|
Articles on Speech Writing and Preparation
|
|
|
Blast Off to Big Results: Openings Set the Tone When you stand up to speak, you have no guarantees
that your audience will listen intently to your every word. We
all know that behind those "I'm-all-ears" looks, your listeners'
minds can wander. Think about how much your mind has wandered
during other people's presentations! Finding Speech Topics - Top 10 Sources Finding speech topics on your own is possible with these ten research sources for public speakers. You're out of ideas, need some fresh input, don't know where to start? Find inspiration in the next top 10 list: Using Stories to Bring Your Audience into Your World ”...Once upon a time…” “Let me tell you about the time I spent in the mountains all night by myself – unexpectedly…” If you really want to draw your audience closer to you, tell a story. Public Speaking And Using Humour
The whole point of public
speaking is to give your
audience something to take with
them. Rather it be something of
entertainment, something of
persuasion, and even just some
new and interesting facts. You
will want your audience members
to be able to say that they
learned something or that they
don’t waste their time listening
to you. You will find that it
can be hard to break through and
audience, but you will want to
use your emotions to convince
them that they are getting
something out of the time that
they are spending with you.You
will need to use different tools
in working the system. One of
the best tools to use is humour.
Public Speaking:How to Close a SpeechOne of the worst mistakes you can make as a public speaker is talking too long. Not only will you send some folks to never, never land, you will make some of them downright mad. It doesn't matter if your entire speech was brilliant and the audience came away with information that will change their lives. If you talk too long, they will leave saying, "That speaker just wouldn't quit." Don't let this happen to you! Say what you have to say and sit down. Before you do, give them a well thought out closing.
Use Visual Aids in your Next Presentation Professor Albert Mehrabian did a lot of research into how we take in information during a presentation. He concluded that 55% of the information we take in is visual and only 7% is text. There are some important conclusions that we can take in from this information Clean the Wax from Your Words - Using Effective Language for Public Speaking In ancient days, Roman sculptors sometimes sought to conceal surface cracks in a statue with the aid of melted beeswax. A buyer, deceived into believing that he was purchasing a flawless piece of marble, would place such a statue proudly in his atrium. A few weeks later the beeswax would dry out, crumble away, and leave the original cracks exposed. This trickery became so prevalent, reputable sculptors began to guarantee their works as sine cera — which means, in Latin, without wax. How to Write and Deliver a Dynamite Speech - Step One: Define Your Core MessageA dynamite speech is built upon a strong foundation of form and structure. I call this the architecture of the speech. Without the proper form and structure – the right elements organized in the right order – your speech may collapse in on you while you’re standing there in front of your audience. Maybe that’s already happened to you and you don’t want it to happen again.
Goal: To be perceived by the audience as credible and qualified to speak about your topic, while adapting to audience conditions. How to Create A Speech from Scratch Even if you're not a professional speaker, you will often have to present a speech for a client, a civic group, a trade association, or a social club. By a "speech" I don't mean a report or a facilitation of a meeting. I mean that you're responsible for delivering information to a group of people for at least 30 minutes or more in an engaging and positive manner. Piece of cake. Here are the basic components of a first-rate presentation:
PRESENTATION PLANNING -
DRAW A LOGIC TREE In constructing a logic tree, a presenter starts with the main idea, the one thing that he or she wants the decision makers to remember or do. See Fig. 1. Things To Consider Before The SpeechUsing your review tools to finish your speech is one of the key to success. When you are not writing your speech your mind is relaxed and will ponder on thoughts that could prove helpful. Review those thoughts to see if anything comes out that can fit into your speech. How to Be A Great Speaker-Tomorrow Speaking to a trade or professional group-or to a client's employees-is really quite simple. If you're not a professional speaker and want to become one, or are one and want to do it better, here are some shortcuts in one concise article. (And these rules apply to managers at meetings, executives at conferences, presenters at board meetings, and anyone else seeking to influence an audience.) Incorporate Humour in your next Presentation
Some speakers say, “I could never use
humour in my speech; I just don’t feel comfortable
with it.” I believe that anyone can use humour and
that it is a valuable tool in speaking. Appropriate
humour relaxes an audience and makes it feel more
comfortable with you as the speaker; humour can
bring attention to the point you are making; and
humour will help the audience better remember your
point. It can break down barriers so that the
audience is more receptive to your ideas.
Determining Your Purpose
There are many types of speeches depending upon the speaker's intention, and a clear purpose statement will lead to a clear thesis statement. Reports are often given for the purpose of providing bases for action. Fact-finding boards, investigating committees, and boards of inquiry all serve as means of obtaining information to be transmitted to an action agency. This article offers guidelines and related links concerning the purpose of your public speech. Give a Great Talk, Part 2In " Give a Great Talk, Part 1," I revealed the number one secret for becoming a great public speaker: When speaking to a group, you look into the audience as you begin talking. Find one person who is looking back at you, and make eye contact. Then, talk JUST TO THAT ONE PERSON ... as if the two of you were having a private, one-on-one conversation. I've been giving talks for more than a quarter of a century, and I've found only a handful of additional secrets. Let me share them with you now ... Preparing to Speak in PublicIn making a speech, it is vital that the speaker gets the message across clearly to his listeners. The audience should get what it is exactly that you want them to know. The length of the speech is irrelevant as long as it fits the time frame you have been given and covers all the bases. These bases are the issue, the facts concerning it, the options they have and the proposal that you and your organization wants to bring up. A Short Guide to Effective Public SpeakingBy: Stephen D. Boyd Delivering an effective presentation to 20 or to 200 people is difficult. Because listeners have better access to information since the internet became commonplace, audiences expect more content from speakers today. In addition, because of the entertainment slant of most media today, audiences want a presentation delivered with animation, humor, and pizzazz. If you would rather spend your time preparing your content than reading a book on public speaking, this is an article especially for you! From my experiences in delivering over l500 speeches during the past 20 years, here is a quick guide to giving an effective and interesting presentation your very first time. Public Speaking: The Power Of Words
Words hurt, heal, motivate, and
aggravate. They are powerful. They control emotions
and can even control a person physically.
Mind Mapping your Speaking
Presentation
You have a speaking presentation to make.
You have been given a topic or have chosen one and there are a multitude of
ideas buzzing around in your head. Or maybe there is a frightening LACK of
ideas! Or maybe you can think of no way to organise those thoughts into
something memorable. A mind map will help you. Why Use Humour in Your Presentations? Why should I bother using humour in my presentations? Can't I just deliver my information and sit down? You sure can! That's what most people do. The problem is that most people are not effective presenters. They are nighty-nite, snooze-inducing, say-your-prayers, hit-the-sack, unlicensed hypnotists. They are ZZZZZs presenters. They might be experts in their field and able to recite hours and hours of information on their topic, but is that effective?
Concluding Your Presentation: End With A Bang, Not With A Whimper. Structure your Speech for Maximum Impact
“Tell them what you’re going
to say. Say it. Then tell them what you said”
|