How to Write a Team Captain Speech

by Coach Cindy

May 16 2018 Other


Summary

To write a team captain speech, start with an attention-grabbing statement. Next, briefly explain who you are and list any relevant qualifications. In the body of the speech, discuss at least 3 ways to better prepare the club for the FLL challenge. Finally, end by briefly reiterating your main points and asking for your teamates’ vote.


Full text

This article is based on an article from WikiHow. The original article is How to Write a Student Council Speech. I strongly recommend that you read the original article as it has more tips for you to write a good speech. 

Being a team captain can help you to horn leadership skills and bring success to your club. However, it takes hard work to get elected. You need to craft a good speech that gives your teammates incentives to vote for you. Here are some tips for you: 

Part 1 - Introduction

  1. Find an attention-grabbing opening statement.
    Begin your speech with with a strong, attention grabbing opening. Use questions like "If there was one thing you could improve our club, what would it be?" Or a question that adds some humor, like, "I know what you're thinking. Why should I listen to this person?". Quotes on leadership, power, and guidance would also make good openings. Look up and read famous speeches from the Internet to get inspired.

  2. State the basics.
    Talk briefly about who you are and why you're running. Introduce yourself and state what you want. Remember to keep this section brief. For example, "My name is Ramona Hart, I'm in the 11th grade, and I'm running for the team captain of the BananaBots club."

  3. List your qualifications.
    Your teammates need to know what they have to gain by voting for you. Mention any accomplishments relevant to the position. Use a couple of sentences laying out your qualifications. For example,"I am currently studying advanced robotics in Storming Robots and l did excellent work there. My technical knowledge and diligence qualifies me to be the team captain.

  4.  

Part 2 - Body of the Speech

  1. State your main ideas on how to improve the club.
    You should have at least three ideas you feel would help you to improve the club and better prepare the team for the FLL competition. Think of problems you observed in club activities and how you can make positive changes. Talk to your coaches, parents and teammates. A good opening statement for your body would state the causes important to you and what you plan to do about them. For example, "I understand that some kids have to skip club meetings due to time conflicts. I would work with the coaches to make the practice schedule more flexible so that we include as many members as possible.

  2. Find support for your ideas.
    You should do some research and come up with specific plans on how you would enact change in the club. You do not have to have a point by point plan laid out, but a few sentences on some preliminary ideas can help you stand out from your peers. People are more inclined to vote for someone who's thought about how to solve problems in addition to identifying problems.

  3. Keep your ideas short but very strongly worded.br>Your body should be about two paragraphs of 5 to 6 sentences each. This might sound brief, considering how much information you'll have to get across, but you have limited time and must keep people's attention. It can help to write more than you need and gradually cut down your speech to the bare essentials. This will help it to be shorter meaning that your teammates won't get bored when listening to your speech.

Part 3 - Ending with a Strong Conclusion

  1. Reiterate your main points briefly.
    When you reach your conclusion, briefly go over your main points. A one to two sentence summary of your plans as president should start off your conclusion. Something like, "With my experience and passion, I believe I could be a great leader. I promise to do my best to make our team to win the FLL competition. Go BananaBots!"

  2. Emphasize your benefits to the audience.
    You should emphasize your benefits to the audience one last time. However, do so differently than you did in the initial introduction. Do summarize, briefly, your qualifications but do not put the main focus on them. This is where you should sincerely state your passion. Show your teammates that you really care.

  3. Ask the team for their vote.
    The last part of your speech should be a sincere request that the audience votes for you. Try to come off as humble. Instead of saying, "I expect your vote next Saturday!" say something like, "I would be honored if anyone of you chose to vote for me next Saturday.

  4. Have someone to look over your speech.
    Have friends, parents or your coaches take a look at your speech. Ask for honest feedback, even if it's negative. Research what other student council speeches are like on video websites. This could help give you ideas.




About the author


Coach Cindy - BananaBots head coach

Cindy has years of experience in IT and project management. As the lead supervisor of BananaBots, she hopes that, one day, the younger generation will show their true power through their efforts and persistence.


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