A mayor speech is a public presentation by a city’s leader sharing accomplishments and a vision for the future. While the content of a mayor speech can vary greatly, it is common for city leaders to speak about national events that impact their community. In 2024, for example, New York City Mayor Eric Adams highlighted a new initiative to connect unhoused expectant mothers with homes as part of his “City of Yes for Families” program in his State of the City address.
The first paragraph of a mayor speech should grab the audience’s attention and establish goodwill with the listeners. It should also set the tone for the rest of the speech by previewing its content. This paragraph is usually followed by the speaker’s specific purpose statement, thesis statement and list of visual aids. Developing a detailed mayor speech outline helps speakers develop organized and persuasive presentations that prove their thesis.
In the next section of a mayor speech, speakers should share their main points in logical order. To make the points easier to follow, each point should be differentiated from its predecessor using different formatting techniques. For example, main ideas are often preceded by Roman numerals, while sub-points are often preceded by Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3), or lowercase letters (a, b, c). In addition, it is generally acceptable to use transition words at the beginning of each paragraph to indicate when one topic ends and another begins.