presentation for class president

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Education and Communications
Communication Skills
Public Speaking

How to Write a High School President Speech

Last Updated: October 2, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Lynn Kirkham and by wikiHow staff writer, Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA . Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,023,478 times.

Campaigning for school president is an exciting opportunity to build your leadership skills and bring change to your school. If you want to win the presidency, you’ll need to give a persuasive campaign speech to get people to vote for you. To make your speech effective, plan out what you want to say before you start writing. Then, you can structure your speech to keep it clear and concise. Finally, use a tone that fits your audience so your speech will be engaging.

Sample Speeches

Planning Your Speech

Step 1 Decide on 2 or 3 issues you want to address as president.

For example, let’s say your school has rules in place that require students to get approval before they can hang posters on the school walls, even if the posters are related to school activities. If you know other students are constantly complaining about this rule, you might campaign on changing it.
As another example, your school may have an ineffective process for lining up at lunchtime, which causes students to spend most of their lunch period purchasing food. To address this issue, you might suggest a new way of lining up or an alternative process for handing out food.
For another option, let's say your school has tried to do programs to help students, such as anti-bullying programs or extended library hours, but limited funding made the programs ineffective. You might run on a platform of doing fundraising activities and promoting volunteerism to help support these valuable programs.

Tip: Make sure the issues you focus on are things you can actually change. For instance, getting better pizza in the cafeteria might be an issue that people care about, but it might be impossible for you to actually achieve.

Step 2 List all of the ways you’re involved in your school.

Student government positions you’ve held
Clubs or teams you've participated in
School events you've attended
School events you've helped plan
Volunteer positions you've taken

Step 3 Think of ways you’ve proven your leadership or decision making abilities.

For example, you might include prior work with your school’s student government or a leadership role you held in a club.
Similarly, you could include the time you planned set designs for a community theater production or your stint as a summer camp counselor.

Step 4 Choose clear transitions to guide the audience through your speech.

For example, you might use words like "first," "second," "next," "then," "additionally," "similarly," "alternatively," and "furthermore."
Repetitive phrasing can serve as a useful signpost during the speech. You might, for instance, say “The first time we came together to change things for the better” before describing an accomplishment, then introduce the second with “The second time we came together….”

Step 5 Remember to KISS—Keep It Short and Simple.

For example, make sure your speech doesn't go over the time limit. Time your speech to make sure it's about 3-7 minutes long, depending on what your school allows.
Whenever possible, give yourself enough time to write several drafts of a speech. Each time you revise a draft, look for ways to trim the language, phrasing, and focus down to the essentials.

Structuring Your Speech

Step 1 Introduce yourself simply and quickly.

Say, “Hello, everyone. My name is Jacob Easton. I’m a junior, and I want to be class president because we need a fresh vision for making Acme High a more welcoming and inclusive school.” In this example, your “why” statement starts a theme of inclusivity.

Step 2 Explain the 2-3 major issues you’ll address as class president.

For instance, if you’re using the “inclusivity” theme, you might pledge to start an anti-bullying program and a peer mentoring club.
You might say, "Together, we can make our school a better place for all students. If elected, I will work with all of you to create an anti-bullying club so that no student is afraid to come to school. Additionally, we will form a peer mentoring club to encourage students to guide others and act as a support system."

Step 3 Tell your classmates why you believe you’re qualified to be president.

If you’ve held other leadership positions, identify them and mention for each how you achieved something related to your overarching theme.
If you haven’t held official leadership positions, identify life experiences in which you had to be both decisive and collaborative.
You might say, “As president of the debate club, I’ve expanded club membership, worked with local lawyers to build a mentorship program, and acquired donations from local office supply stores so students have the materials they need for tournaments. If you elect me to be your president, I’ll bring the same type of leadership to the student government.”

Step 4 Explain how you're different from your opponents without attacking them.

For instance: “While our current class leadership has done good work in reviving school spirit, I will dedicate myself to making sure all students feel the embrace of that spirit and have opportunities to shape it.”

Step 5 Close by asking your classmates to vote for you.

Say, “Together, we can make our school inclusive for all. Thank you for your time this afternoon. I’m Jacob Easton, and I want your vote.”
You might also decide to go with a catchy slogan, like, “Next Tuesday, ‘Get Awake and Vote for Jake!’”

Using the Right Tone

Step 1 Show confidence through assertive body language.

You can smile or keep your facial expression neutral.
Practice your body language in front of a mirror before you give your speech.

Step 2 Use a conversational tone to seem relatable to your peers.

For instance, you might say, “We all want to support our classmates with motivational posters. However, current rules make it hard to have school spirit. Let's change that."
Read the speech out loud as your write it. This will help ensure that each sentence fits the way you speak. If the sentence doesn’t sound right or feel natural coming from your mouth, revise it.
Because you’re focused on clarity and brevity, you might use sentence fragments or repeat words or phrases in ways you wouldn’t normally if you were writing an essay.

Step 3 Opt for a formal or serious tone if your school is very traditional.

To make your speech more formal, use grammatically correct sentences and stronger words, while avoiding casual phrasing. For example, don't use contractions or sentence fragments, which create a more conversational tone. Instead, speak in full sentences.
To help you find a more serious tone, imagine that you're giving your speech to your teachers rather than your classmates.
If you plan to give a formal speech, you might watch videos of famous speeches on YouTube to get an idea of what people expect.

Step 4 Add humor to make your speech more engaging.

When choosing the right jokes and stories for your speech, steer clear of anything that might be perceived as offensive.
Always keep your audience in mind. An "inside joke" that your friends understand might not be funny to the student body as a whole.
If possible, connect the humor to the overall theme of your speech. For instance, let’s say your speech is about changing the rules for hanging posters on school walls. You might tell a humorous story about the time your school hung up “Go team” posters for a football game that had already happened two weeks prior because it took so long for the posters to get approved.

Step 5 Create a tone of cooperation by using words like “we” instead of “I.”

For example, you’d say, “If we work together, we make it easier to get through the lunch line so we all have more time to eat,” rather than, “If I’m elected, I’ll do everything in my power to fix the lunch lines so students have more time to eat.”

Tip: In a campaign speech, write about what “we” can accomplish “together,” not about what “I” will do.

Expert Q&A

Use your other campaign materials as supports for the ideas you'll express in your speech. For example, you may have campaign signs, buttons, and flyers to promote your candidacy. Incorporate the same issues you talk about in your speech onto your campaign materials. Similarly, if you use a slogan on your signs, say that slogan during your speech. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Dress appropriately on the day that you give your speech. Depending on the culture at your school, this might mean a nice casual outfit, like a dress or pants with a collared shirt or blouse, or a formal outfit, such as a suit, slacks, or a skirt. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

↑ https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/writing-a-school-election-speech.html
↑ https://franticallyspeaking.com/ultimate-guide-to-using-signposts-in-speeches/
↑ http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/writing-a-school-election-speech.html
↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/structuring-speech
↑ https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-elected-class-president
↑ Lynn Kirkham. Public Speaking Coach. Expert Interview. 20 November 2019.
↑ https://sps.columbia.edu/news/five-ways-improve-your-body-language-during-speech
↑ https://finley-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/f/finley-h/localcontent/how_to_write_a_speech.pdf
↑ https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/politics-pronouns

About This Article

To write a high school president speech, choose a few important, clear points to emphasize. Avoid long, wordy sentences and a complicated outline. Instead, keep the structure and content of your speech simple so your audience can easily follow along with what you’re saying. As you write, read your speech out loud to ensure that it sounds natural and conversational. Also, use words like “we” and “us” and reference shared experiences to build rapport with your audience. For tips on writing a campaign speech, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No