Seven top tips to writing and delivering a winning speech

I’ve always known I was a good public speaker. It helps that I was exposed to it from a young age but I also love a good rant and I enjoy attention. So talking to a crowd is something which I have taken to quite well. So here are my tips on how to write and deliver a winning speech in case anyone is interested.

1.    Be yourself

This is of fundamental importance. It can be all too tempting to go on YouTube and watch speeches from people who do them on a regular basis and try to mimic them. My advice? By all means watch them, and see if you can pick up some important rhetorical techniques the speakers use, but never ever try to be someone you are not. If your audience sense that you are trying to be someone else then they will quickly detect any lingering insecurity you may have and what you are saying will instantly lose credibility.

2.    Don’t speak to fast

If you think you are going too slowly, then you are doing the right speed. If you don’t think you are too slow, then you are too fast. People take more in when you slow down and it makes you seem more assured and more authoritative. If you don’t believe me, YouTube any speech President Obama has ever given. Magnificent speaker.

3.    Project. But don’t shout

I can’t tell you a technique on how to do this so all I can say is practise, practise, practise. You will sound assured and at ease if you are not shouting but at the same time it is vital that your audience can hear you. Slowing down also helps in this regard for the sake of clarity.

4.    Don’t just read stuff out

a)      Plan the points you wish to cover in your speech –like how you plan an essay.

b)      Write a script. Do this about a week or two before the speech is to be given. Don’t write this like an essay. Write it how you would like it to sound to the target audience.

c)       Read it aloud a few times, timing it as you go.

d)      Create a new document and go through your speech. On the second document, bullet point the first word/words of each sentence/couple of sentences. Have one bullet point per sentence.

e)      Practice delivering the speech with this new document of bullet points. Where you cannot remember the next sentence, simply look down and you will see the buzzword. This should trigger the rest of the sentence in your mind and you will be able to deliver the speech adequately and fluidly.

f)       Repeat this process over and over, and soon you will find that the majority of your speech is committed to memory. You are now in a position where you are not reading something but it actually sounds like you are talking. Believe me. From an audience’s perspective, you become considerably more credible. You are no longer a robot. You are now a confident, intelligent and articulate human. That helps.

5.    Don’t be a boring fucker

If you think your voice is slightly monotonous then make a point of using variance of pitch and tempo. Use gesture too. And facial expressions. Remember the stuff you did in drama class at school? Now is the time to use it. It may sound childish but trust me. The most engaging speakers are the ones who take on a role as they do it. It is also said by some than more than half of communication is carried out my non-language factors. I don’t know if it is true but you want to convey your speech as clearly as possible whilst keeping your audience engaged.

6.    Show a friend

Preferably an honest one, who can give you genuine feedback on what you are saying and how you are saying it. Particularly if you are unsure how someone will interpret a given part of your speech, it may be worth knowing what an impartial person thinks.

7.    Deep breaths

A lot of people struggle with nerves before speaking. The easiest way to cope with nerves is to rehearse well but even then some people still get a bit of stage fright. There are techniques to cope with it however and one of the ones I use is a simple breathing technique used by singers, professional athletes, politicians… just about anyone who is about to perform in front of a crowd. Simply stand up straight with good posture, let go of any items you may be holding, find a quiet room if possible and relax. Breathe in through your nose only and try to inhale for four of five seconds. Then hold your breath for another four or five seconds before slowly exhaling out of your mouth for between eight and ten seconds. Repeat this process for as long as you feel is necessary and you should notice that you feel a lot more focused and calm about the task at hand.

I hope you found this guide useful. If you have any questions feel free to drop me a tweet @JoshBanksy1 or message me on Facebook.