The hapless are to speak (5)
I believe the answer is:
orate
'speak' is the definition.
(I know that orate is a type of speak)
'the hapless are to' is the wordplay.
'the hapless' is an anagram indicator.
'are'+'to'='areto'
'areto' anagrammed gives 'ORATE'.
(Other definitions for orate that I've seen before include "Hold forth" , "Give a formal address" , "Speechify" , "Speak pompously and at length" , "Speak formally" .)