Drafting Your Thesis Statement
After you have determined your specific purpose, create your thesis statement—a single sentence that captures the overall message you want to convey in your speech. This statement conveys the “bottom line” of your speech—
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In this book, we use the term thesis to mean the main position of any type of speech. Some speech instructors may prefer using the term thesis statement when a speaker is advocating a position in a persuasive speech and the term topic statement when a speaker intends to inform or mark a special occasion. Your instructor will let you know if he or she prefers this alternative usage.
Here are some examples of thesis statements:
“Advances in robotics will change the job market in the next twenty years.”
“There are many opportunities for service in nonprofit organizations in our community.”
“A weeklong meatless diet can show you the path to a healthier lifestyle.”
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“Today we honor the Missouri Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital’s greyhound blood-
donor program.”
Here are some guidelines for ensuring that your thesis statement conveys your purpose and topic to the audience efficiently and accurately:
Keep it to one sentence. Make sure that your thesis consists of a single sentence that states the bottom line of your speech.
Express your intentions. Ensure that your thesis clearly conveys what you hope your audience will know, do, or feel after listening to your speech. Listeners can better follow your message if they know what to expect.
Be consistent with your specific purpose. Because your specific purpose guides how you research and prepare your speech, make sure your thesis communicates the same idea as your specific purpose. That way, you’ll avoid the all-
too- common problem of presenting a thesis in your speech introduction that differs from the content of the body of your speech.
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To compare two thesis statements on the same topic, try Video Activity 6.3, “Thesis Statement” and “Thesis Statement: Needs Focus (Needs Improvement).”