The purpose of a speech — Public speaking for kids

Speaker's tip

Know, do or enjoy? — “decide what the audience should know, do or feel at the end”

1. To inform: explain, describe, show how, report facts.
2. To persuade: ask, urge, convince — words like “should”, “must” and “let us”, ending with a call to act.
3. To entertain: funny stories, silly poems, comic scenes. A fact can be checked (“A week has seven days”); an opinion cannot (“Homework is boring”).

Use it for: Choosing speech topics for students, elocution and debate, and planning any talk.

Worked example: 🎯 What is the main purpose of a speech urging everyone to plant a tree? → to persuade

✏️ Practice

Work it out in your head or on paper, then tap your answer — or type it and press Check. Stuck? Press “Show me how”.

🏁 Lesson 9 test

20 questions. Check each answer, then go to the next one. Get 16 or more right to pass.

🏅 Sign in with Google to earn the 🎯 Purpose Finder badge when you pass — and a certificate when you finish all 8 lessons of Part 2 · Building a speech. You can still take the test without signing in.

🖨️ Public Speaking Worksheet: Purpose of a Speech

• Worksheet set 1 (PDF)
• Worksheet set 2 (PDF)
• Worksheet set 3 (PDF)