example of speech transcript

Neil Pasricha

Great speeches - full transcripts of my favorite inspiring talks, i gave my first speech in may, 2010., it was at my hometown public library and half a dozen people came out. i just kind of stood there and rambled. there were a lot of awkward silences. one guy clapped., since then i’ve given over 500 keynote speeches. i am still getting better. i have a long way to go. one thing i’ve always done is collect speech transcripts and bits of poetry. i study them — inhale them — to see greatness in action. how do they build connection how do they structure their messages what’s the science what’s the art, this is a page of my favorite speech transcripts and poetry:, “what i regret most in my life are failures of kindness” by george saunders, mississippi testimony by brandon boulware, “what, to the slave, is the fourth of july” by frederick douglass, post-game speech on jacob blake and culture of fear by coach doc rivers, “the other america” by dr martin luther king jr, “i’ve been to the mountaintop” by martin luther king jr, think like a bronze medalist, not silver by derek sivers, on children by khalil gibran, “68 bits of unsolicited advice” by kevin kelly, television by roald dahl, i believe in superheroes by in-q, “why did i say “yes” to speak here” by malcolm gladwell, 2020 screen actors guild acceptance speech by brad pitt, “what does why mean” by richard feynman, “invent your own life’s meaning” by bill watterson, when death comes by mary oliver, pale blue dot by carl sagan, press conference answer on ‘long snapping’ by bill belichick, if— by rudyard kipling, “we don’t move on from grief. we move forward with it” by nora mcinerny, to laugh much and often by bessie anderson stanley, blessing for the new year by kayleen asbo, nobel acceptance speech by john steinbeck, you learn by anonymous, “on the soul-sustaining necessity of resisting self-comparison and fighting cynicism” by maria popova, maximus, to himself by charles olson, new day’s lyric by amanda gorman, by the well of living and seeing, part ii, section 28: during the second world war by charles reznikoff, be drunk by charles baudelaire, quotes on reading by marcel proust, two powerful songs about fatherhood by harry chapin & john lennon, sauntering by christopher morley, there is no frigate like a book by emily dickinson, dreamland by mark twain, “you are brilliant and the earth is hiring” by paul hawken, what you missed that day you were absent from fourth grade by brad modlin, the sun by mary oliver, dust if you must by rose milligan, don’t hesitate by mary oliver, mother to son by langston hughes, do not ask your children to strive by william martin, the mind of absolute trust by seng-ts’an, watching the wheels by john lennon, sparrow envy by j. drew lanham, ‘a better measure for society’ by robert f. kennedy, leisure by w.h. davies, "the right to the future tense" by shoshana zuboff.

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Read Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech in its entirety

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. addresses the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., where he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech on Aug. 28, 1963, as part of the March on Washington. AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. addresses the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., where he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech on Aug. 28, 1963, as part of the March on Washington.

Monday marks Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Below is a transcript of his celebrated "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered on Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. NPR's Talk of the Nation aired the speech in 2010 — listen to that broadcast at the audio link above.

Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders gather before a rally at the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963, in Washington. National Archives/Hulton Archive via Getty Images hide caption

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.: Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But 100 years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check.

Code Switch

The power of martin luther king jr.'s anger.

When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men — yes, Black men as well as white men — would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.

Martin Luther King is not your mascot

We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.

Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

Civil rights protesters march from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. Kurt Severin/Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. 1963 is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.

There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

Throughline

Bayard rustin: the man behind the march on washington (2021).

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny.

And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, when will you be satisfied? We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.

We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: for whites only.

We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.

No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

How The Voting Rights Act Came To Be And How It's Changed

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our Northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

People clap and sing along to a freedom song between speeches at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. Express Newspapers via Getty Images hide caption

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right down in Alabama little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

Nikole Hannah-Jones on the power of collective memory

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This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning: My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims' pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that, let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.

Correction Jan. 15, 2024

A previous version of this transcript included the line, "We have also come to his hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now." The correct wording is "We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now."

Transcript Example (with Microsoft Word and PDF Templates)

This resource includes a transcript example from an interview, formatted in several different ways:

• Clean verbatim style
• True verbatim style
• Timestamps at regular intervals
• Timestamps at speaker or paragraph intervals

I made these .docx and PDF example transcripts for university students, educators, non-profits, journalists, podcasters, filmmakers, and transcriptionists.

Quick tip: If you’re not using it already, you can install free transcription software like Express Scribe to help you manually transcribe interviews much faster. The software lets you control audio playback using hotkeys so you don’t have to keep starting and stopping audio with your mouse.

If you want to go really fast, I also recommend getting a transcription foot pedal (I use the Infinity pedal ). Together, these two tools will save you hours upon hours of transcription time. (Or learn more about our interview transcription services .)

If you’re a professional content creator, you may also be interested in our posts about AI-powered tools for scaling up your audio and video production workflow:

• Best AI Video Upscaling Software
• Best AI Video Generators
• Best AI Video Editors

Now, on to the transcript examples!

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure for more info.

Interview transcription format sample for Microsoft Word

Download this transcription format template for Microsoft Word for use with interviews and qualitative research projects:

Interview Transcription Template – Word (.docx)

Clean verbatim vs. true verbatim transcript examples

There are two main styles of transcription used in interviews and qualitative research:

• Clean verbatim (also called intelligent verbatim or non-verbatim).
• True verbatim (also called strict verbatim, or simply “verbatim”).

A clean verbatim transcript is a lightly edited version of the original audio. Typically, the following elements are removed:

• Filler speech, including “um,” “uh,” etc.
• Most non-speech sounds, including coughing and throat clearing
• False starts

A true verbatim transcript, on the other hand, attempts to capture every utterance of the speakers. These include stutters, meaningless filler speech, and false starts. Verbatim style may also include non-speech and background sounds, such as coughing and sneezing or a door closing.

While each transcription style is useful under certain circumstances, clean verbatim is used most often because the transcripts cost less and are easier to read.

However, true verbatim may be desirable for certain qualitative and market research projects and legal investigations, where it’s necessary to study not only what was said, but also the manner in which something was said.

Below, I’ve included examples of an interview transcribed in both verbatim and clean verbatim fashion.

Example transcript in true verbatim style

Here’s a sample interview transcript that demonstrates the true verbatim style:

Download the PDF version here: Interview Transcript Example – True Verbatim (PDF)

Example transcript in clean verbatim style

And here’s the same conversation from above, transcribed in clean verbatim:

Download the PDF version here: Interview Transcript Example – Clean Verbatim (PDF)

We made the following changes to the second (clean verbatim) transcript:

• We edited out stutters, partial words, and short incomplete sentences.
• We removed meaningless instances of words like “so” at the start of sentences, and “like” when used as filler speech. (However, we left in the word “like” where removing it would have made the meaning literal when it wasn’t intended to be – i.e., when Brad refers to his “like, two” Facebook friends.)
• We chose to leave in the laughter, as it helps capture the overall tone of the interview and the banter occurring between the speakers. We also left in nonsense exclamations like “Uh … phew,” because it helps set the context for what follows. However, we removed other non-speech sounds like coughing and throat clearing that do not contribute anything useful to the content.
• In this particular example, we opted to remove repetitive instances of the word “actually” spoken by Brad, the interviewee. Normally we leave longer words in, but in this case we felt it was a speaker idiosyncrasy that distracted from the content of the interview.

Clean verbatim style is not an exact science, and sometimes there may be overlap between non-verbatim and verbatim styles in a transcript. All in all, the changes we made here make for a cleaner, less distracting, and more valuable interview – without detracting anything meaningful from the original.

Sample transcript with timestamps at regular intervals

Some projects require timestamps to be placed at regular intervals in the transcript so the audio can be easily referenced later.

Below is an example of an interview transcript with timestamps:

Download the PDF version here: Interview Transcript Example – Timestamps at Regular Intervals (PDF)

Sample transcript with timestamps at speaker intervals

Another way to timestamp a document is to place the timecode markup at speaker or paragraph intervals, like in the following interview transcript sample:

Download the PDF version here: Interview Transcript Example – Timestamps at Speaker Intervals (PDF)

Transcript format tips

There are several formatting elements common to most transcripts. These include speaker labels, timestamps, inaudible and crosstalk tags, and markup for external sounds. Let’s look at how to handle each of these:

Speaker labels. Speakers are typically identified by first name, full name, title, or role. They can also be identified by generic descriptors, like “Male” or “Female,” when other information isn’t available.

In the above examples, the speakers’ names have been offset from the rest of the transcript for better readability. To use this formatting in your own transcripts, download the .docx template at the top of this article.

Timestamps. Timestamps, e.g. [01:27] , can be placed at regular intervals such as every 15 or 30 seconds, or they may be placed at the beginning or end of each paragraph or speaker. Examples of each style are shown above.

Inaudible tags. When words or phrases are unclear, mark them out with a timecode; e.g., [inaudible 00:27] . You can also include guesses (phonetic or otherwise) as to what was said – for example, [wing yard 00:27] .

Crosstalk tags. When two or more speakers are talking at the same time and it’s impossible to hear what’s being said, use a crosstalk tag, e.g. [crosstalk 01:27] .

Sounds. Non-speech and background sounds are notated in brackets; for example, [laughing] or [door slams] . No timestamp is necessary.

Finally, a note on consistency and style: It’s best to follow a style guide to ensure consistency among elements like numerals, dates, titles of works, etc. We generally follow AP style . Other common style methods include APA , MLA , and The Chicago Manual of Style .

If you’re thinking of starting a career in transcription, check out my complete guide on how to become a transcriptionist . I also recently posted this list of 75+ transcription jobs for beginners and pros.

If you have any questions about using the example transcripts above, leave a comment and I’ll do my best to help!

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23 comments.

thanks a lot for this. I appreciate th above lessons. at the moment lets keep the above into practice.

You’re very welcome! I’m glad you found it useful.

Very very helpful. For sure, God bless you.

Thank you. I’ve recently launched my own company in ghostwriting & editing, and typing & transcription services. These tips are GREAT reminders. God bless you.

Thank you, Mrs. Owens!

Handy for a beginner like me.

Thank you very much, really help me to do my assignment

I’m glad to hear that!

Hello, I don’t know how to thank you ,these instructions are very helpful and useful and real ,and how to contact you if I need any help.

I’m so happy you enjoyed the post! While I’m not always available to respond directly to questions, I always appreciate receiving suggestions about what kind of content you’d like to see me write about in the future. So if there’s a particular topic you have in mind, please feel free to reply and let me know. Thanks so much for commenting!

Your information is very valuable. My problem is, I need to find a resource that tells me how to set up the formatting in MSWord 2016. Setting the speaker tags and margins so it all lines up. If you have any link you could direct me to, or if you can explain how you do that, I would be forever grateful. Thanks, Lorri

I’ve been meaning to get a refresher on formatting myself and recently bookmarked this comprehensive tutorial on MS Word 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxLuuNprjXg

I haven’t watched it yet, but there’s a clickable table of contents in the video description and it has some sections on formatting and adjusting margins. I hope it helps!

how to name an interview transcript document?

If you’re doing the transcript for a client or professor, you should typically give the document the exact same name as its corresponding audio file; for example, “Interview with Sahar.mp3” would be titled “Interview with Sahar.docx”.

If you’re recording the audio yourself and there are a lot of files, it’s best practice to use some kind of file naming convention to keep everything organized. One easy way to do this is to use a date prefix; for example, 2019-05-30_Interview_with_Sahar.mp3.

I hope this helps!

Thank you so much for this guide. I am just about to embark on Transcription services as a full time activity and will be grateful for any mentoring and encouragement

You’re very welcome! Since you’re just getting started, I recommend visiting the following resources:

My complete guide on how to become a transcriptionist: https://www.mondayroadmap.com/how-to-become-a-transcriptionist/

My list of 75+ companies that hire work-from-home transcribers: https://www.mondayroadmap.com/online-transcription-jobs/

All the best in your new transcription career!

Thank you, this was very helpful.

Glad to hear it, Cony! Thanks for commenting.

This was really really helpful. Thank you so much.

Thank you for reading!

Hi, I’m just getting started transcribing hours of interviews. This article is a life saver. Really helpful, accessible, clear and the .pdfs are really useful allowing me to see what the finished transcription should look like. Thank you so very much.

You’re so welcome, Shaz! Thank you for reading!

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The Presidency / Presidential Speeches

Famous presidential speeches.

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Biden’s Speech to Congress: Full Transcript

President Biden unveiled a major proposal to invest in education and families, describing it as “a blue-collar blueprint to build America.”

President Biden delivered an address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Because of the pandemic, Mr. Biden spoke to a socially distanced audience of less than 200 lawmakers and officials, a small fraction of the packed audience that typically attends such an address.

The following is a transcript of his remarks.

PRESIDENT BIDEN : Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It’s good to be back. As Mitch and Chuck will understand, it’s good to be almost home, down the hall. Anyway, thank you all.

Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President. No president has ever said those words from this podium. No president has ever said those words. And it’s about time. The first lady, I’m her husband. Second gentleman. Chief justice. Members of the United States Congress and the cabinet, distinguished guests. My fellow Americans.

While the setting tonight is familiar, this gathering is just a little bit different. A reminder of the extraordinary times we’re in. Throughout our history, presidents have come to this chamber to speak to Congress, to the nation and to the world. To declare war, to celebrate peace, to announce new plans and possibilities.

Tonight, I come to talk about crisis and opportunity. About rebuilding the nation, revitalizing our democracy, and winning the future for America. I stand here tonight one day shy of the 100th day of my administration. A hundred days since I took the oath of office, lifted my hand off our family Bible and inherited a nation — we all did — that was in crisis. The worst pandemic in a century. The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War. Now, after just 100 days, I can report to the nation, America is on the move again. Turning peril into possibility, crisis into opportunity, setbacks to strength.

We all know life can knock us down. But in America, we never, ever, ever stay down. Americans always get up. Today, that’s what we’re doing. America is rising anew. Choosing hope over fear, truth over lies and light over darkness. After 100 days of rescue and renewal, America is ready for a takeoff, in my view. We’re working again, dreaming again, discovering again and leading the world again. We have shown each other and the world that there’s no quit in America. None.

One hundred days ago, America’s house was on fire. We had to act. Thanks to the extraordinary leadership of Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Schumer and the overwhelming support of the American people — Democrats, Independents and Republicans — we did act. Together, we passed the American Rescue Plan, one of the most consequential rescue packages in American history. We’re already seeing the results.

We’re already seeing the results. After I promised we would get 100 million Covid-19 vaccine shots into people’s arms in 100 days, we will have provided over 220 million Covid shots in those hundred days, thanks to all the help of all of you. We’re marshaling with your help, everyone’s help, we’re marshaling every federal resource. We’ve gotten vaccinations to nearly 40,000 pharmacies and over 700 community health centers where the poorest of the poor can be reached. We’re setting up community vaccination sites, developing mobile units to get to hard-to-reach communities. Today, 90 percent of Americans now live within five miles of a vaccination site. Everyone over the age of 16, everyone, is now eligible to get vaccinated right now, right away. Go get vaccinated, America. Go and get the vaccination. They’re available. You’re eligible now.

When I was sworn in on Jan. 20, less than 1 percent of the seniors in America were fully vaccinated against Covid-19. One hundred days later, 70 percent of seniors in America over 65 are protected, fully protected. Senior deaths from Covid-19 are down 80 percent since January, down 80 percent, because of all of you.

And more than half of all the adults in America have gotten at least one shot. The mass vaccination center in Glendale, Ariz., I asked the nurse, I said, “What’s it like?” She looked at me, she said, “It’s like every shot is giving a dose of hope” was her phrase, a dose of hope.

A dose of hope for an educator in Florida, who has a child suffering from an autoimmune disease, wrote to me, said she’s worried — that she was worried about bringing the virus home. She said she then got vaccinated at a large site, in her car. She said she sat in her car when she got vaccinated and just cried, cried out of joy, and cried out of relief.

Parents seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces, for those who are able to go back to school because the teachers and the school bus drivers and the cafeteria workers have been vaccinated. Grandparents, hugging their children and grandchildren, instead of pressing hands against the window to say goodbye. It means everything. Those things mean everything.

You know, there’s still — you all know it, you know it better than any group of Americans — there’s still more work to do to beat this virus. We can’t let our guard down. But tonight, I can say, because of you, the American people, our progress these past 100 days against one of the worst pandemics in history has been one of the greatest logistical achievements, logistical achievements this country has ever seen. What else have we done in those first 100 days?

We kept our commitment, Democrats and Republicans, of sending $1,400 rescue checks to 85 percent of American households. We’ve already sent more than 160 million checks out the door. It’s making a difference. You all know it when you go home. For many people, it’s making all the difference in the world.

A single mom in Texas who wrote me, she said she couldn’t work. She said the relief check put food on the table and saved her and her son from eviction from their apartment. A grandmother in Virginia who told me she immediately took her granddaughter to the eye doctor, something she said she put off for months because she didn’t have the money. One of the defining images, at least from my perspective, in this crisis has been cars lined up, cars lined up for miles. And not people just barely able to start those cars. Nice cars, lined up for miles, waiting for a box of food to be put in their trunk.

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t ever think I would see that in America. And all of this is through no fault of their own. No fault of their own, these people are in this position. That’s why the rescue plan is delivering food and nutrition assistance to millions of Americans facing hunger. And hunger is down sharply already.

We’re also providing rental assistance — you all know this, but the American people, I want to make sure they understand. Keeping people from being evicted from their homes. Providing loans to small businesses that reopen and keep their employees on the job. During these hundred days, an additional 800,000 Americans enrolled in the Affordable Care Act when I established a special sign-up period to do that — 800,000 in that period. We’re making one of the largest one-time-ever investments, ever, in improving health care for veterans. Critical investments to address the opioid crisis. And maybe most importantly, thanks to the American Rescue Plan, we’re on track to cut child poverty in America in half this year.

And in the process, while this is all going on, the economy created more than 1,300,000 new jobs in 100 days. More jobs in the first — more jobs in the first 100 days than any president on record. The International Monetary Fund — the International Monetary Fund is now estimating our economy will grow at a rate of more than 6 percent this year. That will be the fastest pace of economic growth in this country in nearly four decades. America’s moving, moving forward. But we can’t stop now.

We’re in competition with China and other countries to win the 21st century. We’re at a great inflection point in history. We have to do more than just build back better — than just build back, we have to build back better. We have to compete more strenuously than we have. Throughout our history, if you think about it, public investment in infrastructure has literally transformed America, our attitudes as well as our opportunities. The transcontinental railroad, interstate highways, united two oceans and brought a totally new age of progress to the United States of America.

Universal public schools and college aid opened wide the doors of opportunity. Scientific breakthroughs took us to the moon. Now we’re on Mars, discovering vaccines, gave us the internet and so much more. These are investments we made together as one country. And investments that only the government was in a position to make. Time and again, they propel us into the future. That’s why I propose the American Jobs Plan, a once-in-a-generation investment in America itself. This is the largest jobs plan since World War II.

It creates jobs to upgrade our transportation infrastructure. Jobs modernizing our roads, bridges, highways. Jobs building ports and airports, rail corridors, transit lines. It’s clean water. And today, up to 10 million homes in America and more than 400,000 schools and child care centers have pipes with lead in them, including drinking water, a clear and present danger to our children’s health. The American Jobs Plan creates jobs replacing 100 percent of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines so every American can drink clean water.

In the process it will create thousands and thousands of good-paying jobs. It creates jobs connecting every American with high-speed internet, including 35 percent of the rural America that still doesn’t have it. This is going to help our kids and our businesses succeed in the 21st century economy. And I’m asking the vice president to lead this effort, if she would, because I know it will get done.

It creates jobs, building a modern power grid. Our grids are vulnerable to storms, hacks, catastrophic failures — with tragic results, as we saw in Texas and elsewhere during the winter storms. The American Jobs Plan will create jobs that lay thousands of miles of transmission lines needed to build a resilient and fully clean grid. We can do that.

Look, the American Jobs Plan will help millions of people get back to their jobs and back to their careers. Two million women have dropped out of the work force during this pandemic. Two million. And too often, because they couldn’t get the care they needed to care for their child or care for an elderly parent who needs help; 800,000 families are on the Medicare waiting list right now to get home care for their aging parent or loved one with disability. If you think it’s not important, check out in your own district, Democrat or Republican. Democrat or Republican voters.

Their great concern, almost as much as the children, is taking care of an elderly loved one who can’t be left alone. Medicaid contemplated it, but this plan is going to help those families and create jobs for our caregivers with better wages and better benefits, continuing a cycle of growth.

For too long we’ve failed to use the most important word when it comes to meeting the climate crisis: Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. For me, when I think climate change, I think jobs. The American Jobs Plan will put engineers and construction workers to work building more energy efficient buildings and homes. Electrical workers, I.B.E.W. members, installing 500,000 charging stations along our highways so we can own the electric car market. Farmers, farmers planting cover crops so they can reduce the carbon dioxide in the air and get paid for doing it.

Look, think about it. There is simply no reason why the blades for wind turbines can’t be built in Pittsburgh instead of Beijing. No reason. None. No reason. So folks, there’s no reason why Americans — American workers can’t lead the world in the production of electric vehicles and batteries. There is no reason. We have the capacity. They’re best-trained people in the world. The American Jobs Plan is going to create millions of good-paying jobs, jobs Americans can raise a family on. As my dad would then say, with a little breathing room. And all the investments in the American Jobs Plan will be guided by one principle: Buy American. Buy American.

And I might note parenthetically, that does not violate any trade agreement. It’s been the law since the ’30s, buy American. American tax dollars are going to be used to buy American products, made in America, to create American jobs. That’s the way it’s supposed to be, and it will be in this administration. And I made it clear to all my cabinet people, their ability to give exemptions has been strenuously limited. It will be American products.

Now, I know some of you at home are wondering whether these jobs are for you. So many of you, so many of the folks I grew up with, feel left behind, forgotten, in an economy that’s so rapidly changing — it’s frightening. I want to speak directly to you, because if you think about it, that’s what people are most worried about. Can I fit in?

Independent experts estimate the American Jobs Plan will add millions of jobs and trillions of dollars to economic growth in the years to come. It is an eight-year program. These are good-paying jobs that can’t be outsourced. Nearly 90 percent of the infrastructure jobs created in the American Jobs Plan do not require a college degree. Seventy-five percent don’t require an associate’s degree. The American Jobs Plan is a blue-collar blueprint to build America. That’s what it is.

And I recognize something I’ve always said, in this chamber and the other, good guys and women on Wall Street. But Wall Street didn’t build this country. The middle class built the country. And unions built the middle class. So that’s why I’m calling on Congress to pass the Protect the Right to Organize Act, the PRO Act, and send it to my desk so we can support the right to unionize.

And by the way, while you’re thinking about sending things to my desk, let’s raise the minimum wage to $15. No one, no one working 40 hours a week, no one working 40 hours a week should live below the poverty line. We need to ensure greater equity and opportunity for women. And while we’re doing this, let’s get the Paycheck Fairness Act to my desk as well. Equal pay. It’s been much too long. And if you wonder whether it’s been too long, look behind me.

And finally, the American Jobs Plan will be the biggest increase in nondefense research and development on record. We’ll see more technological change — and some of you know more about this than I do — we’ll see more technological change this the next 10 years than we saw in the last 50. That’s how rapidly artificial intelligence, and so much more, is changing. And we’re falling behind the competition with the rest of the world.

Decades ago, we used to invest 2 percent of our gross domestic product in America, 2 percent of our gross domestic product in research and development. Today, Mr. Secretary, that’s less than 1 percent. China and other countries are closing in fast. We have to develop and dominate the products and technologies of the future. Advanced batteries, biotechnology, computer chips, clean energy.

The secretary of defense can tell you — and those of you who work in national security issues know, the defense department has an agency called DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The people who set up before I came here — and that’s been a long time ago — to develop breakthroughs that enhance our national security. That’s their only job. And it’s a semi-separate agency, it’s under the Defense Department. It’s led to everything from the discovery of the internet to GPS and so much more. It’s enhanced our security.

The National Institutes of Health, the N.I.H, I believe, should create a similar advanced research projects agency for health. And that would — here’s what it would do: It would have a singular purpose, to develop breakthroughs to prevent, detect and treat diseases like Alzheimer’s, diabetes and cancer. I’ll still never forget when we passed the cancer proposal in the last year as vice president, almost $9 million going to N.I.H. You’ll excuse the point of personal privilege. I’ll never forget you standing, Mitch, and saying, name it after my deceased son. It meant a lot.

But so many of us have deceased sons, daughters and relatives who died of cancer. I can think of no more worthy investment. I know of nothing that is more bipartisan. So let’s end cancer as we know it. It’s within our power. It’s within our power to do it.

Investments in jobs and infrastructure like the ones we’re talking about, have often had bipartisan support in the past. Vice President Harris and I meet regularly in the Oval Office with Democrats and Republicans to discuss the jobs plan. And I applaud a group of Republican senators who just put forward their own proposal. So let’s get to work. I wanted to lay out, before the Congress, my plan, before we go to into the deep discussions.

I would like to meet with those who have ideas that are different, that they think are better. I welcome those ideas. But the rest of the world is not waiting for us. I just want to be clear, from my perspective, doing nothing is not an option. Look, we can’t be so busy competing with one another that we forget the competition that we have with the rest of the world to win the 21st century.

Secretary Blinken can tell you, I spent a lot of time with President Xi — traveled over 17,000 miles with him, spent over 24 hours in private discussions with him. When he called congratulate, we had a two-hour discussion. He’s deadly earnest on becoming the most significant, consequential nation in the world. He and others, autocrats, think that democracy can’t compete in the 21st century with autocracies, because it takes too long to get consensus.

To win that competition for the future, in my view, we also need to make a once-in-a-generation investment in our families and our children. That’s why I introduced the American Families Plan tonight, which addresses four of the biggest challenges facing American families and, in turn, America. First is access to good education. This nation made 12 years of public education universal in the last century. It made us the best-educated, best-prepared nation in the world. It’s, I believe, the overwhelming reason that propelled us to where we got in the 20th century.

But the world’s caught up, or catching up. They’re not waiting. I would say parenthetically, if we were sitting down and put a bipartisan committee together and said, OK, we’re going to decide what we do in terms of government providing for free education, I wonder whether we’d think, as we did in the 20th century, that 12 years is enough in the 21st century. I doubt it. Twelve years is no longer enough today, to compete with the rest of the world in the 21st century. That’s why my American Families Plan guarantees four additional years of public education for every person in America, starting as early as we can.

The great universities in this country have conducted studies over the last 10 years. It shows that adding two years of universal, high-quality preschool for every 3-year-old and 4-year-old, no matter what background they come from, puts them in the position of being able to compete all the way through 12 years and increases exponentially their prospect of graduating and going on beyond graduation.

Research shows, when a young child goes to school — not day care — they’re far more likely to graduate from high school and go to college or something after high school. When you add two years of free community college on top of that, you begin to change the dynamic. We can do that. And we’ll increase Pell Grants and invest in historical Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges, minority serving institutions. The reason is, they don’t have the endowments.

But their students are just as capable of learning about cybersecurity, just as capable of learning about metallurgy — all the things that are going on that provide those jobs of the future. Jill is a community college professor who teaches today as first lady. She’s long said — if I heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times. “Joe, any country that out-educates us is going to outcompete us.” She’ll be deeply involved in leading this effort. Thank you, Jill.

Second thing we need, American Families Plan will provide access to quality, affordable child care. It will guarantee — what I’m proposing in legislation, it will guarantee that low- to middle-income families will pay no more than 7 percent of their income for high-quality care for children up to the age of 5. The most hard-pressed working families won’t have to spend a dime.

Third, the American Families Plan will finally provide up to 12 weeks of medical leave, paid medical leave. We’re one of the few industrial countries in the world — no one should have to choose between a job and a paycheck or taking care of themselves or their loved ones, or their parent or spouse or child.

And fourth, the American Family Plan puts directly into the pockets of millions of Americans. In March, we expanded a tax credit for every child in a family, up to $3,000 per child if they’re under 6 years of age — excuse me, under, over 6 years of age — and $3,600 for children over 6 years of age. With two parents, two kids, that’s $7,200 in their pockets they’re getting to help taking care of your family.

And that will help more than 65 million children and help cut child care poverty in half. We can afford it. We did that in the last piece of legislation we passed. Let’s extend that child care tax credit at least through the end of 2025. The American Rescue Plan lowered health care premiums for nine million Americans who buy their coverage under the Affordable Care Act. I know that’s really popular on this side of the aisle. But let’s make that provision permanent so their premiums don’t go back up.

In addition to my families plan, I’m going to work with Congress to address this year other critical priorities for American families. The Affordable Care Act has been a lifeline for millions of Americans, protecting people with pre-existing conditions, protecting women’s health. The pandemic has demonstrated how badly, how badly it’s needed. Let’s lower deductibles for working families in the Affordable Care Act and let’s lower prescription drug costs.

We know how to do this. The last president had that as an objective. We all know how outrageously expensive drugs are in America. In fact, we pay the highest prescription drug prices of anywhere in the world right here in America. Nearly three times, for the same drug nearly three times what other countries pay. We have to change that. And we can. Let’s do what we talked about for all the years I was down here in this body, in Congress. Let’s give Medicare the power to save hundreds of billions of dollars by negotiating lower drug prescription prices.

By the way, it won’t just — it won’t just help people on Medicare. It will lower prescription drug costs for everyone. And the money we save, which is billions of dollars, can go to strengthen the Affordable Care Act and expand Medicare coverage benefits without costing taxpayers an additional penny. It’s within our power to do it. Let’s do it now. We talked about it long enough, Democrats and Republicans. Let’s get it done this year.

This is all about a simple premise: Health care should be a right, not a privilege, in America. So how do we pay for my jobs and family plan? I made it clear, we can do it without increasing the deficit. Let’s start with what I will not do. I will not impose any tax increase on people making less than $400,000. But it’s time for corporate America and the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans to just begin to pay their fair share. Just their fair share.

Sometimes I have arguments with my friends in the Democratic Party. I think you should be able to become a billionaire or a millionaire. But pay your fair share. Recent studies show that 55 of the nation’s biggest corporations paid zero federal tax last year. Those 55 corporations made in excess of $40 billion in profit. A lot of companies also evade taxes through tax havens in Switzerland and Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. And they benefit from tax loopholes and deductions for offshoring jobs and shifting profits overseas. It’s not right.

We’re going to reform corporate taxes so they pay their fair share and help pay for the public investments their businesses will benefit from as well. We’re going to reward work, not just wealth. We take the top tax bracket for the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans, those making over $400,000 or more, back up to where it was when George W. Bush was president, when he started, 39.6 percent. That’s where it was when George W. was president.

We’re going to get rid of the loopholes that allow Americans to make more than $1 million a year and pay a lower tax rate on their capital gains than Americans who receive a paycheck. We’re only going to affect three-tenths of 1 percent of all Americans by that action. Three-tenths of 1 percent. The I.R.S. is going to crack down on millionaires and billionaires who cheat on their taxes. It’s estimated to be billions of dollars by think tanks left, right and center.

I’m not looking to punish anybody. But I will not add a tax burden, additional tax burden on the middle class of this country. They’re already paying enough. I believe what I propose is fair, fiscally responsible, and it raises revenue to pay for the plans I propose and will create millions of jobs that will grow the economy and enhance our financial standing in the country. And here some would say they don’t want to raise taxes on the wealthiest 1 percent, or corporate America. Ask them, whose taxes do you want to raise? Instead, whose are you going to cut?

Look, the big tax cut of 2017. Remember, it was supposed to pay for itself — that was how it was sold — and generate vast economic growth. Instead, it added $2 trillion to the deficit. It was a huge windfall for corporate America and those at the very top. Instead of using the tax saving to raise wages and invest in research and development, it poured billions of dollars into the pockets of C.E.O.s. In fact the pay gap between C.E.O.s and their workers is now among the largest in history. According to one study, C.E.O.s make 320 times what the average worker in a corporation makes. It used to be below 100.

The pandemic has only made things worse. Twenty million Americans lost their job in the pandemic, working- and middle-class Americans. At the same time, roughly 650 billionaires in America saw their net worth increase by more than $1 trillion, in the same exact period. Let me say it again. 650 people increased their wealth by more than $1 trillion during this pandemic and they’re now worth more than $4 trillion. My fellow Americans, trickle-down, trickle-down economics has never worked. It’s time to grow the economy from the bottom and the middle out.

You know, there’s a broad consensus of economists left, right and center, and they agree what I’m proposing will create millions of jobs and generate historic economic growth. These are among the highest-value investments we can make as a nation. I’ve often said our greatest strength is the power of our example, not just the example of our power. My conversations with world leaders — and I’ve spoken to 38, 40 of them now — I’ve made it known, I’ve made it known, that America is back.

You know what they say? The comment I hear most of all from them? They say: “We see America’s back, but for how long? But for how long?” My fellow Americans, we have to show not just that we’re back, but that we’re back to stay, and that we aren’t going to go alone. We’re going to do it by leading with our allies. No one nation can deal with all the crises of our time, from terrorism to nuclear proliferation, mass migration, cybersecurity, climate change, as well as what we’re experiencing now, pandemics.

There’s no wall high enough to keep any virus out. And our own vaccine supply, as it grows to meet our needs — and we’re meeting them — will become an arsenal for vaccines for other countries, just as America was the arsenal for democracy for the world. And in consequence, influenced the world. Every American will have access before that occurs, every American will have access to be fully covered by Covid-19 from the vaccines we have.

Look, the climate crisis is not our fight alone. It’s a global fight. The United States accounts, as all of you know, for less than 15 percent of carbon emissions. The rest of the world accounts for 85 percent. That’s why I kept my commitment to rejoin the Paris Accord, because if we do everything perfectly, it’s not going to matter. I kept my commitment to convene a climate summit right here in America with all the major economies of the world: China, Russia, India, European Union. I said I would do it in my first hundred days.

I want to be very blunt about it. I had — my intent was to make sure that the world could see that there was a consensus, that we are at an inflection point in history. The consensus is, if we act to save the planet, we can create millions of jobs and economic growth and opportunity to raise the standard of living of almost everyone around the world. If you’ve watched any of it — and you were all busy, I’m sure you didn’t have much time — that’s what virtually every nation said, even the ones who aren’t doing their fair share.

The investments I propose tonight also advance a foreign policy, in my view, that benefits the middle class. That means making sure that every nation plays by the same rules in the global economy, including China. In my discussions with President Xi, I told him we welcome the competition. We’re not looking for conflict.

But I made absolutely clear that we’ll defend America’s interests across the board. America will stand up to unfair trade practices that undercut workers and American industries like subsidies from state to state-owned operations and enterprises and the theft of American technology and intellectual property. I also told President Xi that we’ll maintain a strong relationship in the Indo-Pacific, just as we do for NATO and Europe. Not to start a conflict, but to prevent one.

I told him what I said to many world leaders, that America will not back away from our commitments, our commitments to human rights and our fundamental freedom and our alliances. I pointed out to him, no responsible American president could remain silent when basic human rights are being so blatantly violated. An American president has to represent the essence of what our country stands for.

America is an idea, the most unique idea in history. We are created, all of us equal. It is who we are. And we cannot walk away from that principle and in fact say we are dealing with the American idea. With regards to Russia, I know it concerns some of you. I made it clear to Putin that we are not going to seek — excuse me — escalation but their actions will have consequences if they turned out to be true. And they turned out to be true. So I responded directly and proportionally to Russia’s interference to our elections and the cyberattacks on our government and our business.

They did both of these things, and I told them we would respond, and we have. We’ll also cooperate when it is our mutual interest. We did it when we extended the New Start Treaty on nuclear arms and we are working on climate change. But he understands, we will respond. On Iran and North Korea, nuclear programs present serious threats to American security and the security of the world. We’re going to be working closely with our allies to address the threats posed by both of these countries through diplomacy as well as stern deterrence.

And American leadership meaning ending the forever war in Afghanistan. We have — we have, without hyperbole, the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. I am the first president in 40 years who knows what it means to have a son serving in a war zone. Today we have service members serving in the same war zone as their parents did. We have service members in Afghanistan who were not yet born on 9/11. The war in Afghanistan, as we remember the debates here, were never meant to be multigenerational undertakings of nation building.

We want Afghanistan to get terrorists, the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. And we said we would follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell to do it. And if you’ve been to the Upper Kunar Valley, you’ve kind of seen the gates of hell. And we delivered justice to bin Laden. We degraded the terrorist threat in Afghanistan. And after 20 years of value — valor and sacrifice, it is time to bring those troops home.

Look, even as we do, we’ll maintain over the horizon the capacity to suppress future threats to the homeland. Make no mistake, in 20 years, terrorists — terrorism has been metastasized. The threat evolved way beyond Afghanistan. Those in the intelligence committees, the foreign relations committee, defense committees, you know well we have to remain vigilant against the threats to the United States wherever they come from. Al Qaeda and ISIS are in Yemen, Syria, Somalia, other places in Africa and the Middle East and beyond.

And we won’t ignore what our intelligence agents have determined to be the most lethal terrorist threat to our homeland today: White supremacy is terrorism. We are not going to ignore that either. My fellow Americans, look, we have to come together to heal the soul of this nation. It was nearly a year ago before her father’s funeral when I spoke to Gianna Floyd, George Floyd’s young daughter.

She’s a little tyke, so I was kneeling down to talk to her, so I can look at her in the eye. She looked at me, she said, “My daddy changed the world.” Well, after the conviction of George Floyd’s murderer, we can see how right she was — if, if we have the courage to act as a Congress. We have all seen the knee of injustice on the neck of Black Americans. Now is our opportunity to make some real progress.

The vast majority, men and women wearing the uniform and a badge, serve our communities and they serve them honorably. I know them, I know they want — I know they want to help meet this moment as well. My fellow Americans, we have to come together to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the people they serve, to root out systematic racism in our criminal justice system and enact police reform in George Floyd’s name that passed the House already.

I know Republicans have their own ideas and are engaged in productive discussions with Democrats in the Senate. We need to work together to find a consensus. But let’s get it done next month, by the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death. The country supports this reform and Congress should act. We have the giant opportunity to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice, real justice.

And with the plans outlined tonight, we have a real chance to root out systematic racism that plagues America and American lives in other ways. A chance to deliver real equity: good jobs, good schools, affordable housing, clean air, clean water, the ability to generate wealth and pass it down to generations because you have an access to purchase a house. Real opportunities in the lives of more Americans — Black, white, Latino, Asian-Americans, Native Americans.

Look, I also want to thank the United States Senate for voting 94-1 to pass Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act to protect Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. You acted decisively. You can see on television the viciousness of the hate crimes we’ve have seen over the past year and for too long. I urge the House to do the same and send that legislation to my desk, which I will glad, anxiously sign.

I also hope that Congress will get to my desk the Equality Act, to protect L.G.B.T.Q. Americans. To all transgender Americans watching at home, especially young people, who are so brave, I want you to know, your president has your back. Another thing, let’s reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, which has been law for 27 years. Twenty-seven years ago, I wrote it.

It will close — the act that has to be authorized now — will close the boyfriend loophole to keep guns out of the hands of abusers. The court order said this is an abuser, you can’t own a gun. It’s to close that loophole that exists. You know it is estimated that 50 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner every month in America, 50 a month. Let’s pass it and save some lives.

Now I need not tell anyone this, but gun violence is becoming an epidemic in America. The flag at the White House was still flying at half-mast for the eight victims of the mass shooting in Georgia when 10 more lives were taken in a mass shooting in Colorado. And in the weekend between those two events, 250 other Americans were shot dead in the streets of America. 250 shot dead. I know how hard it is to make progress in this issue. In the ’90s we passed universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that hold 100 rounds that can be fired off in seconds. We beat the N.R.A. Mass shootings and gun violence declined, check out the report, over 10 years.

But in the early 2000s, the law expired. We have seen daily bloodshed since then. I’m not saying that if the law had continued, we wouldn’t have seen bloodshed. More than two weeks ago in the Rose Garden, surrounded by some of the bravest people I know, the survivors and families who lost loved ones to gun violence, I laid out several of the Department of Justice actions that being taken to impact this epidemic. One of them is banning so-called ghost guns.

These are homemade guns built from a kit including directions how to finish the firearm. The parts have no serial numbers. So they show up at crime scenes and they can’t be traced. The buyers of those ghost kits are not required to pass any background checks. Anyone, from a criminal or terrorist, could buy this kit and within 30 minutes have a weapon that’s lethal. But no more. And I will do everything in my power to protect the American people from this epidemic of gun violence, but it’s time for Congress to act as well.

Look. I don’t want to be become confrontational. We need more Senate Republicans to join the overall majority of Senate Democrat colleagues and close the loopholes required in background check purchases of guns. We need a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. And don’t tell me it can’t be done. We did it before and it worked. Talk to most responsible hunters and gun owners. They’ll tell you there’s no possible justification for having 100 rounds in a weapon. You think they’re wearing Kevlar vests?

These kinds of reasonable reforms have overwhelming support from the American people, including many gun owners. The country supports reform, and Congress should act. This shouldn’t be a red or blue issue. And no amendment to the Constitution is absolute. You can’t yell fire in a crowded theater. From the very beginning, there were certain guns, weapons that could not be owned by Americans. Certain people could not own those weapons, ever. We’re not changing the Constitution. We’re being reasonable. I think this is not a Democrat or Republican issue, I think it’s a Republican issue.

And here’s what else we can do. Immigration has always been essential to America. Let’s end our exhausting war over immigration. For more than 30 years, politicians have talked about immigration reform and we’ve done nothing about it. It’s time to fix it. On Day 1 of my presidency, I kept my commitment and sent a comprehensive immigration bill to the United States Congress.

If you believe we need a secure border, pass it, because it has a lot of money for high-tech border security. If you believe in a pathway to citizenship, pass it. There’s over 11 million undocumented folks, the vast majority here overstayed visas. Pass it. We can actually — if you actually want to solve the problem, I have sent a bill to you, take a close look at it.

We also have to get at the root of the problem of why people are fleeing particularly to our southern border from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador. The violence. The corruption. The gangs. The political instability. Hunger. Hurricanes. Earthquakes. Natural disasters.

When I was president, my president — when I was vice president, the president asked me to focus on providing help needed to address the root causes of migration. And it helped keep people in their own countries instead of being forced to leave. And the plan was working, but the last administration decided it was not worth it. I’m restoring the program and asked Vice President Harris to lead our diplomatic effort to take care of this. I have absolute confidence she will get the job done.

Now look, if you don’t like my plan, let’s at least pass what we all agree on. Congress needs to pass legislation this year to finally secure protection for Dreamers, the young people who have only known America as their home. And, permanent protection for immigrants who are here on temporary protective status who came from countries beset by man-made and natural-made violence and disaster. As well as a pathway to citizenship for farmworkers who put food on our tables.

Look, immigrants have done so much for America during this pandemic and throughout our history. The country supports immigration reform. We should act. Let’s argue over it. Let’s debate over it. But let’s act.

And if we are to truly restore the soul of America, we need to protect the sacred right to vote. Most people — more people voted in the last presidential election than any time in American history, in the middle of the worst pandemic ever. That should be celebrated. Instead, it’s being attacked. Congress should pass H.R. 1 and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and send them to my desk right away. The country supports it. And Congress should act now.

Look, in conclusion, as we gather here tonight, the images of a violent mob assaulting this Capitol — desecrating our democracy — remain vivid in all our minds. Lives were put at risk, many of your lives. Lives were lost. Extraordinary courage was summoned. The insurrection was an existential crisis, a test of whether our democracy could survive. And it did.

But the struggle is far from over. The question of whether our democracy will long endure is both ancient and urgent, as old as our republic, still vital today? Can our democracy deliver on its promise that all of us — created equal in the image of God — have a chance to lead lives of dignity, respect and possibility? Can our democracy deliver on the most pressing needs of our people? Can our democracy overcome the lies, anger, hate and fears that have pulled us apart?

America’s adversaries, the autocrats of the world, are betting we can’t. And I promise you, they’re betting we can’t. They believe we are too full of anger and division and rage. They look at the images of the mob that assaulted this Capitol as proof that the sun is setting on American democracy. But they are wrong. You know it, I know it. But we have to prove them wrong. We have to prove democracy still works, that our government still works, and we can deliver for our people.

In our first 100 days together, we have acted to restore the people’s faith in our democracy to deliver. We’re vaccinating the nation, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs. We’re delivering real results, people, they can see it, feel in their own lives. Opening doors of opportunity. Guaranteeing some more fairness and justice. That’s the essence of America. That’s democracy in action.

Our Constitution opens to the words, as trite as it sounds, “We the people.” It’s time we remembered that “We the people” are the government. You and I. Not some force in a distant capital. Not some powerful force that we have no control over. It’s us. It’s “We the people.”

In another era when our democracy was tested, Franklin Roosevelt reminded us, in America, we do our part. We all do our part. That’s all I’m asking. That we do our part, all of us. If we do that, we’ll meet the central challenge of the age by proving that democracy is durable and strong. Autocrats will not win the future. We will. America will. And the future belongs to America.

As I stand here tonight before you in a new and vital hour of life in democracy of our nation, and I can say with absolute confidence: I have never been more confident or optimistic about America. Not because I am president. Because of what’s happening with the American people. We’ve stared into the abyss of insurrection and autocracy, pandemic and pain, and “We the people” did not flinch.

At the very moment our adversaries were certain we would pull apart and fail, we came together. We united, with light and hope, we summoned a new strength, new resolve to position us to win the competition of the 21st century. On our way forward to a union, more perfect, more prosperous and more just, as one people, one nation and one America.

Folks — as I’ve told every world leader I’ve met with over the years — it’s never, ever, ever been a good bet to bet against America and it still isn’t. We are the United States of America. There is not a single thing — nothing, nothing beyond our capacity. We can do whatever we set our mind to if we do it together. So let’s begin to get together.

God bless you all, and may God protect our troops. Thank you for your patience.

Inside the Biden Administration

Here’s the latest news and analysis from washington..

War in Ukraine:  President Biden, in a major shift pressed by his advisers and key allies, has authorized Ukraine to conduct limited strikes inside Russia with American-made weapons .

Farm Subsidies:  The Department of Agriculture aims to better support small farmers while still aiding big operations and rewarding climate-friendly practices. It’s a tall order .

Carbon Offsets:  The Biden administration laid out for the first time a set of broad government guidelines around the use of carbon offsets  in an attempt to shore up confidence in the much-criticized method for tackling global warming.

Live Nation:  The Justice Department is suing Live Nation Entertainment , the owner of Ticketmaster, asking a court to break up the company over claims it illegally maintained a monopoly in the live entertainment industry.

Hidden Fees:  Biden’s effort to crack down on “junk fees”  from airlines and credit-card companies is doubling as a war against inflation.

• Games, topic printables & more
• The 4 main speech types
• Example speeches
• Commemorative
• Declamation
• Demonstration
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• Introduction
• Student Council
• Speech topics
• Poems to read aloud
• How to write a speech
• Using props/visual aids
• Acute anxiety help
• Breathing exercises
• Letting go - free e-course
• Using self-hypnosis
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• 4 modes of delivery
• How to make cue cards
• How to read a speech
• 9 vocal aspects
• Vocal variety
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Speech examples

Farewell, welcome, engagement, introduction, persuasive, maid of honor, thank you, icebreaker, and more!

By:  Susan Dugdale  

There are speech examples of many types on my site. If you have a speech to write and don't know where to begin, you're most welcome to use any of them to kick start your own creative process into action.

They're listed in alphabetical order: from birthday speeches through to welcome speeches.

Happy reading, Susan

Click the links to find the speech examples you want to read. 

• Birthday speeches : 50th, 40th and 18th
• Christmas speeches : 3 examples for an office party

Demonstration speech sample

• Engagement party speeches : 5 sample toasts
• Eulogy samples : 70+ funeral speeches
• Farewell speeches : from a colleague leaving and to a colleague leaving
• Golden wedding speech
• Icebreaker speech for Toastmasters
• Introduction speeches : for a guest speaker, and for oneself
• Maid of honor speeches : 3 examples, including one for a sister

One minute speeches

• Persuasive speech sample
• Retirement speech sample
• Student Council : examples of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer campaign speeches 
• Thank you : an award acceptance speech example 
• Tribute : a commemorative speech example
• Welcome speech examples : to an event, to a church, to a family

Birthday speeches 

There are three birthday speeches for you to read.

50th birthday speech sample

The first example is a  50th birthday speech  for a man. It is written as if from a close male friend. You could call it a loving roast!

Here's the opening sentences:

"Good evening all. It's great to have you here. Most of you know my feeling on birthdays. Generally I say, what's the big deal?

By the  time you've had over thirty, there should be a cease and desist order against them.

They're not unusual. Everybody has them and at the same rate as everybody else - one a  year. They happen whether you want them to or not.

Believe me, I know. I've had quite a few  and looking around this room I can see it's the same for others as well.

So why are we here?" 

Read more:  50th birthday speech

40th birthday speech example

The second example is a  40 birthday speech  for a daughter and the speech is written as if it comes from her mother.

These are the opening sentences:

"On behalf of the Martin family and Camille in particular, it is my pleasure to welcome you here tonight to her 40th birthday celebration.

We are delighted to have you with us and especial thanks to those who have traveled from afar.

Before we eat I am going to say a few words about my beautiful daughter. I've promised her two things. I'll keep it short and I won't embarrass her by telling tales she'd rather I forgot."

Read more: 40th birthday speech example

18th birthday speech sample

The third example is an  18th birthday speech of thanks . The speaker is thanking their family and friends for coming along to their 18th birthday celebration. It's a mix of humor and sincerity.

The speech begins like this:

"This is a moment I’ve waited a long time for. 18! I am an adult. Yep, I’ve come of age. Hard to believe, isn’t?

(Dad, you were not supposed to agree so quickly.)

I can now vote, drive a car, marry, buy alcohol, a lottery ticket and tobacco, get a tattoo, or join the military without having to ask permission. Let me see. Which one will I do first?

Perhaps a more honest question is, which of those will I continue to do without fear of getting caught?

And while you think about that, I’d like to say thank you."

Read more: 18th birthday speech

Christmas speech - an office party example

This example is a mix of notes, which the speaker Joe Brown will expand as he delivers the speech, and full text which he'll say as written. The speech follows the step by step process of an outline.

Here's an extract from the concluding sentences:

"It's been a tough year but I'm proud of what we accomplished together. Some businesses haven't been able to do what we have done.

Thanks to you we'll be going into the new year with strength, to build on our accomplishments and to consolidate our position.

Let's celebrate that. It's a gift to be grateful for."

To read more: Christmas office party speech example

2 short company Christmas party speech samples

You have the full text of these two short speeches to read. Both come in at between 2-3 minutes when delivered.

Here's an excerpt from one of them:

"OK, let's be honest; who thought we'd be gathered together for a heigh-ho-merry-old-time back in August? Remember? How can we possibly forget?!

• Martin and Co, one of our more significant customers, downsized their regular order by more than 50% - a move that caught us on the hop and had has us scrambling for a bit.
• There was a little more of that, when an opportunistic phishing expedition by some very clever clowns threatened to hold us to ransom."

For more please go to: 2 short company Christmas party speech samples .

This demonstration speech covers the process involved in learning to how to leave an effective voice mail message.

I've entered the text of the whole speech into a step by step outline template so that you can see the structure. Then I made a video (audio + slides) too, so you can hear as well as read it if you want to.

Here's the opening:

"How many important voice mail messages have you bumbled through after the beep? Does recalling them make you feel a little uncomfortable?

Yep, me too. I’ve blundered. Mumbled and muttered. If it were possible, I would have gladly saved the person I was calling the hassle of deleting those messages myself. Before they were heard."

Read more: sample demonstration speech

Engagement party speeches - 5 sample toasts

Here are five short (and sweet) engagement party speeches. They've been written from the point of view of a mother, a father, a friend, the groom and the bride-to-be.

The extract is the opening from the speech a mother might give:

"Mary welcome to the family!

While we're all delighted that Bill has shown such good sense in choosing you I've got an extra reason to celebrate. Finally I get a daughter! Thankfully Bill changed his mind about girls being, as he put it aged about 12, 'really dumb'."

To see all five speeches: engagement party toasts 

Eulogy samples

We are extraordinarily blessed to be able offer over 70 eulogies for folk to read.  These have been sent in by people from all over the world who intimately understand the need to see what others have written before beginning the task of writing a eulogy for a loved one of their own.

You'll find funeral speeches for mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, wives, husbands, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, work colleagues...

Visit: eulogy examples

Two farewell speech examples

An example goodbye speech to colleagues .

This example farewell speech is written from the point of view of a person leaving their workplace: a goodbye speech to colleagues.  It's upbeat and follows the suggested content  guidelines you'll find when you visit the page. (There's a recording of it too.)

Here's part of the opening:

"Do you realize we've been sharing each other's company for 2920 days? 

Eight years of fun times, challenging times and everything in between.

And today I am officially leaving you!"

Go to:  farewell speech example : a goodbye speech to colleagues.

A sample farewell speech for a colleague leaving

Writing a farewell speech for a colleague who is leaving can be challenging. What do you put in? What do you leave out?

My example is the result of following a start to finish 7 step process for a speech to say goodbye to a co-worker.

Here's the introductory sentences:

"Who else has been marking off the days until Sam finally leaves us? It’s sad but from next Monday there’ll be a huge hole in our team. She’ll be basking in the sun on a beach in Bali and we’ll be wondering how we’re going to manage without her..."

To read more of the speech and to find out about the process of writing it click the link: farewell speech to a colleague leaving .

Golden wedding - 50th anniversary speech

What do white daisies, finding a stray coin down the back of the sofa, and motorbikes have in common?

Yes, they're all part of a golden wedding speech.

I've written this speech example as if it's being delivered by a man called Mark, to his much-loved wife of 50 years, Sarah.

Here's an excerpt from the beginning:

"After 50 years Sarah knows I am not good at romance or speaking about love. Those kind of words always got tangled on my tongue and caught between my teeth. They never did come out right, not as I intended anyway. Even when I proposed, it came out all wrong."

For more: 50th wedding anniversary speech example

An icebreaker speech for Toastmasters example

Ahh, the icebreaker speech! It's much loved by club members worldwide and whichever of the eleven Toastmaster pathways you choose when you join, this is always the first assignment.  

My icebreaker example, 'Stepping up to speak out', was written to illustrate an easily followed, step by step, process for getting from topic choice to speech preparation and delivery.

The beginning of the speech goes like this:

"Would you be surprised to know I nearly didn't make it here tonight?

I wonder how many of you experienced a moment or two of panic before giving your icebreaker speech. Just nod to let me know. { pause - look around }

Thank you, that's very reassuring. You've survived, so probably I shall too.

I am here wobbling rather nervously in front of you for three main reasons which I'll share. 

Here's the first."

For more: Icebreaker speech for Toastmasters

Samples of introduction speeches

There two introduction speech examples for you to look at.

One is an example self introduction speech - the kind of brief 1-2 minute speech you are often expected to make to introduce yourself to a group of people you're meeting for the first time at some sort of workshop or similar event.

Here's the opening of that speech:

"Hi everybody!

I'm Masie Smith, Senior Marketing Executive, from Watts and Frederick in Smalltown, Bigstate.

It's great to be finally here. I've been dreaming about the opportunity and possibilities of working collectively and directly with each other for a long time now. Jane and Sam can attest to that. There's been hours put in balancing the schedules to make it happen.

Webinars and email are fine but nothing beats face to face ."

For more: self-introduction speech example

The second is an introduction speech in which you introduce a guest- speaker to an audience. 

Here are the closing sentences. What's preceded them has carefully primed the audience to give the guest a warm welcome, by piling one piece of compelling biographical information on top of another.

"How she got from awkward tongue tied silence to an eloquent front line spokesperson is the story she will share with us tonight.

Ladies, I give you ... Rose Stephenson on speaking to lead."

For more: guest-speaker introduction example

Maid of Honor speech examples 

There are three Maid of Honor (MOH) speeches for you to read: two from the point of view of a best friend, and one from the point of view of a sister.

You'll find step by step guidelines with examples to illustrate each part of the process of preparing a speech for yourself. Follow them carefully and you'll finish with a Maid of Honor speech you'll be proud to deliver.

Two Maid of Honor speech examples

The first example is heartfelt, a speech written from the point of view of a close childhood friend. She's shared the best and most difficult of times with the bride.

Here are its opening sentences:

"Some one very wise, and obviously someone who knew Sonja and Mark said, “Don't marry a person you can live with. Marry somebody you can't live without."

That's what we're witnessing today – the union of two people who belong together. A perfect match!"

The second example is more light-hearted. It's a combination of sentiment and fun, and is written from the point of view of a trusted and loved friend. 

Here's the beginning:

"Once in a while, in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale.

That's what we're celebrating today: a story of true love, a dream come true.

My name is Felicity and it's my privilege to be Sarah’s Maid of Honor.

Sarah is my Best Friend. I know it's a cliché. However clichés become clichés for a very good reason, because they're true. She's my BFF: Best Friend Forever.

For her I would wear the gaudiest, frothiest taffeta maid of honor dress possible and still smile. Fortunately I don't have to."

For more see: Maid of Honor speech examples

A Maid of Honor speech for a sister example

The opening segment of the speech is below. It recalls a loved childhood game which unites the past and present while drawing listeners in.   

"What a day, Mary!

Remember when we were kids, how we dressed up in Mom’s old party dresses? Put a white table cloth on our heads and marched around, singing, “Here comes the bride, fair fat and wide.”?

My name is Jennifer, and this beautiful woman, this stunning bride – the antithesis of “fair fat and wide” is my beloved little sister.

We laughed ourselves silly over that game. Now here we are 25 years later.

Not laughing. Mary’s not wearing a table cloth. And this time it’s for real.

I am honored to be asked to speak. Thank you."

For more go to: maid of honor speech for a sister

As part of a page offering 150 one minute speech topics I wrote and then recorded three example speeches to demonstrate what you could do with a one minute speech.

One of those speeches was on the topic: 'What my work clothes say about me'.

Here is the opening two paragraphs of that speech:

"Clothes make the man.  Yes, we judge each other on what we wear. And have done forever. 

For better, or for worse,  in the western working world, nothing says dependable and professional as eloquently as a  tailored grey business suit, a crisp white shirt and a pair of good shoes."

To read, and hear, all three speeches please visit: one minute speech topics *

* There is also a free downloadable printable one minute speech planner which will help  you consolidate the process of putting a speech together with minimum fuss.

A persuasive speech example

Here's a persuasive speech example using Monroe's Motivated Sequence - a five step structural pattern frequently used by professional persuaders: politicians and marketers. 

The topic is somber: suicide and its impact on those left behind. The purpose of the speech is to persuade listeners to learn more about the special needs of family members, friends and colleagues in the immediate aftermath of a suicide.

Here are the opening sentences:

"One fine Spring day I biked home from school and found a policemen guarding our backdoor. Through it came sounds I'll never forget; my quiet, well-mannered Mother screaming.  He said, "You can't go in." 

I kicked him in the shins and did.  It was the 15th of September, three days before my thirteenth  birthday and my father was dead.  Killed by his own hand. Suicide."

Read more: persuasive speech example

A sample retirement speech 

This retirement speech is an example of one that could be given by a teacher who's signing off after many years service in the same school.

Here's a taste of it:

"I've been asked what I'm going to do now. I'm going to do a lot of things and very few of them conform to the notion of retirement as a time of waiting for the inevitable end. Helen Hayes, put it this way: 'People who refuse to rest honorably on their laurels when they reach “retirement” age seem very admirable to me."

Read the whole speech: retirement speech sample

Sample student council speeches 

This page has everything you need to help you prepare a winning student council speech: comprehensive guidelines, a template, example speeches and a printable speech planner and outline document.

The speaker in my first example is running for president. 

Here's the opening to her speech:

"I’ve got a question for you. I’m not asking you to shout your answer out, or raise your hand. All I’m asking is that you give it room in your mind. Let it sit for a bit, and have a think about it.

My question is – do you believe like I do, that all of us deserve the opportunity to make the best of ourselves? Not second best, 3 rd , or even, highly commended. The BEST."

Get the guidelines, the template, and read the whole speech: sample Student Council speech for President

And now I've added three more sample Student Council speeches:

• Student Council speech for Vice President
• Student Council speech for Secretary
• Student Council speech for Treasurer

Thank you speech sample

The example thank you speech expresses gratitude for being the recipient of a community service award. 

"Who's considered the incredible power of thank you?  Those two words express gratitude, humility, understanding, as well as acknowledgement.

I am here with you: my family, many of my friends and colleagues, because I need to say all of that, and then some more."

You'll find the full speech, and guidelines covering how to write a speech of thanks here: thank you speech example

An example tribute speech

A tribute speech may also be a commemorative speech. That is a speech celebrating, praising or paying tribute to the memory of: a person, a group, an institution, a thing, an event or even an idea. Or it could be a eulogy or funeral speech; a speech celebrating a person's life.

This example tribute speech was written in memory of my mother, Iris.

"My Mother's name marked her out as the goddess of the rainbow, a messenger for the ancient Olympian gods and carrier of faith, hope and wisdom.

She was Iris. And although the meaning of her name is rich in imagery and history that wasn't why her parent's called her that. Instead it was something much closer to home.

After her birth my grandmother saw iris flowering out her bedroom window. She was named for the regal beauty of their dark purple flowers."

Read more: sample tribute speech

Example welcome speeches

There are three welcome speech examples for you to read: welcome to an event, welcome to a church, and welcome to the family. All three come with guidelines to help you prepare a good welcome speech of your own.

This example  is welcoming listeners to an event.  As part of that, the special guests are mentioned, as is, an outline of what's going to happen.

This is the opening:

"Sue-Ellen Thomas, Jim Smith, Jane Brown and all of our guests, welcome.

My name is April Molloy, and it's my privilege and pleasure on behalf of Parents United to welcome you here today.

We are delighted to have you with us to participate and share in our 5th annual Children's Day. Thank you for coming. That many of you have traveled long distances to be here serves as a reminder to us all just how important our work is."

You can read the rest here:  sample welcome speech .

A church welcome speech example

This sample speech welcomes visitors to the congregation. Along with the speech you'll also find links to additional resources to assist.

Here's the opening passage:

"I want to take a moment to extend a very warm welcome to everyone who's visiting us for the first time this morning. Whether you're just having a look, or are searching out for a place to worship, we're delighted to have you here.

To give you some idea of what we're all about, I'll quickly sketch some of our foundational beliefs."

Read more: church welcome speech example

Example welcome to the family speech

This is a short, and sweet, speech welcoming a bride or groom-to-be into a family at an event arranged for that purpose. The template it uses is entirely flexible.

Mary  {Replace the name Mary with the name of the person you are welcoming}  - welcome to the family!

Family, tribe, clan, kin, group - call it what you will: it's us - all of us!

We're mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, cousins, 3rd cousins, even 53rd cousins, old and young, generations of us, linked together through shared DNA and history.

Look around. The faces smiling back at you are now your people too."

See more: example welcome to the family speech

In addition to providing speech examples, I also custom write speeches. 

If you have a speech to give for a special occasion that's coming up you may like to find out more, especially if you find writing stressful. ☺ Go to: speech writer for hire

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How to write a transcript: 9 tips for beginners

What type of content do you primarily create?

Producing a high-quality podcast or video can take hours. You’ve recorded it, edited it, and published it online. But if you don’t have a transcript, your effort isn’t reaching as many people as it could. Limiting your content formats to video or audio-only means your content isn’t easily accessible to some internet users. 

That said, there’s more to writing a transcript than publishing a word-for-word copy of your recording. In this guide, we’ll cover the different use cases for a transcript, alongside a step-by-step guide on how to write accurate transcripts that are accessible and enjoyable to read.

Why write a transcript?

Before we dive into the tutorial on how to write a transcript, let’s cover why it’s important to create one for podcasts and video content:

• Makes your content more accessible. Not everyone can listen to audio or watch a video. A transcript makes your content more accessible. People who are deaf, hard of hearing, or use a screen reader can still interact with your content if there’s an accompanying transcript. 
• Helps your podcast or videos rank in search engines. Text-based search engines like Google and Bing can’t understand video content. Help them understand what your video or audio content is—and therefore, where it should rank—by sharing the transcript on your website.  
• Makes content easy to repurpose. As a creator, your time is finite. Get the most mileage from your video or audio content by transcribing it. You can go back to the transcript and pull snippets to reuse on social media without having to rewatch the entire thing and pull out key points. 

Take Being Freelance , a podcast with over 300 episodes in its archive. Host Steve Folland says: “The podcasts become an absolute treasure trove of quotes on various aspects of freelancing. By having them transcribed I can easily search for and pull out quotes to use when both promoting or repurposing the podcast.”

Steve adds that these transcriptions also helped him make more money as a creator : “I also used this technique when creating my course for new freelancers. I could search on a topic and use quotes as evidence to help people learn and make the course all the richer for it.”

“I create transcripts as we had listeners who are hearing impaired who requested transcripts. I also prefer reading to listening as I find it easier to digest some content visually rather than when its absorbed audibly, and I need a low or zero sound option when in spaces with others.” —Dr Naomi Murphy, co-host of Locked Up Living

🧠 Read more: How to optimize your podcast show notes for SEO (from an SEO expert)

4 types of transcription

Now we know the benefits of producing a transcript, let’s explore the four different methods you can use to do it:

• Verbatim transcription. This type of transcription is a word-for-word copy of any conversation. It’s usually the hardest type to read since it captures natural voices and nonverbal communication such as stutters, filler words, and false starts. 
• Clean or edited transcription. A clean transcript has been manually edited to remove filler words, fix grammatical errors, and simplify complex sentences. The edits don’t change the words said—they just make the content easier to read. 
• Intelligent or smart transcription. An intelligent transcription uses artificial intelligence (AI) to transcribe audio . The software can also remove filler words, awkward pauses, and distracting background noise from a transcript. 
• Time-stamped transcription. This type of transcript ties words to a specific point in the audio or video. They’re useful because they help people scan the video transcription and rewind the recording to re-listen to the exact point something was said.

Tools you need to start writing a transcription

Before you start transcribing a video or podcast episode from scratch, get these four tools to make the process easier and faster. 

Transcription software

Manually typing out a conversation is time-consuming. Transcription software helps you speed up the process by automatically transcribing audio into text. Instead of listening to the audio recording and manually typing out each word, tools like Descript allow you to create an intelligent transcription that writes the text for you with up to 95% accuracy . 

Descript’s transcription tool can also:

• Use speaker detection to separate multiple voices—ideal for interview transcriptions
• Color-code and label different speakers in your automated transcript 
• Transcribe audio in different 23 languages

“I've explored various transcription packages in my quest for the one that makes my job simplest. I settled on Descript as it allows me to edit my video and transcript at the same time.” —Dr Naomi Murphy, co-host of Locked Up Living

There are also professional transcription services you can use if you want that human touch.

Noise-canceling headphones

Anyone who is transcribing an audio or video file needs complete concentration on the recording—especially if you’re doing the process manually. Noise-canceling headphones help you tune out background noise that could interfere with your transcript. The last thing you want to do is muddle the transcript with words from someone else in your workplace. (Just don’t use them for audio editing—for that, check out our list of the best podcast headphones .)

Audio and video player

If you’re not using software to transcribe video or audio, you’ll need a media player that allows you to pause, rewind, and fast-forward a recording.

Here are some other popular options to play audio and video, depending on the device you’re using:

• Mac or iPhone: iMovie, GarageBand, Voice Memos, or QuickTime Player
• Windows: Windows Media Player or VLC Media Player
• Android: MediaPlayer, VLC for Android, or RealPlayer 

While not essential, a foot pedal is a smart purchase if you plan to do a lot of manual transcription. A foot pedal is a piece of equipment that allows you to set the playback speed of your recording. You can also use it to create keyboard shortcuts that fast-forward, skip, or rewind parts of the conversation if you need extra clarity while transcribing. 

How to write a transcript in 5 steps

In our opinion, the most efficient way to produce a transcript is by using transcription apps—especially Descript. But if you’re determined to write a transcript manually, here’s how to do it.

• Prepare your tools and environment
• Listen and transcribe audio
• Format and structure
• Proofread and edit your transcript
• Add timestamps

Step 1. Prepare your tools and environment

The first step to transcribing audio is to gather your tools. At the very least, you’ll need some sort of media player, an open text editor, and quiet workspace to hear audio clearly and minimize errors in the transcript. 

Step 2. Listen and transcribe audio

Next, press play on the media player. Unless your typing speed is world class, it might help to change the dictation playback speed to 0.75x or 0.5x. Slowing down the recording will help you type alongside the speaker in real-time. 

At this point, don’t worry about fixing any typos or grammatical errors. The goal is to get down a solid first draft that you can polish later on. 

Step 3. Format and structure

Now you’ve got a first draft of the transcript, go back through the content and format it for readability. Lines upon lines of text aren’t easy to digest, so you should help readers follow the written conversation by separating out topics and speakers into their own paragraphs. Depending on your purposes, you may also want to add:

• Bullet points
• Pull quotes
• Bold and italic text 

This summary of an episode of the Freelance Writing Coach Podcast , for example, uses headings, numbered lists, and pull quotes to emphasize key points in the transcription: 

Step 4. Proofread and edit your transcript

Keep mistakes from distracting your readers (and creating a negative perception of you) by cleaning up your transcript.  

Editing tools like Grammarly and ProWritingAid can come in handy here. They use artificial intelligence to spot grammatical errors, spell-check words, and suggest missed words without having to scan for them manually. 

It’s always a good idea to read through the transcript in a different font, size, or on a different device. The change in view can keep your brain from anticipating what’s ahead—and missing spelling or grammar mistakes that ruin the credibility of your transcript. 

Step 5. Add timestamps 

If someone is reading the write-up to find a specific point in your audio or video recording, timestamps can make it easier for people to reference specific points in the conversation. 

Timestamps are especially useful if you’re transcribing a podcast or YouTube video, since you can use them to help people navigate your conversation. In the video podcast for this episode of The Break , for example, viewers can click the timestamp in the transcription to fast forward the video. 

Transcript writing: 4 bonus tips to save time

No matter what transcription process you’re using, you’ll likely need to make a few final tweaks to your transcription before sharing it with the world. Here are four bonus tips to save time and publish high-quality transcripts.

Prioritize clean, clear audio

Your job as a transcriptionist is made ten times harder if you’re working with bad sound. Even automated transcription software can accidentally “transcribe” unwanted background noise , which you’ll need to go back in and remove manually. 

Before you start writing a transcript, improve the audio quality of the original file. Features like Descript’s Studio Sound do this automatically. It uses artificial intelligence to remove unwanted background noise, leaving you with a high-quality audio file that you can use to create an error-free transcript.

Familiarize yourself with unfamiliar accents and dialects

Depending on the topic of the discussion you’re transcribing, it might be difficult to understand the speakers. This is especially true if you’re manually transcribing someone speaking in a different accent or dialect.

Transcription tools are usually better at picking up these differences, but if you’re writing a transcript manually (or editing one that’s been automatically generated), it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the speaker, subject matter, and common abbreviations. It’ll be easier to turn text into audio when you know what the speaker intended to say.

Remove filler words

Being Freelance’s Steve Folland uses transcription software to produce transcripts. He goes back and removes any filler words that muddle up the text in his first draft.

“I lose the filler words like ums and ahs,” Steve says. “Then some guests have their own filler phrases like ‘you know’—I can search and delete these. Then I go through making it readable. Humans don’t really speak as fluently as we like to think we do, so do I go to the trouble of tidying up the whole interview just as a magazine journalist or editor would.”

🧠Pro tip: Let Descript do this for you. The filler word removal feature removes awkward pauses, “ums,” and “uhs” from both the video and the automated transcript—so you can publish clutter-free content that keeps viewers (or readers) engaged.

How to write a transcript FAQs

What is a transcript.

A transcript is a word-for-word write-up of a discussion. You might create them for audio or video files to help people engage with the content without having to listen to it out loud.

What should a transcript include?

A transcript should include the words spoken by someone in an audio recording. It should also name the different speakers and attach sentences to a timestamp for easy reference.

How are transcripts made?

There are two ways to make a transcript: manually typing out each word or using transcription software. Descript, for example, uses AI to transcribe video and audio files with up to 95% accuracy.

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How to Format a Transcript: Everything There is to Know About Transcription and Formatting

So, you’ve created and edited your transcript. It’s now time to format it. Formatting a transcript can be intimidating, especially if it’s your first time. You may feel like there are so many things to do and so many instructions to follow. Not to worry, though. We’re here to walk with you every step of the way.

When formatting a transcript, your goal should be to have a final draft that’s readable, easy to follow, and fitting to your needs. In this guide, we will go over how to format a transcript. We will cover transcript formats and other formatting elements like timestamps, speaker labels, and paragraphing. 

The Ultimate Guide for Formatting a Transcript

Before you get into the formatting process, think about the transcript format or style you want to follow. The two widely used text formats in transcription are full verbatim and clean verbatim. If you are transcribing in full verbatim, ensure the content in your transcript is a replica of the words and sounds uttered in the audio or video file. Full verbatim contains false starts, speech errors, and filler words like “kind of” and “you know.” It also includes slang language and repetitions in speech.

Clean verbatim is written in the Standard English language. It does not include false starts, repetitions, stutters, slang, and filler words. When formatting the transcript, stick to the transcript format that you are following.  

Formatting Elements to Consider

The other elements that you need to consider when formatting the transcript include:  

• Font type and size
• Paragraph length and headings
• Speaker labels
• Inaudible and crosstalk tags 
• English spelling 
• Capitalization 

Let’s dive into the elements one by one.  

Font Type and Size

If you are transcribing in a Word document, change the font type and size to ensure the transcript is readable. You can use Times New Roman or Calibri, which are the most common fonts. For the size, you can adjust to 11 or 12 points. 

Paragraph Length and Headings  

Add a title and subheadings to your transcript. If a speech is long, break it into paragraphs of 400 to 500 characters each. Don’t indent the paragraphs. 

Speaker Labels

Speaker labels are the terms you use to identity speakers in the video or audio file. When labeling a speaker, use their name, role, or a generic label such as “S1” or “Speaker 1”. Only use generic labels if you can’t identify a speaker or their role. A good tip would be to listen to the audio before transcribing so you get an idea of the speakers and their roles. It’s best to write the speaker label in bold. You can format the speaker labels using your company’s guidelines or employ this format.

Type the speaker label followed by a colon followed by a space and text. For example: 

Jane: Hello.

Speaker 1: Hello, Jane.

Interviewer: Hello. 

Time Stamps

Time stamping enables the reader to identify parts in the video or audio that correlate with specific sections in the transcript. This formatting element is helpful in research interviews like market research and focus groups. There are two accepted ways to insert a timestamp in transcription.  

1. Insert the time timestamp at regular intervals, for example, after every one or two minutes. Like this: 

• Mark: This is [1:00] a sentence.
• Jane: This is [2:00] another sentence.  

2. Insert at the start of a paragraph or every time another speaker talks. For example:

[02:20] Jane: This is a sentence.

[02:47] Will: This is another sentence. 

Inaudible and Crosstalk Tags

Insert an inaudible tag where you can’t hear the speaker’s words and a crosstalk tag where two people speak simultaneously. Mark out the inaudible and crosstalk tags with a timestamp. For example, [inaudible 01:28] and [crosstalk 01:49].  

English Spelling

If you are writing in American English, use US spelling. And if you are writing in British English, use UK spelling.  

Sounds  

Annotate background sounds such as a door closing and any other non-speech elements with square brackets. For example, [door closing]. 

Capitalization  

For capitalization, use the standard grammar capitalization rules. Capitalize the first letter in names, places, companies, and job titles.  

Or Leave It to the Pros

Now that you know how to format a transcript, you are one step closer to being a professional transcriptionist. Don’t forget to give your transcript one last read to ensure every word, tag, timestamp, or speaker label is where it’s supposed to be.

Transcription can be time-consuming, even for the best of the best. Why not let GoTranscript do the heavy lifting while you spend your precious time on other tasks? With 16 years of experience and over 145 million minutes transcribed, we offer 99% accuracy and a 100% satisfaction guarantee!

The 10 Most Inspiring and Famous Speeches Transcribed From Video

There is nothing like watching great speeches to find inspiration.

From scenes of political affirmation and universal ideas to moments of deep emotions, videos have especially captured the greatest lessons of the modern world.

The written transcripts of these speeches immerse yourself in them, without losing a crumb of the poetry and intensity of the moment.

Here, Checksub brings you the most remarkable extracts of the most famous speeches, converted with our video transcription solution to capture the power of words even better.

Enjoy the read ;) -moreover, if you want to keep a written copy of your favorite speech, we also explain the process.

Famous Speeches: Historic and Remarkable Ones

We start our top with speeches that will give you a moving digest of history. Get ready to read and hear an eloquence that will never be equaled.

Winston Churchill: "We shall fight on the beaches"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skrdyoabmgA

Certainly one of the most famous speeches in modern history. After the miraculous success of Operation Dynamo and at the dawn of a merciless war, Churchill addressed the British people to make them understand the tough challenges ahead. These words resonate with great determination and firmness, showing with the repetition "We shall fight" that the British will fight on all fronts without ever backing down.

Here is an extract of the transcript :

We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!

And if which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World with all its power and might steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old!

Martin Luther King:'' I have a dream"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP4iY1TtS3s&t=178s

Even more unmissable, the speech of Martin Luther King, one of the most illustrious symbols of the civil rights movement in the United States, captivates by its lyrical power. Giving black Americans his future vision of an America finally freed from racist prejudice, he brings the immense hope of a reconciled humanity. His ''I have a dream'' is intended as a universal affirmation of harmony among the American people.

Here is the essential transcript of his speech:

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification - one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

John F. Kennedy: "We choose to go to the Moon"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZyRbnpGyzQ

While the Soviets were taking the lead in the "space race", the young and brilliant American President John F. Kennedy decided to give the American people an ambitious and clear objective: to put astronauts on the Moon. In his speech, he underlined with rare precision and prescience the imperative need for this project. What is incredible is the visionary force of his words, which led the United States to the feat that we know.

Here is an extract of the transcript:

There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the Presidency.

Nelson Mandela: "I am prepared to die"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Su6d6X8rn4

Accused by the South African government of insurrection and sabotage, Nelson Mandela, the figure of the liberation of the blacks in South Africa, delivers at his trial a poignant speech of realism. Strongly defending himself from the political actions of his organization, he denounces the social situation of black people and affirms a deep desire for freedom. The speech ends with Mandela's determination "I am prepared to die", challenging the audience to condemn him to death. It is this rhetorical audacity that undoubtedly saved him from this fate.

Here is the transcript of the end of the speech :

But this fear cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the only solution which will guarantee racial harmony and freedom for all. It is not true that the enfranchisement of all will result in racial domination. Political division, based on color, is entirely artificial and, when it disappears, so will the domination of one color group by another. The ANC has spent half a century fighting against racialism. When it triumphs, as it certainly must, it will not change that policy.

This then is what the ANC is fighting. Our struggle is a truly national one. It is a struggle of the African people, inspired by our own suffering and our own experience. It is a struggle for the right to live. [someone coughs]

During my lifetime, I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realized. But, My Lord, if it needs to be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.

Charles de Gaulle: "The call for Resistance".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjPeo1IY05o

While France was surrounded and invaded by Germany, General de Gaulle managed to flee to Great Britain. Inspired by a strong sense of duty, General de Gaulle organized the resistance of the French people outside and within its borders. The brevity of his speech contrasts with its determination and appealing force. A large part of the French was to draw inspiration from it to fight and harm German soldiers. Its lyricism will also seduce you.

Here is a written extract of the speech :

This war is not limited to the unfortunate territory of our country. This war is not finished by the battle of France. This war is a world-wide war. All the faults, all the delays, all the suffering, do not prevent there to be, in the world, all the necessary means to one day crush our enemies. Vanquished today by mechanical force, we will be able to overcome in the future by a superior mechanical force.

The destiny of the world is here. I, General de Gaulle, currently in London, invite the officers and the French soldiers who are located in British territory or who would come there, with their weapons or without their weapons, I invite the engineers and the special workers of armament industries who are located in British territory or who would come there, to put themselves in contact with me.

Whatever happens, the flame of the French resistance not must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished. Tomorrow, as today, I will speak on Radio London.

Great Speech: Fascinating and Motivating Ones

Let us now move on to speeches of a different kind, just as remarkable. Here, you will face words that call to the depths of human emotions and the mysteries of our world. Hold on tight!

Stephen Hawking: "Questioning the Universe*

https://youtu.be/xjBIsp8mS-c

Afflicted with Charcot's disease and unable to speak, the great physicist Stephen Hawking dedicated his life to his research on the origins of the universe. Returning to his lifelong work, he delivers in his TED Talk a fascinating discourse on the essential truths related to the presence of life on our planet. With his robotic yet profound voice, his words give a metaphysical thrill that is hard to forget.

Here is the transcribed speech :

There is nothing bigger or older than the universe. The questions I would like to talk about are: one, where did we come from? How did the universe come into being? Are we alone in the universe? Is there alien life out there? What is the future of the human race?

Up until the 1920s, everyone thought the universe was essentially static and unchanging in time. Then it was discovered that the universe was expanding. Distant galaxies were moving away from us. This meant they must have been closer together in the past. If we extrapolate back, we find we must have all been on top of each other about 15 billion years ago. This was the Big Bang, the beginning of the universe. But was there anything before the Big Bang? If not, what created the universe? Why did the universe emerge from the Big Bang the way it did?

We used to think that the theory of the universe could be divided into two parts. First, there were the laws like Maxwell's equations and general relativity that determined the evolution of the universe, given its state over all of the space at one time. And second, there was no question of the initial state of the universe. We have made good progress on the first part, and now have the knowledge of the laws of evolution in all but the most extreme conditions. But until recently, we have had little idea about the initial conditions for the universe.

Lou Gherig: "Farewell to Baseball".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNLKPaThYkE

Suffering from the same illness, the undisputed baseball champion Lou Gherig of the New York Yankees, delivered his farewell speech to the stadium and his fans. Far from stooping in the face of illness, he expresses enormous gratitude for the circumstances and people who helped him in his long and victorious journey. Gherig conveys unforgettable words of wisdom about perseverance and lucidity.

Here is an extract of the written transcript :

Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert - also the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow - to have spent the next nine years with that wonderful little fellow Miller Huggins - then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology - the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy!

Sure, I'm lucky. When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift, that's something! When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies, that's something.

When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles against her own daughter, that's something. When you have a father and mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body, it's a blessing! When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed, that's the finest I know.

So I close in saying that I might have had a tough break - but I have an awful lot to live for!

Steve Jobs: "Stanford Commencement Address"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc&t=10s

Everyone knows the talent of the founder of Apple and Pixar, a symbol of modern entrepreneurship. Here he gives new Stanford graduates the synthetic and inspiring story of his life, and the essential lessons they can learn to find meaning in their lives. With simple and punchy words, he invites his audience to find what they would love to do in their lives with all their hearts. Discover the power of dreams by listening to his words full of inspiration.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras.

It was sort of like Google in paperback form,35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, overflowing with neat tools, and great notions. Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age.

On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it was the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

Simon Sinek "How Great Leaders Inspire Action"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4

In another genre, the great communications expert Simon Sinek shows the common ground of leaders who have made history. With an extraordinary sense of words, he shows the extreme coherence and purpose of great personalities and companies. His sermons will inspire your quest for meaning in business and the search for a culture that suits you. Let yourself be tempted by his words.

As it turns out, all the great inspiring leaders and organizations in the world, whether it's Apple or Martin Luther King or the Wright brothers, they all think, act, and communicate the exact same way. And it's the complete opposite of everyone else. All I did was codify it, and it's probably the world's simplest idea. I call it the golden circle.

Why? How? What? This little idea explains why some organizations and some leaders are able to inspire where others aren't. Let me define the terms really quickly. Every single person, every single organization on the planet knows what they do, 100 percent. Some know how they do it, whether you call it your differentiated value proposition or your proprietary process or your USP.

But very, very few people or organizations know why they do what they do. And by "why" I don't mean "to make a profit."That's a result. It's always a result. By "why," I mean: What's your purpose? What's your cause? What's your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care?

J.K. Rowling: "Harvard Begins".

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHGqp8lz36c​

A true fairy tale, the life lessons J.K. Rowling teaches in his speech to young graduates are memorable. With great humor, she recounts the journeys that led her to her success. She conveys the crucial values of imagination and perseverance, giving us faith in the magic of life. Enjoy her enchanting speech!

You might think that I chose my second theme -the importance of imagination- because of the part it played in rebuilding my life. But that is not wholly so, though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp. I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not and therefore to found all invention and innovation in its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity. It is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.

How to transcribe a Video Speech with Checksub?

You also want to get precise and beautiful written transcripts of your favorite speeches? You're in luck!

At Checksub, we have been working for 4 years on the simplest and most efficient video transcriptions tool .

We provide you with the best technologies available on the market:

• The best voice recognition and automatic translation APIs to analyze your video (more than a hundred languages being accurately translated)
• A powerful and very easy to use online subtitling editor

The process is fairly straightforward:

• Upload your video if you have it in your database.
• Indicate the original language and the languages you may want to obtain (there are 128 languages in all).
• Check the result
• Export the written transcript file and do whatever you want with it.

If you want to keep to yourself precious and inspiring speeches, give it a try ! 8-)

Grow your audience, now.

How to shoot a great video with your smartphone?

How to add automatic subtitles & captions to DaVinci Resolve?

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How to Transcribe Audio and Video Recordings

Last Updated: March 19, 2024 Approved

Preparing to Transcribe

This article was reviewed by Gerald Posner . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 23 testimonials and 97% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 287,138 times.

Transcripts are written or typed records of any proceedings. Transcripts are used to record court proceedings, business meetings, and even as records of radio, film and television programs. To write your own transcript of any of the above, you must be extremely attentive and be able to write and type quickly, as transcripts are an exact record of the spoken word.

Quick Steps

• Listen through the recording once to get familiar with it.
• Format your document with the title, date of the interview, and page numbers.
• Start a new paragraph when someone new speaks.
• Use “[sic]” to identify grammar errors and “(inaudible)” if you can’t hear a word.
• Type out nonverbal communication in the transcript, like “[sighs]” or “[laughs].”

Writing the Transcript

• Do not wait until the last minute to transcribe something.

• A new paragraph should be started when there is a new voice, a new topic is introduced, or when someone is quoting what someone else has said. [4] X Research source
• Your transcript should not be one long block of text.

• "[sic]" is used to denote a grammatical error in the transcript. If someone says, "They is not ready." You would type "They is [sic] not ready." instead of correcting the grammar in the sentence.
• If a word is inaudible, type "(inaudible)" or use a symbol (e.g. *, ***) to denote that a word is missing. Also, add the time in the recording where the inaudible word is. This can help you when you go back to try to figure out what was said.

• Never add your interpretation to nonverbal communication. For example, "[sighing with relief]" is incorrect. Simply typing, "[sighing]" is appropriate.

• Whatever method you use, be consistent.

• Re-write your transcript if necessary, to adhere to any form or format deemed necessary.
• This is also a good time to check for correct punctuation as well.

• If you have an iPhone or an iPod touch, you can record using the Voice Memo app.
• For Android users, download the Smart Voice Recorder app or the Easy Voice Recorder app. Both of these apps are free. [9] X Research source
• A good quality digital recorder can be purchased for $100 or less. [10] X Research source

• Developing your own shorthand will allow you to shorten words or even summarize phrases without losing their exact wording or meaning.

• If your recorder is battery operated, make sure that it is fully charged and ready to go. Also, bring an extra set of batteries.
• If you are using a smartphone, make sure that the phone is adequately charged and be prepared to recharge your phone if you need to.

• Write down everyone who is speaking and any characteristics of these people as well.

• Recordings done on Apple devices can be downloaded to your computer using iTunes. When given the option to sync music, select "Include Voice Memos."
• Apple users can also purchase DropVox for $2. This app will automatically upload your voice recordings, and you will not need a USB cable. [12] X Research source

Community Q&A

• Refrain from eating, drinking, or using the restroom during transcription, as you may miss something crucial. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://vananservices.com
• ↑ http://courses2.cit.cornell.edu/fit117/CP_T.htm
• ↑ http://courses2.cit.cornell.edu/fit117/CP_E.htm
• ↑ http://commons.trincoll.edu/jackdougherty/how-to/record-and-transcribe/
• ↑ http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-voice-recorder/

About This Article

Before writing a transcript, start by listening to the recording once through to help you understand the content and identify different voices. As you listen to the recording a second time, write down what you hear and start a new paragraph each time there is a new voice or a new topic is introduced. Then, copy the words exactly and make note of nonverbal communication, like sighs or laughter, by putting a description of it in brackets. When you’re done, listen to the recording again while reading through your transcript to check for errors. For tips on how to format your finished transcription, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Transcription examples. Which style works for you?

Choose between verbatim, intelligent, edited and phonetic transcription with these helpful examples and explanations.

Transcription is used across a wide variety of sectors – from marketing to healthcare, law to academia – with each application having its own required outcome. As a result, there are several styles of transcription available, each providing transcription with a different focus.

These styles of transcription can be grouped into four basic categories:

• Intelligent verbatim

Here we explain each of these forms of transcription with the help of examples.

Example of verbatim transcription

A verbatim transcription captures every sound made, such as throat clearing, laughter, verbal pauses (uh, ah, mm, er), doors slamming and phones ringing. This level of detail can be essential when every utterance and interference is needed to convey the full context of a situation, such as in a police interview.

Here is an example of a verbatim transcription.

AB=Alice Birch CD=Colin Dexter

[Begin transcript 00:00:05]

AB: OK, let’s get started… What is your name?

[Sound of chairs scraping on floor]

CD: My name? Colin Dexter. AB: So… Let’s see… [Sound of shuffling papers] AB: Can you confirm whereabouts you were born and raised? CD: Oz. Aussie. Australia. Melbourne, Australia. AB: So… What brought you to the UK? CD: Um-hm, well... I was offered a job and I thought… Well… [Shrugs]. Why not? [Raises right hand and rubs forefinger and thumb together to indicate money] AB: It was a well-paid job, was it… this job that lured you to the UK? CD: Yes. Well, y’know, much better than what I was earning before, anyway. [Laughs loudly]

[End transcript 00:02:32]

Download our free transcription template

Get started with transcription. Here you will find templates for both detailed transcription and standard transcription . You can use the formats and examples in your own working document.

Example of intelligent verbatim transcription

If the background noises, verbal pauses, rambling repetition, coughs etc. are not relevant for the purposes of the transcription, these elements can be removed to create an intelligent verbatim transcription. This creates a more concise and readable transcript, while staying true to the intended meaning of the content.

This kind of transcription is more suited to situations such as a business interview, where details of coughs and doors slamming are irrelevant.

Here is the same example as above, but written as an intelligent verbatim translation.

AB: OK, let’s get started… What is your name? CD: My name? Colin Dexter. AB: Can you confirm where you were born and raised? CD: Australia. Melbourne, Australia. AB: What brought you to the UK? CD: I was offered a job and I thought, why not? [Raises right hand and rubs forefinger and thumb together to indicate money] AB: It was a well-paid job that lured you to the UK? CD: Yes. Well, much better than what I was earning before.

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Example of edited transcription.

An edited transcription takes the intelligent verbatim transcription a step further by removing any superfluous content, amending any grammatical mistakes, clarifying slang terms and completing any unfinished sentences. An edited transcription can appear more formal than the original content, but it will be clearer to read and easier to understand.

Of course, being more readable and understandable does not always make an edited transcription appropriate. For instance, here are two example transcripts of a journalist interviewing a rock star.

Verbatim transcription:

So, I grab my axe, hook up to the Marshal stack, an’ ramp it all the way up to 11. The crowd didn’t know what hit ‘em. I really made their ears bleed, man. [laughs raucously]

Edited transcription:

I picked up my guitar, plugged it into the amplifier and turned it up to maximum volume. The audience were surprised and I damaged their hearing.

As you can see, much of the nuance can be lost with an edited transcript. When used for the previous example, however, an edited transcript makes the key facts stand out unambiguously.

AB: What is your name? CD: Colin Dexter. AB: Where were you born and raised? CD: Melbourne, Australia. AB: Why did you come to the UK? CD: I was offered employment with higher remuneration that I was currently earning.

Example of phonetic transcription

Phonetic transcription records the way spoken words are pronounced, rather than how they are written. This is accomplished using symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), an agreed system of written marks that identify distinct units of sound in all languages.

A phonetic transcription is useful when pronunciation is important – such as when comparing speech between different age groups, locations or periods of time. So, if you wish to specify the ‘way’ something should be said, rather than simply ‘what’ should be said, use phonetic transcription.

Using the IPA, the first line of the example transcription:

AB: What is your name?

would look like this:

AB: Wɒt ɪz jə neɪm?

Which type of transcription should I use?

Each type of transcription serves a distinct purpose, and this purpose determines which type of transcription is most suited to the task. For example:

• Verbatim transcription would be useful for post-production in the film industry, as each pause, cough and laugh is as important as the words being spoken.
• Intelligent verbatim would be useful for transcribing medical case notes , where details are important, but not the extraneous noises.
• People in the Human Resources (HR) sector might use edited transcription when collating answers provided by job applicants in interviews, as it allows them to identify the substance of an answer with minimal effort.
• A speech therapist wishing to detail precisely how a patient speaks will find phonetic translation essential.

Whatever your reason for wanting to convert speech to text, we’ll help you find the ideal form of transcription for you.

Download templates for both detailed transcription and standard transcription. You can use the formats and examples in your own working document.

Related content

How to transcribe audio to text – the ultimate guide to transcription

How to transcribe an interview – and maximise the benefits

What is transcription? Get answers to 15 essential questions.

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Speech Writing

Speech Examples

20+ Outstanding Speech Examples for Your Help

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Public speaking can be daunting for students. They often struggle to start, engage the audience, and be memorable. 

It's a fear of forgetting words or losing the audience's interest. This leads to anxiety and self-doubt. 

You may wonder, "Am I boring them? Will they remember what I say? How can I make my speech better?"

The solution lies in speech examples. In this guide, we'll explore these examples to help students create captivating and memorable speeches with confidence. So, keep reading to find helpful examples!

• 1. Speech Examples 
• 2. Tips to Write a Good Speech

Speech Examples 

Talking in front of a bunch of audiences is not as easy as it seems. But, if you have some good content to deliver or share with the audience, the confidence comes naturally.

Before you start writing your speech, it is a good idea that you go through some good speech samples. The samples will help to learn how to start the speech and put information into a proper structure. 

Speech Examples for Students 

Speech writing is a huge part of academic life. These types of writing help enhance the creative writing skills of students.

Here is an amazing farewell speech sample for students to get you inspired.

Below, you will find other downloadable PDF samples.

Speech Examples for School 

Every school and college has a student council. And every year, students elect themselves to be a part of the student council. It is mandatory to impress the student audience to get their votes. And for that, the candidate has to give an impressive speech. 

Here are some short speech examples for students.

Speech Examples For Public Speaking

Speech Examples About Yourself

Speech Examples Short

Speech Examples For College Students

Speech For Student Council

Speech Examples Introduction

Speech Example For School

2 Minute Speech Examples

Persuasive Speech Examples

The main purpose of a speech is to persuade the audience or convince them of what you say. And when it comes to persuasive speech , the sole purpose of speech becomes more specific.

Persuasive Speech Example

Informative Speech Examples

Informative speeches are intended to inform the audience. These types of speeches are designed to provide a detailed description of the chosen topic. 

Below we have provided samples of informative speech for you.

Informative Speech Example

Informative Speech Sample

Entertainment Speech Examples

Entertainment speeches are meant to entertain the audience. These types of speeches are funny, as well as interesting. The given speech samples will help you in writing an entertaining speech.

Entertainment Speech Example

Entertainment Speech Sample

Argumentative Speech Examples

Making a strong argument that is capable of convincing others is always difficult. And, when it comes to making a claim in an argumentative speech, it becomes more difficult. 

Check out the argumentative speech sample that demonstrates explicitly how an argumentative speech needs to be written.

Argumentative Speech Example

Demonstration Speech Examples

The demonstrative speeches are intended to demonstrate or describe the speech topic in depth. Get inspired by the demonstrative speech sample given below and write a captivating demonstrative speech.

Demonstration Speech Example

Demonstration Speech Sample

Motivational Speech Examples

Motivational speeches are designed to motivate the audience to do something. Read out the sample motivational speech given below and learn the art of motivational speech writing.

Speech Examples About Life

Impromptu Speech Examples

Impromptu speech writing makes you nervous as you are not good at planning and organization.

Check out the sample impromptu speech and learn to make bullet points of your thoughts and plan your speech properly.

Graduation Speech Examples

Are you graduating soon and need to write a graduation farewell speech?

Below is a sample graduation speech for your help. 

Wedding Speech Examples

“My best friend’s wedding is next week, and I’m the maid of honor. She asked me to give the maid of honor speech, but I’m not good at expressing emotions. I’m really stressed. I don’t know what to do.”

If you are one of these kinds of people who feel the same way, this sample is for you. Read the example given below and take help from it to write a special maid of honor speech.

Best Man Speech Examples

Father of The Bride Speech Example

Speech Essay Example

A speech essay is a type of essay that you write before writing a proper speech. It helps in organizing thoughts and information. 

Here is a sample of speech essays for you to understand the difference between speech format and speech essay format.

Tips to Write a Good Speech

Reading some famous and incredible sample speeches before writing your own speech is really a good idea. The other way to write an impressive speech is to follow the basic tips given by professional writers. 

• Audience Analysis: Understand your audience's interests, knowledge, and expectations. Tailor your speech to resonate with them.
• Clear Purpose: Define a clear and concise purpose for your speech. Ensure your audience knows what to expect right from the beginning.
• Engaging Opening: Start with a captivating hook – a story, question, quote, or surprising fact to grab your audience's attention.
• Main Message: Identify and convey your main message or thesis throughout your speech.
• Logical Structure: Organize your speech with a clear structure, including an introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Transitions: Use smooth transitions to guide your audience through different parts of your speech.
• Conversational Tone: Use simple, conversational language to make your speech accessible to everyone.
• Timing: Respect the allocated time and write the speech accordingly. An overly long or short speech can diminish the audience's engagement.
• Emotional Connection: Use storytelling and relatable examples to evoke emotions and connect with your audience.
• Call to Action (if appropriate): Encourage your audience to take action, change their thinking, or ponder new ideas.
• Practice Natural Pace: Speak at a natural pace, avoiding rushing or speaking too slowly.

So, now you know that effective communication is a powerful tool that allows you to inform, persuade, and inspire your audience. Throughout this blog, we've provided you with numerous examples and invaluable tips to help you craft a compelling speech. 

And for those moments when you require a professionally written speech that truly stands out, remember that our team is here to help. We can rescue you from writer's block and deliver an outstanding speech whenever you need it.

With our professional essay writing service , you can be confident in your ability to communicate your message effectively and leave a lasting impact. 

So, don't hesitate – place an order n ow and buy speech that will truly captivate your audience.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some examples of good speeches.

Good speeches often leave a lasting impact due to their content, delivery, and emotional resonance. Examples include:

• Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream"
• Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
• Winston Churchill's "We Shall Fight on the Beaches"

What is a 5 minute speech?

A 5-minute speech is a brief address of about 600-800 words, designed to cover key points comprehensively while maintaining audience attention. This format is ideal for classroom presentations, briefings, or public events with limited time.

What is an example of a speech of introduction?

A speech of introduction is designed to welcome and introduce a speaker to an audience, providing relevant background and context. Here’s an example:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great pleasure to introduce our esteemed guest speaker, Dr. Jane Smith. A renowned environmental scientist with over 20 years of experience in climate change research, Dr. Smith has published groundbreaking studies on sustainable energy solutions and has been a pivotal voice in international climate policy. Today, she will share her insights on the latest developments in renewable energy and how we can all contribute to a more sustainable future. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Jane Smith.

Write Essay Within 60 Seconds!

Dr. Barbara is a highly experienced writer and author who holds a Ph.D. degree in public health from an Ivy League school. She has worked in the medical field for many years, conducting extensive research on various health topics. Her writing has been featured in several top-tier publications.

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Keep reading

• Español – América Latina
• Português – Brasil
• Cloud Speech-to-Text
• Documentation

Transcribe long audio files into text

This page demonstrates how to transcribe long audio files (longer than 1 minute) to text using the Speech-to-Text API and asynchronous speech recognition.

About asynchronous speech recognition

Asynchronous speech recognition starts a long running audio processing operation. Use asynchronous speech recognition to transcribe audio that is longer than 60 seconds. For shorter audio, synchronous speech recognition is faster and simpler. The upper limit for asynchronous speech recognition is 480 minutes.

Speech-to-Text and asynchronous processing

Audio content can be sent directly to Speech-to-Text from a local file for asynchronous processing. However, the audio time limit for local files is 60 seconds. Attempting to transcribe local audio files that are longer than 60 seconds will result in an error. To use asynchronous speech recognition to transcribe audio longer than 60 seconds, you must have your data saved in a Google Cloud Storage bucket .

You can retrieve the results of the operation using the google.longrunning.Operations method. Results remain available for retrieval for 5 days (120 hours). You also have the option of uploading your results directly to a Google Cloud Storage bucket.

Transcribe long audio files using a Google Cloud Storage file

These samples use a Cloud Storage bucket to store the raw audio input for the long-running transcription process. For an example of a typical longrunningrecognize operation response, see the reference documentation .

Refer to the speech:longrunningrecognize API endpoint for complete details.

To perform synchronous speech recognition, make a POST request and provide the appropriate request body. The following shows an example of a POST request using curl . The example uses the Google Cloud CLI to generate an access token. For instructions on installing the gcloud CLI, see the quickstart .

See the RecognitionConfig and RecognitionAudio reference documentation for more information on configuring the request body.

If the request is successful, the server returns a 200 OK HTTP status code and the response in JSON format:

where name is the name of the long running operation created for the request.

Wait for processing to complete. Processing time differs depending on your source audio. In most cases, you will get results in half the length of the source audio. You can get the status of your long-running operation by making a GET request to the https://speech.googleapis.com/v1/operations/ endpoint. Replace your-operation-name with the name returned from your longrunningrecognize request.

If the request is successful, the server returns a 200 OK HTTP status code and the response in JSON format: { "name": "7612202767953098924", "metadata": { "@type": "type.googleapis.com/google.cloud.speech.v1.LongRunningRecognizeMetadata", "progressPercent": 100, "startTime": "2017-07-20T16:36:55.033650Z", "lastUpdateTime": "2017-07-20T16:37:17.158630Z" }, "done": true, "response": { "@type": "type.googleapis.com/google.cloud.speech.v1.LongRunningRecognizeResponse", "results": [ { "alternatives": [ { "transcript": "how old is the Brooklyn Bridge", "confidence": 0.96096134, } ] }, { "alternatives": [ { ... } ] } ] } }

If the operation has not completed, you can poll the endpoint by repeatedly making the GET request until the done property of the response is true .

Refer to the recognize-long-running command for complete details.

To perform asynchronous speech recognition, use the Google Cloud CLI, providing the path of a local file or a Google Cloud Storage URL.

If the request is successful, the server returns the ID of the long-running operation in JSON format.

You can then get information about the operation by running the following command.

You can also poll the operation until it completes by running the following command.

After the operation completes, the operation returns a transcript of the audio in JSON format.

To learn how to install and use the client library for Speech-to-Text, see Speech-to-Text client libraries . For more information, see the Speech-to-Text Go API reference documentation .

To authenticate to Speech-to-Text, set up Application Default Credentials. For more information, see Set up authentication for a local development environment .

To learn how to install and use the client library for Speech-to-Text, see Speech-to-Text client libraries . For more information, see the Speech-to-Text Java API reference documentation .

To learn how to install and use the client library for Speech-to-Text, see Speech-to-Text client libraries . For more information, see the Speech-to-Text Node.js API reference documentation .

To learn how to install and use the client library for Speech-to-Text, see Speech-to-Text client libraries . For more information, see the Speech-to-Text Python API reference documentation .

Additional languages

C# : Please follow the C# setup instructions on the client libraries page and then visit the Speech-to-Text reference documentation for .NET.

PHP : Please follow the PHP setup instructions on the client libraries page and then visit the Speech-to-Text reference documentation for PHP.

Ruby : Please follow the Ruby setup instructions on the client libraries page and then visit the Speech-to-Text reference documentation for Ruby.

Upload your transcription results to a Cloud Storage bucket

Speech-to-Text supports uploading your longrunning recognition results directly to a Cloud Storage bucket. If you implement this feature with Cloud Storage Triggers , Cloud Storage uploads can trigger notifications that call Cloud Functions and remove the need to poll Speech-to-Text for recognition results.

To have your results uploaded to a Cloud Storage bucket, provide the optional TranscriptOutputConfig output configuration in your longrunning recognition request.

Refer to the longrunningrecognize API endpoint for complete details.

The following example shows how to send a POST request using curl , where the body of the request specifies the path to a Cloud Storage bucket. The results are uploaded to this location as a JSON file that stores SpeechRecognitionResult .

The LongRunningRecognizeResponse includes the path to the Cloud Storage bucket where the upload was attempted. If the upload was unsuccessful, an output error will be returned. If a file with the same name already exists, the upload writes the results to a new file with a timestamp as the suffix.

Try it for yourself

If you're new to Google Cloud, create an account to evaluate how Speech-to-Text performs in real-world scenarios. New customers also get $300 in free credits to run, test, and deploy workloads.

Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License , and code samples are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License . For details, see the Google Developers Site Policies . Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Last updated 2024-05-31 UTC.

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Create Accessible Captions and Transcripts

Captions and transcripts are valuable tools that provide access to audio content. Captions describe dialogue, music, and sound effects in videos, while transcripts are documents that describe audio-only and video-only content, such as podcasts and animations.

To learn more about when and why to use captions and transcripts, review the resource Creating Accessible Synchronized Media .

General Guidelines for Captions

Captions are typically required for videos that have an audio track. When creating captions for any pre-recorded video with audio, follow these general guidelines:

• Synchronize the captions to the corresponding audio in the audio track. The text and the speech or sound that the text describes must appear at the same time.
• Use appropriate spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Captions must have at least 99% accuracy to be readable.
• Keep captions on screen long enough for viewers to read the text.
• Keep captions off the screen when no meaningful sounds are introduced.
• Use a consistent style throughout the captions for identifying speakers, sound effects, and music.

General Guidelines for Transcripts

When creating transcripts for videos and audio-only and video-only content, follow these guidelines:

• For audio-only content, use the same guidelines as captions for determining which sounds to transcribe and what audio information must be included.
• For video content, use the same guidelines as audio descriptions for determining which imagery to describe and what visual information must be included.
• Ensure that users can access the transcript in the same place as the original content.
• Provide the transcript in an accessible format, like a Section 508-conformant web page, a plain text file, or a conformant Microsoft Word document.

Creating a Caption-Friendly Video

The best way to make content accessible is to plan for it from the beginning. You can make your video caption-friendly as you plan and develop it and avoid several major accessibility issues when it’s time to make the captions.

When creating video content, follow these guidelines:

• Avoid overlapping voices whenever possible.
• Have speakers talk at a normal or slow pace. When the speech in a video is too fast, a captioner has to choose between keeping the captions on screen for too short of a time or allowing the captions to fall out of sync with the audio. Generally, speech that is over 180 words per minute (an average of 3 words per second) may be too fast for captions.
• Keep any on-screen text in the top two-thirds of the screen. Most video players display the captions in the lower third section of the screen, and may not allow you to move the captions when video text appears in that area.

Displaying Captions

When determining how captions appear on a video, follow these guidelines:

• Ensure that the font style, size, and color meet all Section 508 requirements for readable body text. Section 508 best practice is to use a sans serif font, like Helvetica or Arial. As a default, use an 18-point font size and white text on a black translucent background. Adjust or change these as needed to ensure readability for the video player used.
• Use the same caption text and background color for all captions. Do not change the text color or the caption background color, since users with color blindness cannot see these differences.
• Use no more than two lines of text at a time, with no more than 45 characters per line (though fewer characters per line is ideal).
• Display the captions in the center of the lower one-third section of the video, except when it blocks important text, like signs or person identifiers.
• Avoid scrolling, flashing, and other distracting animation effects. The text must remain in the same position long enough for the viewer to read it.
• If you can customize the settings available within the video player, allow users to change caption settings, like the font size, color, and placement. Ensure that the captions are written so that changing these settings does not change their meaning, like when a change in the font size changes where the captions appear on the screen.

In Figure 1, the font, text size, color, and placement all meet Section 508 requirements and best practices. It is in the lower part of the screen, centered, and the text is in a sans serif font with a font size of 18 points. The text is white with a slightly translucent background, and is 44 characters long.

Automatically Generated Captions

Some programs automatically generate captions using speech-to-text technology. This can be a helpful starting point, especially for content creators who do not work with captions on a regular basis. However, current auto-captioning technology does not meet the minimum standard for pre-recorded media. They typically don’t use grammar and punctuation correctly, they often include spelling errors, and they often include awkward line breaks that make them much harder to read.

Because of this, always take time to edit the captions when you start with auto-captions.

When working with auto-captioning, follow these guidelines:

• Add appropriate capitalization, punctuation, and grammar.
• Check that the spelling of all names, places, and terms are correct.
• Correct any spelling errors where a similar word was substituted, like if the program transcribed “weight” instead of “wait.”
• Add captions for sound effects, music, and other audio elements that the auto-captions fail to capture.
• Adjust the line breaks so that each individual caption starts and ends at the most logical point, usually at a period or comma.

Incorrect example

In Figure 2, caption text reads: “soon. If doctor low agrees we can start the”

In this incorrect example, the text is hard to read because of auto-caption errors.

Correct Example

In Figure 3, caption text reads: “If Doctor Lowe agrees, we can start the treatment”

In this correct example, the grammar errors are fixed, the starting and ending time for each caption is adjusted for a more logical flow, and the captions are much more readable.

Describing How a Person Speaks

Sometimes, it is not enough just to write what words are spoken. Often, the way a person speaks conveys meaning, and must be included in the captions.

Here are some situations where additional descriptors may need to be added:

• The speaker’s emotion, volume, or tone is not obvious, so you can add a descriptor before the dialogue in brackets, like [angrily], [whispering], or [sarcastically].
• A speaker uses a language other than the video’s default language. This is indicated in brackets or parentheses, like [in Spanish].
• The speaker emphasizes specific words, which should be in italics.
• The speaker makes a sound that is not speech, like coughing or whistling. Treat these sounds as sound effects (see below).

In all cases, read the text itself and determine whether the text alone conveys the full meaning. If it does not, use short descriptors to provide equivalent information.

In Figure 4, caption text reads: “ (shouting) Pick me ! I wanna go first !”

Unintelligible Speech and Filler Words

Sometimes a speaker is difficult to understand. It may be because of background noise, gaps or distortion in the audio (like on a video call with a bad connection). It can also be due to the speech itself, which may include stutters, sentence fragments, accents and slang, or excessive filler words.

If the speech is difficult to understand, follow these guidelines:

• When possible, include all of the speech word-for-word, including all filler words. 
• If an entire section has no understandable speech, include a descriptor like “unintelligible.”
• Indicate short gaps, breaks, or pauses using em dashes “—” or ellipses “…”
• When necessary, include descriptors to clarify intention, like “garbled with static,” or “haltingly.”
• If there is an excessive amount of filler words like “um” or “you know,” and they obscure the meaning or make the captions difficult to read, some or all of them may be omitted. In these cases, ensure that the same meaning is still conveyed and the viewer has equivalent access to the content as it is experienced by hearing viewers.

Example with Unedited Text

In Figure 5, caption text reads: “ (calmly) I agree, but, um, I think…I think we could”

In this example, there are filler words and gaps, but the content is still understandable. Because of this, the captions must display exactly what the speaker said, word for word.

Example with Edited Text

In Figure 6, caption text before editing reads: “So, um, if…I mean, if we can’t, um …if we can’t find, uh, you know , a solution to, you know ,”

In Figure 7, caption text after editing, with words in bold removed reads: “So, um, if…I mean, if we can’t…if we can’t find…a solution to…this case,”

In this example, several of the filler words are removed, since it allows the reader to understand what is being said on an equivalent level as a hearing user. Notice that the captions still show some filler words and gaps to keep the intent and meaning as similar as possible.

Sound Effects

Captions illustrate what is being said, but they also convey other meaningful audio, like background noise or sound effects.

For sound effects, follow these guidelines:

• Indicate sound effects with brackets or parentheses, like [static] or (doorbell).
• Do not caption obvious or trivial sounds, like footsteps when it is visible that the person is walking.
• Indicate when ongoing background noise starts, like traffic sounds, or the chatter of a large crowd.
• When necessary, describe the sound in more detail, like “louder cheering” or “overlapping barking, meowing, and chirping.”
• When meaningful, describe when an ongoing sound stops, like “engine turns off.”
• Describe when there is unexpected silence, like “no audible dialogue” when it is visible that a speaker’s lips are moving.

In Figure 8, caption text reads: “(door opens; several dogs barking)”

Offscreen Speakers

When a speaker is not visible, it can be difficult to identify who is talking. If a speaker is offscreen or if the viewer cannot easily identify who is speaking by looking at the video, identify the speaker by name, or by their role if their name is not known (For example, “Ms. Harris,” or “Officer,” or “Narrator”).

Multiple Speakers

In general, videos should not have multiple speakers talking at the same time. When these situations are unavoidable, how you caption it depends on the specific context.

For background chatter where no specific words can be understood, treat it as a sound effect, like “cheering,” or “children arguing.”

When the speech can be understood, all of it must be included in the captions. This takes priority over ensuring the text is perfectly synchronized.

When possible, keep the order of the speakers consistent in the captions. For example, you may caption a news clip where each news caster’s speech is placed on the same side of the screen as that speaker. Or, when captioning a song, the lead vocalist’s lyrics appear in the top line, and the lyrics for the backup vocals appear below in parentheses. 

Clearly communicate who is speaking when it is not immediately obvious from the video. Always identify the speakers when they start speaking, and use names, initials, or other indicators any time after that when it is not obvious who is speaking.

Captioning Different Languages

When a video includes speech in multiple languages, the captions must provide equivalent access to the speech as those who can hear the dialogue.

When content includes speech in multiple languages, follow these guidelines:

• If the speech is fully translated for hearing viewers, either with dubbing or subtitles, the captions must include the exact same translation.
• Always include a descriptor to show when the spoken language changes. For example, include the descriptor (in Spanish) when a person starts speaking Spanish, then include the descriptor (in English) when the dialogue switches to English.
• If the speech is not translated for hearing viewers:
• Whenever possible, include exact wording in that language, using appropriate grammar, spelling, and punctuation for that language. For example: “Hola, ¿cómo está?”
• If an exact transcription of the speech is not available, at least communicate any other meaningful details about the speech, like the tone. For example, “arguing in Korean.”

Captioning Music

When a video includes music, follow these captioning guidelines:

• When a song starts, list the name and artist for the song, or communicate the tone or style of the song. For example, [Johann Pachelbel’s “Canon in D Major”], or [mellow techno music].
• Include song lyrics if a person is visibly singing, if there is not much meaningful speech or other sounds, or when the lyrics are significant to understanding the scene. Omit lyrics when there is already a lot of speech occurring and the specific lyrics are not needed.
• Indicate any important changes to the music, like when it starts or stops abruptly, or if the tone changes.

If the audio content contains swearing, slurs, or other offensive language, follow these guidelines:

• If the profanity is audible, include the exact words in the captions.
• If the profanity is censored in the audio, indicate that the word or phrase was censored. For example, “I feel like (censored).”
• Never replace profanity with euphemisms or substitute words that were not used in the original audio, like replacing “killed” with “unalived.”

Reviewed/Updated: May 2024

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What is Natural Language Processing? Definition and Examples

Natural language processing ensures that AI can understand the natural human languages we speak everyday. Learn more about this impactful AI subfield.

Natural language processing (NLP) is a form of artificial intelligence ( AI ) that allows computers to understand human language, whether it be written, spoken, or even scribbled. As AI-powered devices and services become increasingly more intertwined with our daily lives and world, so too does the impact that NLP has on ensuring a seamless human-computer experience.

In this article, you’ll learn more about what NLP is, the techniques used to do it, and some of the benefits it provides consumers and businesses. At the end, you’ll also learn about common NLP tools and explore some online, cost-effective courses that can introduce you to the field’s most fundamental concepts. 

Natural language processing definition

Natural language processing (NLP) is a subset of artificial intelligence, computer science , and linguistics focused on making human communication, such as speech and text, comprehensible to computers. 

NLP is used in a wide variety of everyday products and services. Some of the most common ways NLP is used are through voice-activated digital assistants on smartphones, email-scanning programs used to identify spam, and translation apps that decipher foreign languages.

Natural language techniques 

NLP encompasses a wide range of techniques to analyze human language. Some of the most common techniques you will likely encounter in the field include:

Sentiment analysis: An NLP technique that analyzes text to identify its sentiments, such as “positive,” “negative,” or “neutral.” Sentiment analysis is commonly used by businesses to better understand customer feedback. 

Summarization: An NLP technique that summarizes a longer text, in order to make it more manageable for time-sensitive readers. Some common texts that are summarized include reports and articles. 

Keyword extraction: An NLP technique that analyzes a text to identify the most important keywords or phrases. Keyword extraction is commonly used for search engine optimization (SEO) , social media monitoring, and business intelligence purposes. 

Tokenization: The process of breaking characters, words, or subwords down into “tokens” that can be analyzed by a program. Tokenization undergirds common NLP tasks like word modeling, vocabulary building, and frequent word occurrence. 

NLP benefits 

Whether it’s being used to quickly translate a text from one language to another or producing business insights by running a sentiment analysis on hundreds of reviews, NLP provides both businesses and consumers with a variety of benefits. 

Unsurprisingly, then, we can expect to see more of it in the coming years. According to research by Fortune Business Insights, the North American market for NLP is projected to grow from $26.42 billion in 2022 to $161.81 billion in 2029 [ 1 ]. 

Some common benefits of NLP include:

The ability to analyze both structured and unstructured data, such as speech, text messages, and social media posts. 

Improving customer satisfaction and experience by identifying insights using sentiment analysis. 

Reducing costs by employing NLP-enabled AI to perform specific tasks, such as chatting with customers via chatbots or analyzing large amounts of text data. 

Better understanding a target market or brand by conducting NLP analysis on relevant data like social media posts, focus group surveys, and reviews. 

NLP limitations

NLP can be used for a wide variety of applications but it's far from perfect. In fact, many NLP tools struggle to interpret sarcasm, emotion, slang, context, errors, and other types of ambiguous statements. This means that NLP is mostly limited to unambiguous situations that don't require a significant amount of interpretation.

Natural language processing examples

Although natural language processing might sound like something out of a science fiction novel, the truth is that people already interact with countless NLP-powered devices and services every day. 

Online chatbots, for example, use NLP to engage with consumers and direct them toward appropriate resources or products. While chat bots can’t answer every question that customers may have, businesses like them because they offer cost-effective ways to troubleshoot common problems or questions that consumers have about their products. 

Another common use of NLP is for text prediction and autocorrect, which you’ve likely encountered many times before while messaging a friend or drafting a document. This technology allows texters and writers alike to speed-up their writing process and correct common typos. 

What about ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a chatbot powered by AI and natural language processing that produces unusually human-like responses. Recently, it has dominated headlines due to its ability to produce responses that far outperform what was previously commercially possible.

If you'd like to learn more, the University of Michigan's ChatGPT Teach Out brings together experts on communication technology, the economy, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, healthcare delivery, and law to discuss the impacts of the technology now and into the future.

Read more: ChatGPT 101: What Is Generative AI (and How to Use It)

Natural language processing tools

There are numerous natural language processing tools and services available to help you get started today. Some of the most common tools and services you might encounter include the following: 

Google Cloud NLP API

IBM Watson 

Amazon Comprehend 

Natural language processing with Python 

Python is a programming language well-suited to NLP. Some common Python libraries and toolkits you can use to start exploring NLP include NLTK, Stanford CoreNLP, and Genism. 

Read more: What Is Python Used For? A Beginner’s Guide

Learn more with Coursera

Natural language processing helps computers understand human language in all its forms, from handwritten notes to typed snippets of text and spoken instructions. Start exploring the field in greater depth by taking a cost-effective, flexible specialization on Coursera. 

DeepLearning.AI’s Natural Language Processing Specialization will prepare you to design NLP applications that perform question-answering and sentiment analysis, create tools to translate languages and summarize text, and even build chatbots. In DeepLearning.AI’s Machine Learning Specialization , meanwhile, you’ll master fundamental AI concepts and develop practical machine learning skills in the beginner-friendly, three-course program by AI visionary (and Coursera co-founder) Andrew Ng.

Article sources

Business Fortune Insights. “ The global natural language processing (NLP) market… ,  https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/natural-language-processing-nlp-market-101933.” Accessed March 28, 2023. 

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This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

Thank-You Speech

Thank you speech generator.

Crafting a heartfelt thank-you speech is an art that requires eloquence and sincerity. In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the nuances of expressing gratitude effectively. Discover a selection of speech examples , each tailored to inspire and assist in conveying your appreciation with impact and grace. Whether for a formal event or a personal occasion, these examples serve as a blueprint for creating a memorable and meaningful message. Let’s embark on this journey of gratitude together, exploring the art of thank-you speeches.

What is Thank You Speech? A thank you speech is a short talk where you express your gratitude towards people or organizations for their support, help, or contribution to a particular event, achievement, or occasion. It’s a way to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts and kindness of others, often highlighting specific examples of how they’ve assisted or influenced you. This speech can be given at various events, like award ceremonies, weddings, retirements, or any occasion where you want to publicly thank those who have helped you.

Download Thank You Speech Bundle

Have you ever heard of an old saying, “No man is an island”? We probably heard that a million times. That saying is actually true because when we became successful, we usually achieve that because someone has helped us. And our thank-you speech skills could be the best thing we can do in return. You may also see presentation speech examples. A thank-you speech template is your chance to express how truly and sincerely grateful you are to all the people who helped you along the way. It doesn’t matter how long your thank-you speech is, as long as you speak from the heart and making your thank-you speech a heartfelt and meaningful one.

Thank You Speech Format

Introduction.

Start with a warm greeting to the audience. Mention the occasion or reason for your speech.

Acknowledgment of the Audience

Acknowledge the presence of important guests, if any. Express your appreciation for everyone who has taken the time to be there.

Expression of Gratitude

Specify the person or group you are thanking. Describe the support, gift, or contribution they have made. Explain how their support was significant to you or the event/achievement.

Personal Reflections

Share a brief personal story or reflection that illustrates the impact of the support or contribution. Highlight the personal qualities of the individuals you are thanking, if appropriate.

Summarize your feelings of gratitude. End with a warm closing statement, wishing everyone well or expressing hope for the future.

Example of Thank You Speech

“Good evening, everyone. I stand before you today filled with immense gratitude. First and foremost, I want to express my deepest thanks to the organizing committee for this wonderful event and the opportunity to address this gathering. I am truly honored and humbled by the overwhelming support and encouragement from my colleagues, friends, and family. Your unwavering belief in me has been a constant source of strength and motivation throughout this journey. I also want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the mentors and teachers whose guidance has shaped my path and instilled in me the values of perseverance and determination. A special thanks to the incredible team whose hard work and dedication made today possible. Your commitment and collaboration have been instrumental in achieving our collective goals. Lastly, to each person in this room, your presence here tonight signifies a shared commitment to our cause. Your support has not gone unnoticed, and I am deeply grateful for your continuous encouragement and belief in our vision. Thank you all for being a part of this remarkable journey. Your support means the world to me. Thank you.”

Thank You Speech Samples to Edit & Download

• Thank you Speech for Farewell
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• Graduation Thank You Speech
• Thank You Speech to Volunteer

Thank You Speech Examples & Templates

1. thank you speech example.

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2. Thank You Speech for Students

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3. Thank You Speech for Support

4. Short Thank-You Speech Example

5. Wedding Thank-You Example

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6. Business Speech Sample Example

7. Retirement Thank-You Speech Example

8. Teacher Thank-You Example

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9. Appreciation Short Thank You Speech

11. Formal Thank-You Speech

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12. Award Acceptance Speech Example

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13. Thank-You Speech for Volunteers

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10 Lines on Thank You Speech for an Event

Parts of a Thank-You Speech

Just like any other speeches, a thank-you speech has 3 main part: the introduction speech , the body of your speech, and the conclusion.

1. The introduction

In the introduction or opening of your speech, you need to tell everyone the reason why you are giving a thank-you speech. May be you just achieve a new milestone or just want to thank everyone. You may also see informative speech examples & samples

2. The body

This is where you mention the people that helped you work your way through and the things that they did.

3. The conclusion

This is the part where summarize your speech and end it by saying thanks. You may also like motivational speech examples & samples

What to Include in Writing a Thank-You Speech?

In a thank-you speech, there are three major essentials to include. You may also like award speech examples

1. Who are you thanking?

Note all the people that helped you achieve a personal or career milestone. It helps to rank them—the most important first.

2. What are you thanking them for?

Write the things that you are grateful about. It will make your thank-you speech more meaningful and significant. You may also see special occasion speech examples & samples

3. How much their gifts, lesson, time, guidance, and encouragement mean to you.

Appreciate and praise all the things people gave you that help you become successful.

How to Write a Thank-You Speech

The most exhausting part in writing a thank-you speech is that you have to remember the people who helped you along the way. But that shouldn’t stop you from giving them a thank-you. Follow these steps to write a meaningful thank-you speech for them. You may also check out appreciation speech examples & samples

• Prepare a thank-you speech outline.
• Make a complete list to all the people you should be thanking and arranged them according to their level of priority.
• Write what are you thanking them for.
• And, state your heartfelt appreciation for their gifts, time, and encouragement.

If you are looking for other kinds of speeches, we have wedding speech examples here as well.

Tips for Writing a Thank-You Speech

Your thank-you speech should be one of the most memorable keynote speeches you ever talk. That’s because it highlights the people and the things they did that means so much to you.

Do you have a thank-you speech coming up soon? Follow these tips and you’ll be fine.

• Always be prepared ahead of time.
• Write as if you are talking to one person only.
• Keep your thank-you speech short and sweet.
• Don’t be too formal. You are not writing a retirement speech . Include some funny events too.
• Practice and rewrite your speech.

How to Deliver a Thank You Speech for an Award or Special Occasion

• Begin with a warm greeting and express gratitude to the audience for their presence.
• Acknowledge the significance of the award or occasion. Express genuine appreciation for the recognition.
• Thank the individuals or organization presenting the award. Acknowledge their role and the value of the honor.
• Acknowledge and thank those who contributed to your success or the event’s success. Mention mentors, colleagues, or loved ones.
• Share briefly how the award or occasion has impacted you personally or professionally.
• Offer a brief inspirational message or reflect on the significance of the award or occasion.
• Conclude by expressing heartfelt thanks once again. Reiterate your gratitude and end on a positive note.
• Rehearse your speech to ensure a confident and sincere delivery. Maintain eye contact and speak clearly and passionately.

What do you say in a thank you speech?

• Acknowledging the Occasion: Recognize the significance of the event or award.
• Thanking the Hosts/Organizers: Express appreciation to those who organized the event or granted the award.
• Recognizing Supporters: Acknowledge the contribution of mentors, colleagues, or loved ones.
• Personal Impact: Share briefly how the occasion or award has affected you.
• Inspiring or Reflecting: Offer an inspirational message or reflect on the importance of the occasion.
• Closing with Thanks: Conclude by reiterating heartfelt gratitude and end positively.

FAQ’s

How do you start a thankful speech.

Begin a thankful speech by warmly greeting the audience, acknowledging the occasion’s significance, and expressing heartfelt gratitude toward the hosts, organizers, supporters, and attendees.

Is a thank you speech just meant for expressing gratitude?

While a thank you speech primarily expresses gratitude, it also acknowledges support, shares appreciation, reflects on significance, and inspires, fostering a deeper connection and meaningful engagement with the audience.

Does a thank you speech have to be formal?

A thank you speech can range from formal to informal, depending on the occasion. It should match the event’s tone, audience, and context while maintaining sincerity and respect.

How do you say thank you in speaking?

In spoken English, you can express gratitude by saying “Thank you,” or use variations like “Thanks a lot,” “Thank you so much,” “I really appreciate it,” or “I’m grateful.” Each phrase communicates appreciation in different levels of formality.

In the closing section, summarize your main points, reiterate your thanks, and end on a positive, forward-looking note. For detailed guidance on crafting each of these parts, you might find the following resources helpful. Harvard University offers practical tips on public speaking, which can be adapted for thank-you speeches. More information can be found on their website  Harvard Tips for Public Speaking .

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