We have all heard the at least one of the great speeches of history. This includes the inspiring, call to action speeches such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have A Dream, John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, and William Wilberforce’s abolition speech. In addition, we have heard those speeches that consoled us and built us up through terrible times. Just look at Ronald Reagan’s address to a grieving nation after the space shuttle Challenger exploded as crowds looked on.
Speeches build people up and tear walls down, they comfort us in hard times, and they strike change in a society that needs a drastic makeover. How are these speeches made you ask? What should you consider when preparing one yourself? Here are a few ideas to get your brain juices flowing.
What Type of Speech Are You Writing?
When writing your speech, you need to consider what type you will be giving. Do you want to persuade the masses to your wild idea? Or do you want to explain what your company does or what makes up your company’s product?
According to Education.com, there are four main types of speeches:
Informative speeches are filled with, well, information! If you want to discuss your business and tell customers what you provide, this is a great form of speech to use. They are solely for information and a perfect opportunity to state facts and figures of your company.
Do your research! It will be obvious to listeners if you have not fully researched your topic. The best method is to choose something you really like or already know quite a bit about. You want to come across as actually knowing your stuff. Always make sure you stay on topic and do not meander through stories or examples.
Demonstrative speeches are oral explanations of how something works. You can show how something works or how to do something while giving the speech. This is a great type to do when discussing art techniques and computer programs. It is also very helpful when learning about new technology. We do not just need to know what it does, but we need to know how to use it since many people learn by observing.
Persuasive Speeches: Is there something you feel absolutely passionate about? Then persuasive speeches are for you. With this type, you are able to give your opinion on a wide variety of subjects. Their purpose is to sway people to your side. You may have great words written, but you need to feel the conviction of your topic. A big part of a persuasive speech is your body language.
Special Occasion Speeches, according to Education.com, include giving the best man or maid of honor speech at a wedding, giving introductions to other speakers, or doing the eulogy at a funeral. These forms are open styles. Always make sure to keep in mind the reason for this type of public speaking.
Do not bring up negative thoughts or ideas while giving a wedding speech. Eulogies also focus more on the positives and the good aspects of the individual’s life. Know what friends or family are expecting from you in these situations as you write your words. Another special occasion speech is the dreaded, but needed, company presentation. These are common in the workplace. Remember to prepare for this just as much as any other speech you have given or will give.
How to Make Your Speech Memorable
Now, “What’s it going to be then, eh?” asks Anthony Burgess’s main antagonist in A Clockwork Orange. Have you decided on the type of speech you will be giving? Good! Time to start writing. Deciding on the type and topic can be one of the easier tasks. Now you need to know what makes a memorable, YouTube worthy speech. Typical tips about how to outline and open a speech, etc. are all over the internet, making it tedious to sift through all that information.
When writing that memorable speech, there are a few tips to think about and do. These are:
- Work hard
- Look the part
- Get creative
- Be smart
- Control that body
(1) Work Hard. This should not need an explanation. Memorable speeches are outstanding because the writer worked hard. He or she researched the material, spent hours working on outline after outline, writing and deleting segments, and spent time practicing. As the adage says, “practice makes perfect!” The more your practice, the more you will come across as knowledgeable on your topic. Do not just practice on your words, practice your arm movements, facial expression, or walking back and forth.
(2) Look the Part. If you are marching on the edge of doom, leading an army to almost certain death, you want to be in full battle armor, with an awesome sword and possibly windswept hair. You do not want to be caught in some frilly get-up; what solider would take you seriously? This also goes for non-edge of doom speech making. Going in dressed for the occasion will set the right tone for your public speaking event.
(3) Get Creative. Be fun with your speech! From personal experience, people absolutely love when you get creative. This is a great way to engage with your audience. Ways to get creative include:
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- Using props
- Stories and analogies
- Demonstrations
Props are excellent ways to involve your audience and keep them engaged with your topic. Andrew Dlugan suggests doing something interactive with your props like passing them around or inviting the audience for a closer look after your talk. Take the topic of Cosplaying for example. Giving a speech on Cosplay should have all the general Cosplaying aspects. Bring the costumes, various accessories needed, and perhaps come dressed in Cosplay yourself. Make it engaging and fun. Props are great visual aids for audience members and give a glimpse into your mind.
Stories and analogies help make your speech memorable, according to QuickandDirtyTips.com. If you want a specific point to impact the audience where they are at, use an analogy that will resonate with them. When the audience members leave, they are probably going to talk about your speech and what they remember from it. Telling stories is another way to help people remember your words. Telling something from your experiences in the past tends to stay with your audience more than rephrasing a well-known non-personal story.
Demonstrations are useful for all speeches and are important elements in demonstrative speeches. If you are specifically doing a demonstrative speech, do not forget your demonstrations! These are ways to help the audience see how to do something specific like brushing your teeth or different ways to tie your shoes. Macintosh presentations are great examples of using demonstrations. They give step-by-step instructions on how to use various products and how to find files when a new operating system or a new system upgrade is released.
(4) Be Smart. Do that research. Do not get lazy with it whatsoever. Laziness in speech writing and presenting will be quite noticeable to audience members, and you will quickly lose all attention. You want to keep the crowd engaged, keep them sitting, longing for more and hanging on to every word.
When preparing, research is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. It is absolutely imperative to know your audience and what they expect. Is this a professional presentation? If so, keep it professional. Dress nicely, use professional research, and make sure to speak professionally, as well. If your audience is a more laid back audience, make your speech laid back. Dress casually, while still looking presentable and nice. Dressing like a surfer probably is not your best choice, unless of course you are addressing surfers. Speak casually and add more tidbits of information or stories. Practice being relaxed and keep your writing at a more casual level.
Do NOT plagiarize your speech at all. This is wildly unethical and will make you look unprofessional and untrustworthy for doing so. You may think you audience will never know if you have plagiarized, but with the availability of free Wi-Fi, the prevalence of smart phones, and the constant perusal of Wikipedia, your audience will catch on. According to the homework help section of ENotes.com people and teachers will be able to tell if the words are yours or not. If you want to quote something like a book, make sure to give proper citation. Say things such as, “according to,” “in the book,” or various other wordings that fit your speech. Simply put, plagiarizing is lame. You would not want someone stealing your work to pass off as his or her own, so show the same courtesy to others.
(5) Control that Body! This goes back to practicing. When practicing, think about the size of the area where you are due to speak. The size of the area is important when it comes to how much you should move your body. Practice not talking too loudly or too softly, the microphone will do most of projecting for you. Doing things such as speaking in front of friends or, as Boundless.com suggests, recording yourself while preparing a speech, can be extremely helpful. Keep your arm and hand movements simple. Do not go around the whole stage flapping your arms like an uncoordinated ostrich.
According to WikiHow, our words only account for 10% of what we say. The other 90% is based on body language. If your body language does not match with your words, the audience will catch on. Practice your movements while practicing your words. Doing this will greatly help you when you are on that stage in front of the audience. Find a few audience members to make eye contact with. If you have friends in the audience, you can use them as anchor points to help you feel comfortable. By looking at people while giving your speech, you make them feel special and appreciated, and they are more likely to continue listening.
Bonus Tip!
You have practiced your heart out and spent countless hours preparing, but what if something goes wrong? Maybe you will forget your words after working so hard to memorize them. Maybe you will panic while on stage. As you get closer to your presentation, all of these what-ifs start creeping into your brain and fill you with anxiety. It is important to remember that everyone has or will mess up when speaking in public. If you mess up, you are not the only one and every audience member will remember the time he or she messed up. If, and possibly when, this happens to you take a deep breath, collect yourself and move on. It is more noticeable if you keep stammering over the part you messed up than if you simply stop to gather your thoughts. If you need to repeat something, simply take that deep breath, collect yourself, and repeat the phrase. Having notecards will help you keep the feeling of anxiety down. If you forget a part of your speech, you can always look to your notecards to remember where you are.
In the end, speech making does not have to be an intimidating process. It can be fun and a great way to express yourself and your ideas in front of people. Speeches give you the ability to present your tasks to your boss or a wider selection of audience members. They give you the ability to inform people on specific topics and persuade people to your viewpoint or theory. Do not let those mean naysayers nag at the back of your brain, you are able to do this, and you will be great at making a memorable speech!
