There’s no doubt that before you deliver any speech, even a short one, you have to mentally and physically prepare for it. But more than just getting your clothes pressed or your shoes shined, you need to know what you’re going to say and how you’re going to talk about it. Therefore, making a speech requires a little thought and a lot of planning.
Speech Topics
If you’re going to make a speech from scratch, the first thing to do is go straight to the heart of the matter—look for something worthwhile to talk about.
Choosing a Relevant Topic
The word “relevant” is relative, so you need to think about the following:
1. Consider your audience. No matter how good a speaker you are, it’s hard to talk about subjects your audience is not familiar with. So ask yourself—who are you talking to? Do they belong to a particular demographic? What topics interest them? What ideas do you think they can relate with? Keep these in mind when selecting an appropriate topic.
2. Be timely. Look for subjects that are relevant or in keeping with the times. If your topic is about etiquette, for example, look at how etiquette is practiced in the modern era, say, with email and cell phones. Read current events online or on the newspapers. Even if you won’t be able to make a speech out of the news, perhaps you can pick up stories that will spark some good ideas.
3. Go with what you know. Think about your background and pick up ideas that fall under your expertise. It’s easier of course to talk about things you already know. You’ll find you can speak with more confidence about them. Remember, though, to still consider your audience, as not everyone present can claim to be experts in your field. As much as possible, speak in simple and easy to understand terms.
Speech Ideas
Topic alone does not guarantee you have a good speech, no matter how timely or relevant it is. You need to come up with some good ideas to beef it up. In other words you need to come up with your angle.
Your angle is how you will approach your topic. This depends largely on what you want your speech to accomplish. Do you want to inform your audience, or convince them? Do you want to instruct or to inspire? Do you want to motivate, or to congratulate? Clarify your objective. Once you’ve figured out your angle, it will be easier to come up with interesting ideas to talk about.
Make an Impact
Audience impact is a combination of how well you speak, how you present yourself, and how you present your topic. This topic can fill up an entire chapter, but when it comes to presenting your content, here are some techniques to elicit a positive response from your audience:
1. Start with something interesting. Clichéd as it sounds, you may begin with a famous quote. Or you can give a joke or a funny anecdote. Stories never go out of style, because everyone loves a good story.
2. Start low, end high. Begin with a quite tone, then add more energy when you reach interesting or important parts, particularly near the end.
3. Make your speech memorable by ending with a quick summary. Restate the main points of your speech. If you can embody your summary with a dramatic device like a quote or a story, all the better.
4. Finally, inject some passion into your speech. People are drawn to emotion. You can have the most relevant topic in the world, yet bore people to tears if you seem unfeeling throughout your presentation. Remember, people don’t care what you know until they know that you care.
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