Great speeches are engaging and have impact. Your ideas should be expressed clearly and eloquently.
No matter what the topic is, a great speech should demonstrate your leadership and communication skills.
The process of writing a speech can be intimidating for many people. There are some tips and best practices that will make writing easier.
This article will discuss how to write a speech that captures the attention of your audience and engages them.
There are 9 engaging speech writing tips
The fear of public speaking is real. Well-written speeches can help reduce anxiety.
You can still use best practices, even if its your first speech.
A good speech will be concise, clear and organized. How can you make sure your speech meets these criteria? Here are nine tips for writing engaging speeches.
-
Understand Who You Are Talking To
You can improve your speech by analyzing your audience. Different audiences have different expectations.
Customize your message to your audience by considering their age, level and understanding of the subject, as well what they are expecting from you.
Referencing the 70s is unlikely to work with teenagers.
-
Starting with a clear purpose
Make sure you decide on your main message and that the content of your speech supports this. Pick a subject that meets these criteria:
- Your audience will be interested in a topic you choose.
- Topics that you are passionate about
- Topics you know reasonably well
-
Organize your ideas
Use an outline to help you organize your thoughts.
Identify your introduction, body, or conclusion to keep you focused and to make it easier to understand your speech.
-
Use Clear and Strong Language
Use simple, easy-to-understand language. Avoid using jargon and technical terms your audience might not understand.
Depending on who you are speaking to, the words that you use will vary. Avoid slang, for instance, when youre talking to a more conservative and older audience.
-
Include transitory words Original: Make sure to proofread Paraphrased: Check your work for errors
Words and phrases are used to help you smoothly move from point to point. You can use transitional phrases and words like "besides," to help your listeners understand the connection between your ideas.
-
Add Variety To Your Speech
You may lose your audience if you give a monotonous speech or one that lacks variety.
Incorporating a wide range of elements into your speech can keep your listeners engaged.
-
Practice, practice, practice
Its important to practice your speech in front of a mirror or someone you trust who can give you critical feedback. You can read your speech to someone who you trust for feedback. Notate the improvements you can make and then incorporate them in your delivery.
-
Finish with a strong conclusion
What would you want your audience to feel after hearing your speech: inspired, educated, or mesmerized. Your speech should end on a positive note. Your main points should be summarized and your audience left with an unforgettable takeaway.
-
Editing and Revising
Use a grammar checker, such as ProWritingAid, to correct any errors. ProWritingAid is a good grammar checker to use for any issues. You will also receive suggestions for improving your sentence structure and transitions.
-
How to Write an Effective Speech Introduction
Your speech can be made or broken by the introduction. You want to grab the audiences interest and make sure they understand what youre going to say.
A good introduction will also allow you to establish credibility. It is important to encourage your audience to pay attention to the remainder.
Here are a couple of tips for creating a great first impression.
-
Start with a Hook
Start your introduction by using a hook to grab the attention of your audience and get them interested in listening. Hooks can be in many forms:
- A question
- A quote
- A stat
- Anecdotes from the personal experience
- Referring to an event that is current or historic
- Comedy
Consider your audience, and how it relates to the topic of your speech. You can use a historical reference when giving a talk to older people.
-
Provide Context
Your audience will appreciate a little background information. It will help your audience understand why you care about what youre saying and the importance of it.
-
State Your Theses
Declare your main purpose or message in a clear and concise manner. It is important that your thesis be easily understood and outline the main argument as well as your position. Your audience will be able to understand what they are going to get out of your presentation.
-
You can preview your main points
Your audience will understand your structure better if you outline briefly your main points and arguments. The audience will have a better understanding of what youre going to say and be more able to follow it.
-
Keep it Short
Dont waste too much time with your introduction. Avoid including unrelated or unnecessary information in your speech.
It is important to keep your audience engaged and interested, not bored, so choose a few carefully chosen words over a long introduction. The introduction should make up about 10-15% or your total speech.
What are the different types of speech?
Its no different than writing any other kind of text. The first step is to determine your audience, purpose and intention. Each type of speech has different expectations.
Here are some examples of popular speeches, and how they can be written.
-
How to Write a Brief Speech
Because they must be so concise and condensed, short speeches can be difficult to write. You can use these tips when you need to deliver a speech for a farewell party, a birthday celebration, or even a brief welcome.
Your outline will begin with a topic, title and purpose. Decide the main point of your speech. Make it concise with just two or three key points. Remember, a shorter speech is less than 10 mins, so be concise.
If you want to have the greatest impact in a short time, use powerful words or engaging elements. Use a thought-provoking anecdote or question to grab the attention of your audience.
After writing your speech and revising it, ensure that you keep the message concise and simple.
-
How to Write an Effective Presentation Speech
A presentation speech can be used to explain, demonstrate, or persuade a topic.
The structure of a presentation speech is well-organized and follows a logical progression. The presentation speech has an introduction and body. Use transitional phrases and words to ensure that your speech flows smoothly.
-
How to Write an Argumentative Speech
A formal debate is an argument about a specific topic. The goal of debate speeches is to persuade the audience.
As with most speeches, debate speeches follow the outline of introduction, body, and conclusion. This format makes it easier for the audience to understand the speaker.
Clarify what you stand for in the introduction of your speech so your audience is aware. If youre giving a speech, your audience should know exactly what your position is.
Prepare a strong opener. It can be a fact that is interesting, a story about yourself, or a powerful quotation.
You can also explain key terms that you want your audience to be familiar with. Your main points should be summarized, but do not go on for too long.
Each paragraph in the body should focus on a single main idea, be it a claim or an important idea. The paragraphs should start with a topic phrase. Topic sentences are initial sentences that summarize the idea.
You should repeat the main points of your thesis statement, body paragraphs and conclusion in a clear manner. Add an element that will grab your readers attention to make sure they remember you.
Use strong, emotive language to make your audience feel more emotionally connected with your position.
Use transitional words and phrases in order to keep your arguments flowing logically. Finalize by proofreading and editing your work.
-
How to Write Elevator speeches
A short speech used to promote a product or service, a skill, or a set of credentials.
It takes 30-60 seconds for you to get someone to behave the way you would like. This is about as long as an elevator trip.
A strong elevator speech includes an introduction as well as a clear value statement and a powerful conclusion.
Introduce yourself in a polite, clear and concise manner. Explain who you and your company are. As an example, to sell your expertise, you can condense the background of your career into just two sentences. Include things that your audience will remember.
What do you hope to achieve with your speech? What do you hope to achieve with this speech. Maybe its an interview, a meeting with a supervisor, or a summer internship.
If you want to make your speech shorter, revise the text after writing it. To ensure that you stay on time, record and practice your speech.
Find help with writing a speech
These tips will help you improve your writing process. For inspiration, you can look at speeches that have been popularized. You can ask someone to review your speech after youve completed it.
ProWritingAid is a powerful tool that can assist you in writing a coherent and logical speech. It will highlight any grammar, punctuation, or spelling issues. It gives you tips on improving sentence structure, transitions and readability.
