Free Article (public speaking) - Rapid Speech Preparation

[Hyperchiller]

Hi guys

I wrote the following article for my local Toastmaster's club newsletter of which I am the editor. I would just like to share it in case people want to improve their speech writing skills.

Enjoy.

Yang

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I have recently completed my CC at our club and would like to share a few ideas about speech preparation. I might not be the best speaker, but I do have speech preparation experience. Below is the plan for fast speech crafting.

If you follow it - you can be sure to crank out decent speeches with 'minimal' effort by maximizing time spent. Usually my speeches are informative so the plan below caters mostly for idea rich speeches. However the same ideas can still be applied to humorous, storytelling and emotional type speeches.

1. Choose a topic (~2-10 minutes)

Speak from personal experience:
Always talk about a topic where you have some personal experience. Otherwise there will be little basis for what you will be talking about. I had this same issue but after about speech four, I did my best to speak from experience. Speak about what you know. If you need to heavily research your topic on google or from an external source, then it's not worth creating a speech about it.

Have expert knowledge:
Dale Carnegie said that 90% of speech preparation is done if you have mastery over your material. This means you must have a deep understanding of what you will be speaking about. This is coming from a space of "I already know my stuff - ask me any question about it".

Passion for the topic:
Are you excited about your topic? Even if it's a boring topic, you can make it exciting if you are interested in it.

2. Write the speech (~180 minutes)

Craft a purpose:
Do you want to entertain, inform, inspire or motivate? And for what purpose? Do you think you will truly achieve this aim with your speech topic? How will you structure your speech to achieve your goal? Each speech number in the manual has its own individual purpose but there is room for flexibility when choosing a speech topic. Always connect your topic to the self-interest of the audience. They are giving up their time to hear you speak. Make it worth their while. Remember people's favorite subject is always themselves.

Go for a walk:
Yes, go for a walk once you have decided on a purpose! If your purpose is still vague go for a walk anyway. When you breathe in that fresh air your mind will open up and receive ideas. Realize your speech purpose and structure THREE strong ideas that support the main purpose. This is the rule of three.

Rule of three:
Have three main ideas to your speech. This is the best number as having more than this in a seven minute speech creates confusion for the audience and even for the speaker. Imagine having seven ideas that the speaker has to talk about one by one. They might forget one if they memorized it and thus lose the focus of the audience. Having three strong ideas helps maintain a clear structure and helps audience comprehension and impact.

50-100 Questions sprint:
Ten days before your speech, write down around 50-100 questions that are likely to be in the listener's minds when they hear your speech. What would they like to know? What are the main points you wish to deliver? You might want to phrase your questions around your three main ideas as well since they are the most important points. This process should be done in around 20 minutes.

Answer your own questions:
The next day, spend time answering those questions. If you do, you will be more of an 'expert' on your topic. When you answer them, do not use any external source such as google for research. All your answers should come from you. This may take some time depending on how thorough you want to be in your answers.

Hard-hitting content:
3-4 days before the speech, add hard hitting content from external sources to back up your claims to add authority to your speech. Use short phrases such as sound bites to deliver your material. Long sentences hinder comprehension. Short sentences delivered with vocal variety and animation gives the best results. Only when you practise will you realize what works and what doesn't work when you speak it.

Structure:
Have a fantastic opening that grabs the attention of the audience and gets right into your speech purpose straight away. You want to gain rapport as well. You might want to shock the audience. Do whatever you can to make an impact. Remember you are doing this speech for the benefit of the members. End your speech with a summary. Do not include new information in your conclusion. End with a bang. It is wise to actually memorize your opening and ending as they are super important.

3. Practice the speech (~180 minutes)

Revising the speech:
It is natural to think up new ideas for your speech when you start practising. This happens. Incorporate them into your speech and continue practising.

Voice projection:
I always do voice exercises before I practise and before I do a speech. It helps me project my voice. I am sure there are audio and live drama programs that help you develop vocal projection. I had a bit of training with a professional speaker (Craig Ball) who came to the club a year ago. Voice exercises aren't something you can write about. It's easier to demonstrate in action or learn from audio programs.

Remembering:
You do not need to memorize your speech. If you speak from experience and from your expert knowledge, you do not need to memorize anything as you will be speaking from personal experience. Every sentence will be hard hitting content if you know your stuff. You shouldn't need notes at all if you followed all the steps up to this stage.

Nervousness:
If you are nervous that is natural. Nervousness can actually boost your energy to a higher vibration. If you get nervous, imagine that each member owes you money when you do a speech!

Pausing and Vocal variety:
Once you have practised enough, there should be no umms or ahhs whatsoever. You will know when to pause for maximum effect. You will know when to use certain vocal techniques and body movements to enhance your sound bites and hard hitting phrases.

Practise:
Ponder, think and live your speech throughout the week. Visualize yourself doing your speech perfectly. Talk about it with your friends. Practise it in front of your family. Practise it in front of a wall. Live your speech. And you are the expert remember so know your stuff.

Conclusion:

If you follow this plan of attack, you can be sure to save time when you prepare your next speech.