Write a Great Speech in 5 – 7 Minutes

Does the thought of writing and delivering a speech terrify you?Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Most people share your fear.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ But why remain scared of public oratory when the solution to this age old problem is so simple?Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Follow these simple speaking tips and you’ll be ready to present a decent speech next week.

First, take a deep breath and relax your mind.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Your challenge is to speak to an audience about a topic that you know something about.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ In other words, you will be sharing your knowledge in a conversational manner with people who are interested in what you have to say.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Here’s a relaxation tip:Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Arrive arrive early for a presentation.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Meet everyone in the audience that you can.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Now you’re suddenly talking to acquaintances and notÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ total strangers.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½

Second, break down the elements of your speech.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ A simple technique to use in your opening is the Attention Grabber Question.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Ask the audience a question that will force them to respond either aloud or to themselves.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ This will get people involved with your topic and provide you with the positive feedback you need to share a quality message.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Decide on three main body points that you want to cover.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ You may even choose three stories or anecdotes to use as the body points.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ That will make audience sharing even easier.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ The goal is to make you feel like you’re telling aÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½story to a friend.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ The only difference is that you’re telling the story to ten, twenty, fifty or one hundred friends!

Finally, your conclusion must challenge, issue a call to action, or motivate your audience to do something positive with the information that you’ve just shared.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ The conclusion is the mostÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½frequently abused piece of a speech.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ The speaker typically hurries to finish and leaves out a profound bit of wisdom that the audience needs and wants.

Speaker Beware – Don’t try to memorize your speech word for word.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ If you lose your place andÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½grasp for the exact word that makes up your script,Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ you may draw a mind blank and panic.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ I learned this lesson the hard way while delivering a speech to a group of total strangers.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ I felt humiliated and incompetent.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Luckily, an experienced speaker in the audience gently gave meÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½this sageÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½advice:Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Share, but don’t recite your information.

Let’s look at a simple speech topic that can quicklyÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ be developed into aÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½complete presentation.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Suppose you want to talk about container gardening.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ An Attention Grabber Question might be, “How many of you have a green thumb?”Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ “Well neither did I until I started dropping plants into pots.”Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Audience members will either answer yes or no to the green thumb question.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ You have their involvement at this point in the beginning.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½

Your three main body points may�¯�¿�½feature three different types of plants you have successfully grown in containers.�¯�¿�½ For added impact, show pictures of your work or bring a sample of your passion for gardening.�¯�¿�½ Props always add another dimension to your presentations.�¯�¿�½ Let your excitement about�¯�¿�½the topic fuel your words.�¯�¿�½

In the conclusion, simply tell the audience how easy it is to begin container gardening.�¯�¿�½ You may even give them�¯�¿�½resources to explore for more information.�¯�¿�½ This leaves the audience members�¯�¿�½with valuable advice that they can use after leaving the room.

For beginning orators, consider taking a three by five note card to the lectern.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ The card should only feature the Attention Grabber Question, the three main body points, and the profound conclusion that sends the audience home feeling content and fulfilled.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Glance at the card only to keep order.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Make an effort to look at each audience member.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Use a sweeping eye movement so that you’re sharing the information with everyone in the room.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ As you gain confidence as a speaker, you can experiment with hand gestures, vocal variety and body movement.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ These skills will develop with practice.

When you get that next speech assignment, decide to share and not recite your wisdom.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Break down the elements of the presentation.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Don’t let the project overwhelm you.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ Make sure you give the audience members something to take home.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ You are offering some information that they can use.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½ With a positive, sharingÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½attitude, you can knock out aÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½quality presentationÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½in only 5 – 7 minutes!Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½