Are You ‘Deathly’ Afraid of Public Speaking? Pros are here to Take You from Wallflower to Eisenhower with Perfect How-to & Characteristics of Speech Writing!
“According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” – Jerry Seinfeld
Trust a seasoned public speaker to succinctly sum up the terror and anxiety that even a short, five-minute speech can invoke in novice orators. After all, anyone with any experience of getting up in front of a large crowd can attest to the maelstrom of thoughts and emotions that go through your head before delivering on a big presentation.
There’s self-consciousness from having your every word and action examined by a group of people. There’s the gnawing concern that you’ll come off as uninformed, or simply incorrect. And of course, there’s the constant worry, that you might forget the words that follow and treat your audience to a stunning display of silence in the process.
But public speaking shouldn’t be that hard, right? After all, we’ve been verbally communicating for the majority of our lives. Shouldn’t that translate just as well as to a public forum?
Strangely enough, it’s this same unfocused, unprepared approach to oration that can sink even the most talented communicator. The truth is that public speaking is a finely tuned skill; one that requires in-depth knowledge of the subject matter, authentic delivery, and most importantly – a message that’s truly memorable.
Characteristics of a Great Speech
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” – Abraham Lincoln “The Gettysburg Address”.
It was November 19th 1863, and one the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War had just come to its grisly end. Around 8,000 Union and Confederate soldiers lay dead amongst the fields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, leaving individuals on either side of the divide to ponder whether the cause had been worthy of such a massive loss of life. It was in this somber atmosphere that President Abraham Lincoln delivered what is now considered, one of the most powerful speeches in American history. The text of this speech is now held alongside the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence as a seminal document in the shaping of modern America.
Read that oft-quoted introduction again, and think of how much passion and clarity it displays in just one sentence. From the attention-grabbing opening remark to the careful appeal to historical precedent, all delivered in elegant, concise language. It’s a model example of excellent speech writing, and it should make clear, to any prospective public speaker how much can be achieved with the right content.
We know what you’re thinking, President Lincoln is a tough act to follow, but while you may not be looking to change the course of national history, you can certainly make a big impression on listeners by following a few simple principles espoused by every great speech writer. In this post, we will talk about what you need to do to write a great speech on any topic, and for any occasion, we will have a detailed look at how to structure a speech with flawless speech outline.
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How to Make an Outline for a Speech?
The outline is a make-it or break-it part of your speech, but you will eliminate the ‘break-it part’ once and for all as soon as you reach by the end of today’s post, not by mere scrolling but by reading. We will cover the following points in details, so that you get the mastery of speech writing;
- How to write a speech outline
- How to write a speech introduction
- How to conclude a speech
It All Starts with the Structure!
When an audience puts its trust in a public speaker, they do so with the belief that the speaker has a path, and an eventual destination for their speech. Think back to any boring presentation or team meeting you attended recently, and you’ll find all of them shared a tendency to meander, without ever really getting to a solid point.
People like clarity, and they appreciate a logical argument that they can follow from beginning to end. That’s why you need to make sure to order your talking points with a view towards the flow and momentum of your overall message.
Traditionally, speechwriters have followed the problem-solution framework for structuring their arguments. Basically, this involves splitting your speech up into two parts; with the first portion dedicated to the issues and challenges you want to address while the second part offers positive resolutions for these challenges.
Brevity is the Soul of Wit (And Great Speech Writing)
“Speeches that are measured by the hour will die with the hour.” – Thomas Jefferson
The last thing you want, when delivering your speech is to have your audience staring at their watches, when you’re only halfway through. Generally, the best speeches come in at around 2-18 minutes. If you’re taking any longer than that in your rehearsals, then it’s time to do some vital trimming, and keep in mind that when you’re delivering your speech for real, it’s likely to take even longer.
Pick a few key points to hammer home rather than waffling on about multiple topics. Too many messages can leave even the most powerful speeches sounding like so much white noise. Respect your audience’s time by keeping your speech concise and memorable.
It’s a (One-Sided) Conversation, not an Essay!
One of the biggest mistakes speechwriters make in an attempt to impress their audience is filling their content up with flowery language, jargon, and other highbrow literary devices. Remember that your speech is written to be spoken, not read. This means that you want to keep it within the realms of everyday language.
Shorten your sentences where possible and try to restrict each complete thought to only one line. Informal contractions like “I’m” and “we’re” help your speech flow better, and they also sound better to listeners.
Public speaking is a way of fostering communication on a mass scale. With this in mind, tailor your language to be as intimate as possible with due respect to the occasion. Obviously, a conference delivered at a lecture will afford you less leeway for personalization than an end-of-year award ceremony at your workplace.
Open Strong and Finish on a High Note
Right at the top of your speech is when your audience is most receptive to being persuaded. So if you squander your introduction, you’re going to have a tough time getting that attention back. There are of course a few different trains of thought when it comes to crafting a memorable opening paragraph. While traditionalists have always recommended starting with a joke (see above), that’s always a risky proposition when you’re dealing with an unfamiliar audience. Some other methods you might employ are;
- Starting with a memorable quote (again, see above)
- Offering a startling statistic
- Getting the listener to imagine a hypothetical scenario
- Challenging your audience with a powerful statement
- Asking a rhetorical question
All of these tactics have been proven to work; it’s just a matter of fitting your content to the style you can deliver most naturally.
While a memorable speech introduction is important, your conclusion remarks might be even vital, so be very well aware of how to write a speech conclusion with a strong impact. After all, ending a powerful message with a weak statement, or even worse, with an abrupt ending, will only leave audience utterly confused. Often your closer is what determines what listeners will take away from your speech, so make sure you save your most persuasive argument for the speech conclusion.
Create Action
Often the point of a speech is to incite some sort of reaction. Whether you want an organization to change its policies, or you want people to vote in favor of your resolution, you want people to walk away from your speech ready to take action.
This should be made apparent in the language you use throughout your speech. Once you’ve presented your audience with a solution, tell them how they can go about achieving that outcome. Give your listeners specifics, a time and a date, or a venue. Rather than telling them what they should do, show them how easy your solutions are to implement. You want to make action seem like an opportunity rather than a chore.
Tell a Story
The oral tradition of storytelling is a practice as old as civilization itself. To this day, tales like the Epic of Gilgamesh endure in culture; even though they were never written down to begin with. Storytelling is a shortcut to evoking emotions, and a well-placed anecdote can demonstrate your point far better than a mountain of statistics.
The best part about stories is that they’re entertaining, so they accomplish the goal of effectively delivering your message while also retaining the audience’s attention. It’s a win-win.
Just In Case You Need a Little Help Putting These Principles into Practice…
At Content Development Pros, we’ve been delivering on the promise of great speech writing for almost a decade now. Our clients make up a wide variety of professionals and students in every industry and academic field you can think of.
By enlisting the help of our speechwriters, you bring on board a team of dedicated, speech writing professionals who are focused on applying these principles in a way that fits your audience and speaking style. So, contact us and put your put your fear of public speaking to rest, permanently!
