Speeches that Impress

This is the first in a series of articles that offer PRACTICAL guidance on Public Speaking. Why do I say “practical”? Because, in my career as a teacher of Public Speaking and Drama, I find that very few people can spare the time or effort to work extensively on voice, expression, body language, etc. This is especially true of the busy executive, whose time is at a premium, and who will not be expected to make a living out of speaking in public.

So it is better to offer practical advice, which can be put to use IMMEDIATELY. The minute you read this article, for example, you will already be well on your way to writing an effective speech. Print this article and file it in a file marked, “Public Speaking”. Or at least save it to disk in a folder by that name. Then, the next time you have to write a speech, there it is, waiting to help you zing your audience.

Feedback and questions, either on this article or on any other aspect of public speaking, are welcome. Please send your feedback / questions to the editor.

And now, onto SPEECHES THAT IMPRESS!

There are speeches. And there are SPEECHES. Speeches that make the audience sit up and take notice. Speeches that rouse and call an audience to action. Speeches that make an impact. Speeches that audiences never forget. What goes into making a speech unforgettable? How does one ensure that ones speech stands out from the mundane, garden-variety speeches made by others?

Start with a list of points:

This has always been the best way to start preparing for any speech. Put down, as they occur to you, all the ideas you would like to put across to the audience about the topic. Your target should be at least 20 points to start with (with more experience, you should easily be able to generate around 50 points!). Remember, the more points you have to start with, the more likely you are to say something different from the run of the mill speeches that others make. Sometimes the difference between an ordinary speech and an outstanding one is simply that the speaker says something new about the topic.

Of course, it is not easy to think of twenty points at one shot. It takes practice and, more important, creative thinking. If possible, learn the techniques of creative thinking and apply them. Imagination is effective only when applied. The more you can think in an
unconventional manner, the more likely you are to come up with something new for your audience.

Eliminate the obvious:

Once you have your list of 20 or more points, start eliminating the more obvious ones – the ones you know are said by almost everyone. Eliminate the ones that are merely previous points in different words. Be ruthless at this point. Be your own worst critic, and the audience will have nothing to criticise! You should aim towards a final list of ONLY three to four points. There is no audience on earth that can retain more than three to four points in a speech, no matter how good the speaker and how intelligent the audience. A good thumb rule to follow is “one point per minute of your speech, after subtracting one minute for opening & closing.” In other words, if you have to speak for four minutes, subtract a minute for the opening and closing of your speech. That leaves you with three minutes, meaning you need three points. Analyse each point and check if it is relevant to the topic and to the audience. Eliminate every point that you think is only marginally relevant, or that you are not too convinced about.

Put the remaining points in logical order:

Now put the points you have remaining in logical order. When you look at your decimated list of points, you will easily be able to see which point should be mentioned first, which follows that point logically and so on until you have exhausted your list. This is the order your speech is going to follow, so be extremely careful at this point. Of course, there is nothing to stop you from revising your speech afterwards, but why give yourself more trouble later on?

Write the Speech:

Now write the speech, letting it flow from one point to another. Give your speech a definite opening para, a definite middle (or body) and a definite closing para. What goes into the opening para? Not your points. Reserve those for the body of your speech. The opening para is the “attention-getting” para of your speech. You use it to set the tone of your speech and wake up the audience. You need to make the audience sit up and listen, especially if the speaker prior to you has been dull and boring. You need to tell the audience (metaphorically speaking) “Wake up! I’m here!” There are several ways to do this.

a. A good story: A good story that introduces your message is an excellent way to begin a speech. There are plenty of books that offer a collection of stories for different occasions. Some of them (the good ones) arrange them according to topic. Still others (the better ones) also include a cross-referenced index at the end.

b. A startling statement: So you’ve found out that industrial pollution is filling hospitals with cases of respiratory disease. You would like to use this fact in your speech. Excellent. But if you merely say, “too many people are getting sick because of industrial pollution”, nobody’s going to pay much attention. Try to add drama to your statement. “Breathing is killing people!” is a much better statement. It also adds intrigue to what you are saying.

c. A question. Another excellent way to start is to use a question. Rhetorical questions make people sit up and listen. “Who cares if 20 people die in Pune every day?” is a good way to start a speech on traffic accidents.

Once you’ve got your opening para organised, you can start working on the body of your speech. Keep your sentences short. Keep the language simple. Use jargon only if you are addressing an audience that understands and uses that jargon. It’s no point talking of booting a computer to a gathering of football fans. Their minds associate booting with something else. Use plenty of examples in your speech. Pepper your speech with examples that illustrate each point. Your audience will not only understand faster and better, but they will remember your points longer.

Once you have written the body of your speech, it is time to tackle the closing. The closing para underlines what you have said in the body. It rounds off the speech. The closing para gives the audience something to think about on the way home, and, hopefully, long after that. The closing para can, once again, be a story, statement or question. Generally, it is a call to action and tells the audience what you expect them to do.

Keep the speech aside:

Once you’ve finished writing the speech, keep it aside. Do something else to take your mind off the speech, preferably something active. Play a game. Go for a walk. Try to avoid passive recreation like watching TV. Even reading is not a good idea, since it is so sedentary a pastime.

While you are busy doing something else, your sub-conscious mind will evaluate and even re-write your speech for you.

Read the speech and re-write if necessary:

When you come back to the speech, read it out aloud. You can start making changes in the speech at this time. In fact, some experts recommend that you try to re-write the speech from memory before reading it again. Re-writing the speech makes it flow much better. If your write it from memory, you will also imprint your own style on it and your speech will sound more natural. If you don’t want to re-write from memory, at least listen to yourself when you read it out and try to pick out any sentences that sound unnatural.

Practise the speech:

Once you are satisfied with the way the speech is written, practise delivering it. If possible, get a friend to listen and give you feedback. Or record the speech and listen to it, looking for places where you stumble, or sound unconvinced of what you say. The more you practise your speech, the better you will be.

So, onward, Public Speakers, write your speeches that impress!

Note:
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