Formula for a Great Speech

Thwack! A banana cream pie hit me directly in the chest, spattering my face and ruining my suit and tie. The speaker, who had aimed at her “plant” in the audience, was appalled that she’d hit her teacher instead of her friend. And what was the purpose of her pie-throwing in the first place? To get our attention. And it worked, though not in the way she’d expected!

You always want an attention device at the beginning of any speech. You cannot expect people to listen simply because you are standing in front of them. You must have a startling statement, a quotation, a visual, or a piece of humor to get their attention. This should be the way you open the speech.

Any time you are assigned to deliver a speech, you may wonder, “What should I include? What can I use that will guarantee a great speech?” You realize that to a degree it depends on the audience and the purpose of your speech, but you can include certain items that will fit most kinds of audiences and most kinds of speeches. The purpose of this article is to examine what those parts might be.

In addition to an attention-getting device, tell a story. Every great speech has a story. Great speakers in history, such as Abraham Lincoln and Jesus Christ, were storytellers. A story touches emotions, and giving examples helps make a point clear or gives the audience time to digest the point the story supports. Audiences always give attention when a speaker gives some version of “Once upon a time….”

An important piece of content in any speech is the main reason you are speaking to an audience. Condense your speech into one sentence. Have that one sentence in your mind and speak it at some point during your speech. Perhaps say it again as you conclude. For example, the one sentence that is the essence of this article is, “Learn the formula of the content of a successful speech and you will be more effective the next time you deliver a speech.”

Include a new piece of information in your speech. This might be a recent event that was not in the newspaper, a statistic you found from an uncommon source, a new plan that your company is introducing, or an insight you have because of a particular talent you have. You want your audience to take away something they did not know before they heard you speak.

Every speech should have a summary. Try an internal summary somewhere in the middle of the speech to demonstrate progress toward the end of your speech. Then you can include a summary at the end of the presentation such as the last paragraph of this article.

One final item in any speech is an exit line. Leave the audience with something to think about. This could be a quotation or a pearl of wisdom from your experience. But because people remember best what you say last, make that last sentence count.

The formula for a great speech is difficult to determine because the audience is unpredictable and the circumstances in which you deliver a speech often affect the outcome of the presentation. But starting with an attention-getting device, telling stories, knowing the thesis of your speech, including new information, summarizing as you go, and crafting a great exit line will give you a good foundation to insure success in your next speech.

 

Steve Boyd
Steve Boyd
Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is Professor Emeritus of Speech Communication, College of Informatics, Northern Kentucky University, near Cincinnati. Steve won the Toastmasters International Speech Contest in 1970 and was chosen Outstanding Professor of the Year at NKU in 1984, among other awards and honors. Since retiring, he volunteers with nonprofits, spends time with family, travels, preaches occasionally, and enjoys reading and writing. Contact Steve at (859) 866-5693 or at steveboyd111@gmail.com.

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