10 Keys To Writing A Speech

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This is my time.

That attitude will kill a speech every time.

Object 1

Youve probably sat through some lousy speeches. Despite the speakers renown, you eventually tuned them out over their self-indulgent tangents and pointless details. You understood something these speakers apparently didnt: This was your time. They were just guests. And your attention was strictly voluntary.

O course! you"ll pro#a#ly deliver that speech someday. And you"ll #elieve your speech will #e di erent. $ou"ll think! %& have so many important points to make. And you"ll presume that your presence and ingenuity will da''le the audience. (et me give you a reality check) $our audience will remem#er more a#out who sat with them than anything you say. *ven i your #est lines would"ve made +hurchill envious! some listeners will still iddle with their smart phones. &n writing a speech! you have two o#,ectives) -aking a good impression and leaving your audience with two or three takeaways. The rest is ,ust entertainment. .ow can you make those crucial points/ +onsider these strategies)

1) Be Memorable: Sounds easy in theory. O course! it takes discipline and imagination to pull it o . -any times! an audience may only remem#er a single line. 0or e1ample! 2ohn 0. Kennedy is #est known or this declaration in his 1341 inaugural address) %And so! my ellow Americans! ask not what your country can do or you5 ask what can do or your country. Technically! the line itsel uses contrast to gra# attention. -ore important! it encapsulated the main point o Kennedy"s speech) We must su#limate ourselves and serve to achieve the greater good. So ollow Kennedy"s e1ample) +ondense your theme into a 16780 word epigram and #uild everything around it top7to7#ottom. There are other rhetorical devices that leave an impression. 0or e1ample! 9onald 9eagan re erred to America as %a shining city on the hill in speeches. The image evoked religious heritage! reedom! and promise. And listeners associated those sentiments with 9eagan"s message. +onversely! speakers can de y their audience"s e1pectations to get notice. &n the movie Say Anything! the valedictorian undercut the canned optimism o high school graduation speeches with two words) %:o #ack. &n doing so! she le t her audience speechless; or a moment! at least. -etaphors;Analogies;Surprise;A1ioms. They all work. $ou ,ust need to #uild up to them;and place them in the #est spot <pre era#ly near the end=.

Object 2

2) Have a Structure: Think back on a terrible speech. What caused you to lose interest? Chances are, the speaker veered off a logical path. Years ago, our CEO spoke at our national meeting. He started, promisingly enough, by outlining the roots of the 2008 financial collapse. Halfway through those bullet points, he jumped to emerging markets in Vietnam and Brazil. Then, he drifted off to 19th century economic theory. By the time he closed, our CEO had made two points: He needed ADD medication and a professional speechwriter!

Audiences e1pect two things rom a speaker) A path and a destination. They want to know where you"re going and why. So set the e1pectation near your opening on what you"ll #e covering. As you write and revise! ocus on structuring and simpli ying. 9emove anything that"s e1traneous! contradictory! or con using. 9emem#er) & it doesn"t help you get your core message across! drop it. 3) Dont Waste the Opening: Too o ten! speakers s>uander the time when their audience is most receptive) The opening. Sure! speakers have people to thank. Some pro#a#ly need time to get com orta#le on stage. &n the meantime! the audience silently su ers. When you write! come out swinging. Share a shocking act or statistic. Tell a humorous anecdote related to your #ig idea. Open with a >uestion ? and have your audience raise their hands. :et your listeners engaged early. And keep the preliminaries short. $ou"re already losing audience mem#ers every minute you talk. +apitali'e on the goodwill and momentum you"ll en,oy in your earliest moments on stage. 4) Strike the Right Tone: Who is my audience/ Why are they here/ And what do they want/ Those are >uestions you must answer #e ore you even touch the key#oard. Writing a speech involves meeting the e1pectations o others! whether it"s to in orm! motivate! entertain! or even challenge. To do this! you must adopt the right tone. (ook at your message. @oes it it with the spirit o the event/ Will it dra o!t the best in people" .ere"s a #it o advice) & you"re speaking in a pro essional setting! ocus on #eing up#eat and upli ting. There"s less risk. Aoet -aya Angelou once noted! %&"ve learned that people will orget what you said! people will orget

what you did! #ut people will never orget how you made them eel. *ven i your audience orgets everything you said! consider your speech a success i they leave with a smile and a greater sense o hope and purpose. That"s a message in itsel . And it"s one they"ll share. #) $!mani%e &o!rsel': $ou and your message are one7and7the7 same. & your audience doesn"t #uy into you! they"ll resist your message too. &t"s that simple. Bo dou#t! your #ody language and delivery will leave the #iggest impression. Still! there are ways you can use words to connect.

Object 3

Crack a one liner about your butterflies; everyone can relate to being nervous about public speaking. Share a story about yourself, provided it relates to (or transitions to) your points. Throw in references to your family, to reflect youre trustworthy. And write like youre having a casual conversation with a friend. Youre not preaching or selling. Youre just being you. On stage, you can be you at your best.

() Repeat &o!rsel': We"ve all #een there. When someone is speaking! we"ll dri t o to a +ari##ean #each or the Auto#ahn. Or! we"ll ind ourselves lost and lustered when we can"t grasp a concept. Once you"ve allen #ehind! it"s nearly impossi#le to pay attention. What"s the point/ &n writing a speech! repetition is the key to leaving an impression. .ammer home key words! phrases! and themes. Always #e looking or places to tie #ack and rein orce earlier points. And repeat critical points as i they were a musical re rain.

As a teenager! my coach continuously reminded us that %nothing good happens a ter midnight. .e"d lecture us on the dangers o partying! ighting! peer pressure! and >uitting. A ter a while! my teammates and & ,ust rolled our eyes. *ventually! we encountered those temptations. When &"d consider giving in! coach would growl %Schmitty disapprovingly in my head. @espite my resistance! coach had ound a way to get me to college unscathed. .e simply repeated his message over7and7over until it stuck. Some audience mem#ers may get annoyed when you repeat yoursel . Cut don"t worry how they eel today. +oncern yoursel with this >uestion) What will they remem#er si1 months rom now/ )) *se Transitions: Sometimes! audiences won"t recogni'e what"s important. That"s why you use transitional phrases to signal intent. 0or e1ample! take a rhetorical >uestion like %What does this mean ? and ollow it with a pause. Silence gets attention ? and this tactic creates anticipation <along with awakening those who"ve dri ted o =. Similarly! a phrase like %So here"s the lesson also captures an audience"s interest. &t alerts them that something important is a#out to #e shared. *ven i they weren"t paying attention #e ore! they can tune in now and catch up. +) ,n-l!de Theatri-s: @uring his workshops! @r. Stephen +ovey would ill a glass #owl nearly ull with sand. 0rom there! he"d ask a volunteer to place rocks into the #owl. &n the e1ercise! rocks represented essentials like amily! ,o#! worship! and e1ercise! while the #owl signi ied the volunteer"s time and energy. &t never ailed) The volunteer couldn"t it every rock in the #owl. The sand ? which em#odied day7to7day activities like transporting children! shopping! or reading ? took up too much space. Something had to #e cut. Dsually! it was something essential.

Object 4

Covey would then encourage his volunteer to consider another option: Start with placing a rock in the bowl, adding some sand, and then alternating rocks and sand until the bowl was full. Like magic, there was suddenly enough space for both, as the sand gradually filled any gaps between the rocks. The message: Maintain balance. Never lose sight of the essentials as you tend to the day-to-day (and vice versa).

O course! +ovey could"ve made his point ver#ally and moved on. &nstead! he illustrated it with household items in a way his audience wouldn"t soon orget. & you have a smaller audience <or a video screen=! consider incorporating visuals. Keep the props! storyline! and lesson simple. When you"re done! leave everything out to sym#oli'e your point to your audience. Whatever you do! don"t play it sa e. & you do! your speech will #e orgotten in no time. .) /nd Strong: &n 800E! & attended a @irect -arketing Association <@-A= con erence. & don"t recall much a#out our keynote speaker! e1cept that he was tall and southern. & can"t even remem#er what his address was a#out. Cut &"ll never orget the story he used to close his speech. The speaker was a riend o 2erry 9ichardson! owner o the B0("s +arolina Aanthers. A ew years earlier! the Aanthers had dra ted a iery wide receiver named Steve Smith. While Smith e1celled on the ield! he was a nightmare in the locker room. *ventually! Smith was arrested or assaulting a teammate during ilm study. Already reeling rom #ad pu#licity rom other player incidents! 9ichardson was pressured to cut Smith. Cut he chose a di erent

path. 9ichardson vowed to spend more time with Smith. .e decided that Smith would #e #etter served with guidance and caring than urther punishment. *ventually! 9ichardson"s patience paid o . Smith #ecame the Aanthers" all7time leading receiver ? and scored a touchdown in their only Super Cowl appearance. &n act! Smith still plays or the Aanthers to this day. & the speaker intended to remind me how power ul that personal attention and orgiveness could #e! he succeeded in spades. 0act is! your close is what your audience will remem#er. So recap your #iggest takeaway. Tie everything together. Share a success story. -ake a call to action. @on"t hold anything #ack. $our ending is what audience will ultimately talk a#out when they head out the door. 10) 1eep it Short: What is the worst sin o pu#lic speaking/ &t"s trying to do too muchF $our audience"s attention will naturally wane a ter a ew minutes. They have other places to #e ? and don"t want to #e held hostage. And the longer you stay on stage! the more likely you are to stray and make mistakes. So make your points and sit down. Bever orget) This is their time! not yours.
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