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Preparing to Speak in Public
By Michael
Russell
In making a speech, it is vital
that the speaker gets the message across clearly
to his listeners. The audience should get what
it is exactly that you want them to know. The
length of the speech is irrelevant as long as it
fits the time frame you have been given and
covers all the bases. These bases are the issue,
the facts concerning it, the options they have
and the proposal that you and your organization
wants to bring up.
The issue should be stated clearly in the
beginning of the speech so the audience knows
what you will be talking about. The facts should
also be laid straight to describe the problem,
the causes and what would happen if left
unsolved. The people should be given options on
what can be done about the issue at hand. The
speaker should clearly state what he and his
organization believes is the right way to deal
with the problem and include the organization's
plans, policies and programs concerning the
issue. Lastly, always end your speech on a light
and hopeful note to give the audience confidence
on what your organization can do.
The first step in writing a speech is to get
as much information as you can about the topic
you will be talking about and the type and size
of audience you will be talking to. It will be
to your advantage if you could determine
beforehand the age-group, dominant sex,
religion, culture, occupation and political
affiliation of your audience. You can also come
up with a better speech if you share certain
beliefs and principles with your audience about
the issue at hand. Try to put yourself in the
audience's seat and think about what you want to
hear from the speaker.
Aside from these, you also need to think
about how you want your speech to be received by
your audience. Think about how you want them to
feel and think about your speech and your cause
during and after you've delivered your speech.
When you have all this information, you can
now sit down and think about what you are going
to say. A good speech has to get off on the
right foot. You should sound strong and
interesting from the moment you open your mouth.
Most speeches use jokes that are funny and
relative to the topic. This however should be
applied carefully as to avoid setting the wrong
atmosphere or insulting anybody from the
audience. It is also good if you can start by
explaining who and why you are there and what
the current issue is. It is even better if you
add telling the audience why it is just right
for them to sit down and listen to what you have
to say.
Always remember that how the speech is
delivered is as important as the speech itself.
If you give off the impression that you are
aggressive and pushy, you are sure to alienate
your audience. A good speaker should always
maintain a calm and friendly voice to avoid
sending any unnecessary signals to the audience.
He should sound passionate but never aggressive
or harsh. This will result in a lack of respect
for you and the ideas you are trying to present.
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