, and you welcome their feedback. For example, you might say “I have several additional ideas for ways to bring back Tiger pride to our school. I would love to hear your ideas too after class.”
Rehearsing Your Speech
Practice your speech as much as possible. Once you’re pleased with your speech, learn how to deliver it inside and out. Rehearse in front of a mirror, in front of your cat, and in front of anyone who will listen. Get as comfortable with the words as possible. If you’re allowed to, practice giving your speech in the location where you’ll actually be presenting it. Get a feel for the room and the podium, so you’ll be that much more comfortable come speech day.
Be ready to speak, not read. Audience members want to feel as though you’re speaking directly to them, not reading from a sheet of paper. In addition to practicing the words, practice your eye contact and look up from the page every 5 words or so, for about 10 words. It may help to record yourself and play it back so you have a better sense of your tone and pace. If you can memorize your speech, great, but you don’t want it to sound like you’re just regurgitating words from a page. Know the speech by heart, so that you can seamlessly adjust to a misstated phrase or an unexpected opportunity to connect with the crowd.
Relax and visualize a positive outcome. Public speaking can be scary; accept that you’re going to be nervous, no matter how wonderful your speech is or how well-prepared you are. It will all be over before you know it and a few imperfections here or there won’t sink your election chances. It can help to meditate before your speech and picture yourself getting a standing ovation (or whatever the best possible scenario is for you). Rely on whatever relaxation techniques work for you to get ready for your performance. If that means employing the old trick of imagining the audience naked, go for it — maybe just watch who you tell about having used it!
Delivering Your Speech
Look professional and presentable. You’ll want to comb your hair and put on some nice clothes, but this also means displaying an air of confidence. Practice how you will walk on stage, stand at the podium, provide the right facial expression, use proper posture, etc. Smiling throughout the entirety of your speech is an easy way to appear warm and confident without much effort. If you use hand gestures while you speak, be sure they’re not excessively distracting and keep your use of them limited. Appropriate hand gestures can help you engage your audience.
Maintain eye contact and speak at a conversational pace. Remember that you’ve written your speech to be clear and concise already. Try not to rush through it. Speak the words as though you were having a chat with a friend, and look around the room as you speak. You don’t necessarily have to make direct eye contact with any specific person. Just make it clear you’re trying to connect with your audience.
Try to have fun with your speech. Looking like you’re enjoying yourself will make your speech more enjoyable for the audience. You’ve worked hard and prepared, so try to use this time to convey that you’re a leader people can have fun with. People vote for people who are passionate and really love their cause. If you make a mistake while giving your speech, don't panic. Laugh it off and move on. This will show that you are flexible and adaptable, and will encourage others to see you as someone who can meet challenges without losing her cool.
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