Giving a Winning Speech

To give the best speech ever and win the heartfelt applause you deserve remember these rules: First of all only speak about subjects that you have great knowledge about, that you have a passion for, or have a personal experience to relay. If you don’t know the subject matter like the back of your hand, it isn’t going to be exciting, nor will it be successful. You want the audience to feel your passion, to know your expertise. You do not want them to see you stumble and fumble for words. As easy as it may be to memorize a speech, it doesn’t work well. A speaker who memorizes an entire speech is going to be acting. The audience will be able to detect a speaker who is an actor, or someone pretending to know the subject matter. But, a speaker who talks from personal experience, who knows his or her subject matter intimately can send an audience in to whales of laughter and deafening applause and whistles. So rule number one is: Become an expert at the subject matter. Practicing your speech is not the same as pure memorization.

Memorizing the main points of your talk is important. You don’t want to be empty minded as you complete one important thought and proceed to the next. DO memorize the major components of your speech. If you actually had a funny experience that you wish to share, something that coincides with the purpose of your speech, by all means use it! The main parts to a speech are as follows: Grabbing opening statement. Short humorous story. Body of the Speech. Humorous Story and Final Thoughts with Conclusion. The major components of giving a successful speech are as follows: Speak clearly and enunciate each word. Look your audience in the eyes unless you have a huge crowd, then looking just over their heads is permissible. Speak loud and clear and use a variety of vocal pitches. Put enthusiasm into your voice. Think about how boring it would be to listen to a broadcaster who spoke in a monotone voice. Vary your voice pitch. Practice by recording a part of your speech and listening to it. How does it make you feel? Next, remember to speak at level your audience can easily understand. Do not try to speak over their level of comprehension and comfort of your audience. Speak with words that are conversational, unless your speech requires technical details pertinent to the subject matter and guests present.

Be humble about what you know, and grateful for the experience to be standing in front of an audience. Use your body as well as your mouth to get your point across. MOVE, but move slowly with purpose. If you want to emphasize something walk, turn, and look directly at your audience and say whatever you have to say with expression and confidence. Be certain to smile when appropriate and to be serious if your speech calls for it. Remember to pause when necessary to make a point. For example: So what would you do if you caught your teenager smoking marijuana? Open your hands and look at the audience. See if they respond by shaking their heads, and listen for them to respond at all. You might want to say to them, “So, some of your have had this experience and others seem puzzled. Well that is why we are here tonight, I want you to know that I was a teen who had some problems, and I know what I wanted my parents to do… So when I caught my teenager doing pot in the garage, here is what I said:” Now you have the audience’s attention, they are waiting to here how they should handle the situation.

Here is an example of an opening statement for a speech about How to Communicate with Your Teenager: “My teenage daughter asked that I not embarrass her tonight by speaking about something my children did when they were little. Since I made that promise…I guess I’ll have to tell you what she did yesterday instead…” (Sample of opening) Final thought: “Never give your teenager a definite answer. Why should they have the luxury, all we get is a shrug, a grunt, Don’t know, leave me alone, who cares, or whatever.” So when my teenager asks me if she can borrow, and I love that one, “borrow” some money. I say, “whatever, shrug, grunt, walk up stairs and then say, leave me alone!” If you are talking to a large group of people and you are standing on a stage look just over the heads of your audience. Always be certain to look left to right, toward the back of the room and then the front. Turn to face each section and get out from behind the podium if one is present. The most effective public speakers stand without the use of notes or behind a podium. They know the material from the depth of their souls, or at least from personal experience, at the very least from practice, practice, practice.

No one should ever memorize a speech word for word, unless of course you have a part in a play. The best public speakers engage the audience, make the audience feel as though they are participating, or that the speaker understands them. If you are talking to a group of parents about how to raise a teenager, it would be most appropriate if you have raised your own teenagers. Telling personal stories, and giving advice should come from the positive results you have experienced time and time again. If you are speaking about a public issue, or one that contains a lot of detailed information that requires the audience to take notes, you may do best having some type of projection equipment so that the audience can copy the information. Using props often improves the memorability of a speech. Audience members whether they are children or adults enjoy seeing speakers use props. That is why magic is used by so many public speakers. If there is an object that can help you make an important point, by all means use it. So, you will begin by telling your audience what it is that you are going to talk about. Next, you will talk about what you promised. Finally, you will summarize what you have said.

The more you participate in public speaking, the easier it will get. But getting nervous, having butterflies in your stomach are common symptoms just prior to delivering your speech. Know that you can use nervousness to your advantage. You may think that the audience can see your leg shaking, or hear your voice quiver, but usually these things are more apparent to the speaker and the audience is normally unaware of these things. Enjoy what you are providing to the public. Know that you have value and that you are providing information that is relevant and important to a group of people who are seeking your expertise, your opinion, and your talent. There are many books on the market that can help you with the core elements of how to deliver a good public speech. Read, read, and read as much as you can. And then, attend as many public speaking engagements as you can on your subject matter. Attend as many public speaking engagements on any topic. Learn what works for you and your personality. Repeat, repeat and repeat your winning speech to various groups in other locations. Before you know it, people will be talking about “that” speech given by “YOU!” Wishing you great success as you step into the public arena.