Speech Topics

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Writing a speech is in a lot of ways like writing a paper, except that there’s no punishment for spelling and punctuation mistakes.  Some slang is even acceptable as long as it’s not offensive to your listeners.

Avoid using words you are not well-off pronouncing or do not know the meaning of because it can lead to a less fluently presented speech. Here are a few steps to help you:

Steps:

1. Keep in mind that all great speeches and even some not so great, require shape.

The old saying is hard to beat: “Tell them what you will tell them then tell them what you told them.”

2. “Shake hands with the audience.” You have something worth saying. One great speaker always began like this:

“Before I begin this speech, I have something to say.”

This passage was composed in a style that enabled him to reclaim a mighty tone for the informative portion of his remarks. Smile, calm down, and then get to work. You might want to start with a breaking one-liner or an anecdote.

3. Rise to the occasion.

To put it differently, feel passionately about your subject.

Remember old Uncle Bob’s tear jerking toast at the wedding? Even average folks can deliver great moments if they rise to the occasion. Make the audience feel how important the topic is to you, so that they begin to think about why they should care.

4. Focus.

A “great “speech doesn’t need to begin great and stay great to the end. It engages the listeners. It makes allowances for a dip in interest in the middle. Then, it gathers anticipation for its key moment.

John Stuart Mill, the political economist, defined the orator’s art this way: “Everything important to his purpose was said at the exact moment when he had brought the minds of his audience into the state most fitted to receive it.”

5. Build clear and sensible sequences from one thought to another.

The biggest mistake writers make is to assume people will follow their leaps of logic.

Spell out to the audience when you’re taking a turn in your thoughts with phrases like: “This brings us to the bigger problem of,” and so forth.

6. Add purpose.

A speech should be made for a reason. To inspire, to instruct, to rally, and to lead are solid purposes. To sound off, to flatter, or to bound are not.

7. Know your topic.

Whenever you can’t answer “what are you going to say?” in a single sentence, do yourself and the audience a favor: decline the presentation.

8. Write with one particular person in mind, someone you actually know.

This helps you to keep the message real and personable. This helps you anticipate reactions and keep your language down to earth.

9. Deliver the goods.

Delivery is the essence of eloquence. It requires exercise, discipline, drill, and timing.

You can be your own trainer. As you develop self-confidence, you put the audience at ease, or make them sit up.

Your eye is in contact with the people, not the page. If looking at people directly makes you nervous, try looking between them, at something on the back wall or somewhere else – as long as it looks you are establishing eye-contact. Your professional passion is contagious so use gestures to emphasize points, and make sure your tone of voice and facial expressions are appropriate for the topic.

10. Give your audience a sense of completion.

Bring them back to the beginning, but with a louder spirit.

This better be done by beginning the last paragraph with a calm, declaratory sentence; it should form in a series of semicolons; it should use the puissance of parallelism.

It had better reach to the farthest rafter and bounce with the action and heat of our time, and, forgetting everything else, it had better associate with grabbing each listener by his or her lapels and shout to their hearts and souls to say, “This is the end of the best speech you will ever have the good fortune to experience!”

11. Start writing as if you are creating an essay or informative article.

Read your draft aloud to check the flow. Listen to a recording. The style should be different than a typical essay or article. You can’t have paragraphs that go on and on.

*Rather than pack your talk with boring facts and figures, give them a handout (AFTER your talk). It’s OK to repeat or revisit important points for emphasis.

12. A speech can be a great promotion for your business.

Make communicating with your audience a breeze, with a well-written, well-rehearsed speech notes.

Tips:

• You may feel instant, sustained clapping punctuated by the occasional “Well done” and the present initiate punk who crinkles his brow and wonders out loud, “But what was really said?”
• Each person in the audience experiences your speech as an individual. Speak to them as individuals, by using words like “you” and “your” instead of “all of you” or “everybody here”; it is more direct and compelling, and will engage each member of your audience, whether it be five or five thousand.
• Focus your attention on one individual at a time, just as you would in normal, everyday conversation. This will help to relax you, and mitigate the fear of speaking to very large crowds. Shift your focus around the room, to different sections of your audience. By including every area, even when you might not be able see them individually, each person will feel as if you are speaking directly to them, not at them.
• Most speakers deal with the eye contact issue by twisting their body from side to side. They look from side to side as if watching a tennis match. Don’t make this mistake. Make eye contact using comfortable, natural body and head motions with meaningful glances at different areas.
• Smile from time to time but refrain from grinning like an idiot.
• Consider your audience’s frame of reference. A simple way to do it is to think about: Who’s in the audience? Why are they here? And after hearing your speech what’s the first thing you would like them to do or say to someone else perhaps?
• Don’t read your speech. Speak it from memory. You may miss a couple minor points (and even a major one), but if you can’t remember it long enough to say it, why would anyone else remember long enough to act on it?
• If you are not a seasoned speaker, it is fine to read your speech as long as your delivery isn’t stilted and amateurish like a kid reading from a textbook. You may not have time for memorization. If not, don’t be embarrassed to read your speech. Getting your message out counts the most. Look up and smile from time to time to let the audience know you haven’t forgotten them.
• Nearly everyone can recall an early experience when they were obsessed with memorization and all of a sudden drew a blank. It can derail a presentation. Be comfortable with your subject and have the bullet points on a few 3×5 cards. Calm down and do not be afraid about flawless delivery; your audience probably will not hold it against you.
• Try using an impressive pause to underline a crucial point. Stop talking for a second and look as if you are pondering your next words.
• Vary the speed of delivery and the loudness of your voice. Talk faster and louder when moving on to a new thought. Speak slowly and lower your voice for emphasis.
• You might want to play if you lived for this presentation your entire life and give it everything you got.
• You are able to drive back a fear of gibing a speech buy learning your topic. Having a commanding knowledge of your topic will show in you, just like not knowing your topic will show-even more so.
• Practice your speech with someone else if possible, and ask him/her for input.
• People say “Thank you” to signal that, yes, the speech is over. It is a very weak ending to a speech. You really shouldn’t thank the audience, any more than they should thank you. You’ve given the people a significant experience and they’ve given you their enthusiastic attention. Call it even.
• End your speech with the final forceful sentence. Signal the end simply by smiling and stepping away from the lectern or podium. If you didn’t use a lectern (always a good idea), smile and wave, take a bow, or move to shake hands with someone to signal the end of your dazzling performance. The speech itself might have been a snore fest but at least you’ll have a polished exit.
• If the speech is followed by questions/answers, it’s OK to come BACK to the podium or front of the room when the applause dies down. You don’t have to stay up there.
• Whenever you’re delivering solemn speech, chuck the smile. Make your voice and facial expression sincere and serious at all times. Just emulate a newscaster when they are bringing sad news.
• A legendary actor used this formula to give him confidence in front of people: Imagine a ray of energy emanating from deep in the earth and radiating up through your heels, up your spine, and then throughout your body. Keep this image in the back of your mind as you deliver your lines (er, speech).
• If you have a lot of time to practice, you might want to try some gestures. It’s better than stuffing your hands in your pockets or folded with the fingers laced. However, if your gestures are awkward and distracting, keep your hands in your pockets.
• Watch President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech. JFK made up stabbing your closed hand forward while touching your thumb with your bend forefinger. A lot of major public figures now use that trick.
• You better think before including flip charts into your presentation. Eventually you will find yourself paying too much attention to your flip chart and not the audience. People will be distracted by your scribbling or watching you blunder with your demonstrations. Speakers like stage props because they can help taking away the focus. Use whatever best suits you.
• Who better to write your introduction than you? Before your speech, contact the person who will be introducing you and give them your introduction. Unless they are a total idiot, they will be thankful that you saved them the chore of drafting your introduction.
• Be conscious of ummms and ahhhs. Speakers use these as filler for pauses, to let people know they haven’t finished their thought. They make you sound hesitant and unsure, however. Too many ummms and ahhhs get to be annoying. It’s OK to let silence intrude on your sentence.
• You better avoid the mannerism called “uppertalk” It’s the ending words with a question. Not only is it annoying? It makes you sound inexperienced and very uncertain of yourself. No one will be able to stand to listen to you?

Warnings

• Don’t be a windbag. Time your speech in a few practice runs. If it goes more than five minutes you had better be a spellbinding speaker. The typical amateur speaker will have the audience checking their watches in about two minutes. Keep in mind, Lincoln only needed a few minutes for the Gettysburg Address!

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write a Speech. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.