I’ve been standing in front of audiences for a long time, but don’t let that fool you; I still get really nervous when I do it! I find myself regretting the day I said ‘yes’ to give that speech, or the day I agreed to do that magic show, but once I commit to the audience there is no further feeling and the nerves go away (“just like that “).
I’ve dealt with audiences of over 500 people, I’ve won contests and I’ve written speeches for people and given them myself. But, despite that little flash of terror we all feel when we hear the words ‘public speaking’, there really isn’t any magic to it. Even the most nervous person can feel safe in front of an audience, and I’d like to share some of my experience with you.
Everyone has to give a speech at some point in their life, and most people don’t want to do it. Speeches can be harrowing and potentially embarrassing experiences, and because public speaking sends little shivers of terror down our spine, we often try to avoid giving them. But we don’t have to! I am going to share some trade secrets with you. Soon you’ll be giving that killer speech and you’ll have that professional edge you need.
Of course, all rules are made to be broken, but these guidelines are only meant to be structural aids. I want to help you be as original and attractive as possible, but if you want to do it your way, remember (to paraphrase Robert Mckee);
- The beginner learns the rules. The student learns to break the rules. The artist dominates the form.
How to write a speech
Some people say that speechwriting is an art form, and that may be true, but every successful speech has a recipe that includes several key ingredients:
- Synchronization
- Structure
- Length
And to do it right, you need to plan, prepare, and practice.
Calendar Why are you giving a speech?
You must remember that every speech you give has a purpose and every speech tells a story.
You should never underestimate your audience; they are an intelligent body of people, and a group makes a decision very quickly. Regardless of what genre of speech you attempt, you should keep your story simple, entertaining, and easy to follow.
You have to get their attention and keep it. A good speech will have people on the edge of their seats; it will affect your listener and may change their perceptions. Remember, a powerful speech has rhetoric; a brilliant one has the audience.
Prepare before you start
Think about what you need to say before you start writing; know your audience and set the tone.
A reckless tone of voice will put you on the wrong foot. Public speakers must be very aware of audience expectations. Not to be too obvious, but a farewell speech at a retirement party will be quite different from a prayer at a funeral. In both cases you need to cheer up your audience, but you don’t want to start telling embarrassing stories about the guy in the coffin next to you. But it’s always up to you to judge, and that can be the hardest.
You need to ask yourself what you need to achieve. Are you presenting facts and figures? Do you need to persuade your audience or are you on their side?
What kind of speech is it?
Debate I experienced some powerful public speaking recently. I was in the audience watching three speakers discuss the national strike action affecting university professors, students and management.
One speaker introduced himself as a neutral party. I can’t for the life of me remember or understand why he was there, another had my support and the other was quite hostile.
By the end of the debate I had completely changed my position. The neutral part faded into the background, but my initial hostility was reversed by powerful words, an excellent series of points, and emotional language. One speaker lost my support; he-gave a planned, but ill-judged speech. He came across as manipulative, uncaring and genuinely mean.
I’m pretty sure this isn’t the case, but it was a lesson to me: never underestimate the audience, facts and figures don’t speak for themselves, and the audience, if worked properly, can change.
For the professional debater;
List each point or anecdote and use spider charts to cover additional ideas you may have.
Classify them; choose your strongest points, leave your weakest ones.
Now you can start structuring.
The structure of a speech will depend on its purpose. Here I provide an example for a discussion/speech. A farewell speech, a best man speech, a thank you speech, a funeral oration, etc., will need to be treated very differently.
Each point you have on your spider diagram has a logical place, so list each point chronologically and write your speech accordingly. Keep your points in their intended order; the speech will seem more powerful if it follows a logical progression.
This is what your plan would look like;
Five minute speech:
1. Introduce yourself and present your position on the issue 2. Outrageous statement – highlight the main flaw of your opponents. 3. Interact with your audience; address them directly with a rhetorical question. 4. Present the facts. 5. Compare your points with those of your opponent, highlight your strength and his weakness 6. Round up.
You also need to measure the length. Don’t write too much! As a general rule, each page should be two minutes long.
You are constantly forming an impression on your audience. Repetition can be a very effective tool, but it can also be very boring and impede the progression of your argument. If you repeat yourself, make sure you have a reason.
Practice giving the speech
The better you know your speech, the better it will be received. Never, ever, ever read directly from the page. And if you suffer from horrible nerves, there are several ways to kill them, but by far the most effective is to adopt a ‘mask’. You are not being personally judged, and you will find it easier if you are an ‘actor’ playing your own part. By the time you let go of the inhibition that’s holding you back, you’ll find yourself speaking in style, your audience will enjoy it, and so will you.
It is up to you to plan, prepare and practice and if you do, you will be successful. Good luck!