Good speech writing techniques

EFFECTIVE SPEECH WRITING AND DELIVERY TECHNIQUESAd...

EFFECTIVE SPEECH WRITING AND DELIVERY TECHNIQUES

Adopting good speech writing techniques is the key to coming up with a practical approach for writing, preparing, and presenting effective speeches.

 Brevity is the key factor when it comes to a point when I need to write my speech and as Dorothy Parker who successfully adopted Shakespeare’s aphorism and taught us that “Brevity Is the Soul of Lingerie” and as Mark Twain also said “There are two types of public speakers. Those who get apprehensive and those who are liars” this means that as per surveys conducted, most people rather be lifeless rather than issuing a speech and personally I had the same feeling which never went away until 16 years ago when I was years old, it’s like a cloud following you like a curse.

My question is that ‘why is it that its normal to be afraid of giving a speech?’, Well I can talk about this from my own personal point of view and one of my fears was the fear of being embarrassed and maybe I wondered ‘ will I talk the first paragraph then somebody shouts ‘you’re boring!’ oh my! Or people start to text, talk to each other and some walking out of the hall. All these feelings are normal and may be accompanied by anxiety and anxiousness which I can say can be dealt with, but it takes effort-Anything worth having doesn’t come easy- Gary Hopkins

Embarrassment when it comes to delivering a speech is the core enemy, and as it may be termed as the idea of exclusion, long time ago in Africa when someone did what was contrary to the society, the person was excommunicated and never belonged to the society again, he or she could live alone just like a lone buffalo and this means you’re depressed and typically you can’t survive alone- your audience might decide to exclude you and start doing their things as if you’re not there. When it comes to speeches when the group of people you are talking to decide they will make you miserable, trust me they will, and this has happened to many people I know of and from that day they gave up on speeches. What they never understood is that when it comes to public speaking, it’s not a hard nut to crack when compared to rocket science, but it’s a bitter pill to swallow, but I will make the cross manageable to bear by running through all of these tricks that I normally use to write my speeches.

 

STEPS TO WRITING A GOOD SPEECH

 

1.    I always understand my audience

This means that as a speaker you should ensure that you understand the current issues facing your audience for example if you are a manager that has delayed making payments due for the last month you should acknowledge the fact that you know that salaries have been delayed and the issue will be sorted out ahead of schedule. Generally, you should know what your audience expects and what they are receptive. If you are talking to addicts, don’t go rushing at them on how drugs are for losers; take them slowly as you proceed to the main point.

2.    I narrow down my topic

Ensure that your topic doesn’t revolve around 40 points, no one wants to sit down and listen to a long speech, people don’t have that time and patience and therefore ensure that you slash the 40 points to only 1 or 2 major points which are easy to remember then expound on them and make them your focus points till the end of your speech. Remember, you only have like 5 minutes to give the speech the best shot-don’t make the 5 minutes seem like 2 hours to your audience.

3.    I outline my speech

Ensure that your audience has a sneak peek of what you’re about to talk about and ensure that you have also reinforced what you’ve said since if you are not aware that repeating is the most powerful speech tool, now you know, and you should utilize this free and peculiar tool to your advantage. Why repetition? Because the audience is only focused on what you’re willing to repeat over and over again-don’t fret to repeat, that’s everything that is needed. Did you know that the most famous speeches revolve around a phrase that is weird and if said today it wouldn’t make much effect? For example speeches from Socrates, Patrick Henry, Fredrick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony and many more including Ronald Reagan who once said ‘I’ve noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born’ during the presidential debate in Baltimore on September 21st, 1980.

4.    I capture the attention of my audience

Ensure you have everyone’s eyes are on you by engaging the audience fully. You can do this by giving them your personal story which is relevant to your topic, and you can also opt to cite a location for example “While I was in Portsmouth, I liked that place, by the way, …those of you living or visiting in Portsmouth; I’m sure you can relate.” You can also begin with, “what if…- this is a question which employs suspense as well, you can opt to start with a quote “If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.-Reid Hoffman.” Finally, incorporate various facts and statistics which are in-line with your topic of discussion.

5.    I ensure that my speech is organized

Do you have a purpose for your speech? If yes, then make a proper structure in line with your purpose and ensure that your transitions are well presented to avoid confusing the audience and ensure that your audience can follow up on what you said when you walked to the podium.

6.    I always use examples, statistics, and quotations

Demonstrate using examples which are in-line with the topic of your speech, and these examples might be something that happened in the past in your life or somebody else’s. Also, include data and statistics (you can acquire these in government libraries): you can use data which is credible and researchable. Quotations can also be used by either quoting someone who said something that adds value to your speech but regulates the usage of these quotations and makes your speech as original as possible. All these serve as evidence in support of what you’re saying.

7.    I always come up with a dominant conclusion

Always remember that conclusions should be memorable and straight to the point. The untold secret to coming up with a perfect conclusion is ending with a clear image painting the image of your topic, also, you can call people to action, for example, asking people to make a certain step, a decision or even contribution to a specific cause.

8.    I employ demonstration aids when suitable

You can use charts and data tables to relay your information to your audience. Charts can be one of the best methods, especially when standing on a podium and you have a projector which the audience sees. A photograph also conveys information powerfully and straightforwardly. Always be well prepared even without planning to use the visual aids since anything can go wrong with the equipment and you end up stuck.

9.    I write for the ear and not the eye

Read your speech aloud to yourself and also you can read the speech in front of a few friends to gain confidence and for critique purposes. Your friends will help you in pointing out the areas or sentences that sound weird, and you will revise accordingly before you make a fatal mistake in front of your audience by sounding unnatural. 

10.    I always time myself 

If you have only 10 minutes to give your speech, ensure that your speech aligns to that time-frame and you can be sure about this by having a stopwatch and reading out loud and clearly. Include pauses and breaks to ensure that if you have something funny that will cause laughter (distractions) then give it some more time and re-edit the speech giving reasonable time to every aspect.

 

 

BASIC STEPS IN SPEECH WRITING

1.    I always understand my audience

2.    I narrow down my topic

3.    I outline my speech

4.    I capture the attention of my audience

5.    I ensure that my speech is organized

6.    I always use examples, statistics, and quotations

7.    I always come up with a dominant conclusion

8.    I employ demonstration aids when suitable

9.    I write for the ear and not the eye

10.    I always time myself