In 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 good introduction to the delivery of your presentation is extremely important. The first minute or so sets the stage for the rest of your talk.
You should start with an upbeat, positive mood. The first impression you make lasts. You want to quickly gain the attention, interest, and respect of your audience. Your first words should be lively, interesting, clear, and simple.
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The voice of authority is one that any audience will respond to. However, all too often you and I just don't represent enough of an authority figure to command that level of respect from an audience that didn't know us before we started to speak to them. If we want to wrap up our speech in a way that will leave a lasting impression with our audience, we need to find a way to use a voice of authority to deliver our last few words to them...
Bring In Moses
It really doesn't matter what your religious beliefs are (or for that matter, what the religious beliefs of the members of your audience are). That's because everyone knows the story of Moses: he went up the mountain, got some instructions on how to live his life, and came back down with the 10 commandments written on two stone tablets.
What this means for you as a speaker is that your audience is already primed and ready to "receive" 10 commandments from you - and they will instantly associate them with the story of Moses. In fact, they may even start to treat you as if you were Moses and the "10 commandments" that you are presenting to them will be treated as if they come from a higher power.
No matter how this unfolds, presenting your closing points in the form of 10 concise statements makes them very easy to both understand and remember. What you are doing is making it easy for your audience to grasp your main points and to remember them long after your speech is over.
Use An Authoritative Quote To Close
Often times there is a single individual who is associated with the topic that we are talking about. If we're talking about people getting along, Gandhi or Dr. Martin Luther King comes to mind. If it were about space travel then Neil Armstrong would be one of the first people that we'd think about.
Since your audience already knows about this person and the fact that they are somehow a figure of authority in regards to the topic that you are talking about, why not invite them to say a few words during the closing of your speech.
By taking the time to research your subject area and to identify the individuals who are the authority figures for that area, you are already well on your way to winning your audience over. Now take the time to study the quotes that those important figures have made - which one most closely aligns with the closing message that you want to leave with your audience?
When you use a quote from an authority figure, for a brief moment it is as if that person was in the room. With a little luck and if you've selected the right quote, then it will also appear as though they are endorsing or echoing what you've just said. This is what it takes to make sure that your message makes a lasting impact on your audience.
What All Of This Means For You
No matter how fantastic the opening of your speech is or how many powerful points you made during the body of your speech, it's really how you go about closing the speech that will make the difference. Now you have two more ways to do this well.
Using the 10 Commandments closing technique allows you to boil down the main points in your speech into "10 commandments". Your audience will recognize this format and will treat it with additional respect. You can also use authoritative quotes as a way to include an authoritative figure in your closing and make it appear as though they endorse the points that you have made.
In order for your speech's closing to make an impact on your audience, it must have authority. No matter if you choose to create your own 10 commandments or if you invite a respected figure to provide a quote for you to use, adding this kind of authority to your closing will ensure that you end your speech on a high note.
Dr. Jim Anderson
http://www.blueelephantconsulting.com/
Your Source For Real World Public Speaking Skills™
Do you give speeches today, but want to learn how be more effective? Dr. Jim Anderson believes that great business skills are no substitute for poor presentation skills. Dr. Anderson will share with you the knowledge that he has gained while working to improve the speaking ability of both individuals and teams of speakers for over 20 years. Learn the secrets of effective speakers and really connect with your audience during your next speech.
If you want to follow Dr. Anderson on Twitter, he can be found at: http://twitter.com/drjimanderson
So you have to give a speech! It could be for a friend's wedding, for an eulogy, or a presentation at work. No matter what the reason if you are not used to public speaking your first thought might be "how can I get out of it." But don't panic as I can help you overcome your fears with organizing a speech.
A good speech that you are complemented on is great for your self-esteem. Good preparation and practice at least twenty times is the key to success and helps deal with nervousness.
I have been public speaking since 2006 and can help you get organized. Here is what I do when organizing a speech.
All speeches have five essential steps in the following order.
1. A Goal
A goal is essential for organizing a speech. It is never part of the speech but is a guide to organizing a clear and meaningful message. Discussing everything possible about a subject is usually impossible because of time constraints and of not overwhelming your audience with information.
A goal therefore contains only one idea that specifies the speech's purpose. It maybe to persuade, entertain or inform.
Here is an example of an effective speech goal for a Best Man speech.
"I want my audience to know the three reasons why John and Emma are the perfect couple."
2. The Preview Statement
The preview statement is a direct result of the speech Goal. The Preview Statement should be one complete sentence that highlights the three or four things you want to say about a particular topic. Your preview statement lets the audience know what is coming in the speech.
An example for the best Man speech would be:
"The three reasons John and Emma are the perfect couple is because they love each other, they laugh with each other and they learn from each other."
This will be the last sentence of your introduction which I will discuss in step 4.
3. Main Points
The main points make up the bulk of your speech. Your main points should be consistent with your preview statement and be in the same order because your audience now has an expectation about what you will say.
Your first main point is "they love each other." You can then fill in the reasons, examples or stories.
Your second main point is "they laugh with each other." You could tell a funny story or something funny that might have happened.
Your third main point is that "they learn from each other." You could explain how much they have changed and grown since meeting.
4. Introduction
Many people think that writing an introduction is the first step to planning a speech. This is not true. The reason I have put it at number four is because it is important to know what the speech is about before you tackle the introduction.
An introduction must grab the audience attention and make sense with the rest of the speech and should set a tone. Is it funny, somber, serious or urgent? It can come in many forms: a story, a joke, or even a song. Use your preview statement as the last sentence to lead into your main body content as mentioned in number two.
5. Conclusion
The conclusion, in part, is a repeat of your preview statement. So you could start the conclusion by saying the example from the best man's speech as follows:So "The three reasons John and Emma are the perfect couple is because they love each other, they laugh with each other and they learn from each other."
This will let the audience know the speech is ending. You can then give a brief outline of the body of the speech to complete the conclusion.
Organizing a speech helps your audience follow your message and they will walk away remembering your key points. It is also great for self-confidence. You can do it!
Terry Luffman is the creator of Get Self Improvement. Visit My Site to find out more information and articles on Self Improvement and Overcoming Fears that will help you with giving a speech.
Visualisation is a very useful tool in preparing for a presentation.
Visualise the feelings you have as you present. They will help you prepare for passion. They will also let you know if you are being authentic.
Visualise the audience – who they are, what they are thinking, how they are responding. Everything about your speech has to be geared to those things.
Visualise the audience members as they stand to leave. What are they thinking now? What will they do in response to you presentation? And you will know, very simply, the core message of your speech.
The answers to all of these will guide you as you work through preparing your speech.
Preparing your speech and writing appropriate stories can be a challenge at the best of times, but the real challenge is in using and writing those stories in such a way that they really engage your audience.
First, think about how other speakers and presenters manage to grab your attention. Sure, their stories about themselves may be amusing but as with anybody who is all about "me me me", you can find your concentration drifting. What really grabs your attention, and keeps it, is when the presenter talks about things that relate to you... so it's more "you you you" than "me me me".
A successful storyteller engages their audience by telling stories that elicit responses like, "Wow, that's happened to me, too!", and "Yeah, I've seen that happen!", and feelings of sympathy and empathy because for whatever reason, they can identify with your story. You may be telling a story about yourself, but in their minds it is about them and everyone is interested in themselves, right?
The secret to connecting with your audience is by bonding with them on an honest level. Honesty can be funny or it can be sad, but everyone can relate to the human condition. At some stage of our lives we have all experienced something similar that made us laugh or cry or just want to go hide under a rock. So don't just talk at your audience - talk to them in an honest way.
When you are preparing a story, relate it to your intended audience. A popular presentation these days, as in most economies, is addressing small business owners who are struggling to reach success. So think back to a time when you were struggling, but through sheer determination and perseverance you managed to hang in there and come through relatively unscathed. So what was it you did, exactly, that helped you through your trying times? It's one thing to say to your audience, "think positively" - but put yourself in their shoes, listening to this advice. These are empty words unless you can demonstrate their effectiveness. Just HOW does one think positively and use that advice day to day? How did you do it? Did you catch yourself with each negative thought and say "cancel, cancel" and replace it with a positive one? If you became too downhearted, did you take yourself off to the gym to sweat it out? Did you watch a funny movie to lighten your mood? Did you visit a homeless shelter and volunteer? What was it you did?
Think about all the emotions and experiences you had that your audience has likewise experienced and spin the story to relate to them. You'll want to explain your own feelings during your own time of difficulty so they can identify with them, and once you have them on side, then you teach them how to keep going when the going is tough, because then they will know you have been in their shoes and if you succeeded, maybe they can too if they listen to you.
Don't turn your talk into a glorified lecture, preaching to the audience about how clever you are. There are a lot of 'guru's out there who like to tell their audience how successful and wealthy they are and became that way despite difficult economies, near bankruptcies, etc. and this information is not only taken with a pinch of salt by some, but is totally unhelpful to them. How does knowing that you are so filthy rich and successful that they should be grateful you spared the time to come talk to them help them? They didn't come to hear how clever you think you are or how rich and successful you are now. They came to hear you talk about your similar problems and learn new ways of managing their own challenges. Of course, at some stage you will want to tell them that you came through struggles and became successful, but talk about it in a way that is tasteful - don't brag - show your humility. You are offering them hope, not a look into the life of Mr or Mrs Clever Pants and if they buy X or do X or hire you, they will be as clever. Audiences are becoming savvier. Maybe they really will be doing themselves a favor if they buy X or hire you, but the secret is to let them come to this realization and make it easy for them to find your products or reach you.
You are talking about grave matters that weigh people down - they were already weighed down when they signed up for your talk... are you going to send them home as heavy as when they arrived? Will that make you a memorable speaker? The trick is to share your wisdom but in an entertaining manner. If you entertain your audience, you will have their undivided attention. I'm not suggesting you turn all your speeches into comedy routines because that has its time and place, but what I am suggesting is you mingle your sad stories with some humorous stories. Get your audience to laugh - share an embarrassing moment - people love to laugh at others! Some of the best laughs have come from stories where pain was mingled with humor. An oft used example of this is when talking about a much loved deceased friend or family member... one minute you'll be teary eyed and the next laughing your head off. Life is like that. It is okay to find humor in grave situations, provided it doesn't hurt or insult your audience. It must be tasteful.
Don't just throw your stories into the speech willy-nilly. A great talk is like a book - it has a beginning, a middle and an ending. You must start by grabbing their attention right from the start, getting them to identify with you and wanting to hear more. This is where great stories come into play. Regardless of how much more successful and rich you may be than your audience, you want them thinking that you are one of them, not some smarty pants come to preach at them. Here is where you need to establish rapport with your audience.
How do you want your audience to react by the end of your talk? Crying? Laughing? Deep in thought? Primed for action and raring to go? The end of your talk must make a powerful impact on them. You don't want to look like you are deliberately trying to get a laugh or tears out of them... it should come naturally. This is where you save your best story for last... the most powerful story... the one that will elicit the required response. This is where you must allow yourself to be vulnerable, to remind them you are one of them and to enable them to feel a rapport with you and your message. Your final story may be the one they most remember, so make it count. If you are hoping for donations, appeal to their better natures; if you want support for a special cause, pull at their heartstrings; if you want them to lighten up and think positively, leave them laughing and feeling good about themselves and hopeful for the future...
Make sure you rehearse - tape yourself or video yourself to ensure you are achieving your speaking goal. Is your humorous anecdote as funny when you say it as it looks on paper? How best to deliver it then? How are your facial expressions and mannerisms? Do your words say one thing but your face says another? Look for areas of improvement and practice... because practice makes perfect.
Peter "The Reinvention Guy" Fogel is a humorist, speaker, seminar leader and proud member of the National Speakers Association has appeared on over 22 television shows. He delivers presentations on humor, reinvention, copywriting and marketing to corporation and associations across America and parts of Jersey. As an information marketer he is also the creator of Peter Fogel's Guide to Effective Public Speaking. For more information on his products, or to sign up for his FREE 7 Days to Effective Public Speaking E-course, go to http://www.publicspeaklikeapro.com.
Inspirational speeches inspire an audience to be something different. A motivational one on the other hand motivates them to do. The two can sometimes become one. A general might, for instance, in one speech inspire his troops to love their country and motivate them to fight for it.
So inspirational speeches reach into the souls of people and convince them that they can be braver or more brilliant. It might inspire people to help with the homeless or the victims of an earthquake. Inspirational speeches inspire people to be better citizens or fuller human beings.
The opening of such a speech is critical. You have to grab the attention of your audience in a way that they won't become distracted. You will want them to hang on to every word you say. So it is good to challenge them in some way at the beginning by telling them perhaps to Make more of what you have. Then you can list the qualities they might already have such as kindness, musical alibility, generosity or an organizational bent. Your speech can continue by telling them to enhance those qualities by consciously using them to help others.
It is good to give examples in an inspirational speech. The fundraiser might speak of what Mother Theresa of Calcutta could achieve in her lifetime. He or she might speak of the legacy she has left behind, of how the other nuns in her order are carrying out her work of caring for the destitute and dying. Alternatively the speaker might speak of how an entrepreneur began his or her now multi -million dollar business in the shed at the back of his/her home.
An inspirational speech convinces the audience that they have something special to offer. It inspires them to achieve more in their lives. You might say, for instance, about luck- you can make your own. You might give the example of the person who wins lots of radio quizzes. He might be the one who always has a postcard ready, stamped and addressed to the show so his will be the first right answer sent in. He might have his computer beside him to check answers to a phone in quiz. Like the Boy Scouts he is always prepared.
Inspirational speeches are more often about changing our selves in a way that makes us help others. One of the clearest messages that comes through in many inspirational speeches is that together we can make things happen.
Niamh Crowe
Copyright Speechwriters 1994-2007
marketing@speech-writers.com
Tel. +353 1 8333599
Niamh Crowe is the CEO of the web's leading speech site ( http://www.speech-writers.com ) according to Alexa.com and Ranking.com. Online since 1994, her site has thousands of speeches for every event and occasion including birthdays, weddings, graduations etc. She lives in Ireland where she is married to Fred. They have 5 children.
~ Advertising is speech. It's regulated because it's often effective speech. ~
Jef I. Richards
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!
You can't gain support, sell ideas, or push a new initiative if people aren't listening. So, it's your job to shatter that fixed facade, grab your listeners' attention, and hold on tight. You have to earn their attention right from the beginning of your talk. Here's how:
Speakers can use numbers to support key points. But too often, speakers use their data in place of key points, piling on number after number and, in the end, driving their audience to despair. Here are a few tips on how to use numbers to good effect.
