Public speaking texts typically advise speakers to avoid using a manuscript. Speaking from a manuscript can limit eye contact, reduce expressiveness, and bore listeners. The ideal, rather, is to sound conversational. Conversational style is inclusive, suggesting that a speaker is ""of the people," united in understanding, values and purpose." If a speaker is tied to an artificial sounding manuscript, the potential for connecting with listeners is jeopardized. Speakers can achieve the conversational ideal by speaking extemporaneously, but this form of delivery is not always an option. Formal or high-stakes speeches, such as presidential addresses, speeches of business and community leaders, and some presentations at academic conferences, demand the precision of a manuscript. In such situations, practice is essential, but practice alone is not enough. If a manuscript is written like an essay--to be read rather than heard--speakers will likely still sound as if they are reading, no matter how fluent and expressive the delivery. For scripted speeches to sound conversational, they must be written for the ear, not the eye. This article describes an oral style assignment, "The Conversational Speech," which facilitates writing for the ear. The assignment was developed for an upper-level course in speechwriting, where producing manuscripts is the norm rather than the exception. Professional speechwriters speak in unison about the need to master oral style; consequently, developing this skill is a key objective in speechwriting courses. The conversational speech assignment, which requires students to transform one of their essays or research papers into a 7-8 minute speech, helps to accomplish this goal. Although originally developed for a speechwriting class, the assignment can easily be adapted to other contexts, including public speaking classes and professional communication courses and workshops.