The first step to delivering a damn good speech is writing a damn good speech. Taking the time to write a quality speech with useful content will do wonders for your confidence and delivering the speech is about confidence.
Choose Your Topic
Choosing a topic you like is probably the single most important step in writing your speech. It is very difficult to write about something in which you have no interest. So, give careful thought to the subject of your speech and choose a topic that will interest you as well as your audience.
Once you have chosen the topic of your speech, write a sentence that clearly states your topic and your position. Remember, that until you can express your subject in one sentence you're not ready to write the speech.
Develop Your Points
You will need to decide on how many points you use to support your main topic. The average number of points in a speech is three. But if your time is less than ten minutes, you may have time for only one or two points. Likewise, if your speech is longer than thirty minutes you need to add more points. The decision is up to you. But remember don't cut the closing, it is far more important than the points.
Once you have determined which points you are going to use, write a paragraph dealing with each point. You should use facts, statistics and stories to develop your content. The best speech will use a combination of stories with facts or stories with statistics. A speech with only facts and statistics will be dry and boring. Don't let that happen to you.
Create Your Opening
You want your opening to grab the audience's attention and prepare them for the message you prepared. If you have chosen your topic and developed your points putting the opening together will be easy. Your opening should state your topic, your position and your points. So your audience knows what to expect.
A great way to get people's attention is to start your opening with a question. A question can get everyone thinking an involved. Another possibility is to open with a quote that pertains to your topic or start with something controversial. Any of these will get the audience involved and keep them with you.
Create Your Closing
The most important part of your speech is the closing with the opening being a close second. Your closing should recap what you were saying in your points, have a story that relates to the audience and have a call to action.
If your speech was important then you will want to end with a call to action. The audience wants to know what should they do next and they expect you to tell them. So, tell them exactly what you want them to do and how to do it.
A powerful technique for ending your speech is to use a well crafted question followed by a moment of silence. This is a powerful technique you should work at developing.
Read It and Rewrite It
Now take your opening, your points and your closing and bring them together in one document. Read it and then rewrite it. Every time you read it and rewrite it you will improve it. Do this until it flows smoothly and effortlessly for you.
Remember:
- Choose an interesting topic.
- Develop your supporting points. (body)
- Write an exciting opening.
- Create a compelling closing.
- Read and rewrite.
Follow this formula and you will have a damn good speech.
