You should cite your sources to obey the rules of academic writing, whether you are paraphrasing or quoting directly. In other words, you have to be a critical and responsible researcher by citing your sources correctly.
Citing your sources prevents your content from being accused of plagiarism because you should use other people’s ideas responsibly. If you want to ensure that your speech is credible, then you should cite your sources well.
Different Ways of Citing a Source in a Speech
One can cite a source in a speech to make it credible and trustworthy. Citing tells the audience that you are acknowledging someone’s contribution to what you are saying.
It is because as a measure of your research skills.
During the oral presentation, the audience cannot navigate between the in-text citation, a reference list, or search for a footnote.
However, you should tell the audience where you got your information from. For one to listen to a live presentation, it has to be a linear process.
1. Give Enough Details
The right way is to introduce the source before you begin to present the information. As such, you will be preparing the audience to evaluate the information using your source as they hear the material from the source.
Such a citation should be brief because it is challenging to digest the citation as you evaluate it. You have to give a few seconds for the audience to know what you are quoting.
You should give the audience enough details to know who gave the information to make your work credible.
2. Give a Brief
You should offer an overview of how you came up with your research. It is much of the literature review. Such works well when you combine published sources and oral sources.
You should also tell your audience what you are quoting by marking the beginning and the end of the quotes.
3. Pause Slightly
You can decide to pause slightly after completing the introduction phrase. After that, you can now read the quote expressly to allow the second quote to sound like it is a second voice.
Next, you also pause slightly after the quote to indicate that you are switching to own on voice back. This method is easy and preferable.
4. Say Quote
You can say “Quote” before you begin to read the quote. After the last words of the quote, you can now say, “Endquote.”
5. Air quotes
Suppose people see you well; you can use air quotes.
You will have to demonstrate with your hand by moving both hands and involving your index fingers to draw the quotation marks in the air.
Importance of Citing Sources in a Speech
Citing sources is an excellent well of adding value to your speech. Citing enables you to share what inspires you without copying.
Some of the issues you want to pinpoint in your address should have some backing as a shred of extraordinary evidence to support your concepts.
By citing your sources, you will experience the following benefits:
1. Makes One a Credible Researcher
One of the pointers of a good researcher is to have the ability to discern connections in speech patterns. The proper citation enables one to present accurate facts supported by other people’s ideas to make one trustworthy.
As you cite, you become detail-oriented hence instilling good habits across your research. Such trains the author with good analytical skills by putting vast information in the paper. Also, it wins the trust of your audience.
2. It is a Fact-Checking Tool
Accuracy is an essential factor when you are writing a speech. When you look up for reference that needs verification will serve as an accuracy check.
For instance, you will have to double-check a direct quote to ensure that the details you are giving are accurate.
The audience will establish that you understand what you are talking about when you support your arguments with evidence.
3. Improves Your Writing Skills
All of us desire to write a moving speech that has good traits of a strong foundation.
When you cite sources, it eliminates fuzzy thinking, intellectual laziness, or sloppy writing.
Also, it removes the chances of false claims, especially when you are using specific phrases like “they say.”
When a writer cites the sources well, it eliminates all the questions in the audience’s minds concerning your point.
Citing inspires you to research more over the given topic and improve the quality of your speech and writing skills.
4. Builds Credibility
When you cite your sources in the speech, you will be showing your intellectual skills to your audience. The audience will appreciate that you did extensive research before coming up with such information for them to digest.
When you document your ideas well, you will become credible to other consumers of such information. That is so because they can verify the arguments as cited to get additional information regarding that fact in your written speech. It indicates that you are a well-informed writer.
5. For Better verification of Your Work
Any piece of writing as a speech can undergo various vetting before it comes to print. One should track down the sources of your information to establish if they are accurate or not.
As such, you can subject the paper to many rounds of editing until you refine the information to acceptable levels.
6. Makes it Original
When you cite your speech well, no one will accuse you of plagiarism. In a similar fashion, no one will put you on task to explain why you plagiarized the content in sections. It makes you safe without compromising your integrity.
Normally, plagiarism is cancer which means you are participating in stealing one’s ideas for your benefit. In this case, you only quote the words well to let them act as inspiration for your works. Your work will remain original and trustworthy.
Things to Avoid When Citing a Source in a Speech
As you cite your speech, you can make it more credible and acceptable by obeying fundamental principles that make it more believable. You should incorporate the right pieces of stuff and spice it up for your audience to appreciate it.
1. Paraphrasing a Source Incorrectly
One of the fundamental things to avoid when citing a source as you write your speech is paraphrasing poorly.
Incorrect paraphrasing implies that you will be changing the meaning of the original idea from the source.
If you have to paraphrase, ensure that you use the right words without tampering with the meaning of the sentence.
Such an approach does your work to remain credible and highly acceptable.
2. Lacking Quotation Marks
You should put the words in the quotation marks before you cite a source where you are borrowing inspiration.
The quoted words should be between quotations to prove that they do not originate from you. You are only giving credit to the author.
Suppose you fail to put these words in a quotation, then you will be stealing someone’s intellectual property.
It will sound like you are exploiting someone’s work without prior permission.
It will also be plagiarism if you copy-paste the piece directly.
3. Grammatical Mistakes
One should avoid using poor grammar when writing a speech text. Before you finalize the speech for your audience to access, you should avoid grammatical flaws. The grammatical shortcomings are an indicator that you failed to edit and proofread it properly.
The answer lies in giving a different and reliable person to countercheck those errors and fix them before using them. You should showcase your writing skills to your audience.
Joseph is a freelance journalist and a part-time writer with a particular interest in the gig economy. He writes about schooling, college life, and changing trends in education. When not writing, Joseph is hiking or playing chess.