Do you dread giving a speech? The vast majority of people do and yet speeches are just another way of talking to people. In a speech you can express your thoughts or motivate people to do something wonderful for humanity. Of course most speeches are more low-key than that. They are given at birthdays or wedding or even wedding anniversaries and the message they are usually getting across is that people are loved and respected. Yet even giving such a speech often worries speakers for weeks beforehand. They are afraid that they will make a mess of the speech and that people will laugh at them or, even worse, feel sorry for them.
You don't have to be afraid before you give a speech. All you need to do is write or, alternatively, to get someone who can write a good speech to do it for you. That means doing your homework about the subject matter. If speeches are too general they won't captivate your audiences. If such speeches are personal people listen. Then it's all about practise.
You might feel a bit of a fool standing in front of a mirror to practise but its well worth it. You'll see any irritating habits you have such as waving your arms all over the place or nervously twisting your fingers. Such habits can distract your audience so do make sure to eradicate them. Speeches can be practised elsewhere too of course. The car is another good spot because anyone looking in will think you are singing along to the radio! If you like ask a friend to help. He or she can listen to your speech and make corrections if you mispronounce a word or say something that isn't appropriate. If it's a short speech learn it off by heart but have your notes just in case you dry up. They should, of course, be on small cards that fit in the palm of your hand and don't forget to number them.
If you have to give a speech to a work audience know your facts and figures and illustrate it with a story if you can. If you are trying to motivate or inspire an audience show them the consequences of what you want them to do. Your speech alone may not save the planet but, if you make it inspirational enough your audience might.
Niamh Crowe
Copyright Speechwriters 1994-2007
marketing@speech-writers.com
Tel. +353 1 8333599
Niamh Crowe is the CEO of the web's leading speech site according to Alexa.com and Ranking.com. Online since 1994, her site has thousands of speeches for every event and occasion including birthdays, weddings, graduations etc.
http://www.speech-writers.com/