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There was a time when flowery, dense language was the standard for public speaking鈥�18th-century North America, for instance. Here is the beginning of George Washington鈥檚 1796 farewell speech:

The period for a new election of a citizen to administer the executive government of the United States being not far distant, and the time actually arrived when your thoughts must be employed in designating the person who is to be clothed with that important trust, it appears to me proper, especially as it may conduce to a more distinct expression ...

And that excerpt is far from the conclusion of just that first sentence. Imagine using language like that in a 91传媒 meeting!

Analyze why the opening of this august speech wouldn鈥檛 work today and two major problems quickly become apparent. First, it could have been cut down at least by half; and second, even after 20 seconds, the audience still doesn鈥檛 know much about the speaker鈥檚 purpose.

Fortunately for modern-day speakers, the 91传媒 educational program emphasizes the skill of speechwriting. Here are a few guidelines to mastering the art and technique of writing speeches.

My Kingdom for a Subject!

Need a speech topic? First identify your purpose. What do you want to do? Inform? Persuade? Inspire? Educate? Next, home in on a subject. You can select something most people can relate to鈥攐r most people in your audience can relate to鈥攐r something arcane that will require a little bit of research.

Step three: Start brainstorming.

What about your Ultimate Frisbee team? Your cat鈥檚 finicky ways? Your child鈥檚 piano recital? Your childhood dream of becoming president and what became of it? Holiday traditions in your country or region? Vanilla or chocolate? Cake or pie?

A word of caution: It may go without saying, but when it comes to controversial topics such as religion or politics, make sure you know the club policies governing such subjects鈥攁nd the audience鈥檚 sensibilities.

Elena Paweta, DTM, is a member of Poland鈥檚 First 91传媒 club, based in Warsaw. She is also an organizer of TEDx events, programs in local communities that feature a diversity of speakers across several disciplines who address a variety of subjects. This gives her particular insight into crafting and refining speech topics.

鈥淎s we advance and become more experienced and confident, we can cover topics that may influence others,鈥� Paweta says. 鈥淲e can use this amazing tool [public speaking] to change people鈥檚 lives for the better.鈥�

Deceptively Simple: The Structure

Ramona J. Smith is the 2018 World Champion of Public Speaking. Watch her winning speech and you鈥檒l get a clue to what helps make it great: a solid, simple outline. She enters the stage and crouches down in a boxer鈥檚 stance, throwing punches in the air. She explains that we may get knocked down in life, but if we persevere we will be 鈥渟till standing,鈥� a phrase she repeats throughout, for emphasis. She then goes on to describe three events in her life that she had to fight through (extending the metaphor) and expands on each.

And how does she conclude the speech? With the phrase she offered in the beginning: 鈥渟till standing.鈥� It鈥檚 simple, yet so powerful.

To supplement that structure, Smith makes the speech come alive with vocal variety, exuberant body language (shadowboxing), and even a prop (a towel thrown to the ground).

Smith, President of the Cy-Fair Super Speakers Club in Cypress, Texas, says the key to writing a great speech is to keep it simple. 鈥淚 start with the skeleton, then start to throw meat on the bones,鈥� she says.

She writes speeches in three parts鈥攊ntroduction, body, and conclusion. In the body she identifies three points, just as in her championship speech. 鈥淭hen I flesh out those three points, add transitions between each and then a call to action between the third point and the conclusion.鈥�

Smith has another key piece of advice: Call on fellow 91传媒 for help. 鈥淟ook in your club for writers,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 an English teacher or writer in every club鈥攕ee if they can help you.鈥�

Act Out鈥擝ut in a Good Way

Toastmaster Wayne Lebowitz, a retired jeweler from Somerville, Massachusetts, always knew he wanted to be an actor. Although he ultimately found his career in the family business, he brings theatrical sensibilities to public speaking.

Writing a speech is like writing a script, he says. Start with an attention-grabbing device. For instance:

鈥淗ow many of you have hunted a bear? Okay, I see by the lack of hands raised that none of you have. Let me tell you about bear hunting.鈥� Using the bear motif, he demonstrates another approach: 鈥淚 just found out that there are only three bears left in Somerville, Massachusetts. That鈥檚 three more than I thought we had.鈥�

Lebowitz emphasizes that people remember stories. 鈥淚 realize when I give a speech, I鈥檝e got to entertain them. Otherwise, whatever my message is, it鈥檚 lost.鈥�

He suggests the same format that Ramona J. Smith uses. 鈥淭he body of your speech should consist of three bullet points,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd have a story to back up each point.鈥� Lebowitz recommends closing the speech by reiterating those bullet points and tying together the closing and opening.

At a recent meeting of his club, Somerville 91传媒, the first speaker gave a speech about a work situation by providing three points in the beginning, then elaborating on them, and returning to them again at the end. Because she used vocal variety and good details, the simple structure worked.

Show Me

鈥淪how, don鈥檛 tell鈥� is advice often offered to writers whose work needs a little spark. The concept can also apply to speechwriting. Paint a picture for your audience with the language you use.

Jing Humphreys, DTM, a member of the Earlybirds Club in Butler, Pennsylvania, is a believer in the power of word choice.

鈥淚 like vivid word descriptions,鈥� she says. 鈥淟ike you can feel it happening in front of you because of the choice of words the speaker uses.鈥�

Despite working in a highly technical field where there isn鈥檛 as much room for creativity with language, outside of work she is a proponent of conjuring up dramatic images to move the audience. (Example: 鈥渁 big, vast ocean so clear you can almost see the bottom of it.鈥�) This is also the message she imparts as a mentor and an evaluator: To tell a story, use powerful imagery, and don鈥檛 be afraid to provoke strong feelings in your audience.

鈥淚 just evaluated one of my club members,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 told him 鈥楽care me and then save me.鈥� The audience needs to know why am I listening to you鈥攚hy is this important to me?鈥�

Don鈥檛 forget that you need to know your audience. If the venue is in a country with a nuanced culture and/or a culture that has significant differences from your own, make sure you鈥檝e done your homework so you avoid potentially offensive gaffes. If you want to add jokes, try them out on others first to be sure your humor isn鈥檛 tone-deaf.

Include the Visual

can be a powerful addition, and in some cases a necessary one, to a presentation. Technical presentations generally require the speaker to provide graphics, charts, schematics, etc., in order to fully explain the topic. Non-technical presentations, too, can gain a boost from props or visual aids.

A word about PowerPoint: Don鈥檛 read from the slides. The slides should supplement your words. In most cases, you can use words for the narrative, and the projector screen for ideas that are best conveyed graphically. The words you speak and the images you show should complement each other.

I am not a fan of PowerPoint, so when I did the 鈥淕et Comfortable With Visual Aids鈥� project in 91传媒鈥� old Competent Communication manual, I opted for a wig mannequin and demonstrated different ways Muslim women wear head scarves. It gave me the opportunity to personalize my speech and present something tangible, and it supported my discussion of why Muslim women wear head scarves.

Not So Fast!

Transitional statements help the audience easily follow you from one section of your speech to the next, or from one idea to another.

There is a wide range of transitions that serve different functions. Some keep the audience focused on the topic or time frame you are discussing; some provide examples of a particular subject area, reinforcing a point and introducing examples seamlessly. Here are just a few common transitions:

 

1. To tie your introduction to your first point in the body of the speech:

鈥� Let me give you an example ...

鈥� To get started, let鈥檚 examine ...

鈥� First, I鈥檓 going to discuss ...

 

2. To move from one point within the body to the next:

鈥� In the same way, this item tends to melt in the heat ...

鈥� Let me show you something equally troubling ...

鈥� This is similar to the kind of speech we鈥檙e studying ...

 

3. To begin the conclusion to your speech:

鈥� All in all, this educational journey was 鈥�

鈥� Looking back, I鈥檓 glad that I 鈥�

鈥� To sum up, these three reasons are why 鈥�

 

If your speech feels or sounds awkward as you move through the main points, lead the listener with transitions, like those listed above. When in doubt, try reading that section aloud to someone else; if they are unclear about the connection between two ideas or two statements, look for a proper transition.

The Final Steps

Always do a final review of your writing before turning your attention to rehearsing. A few essential areas to look over:

• Double-check your grammar and pronunciation. This may seem like a no-brainer, but don鈥檛 assume you have it right. A great classic reference book to aid with this is The Elements of Grammar by Margaret Shertzer. Many other useful books鈥攁nd grammar-related websites鈥攅xist as well, including The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, Write Right! by Jan Venolia, , and .
• Examine your writing for continuity of theme; make sure you aren鈥檛 wandering from your main point. Remove or revise anything that takes your speech off track.
• Make sure everything makes logical sense. Sometimes you get so deep into your subject that you mention ideas only you can understand.
• Check that all your references are correct. Did Queen Elizabeth really give the Gettysburg Address or was your mind wandering when you wrote that?
• Don鈥檛 go overboard with quotes. They can be used to enhance a speech, but make sure the quote you use is pithy, brief, and very relevant. Be sure you鈥檙e citing the correct author of the quote (pro tip: Look somewhere besides social media to verify the source).

When you鈥檝e done all you can do to polish the writing of your speech, you will feel confident and ready. The 91传媒 guidelines for speechwriting will prepare you well.

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