Having an interesting opening is vital, but the body of the speech is also essential. Make a list of all the points that you wish to make. Let us say that your speech is on the benefits of having a healthy diet… You will astound you audience with a fact or statistic about the number of people who suffer obesity or illness through an unhealthy diet. Alternatively, say how much it is costing the health service to treat people who are obese. The body of your speech can be broken down into the various benefits of eating well. Here, through you research; you will expand your speech to cover the main points.

Back up every point you make with a fact. You will cite your references at the bottom of the speech. Imagine that a good speech flows smoothly like a river. You want to present a seamless piece of work that sounds relaxed and effortless. This can happen but you must prepare your speech by underlining each point and then backing it up. This applies to all types of speeches. Your speech may be one to celebrate a friend’s birthday. In this case you might not just say what a fabulous person your friend is, but why. Your audience will believe you and it will be more interesting if you mention something that illustrates why you think this, or know it to be true. All humans love stories and a speech is really just another type of story. If you illustrate your speech with human anecdotes, your audience will listen that bit more closely. Dry facts are one thing, but a speech is far more than a list of facts. It’s fact and opinion moulded into one entertaining whole.

In my next blog I will tell you how to put an end to it.

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Any piece of writing will go through stages. A speech is no different, except in one respect. A speech has to be spoken out loud. It will take a lot of work at first to refine your speech into a piece that is the right length and that can be read comfortably. Therefore two things to pay attention to are sentences that are too long, and the overall length of the speech. A good estimate is that 180 words will take one minute to say. That means a speech that lasts ten minutes will be 1,800 words long. As a rule of thumb keep your sentences short – 10 words or less.

Every speech is spoken out loud to an audience. To get that audience interested in what will follow it is essential that you make an ‘attention getter’. That should be a fact or statement that will grab the audience as something that is interesting or that needs their attention. That might be a startling statistic, or it might be a question to get them thinking. It might even be a humorous remark that will break the ice and encourage people to listen to what you have to tell them.

There are many types of speeches but they all have one thing in common. That is to communicate a piece of information, an opinion or a viewpoint. You might communicate what you know about tax to the people in your own department at work. You might give your opinion to the Residents Association about the new highway or you might tell the guests at a birthday party just how much your daughter means to you. It is all about communication. That means your speech needs to tell the audience something about you and how you feel about something. There is an old saying that rings true for many speeches and it is this: Tell them what you are going to say, tell them by actually saying and then tell them what you have just told them! A speech that is simple and straight to the point is far better than one that rambles on without form

In my next blog we will look at the actual message of the speech.

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Sometimes you have to speak about a subject you consider boring or about which you know little or nothing. That is a real challenge. So if that is the case you should try to take the topic from an unusual angle. For instance if you have to write about finance perhaps you could take the topic from the angle that we used bartering as a payment long before coinage and that shells were one of the items used before coins were invented. Alternatively, you might find out who or what is shown on coins throughout the world and that should be a history lesson in itself and could be very interesting.

The next step is to research and find out as much as you can about your subject. This is essential. . You may think you know everything, but it is surprising what you can find out through inquiry. For many types of speeches, you need to find out facts. You will include some of these facts in the speech, making note of your references. After all, in a business or public setting, somebody might ask a question from the audience and you want to be able to show you know what you are talking about. In a social setting having the facts at hand shows that you have bothered to do your homework and people will be impressed.

Those facts will be the framework of the speech. They will back up and underline what you are trying to say or explain. If you know nothing about your subject, it is time to get informed. Collect your facts and interesting “tit bits”, keep them in a notebook or file. Ask people what they think about your subject and you will be amazed at their different opinions. It will also give you an indication of how wide your speech must be to capture the imagination of an audience of perhaps hundreds. Now it is time to write your first draft.

In my next blog I will tell you how to start actually writing your speech.

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I am going to give you some advice on writing a speech. I believe this will be useful again and again in your lifetime. It will serve you well on birthdays and anniversaries. It may help me in class and it could help you socially. It could help you in your career and all in all it is no weight to carry.

It is advice that will help you develop self confidence and self esteem. I believe it is a valuable skill to have. I cannot promise to take your nerves away, but I believe that with a well written speech you will feel more confident facing the world. That can only be a good thing.

The first thing to consider when writing a speech is the topic. What subject are you going to talk about? That will depend upon the occasion and most importantly, it will depend upon the audience. You may have a choice in subject matter or you may not. In some respects I think being given a choice makes it harder.

Whatever you choose I recommend that you write your speech about something that interests you or in a topic in which you have knowledge or expertise. The reason for this is simple. It will make it easier to find something interesting to say about a subject that you enjoy. Secondly your passion and enthusiasm will communicate itself with your audience.

In my next blog I will show you the importance of a good framework for your speech.

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The key to giving a good speech is to write a good speech. It is skill that we will all need at various times throughout our lives. Sometimes the speech will only be entertaining. At other times we are communicating important information. In such a case it is vital that anything we say we say is accurate and informative. Obviously if it is entertaining as well as accurate and informative it will be even better.
Writing a sound speech is a skill that can be learned and gets better with practise. The basic rule is that you put yourself in the position of the audience. It means understanding that you must capture their attention and make them want to hear more. Obviously too it means communicating what you have to say clearly and concisely.
It is an astounding fact that many people say the fear of public speaking is worse than death. Giving a speech certainly is a nerve wracking experience. Some of those nerves are necessary. Many of the worries about giving a speech are in fact about the content of that speech. If you have written it well, you will be familiar with what you are going to say and you will be more relaxed..
If you are sharing information that is interesting and relevant, people will be more interested in your speech. That enthusiasm will connect with the audience and make your job easier.
In my next blog I will tell you how to go about it.

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There are hundreds on wonderful charities and no shortage of fundraising events. If you want to grab the attention of your audience you should speak from the heart and from your own personal experience. Say what it’s like to be in hospital for months. Tell people what a difference a special hospital unit would make to the children in your area. .Explain how difficult it is to drive miles for treatment. Wring their hearts and their purse strings.

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Speaking to children is an art in itself. It’s worth remembering that they have a very short attention span. Long words confuse them and the very best way to get their attention is to tell a story. Children love humour too so if you can make it a funny story all the better. It will really grab their attention if you make your speech interactive by asking them questions about what you have been saying or asking for comments. You might even find that their comments say it all even better than your own speech!

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A politician can gain kudos by being honest. Many of them make the mistake of avoiding issues in their speeches. It is far better for them to admit that they cannot see the possibility of a new hospital in the area than to pretend that its going to be built. They can sweeten the pill by giving the good news that there is a new fleet of ambulances or a helicopter service to bring patients further away. People prefer you to be straight with them. They like to know where they stand.

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“I left because they were still giving speeches an hour later” so said the guest at the opening of a new sports pavilion. Speeches can add to an occasion or totally spoil it. A social occasion is not the time for lengthy speeches. A warm welcome, a few gracious words of thanks to those who have worked hard and a sincere good luck wish for the future is usually enough. Obviously if you can add in a few topical comments so much the better. Guests are there to enjoy themselves not as a captive audience.

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“Know your stuff” is probably the most important rule for a speech-writer. It is critically important that you check and re-check your facts and figures if you are giving a speech that relies on these. If you are giving a business speech of course you should know about the company and its products. So do your research and your speech will have that touch of authority that makes it worth using.

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