Be it a wedding, a birthday party, or a corporate celebration – there will come a time in your life when you’ll have to deliver a message in front of people. For people not fond of public speaking, the thought of addressing a crowd can be a harrowing prospect. But with the right preparation and by gathering up courage, anyone can deliver an effective speech – and wing it! How does one organize thoughts for a formal address? And what are experts’ top tips on how to write a good speech? Read on to find out.
Preparing for a Speech
The process of preparing for a speech is crucial to delivering an effective one. Why do you think politicians, business moguls, and other vital personalities spend good money to hire speechwriters?
Some people work hard to impress the people listening to their speech. However, it’s more significant to focus your energies more on trying to express what it is that you want to tell your audience.
In short, express, rather than impress.
When preparing for a speech, it’s essential to ask yourself the following questions:
What Will be the Purpose of My Speech?
One of the crucial elements of how to write a good speech is identifying its purpose from the get-go.
What is it that you want to achieve with your speech? What do you want the audience to feel during and after you deliver your piece?
Is your speech meant to inspire? Is it meant to encourage people to do an action? Are you trying to persuade your audience to believe in something or someone?
Your aim will determine the composition of your piece, as well as the examples you might need to include so that the speech could serve its purpose.
Who Is My Audience?
Another critical factor that will determine the tone of your speech is your audience. Speaking to a crowd of senior citizens is surely miles away from delivering a speech in front of millennial wedding guests.
You wouldn’t want your audience to be bored. And the worst you can do is offending anyone during your speech.
Upon identifying your audience, it’s best to use anecdotal situations, terminologies, and examples that are familiar to them. This process would help them relate to you even more and encourage them to remain engaged throughout your speech.
How Long is My Time Allowance to Give the Speech?
An average person speaks at a rate of 125 to 150 words per minute. This approximation means that if you’re tasked to deliver your speech in 15 minutes, you’ll have to be ready with a piece that has approximately 1,875 to 2,250 words.
Though you’re not expected to deliver your piece throughout the exact time given, the length of your speech is crucial.
You wouldn’t want to ramble away to compensate for a piece that’s too short. If you’re not the only one speaking in the event, a speech that’s too short can make you stick out like a sore thumb.
Coming up with a piece that’s too long is also not ideal. It would be a pity to cut-off significant parts of your speech to comply with time restrictions. In some cases, going over the given time may be considered impolite.
Top Tips on How to Write a Good Speech
Here are some tips on how to create an effective speech:
Outline Your Main Ideas
The first thing you’d want to do when drafting your speech is to outline the ideas you want to express.
Creating an outline would allow you to construct the skeleton of your piece and control the flow of thoughts throughout the speech.
It will make it easier for you to better plan how to transition from one point to another. The process of drafting an outline also lets you rearrange speech elements as needed.
Double Check Your Facts
The last thing you’d want to do is to address the crowd and mention inaccurate or completely wrong information.
One could imagine how getting facts straight is especially significant for professional or career-related speeches. However, it’s also crucial to double-check facts for other types of occasions such as weddings. It would be awkward to mention a wrong date or place significant to the wedded couple!
Make sure that you check names, positions, designations, and other information before finalizing your draft.
Know the Basic Structure
A speech’s basic structure is composed of three parts: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.
The introduction is a chance for you to catch your audience’s attention and hook them to listen to the rest of your speech. This part should tell listeners why they need to hear the points you’ll be talking about and what they would get out of it.
The body includes relevant ideas that express your message one point at a time. Be sure only to include elements that all connect and work together to make a cohesive piece.
The conclusion summarizes everything you just told your audience. This segment is crucial because it’s often the part that stays with the listeners after the speech is over.
Write As You Talk
No one wants to listen to a speech that sounds fake and all fluff. It’s essential to draft a piece that feels as natural as can be to get the audience engaged.
One way to do this is to write as you talk. When drafting the speech, use the words you’d typically use when you’re talking. Delivering your address in a conversational tone will also help a lot in making your audience feel as if you’re having a conversation.
Don’t Be Afraid to Revise
One of the essential tips on how to write a good speech is to read your piece, critique it, and revise as needed. You must never be afraid to change your drafts if it’s to improve the content and format of your composition.
Another thing you can do to refine your piece is to have your speech critiqued by another person. Ideally, this person is someone akin to your audience. This process could help catch anything that needs to be improved. Someone else’s constructive comments could also give you a fresh perspective on your piece.
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