When planning your speech always begin with a clear concise statement of the topic selected, expressed in a unique way. When the topic of the speech is written in your promotional material you want it to have some appeal. For example, I have a speech called "Irritations Bug Me" and others called "Light up with Laughter" and "Leadership is a Laughing Matter" I hope you see what I mean about having a catchy title that makes the audience want to hear more.
Research the subject thoroughly. Use the public library or the internet, or both to get more background material than you will ever need. Background material helps give you the confidence required to stand up in front of a group and speak.
Once you have researched your subject thoroughly you begin the editing and organizing process. You now have to decide what content you are going to use and what content you are going to file away in the back of your mind to draw on if necessary.
Don't try to tell the audience too much. Research suggests that people listening to a speaker can only digest six or seven points at one sitting. This is the one item in planning and delivering a speech that requires the most discipline from me. I always want to tell my audience everything I know on any subject. Don't do it.
Once you have determined the six or seven key concepts you are going to present, you begin to focus on how you are going to put them across. Because I rely heavily on the captivating power of story to inform, entertain and challenge my audiences, my presentations are heavily laced with anecdotes and stories connected directly to my six or seven key points. If someone asked me to identify the most important element in giving a successful talk it would be, "Tell the audience stories related to your theme."
Humour adds a great deal to any talk only if you are good at it. If, in your private life, you can make people laugh easily then you will be able to do so in your speech. If you aren't good at humour when you're with your friends avoid using humour in your presentations. If you do decide to use humour, be careful that your don't overuse it, unless of course your talk is on humour therapy or humour in the workplace. We all have had the experience of hearing someone try to be funny while speaking only to bomb hopelessly. There is nothing worse. The audience starts to feel sorry for the speaker and pray that the speech will be over soon to save further embarrassment.
If you follow these tips you will end up with a speech that people want to hear and pay for and that's what it is all about.
In this article I have given you a few ideas on how to plan and organize an effective speech.
Research the subject thoroughly. Use the public library or the internet, or both to get more background material than you will ever need. Background material helps give you the confidence required to stand up in front of a group and speak.
Once you have researched your subject thoroughly you begin the editing and organizing process. You now have to decide what content you are going to use and what content you are going to file away in the back of your mind to draw on if necessary.
Don't try to tell the audience too much. Research suggests that people listening to a speaker can only digest six or seven points at one sitting. This is the one item in planning and delivering a speech that requires the most discipline from me. I always want to tell my audience everything I know on any subject. Don't do it.
Once you have determined the six or seven key concepts you are going to present, you begin to focus on how you are going to put them across. Because I rely heavily on the captivating power of story to inform, entertain and challenge my audiences, my presentations are heavily laced with anecdotes and stories connected directly to my six or seven key points. If someone asked me to identify the most important element in giving a successful talk it would be, "Tell the audience stories related to your theme."
Humour adds a great deal to any talk only if you are good at it. If, in your private life, you can make people laugh easily then you will be able to do so in your speech. If you aren't good at humour when you're with your friends avoid using humour in your presentations. If you do decide to use humour, be careful that your don't overuse it, unless of course your talk is on humour therapy or humour in the workplace. We all have had the experience of hearing someone try to be funny while speaking only to bomb hopelessly. There is nothing worse. The audience starts to feel sorry for the speaker and pray that the speech will be over soon to save further embarrassment.
If you follow these tips you will end up with a speech that people want to hear and pay for and that's what it is all about.
In this article I have given you a few ideas on how to plan and organize an effective speech.
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