How do you have a successful speech?

Although only some ordinary people get the experience of speaking in stadiums of several thousand people, most of us have more or less experienced smaller speeches, for example, speaking at company business meetings or delivering a graduation speech. In such situations, you must have wanted to perform so perfectly without a beat that everyone present would be fascinated by your address. Still, you probably messed up some places and fell into heart palpitations and stuttering due to anxiety. In this article, we will help you appear more powerful than before the next time you are a speaker. So join us to review a successful speech step by step.

1. Determine your goal

Before anything, ask yourself what your purpose in giving a speech is. Are you going to teach your audience something or entertain them? To say to yourself, “Okay, well, I have to!” It is not acceptable; you need to find a more convincing reason. If you still can’t come up with a specific reason, no matter what you try, you can be sure your audience won’t have a reason to listen to you.

2. Consider the age group of your audience

Who is your audience? Busy school children or older people? Speech is different for all age groups. Younger people are more lively and less stuck in place, so you have to think in advance of tricks that will give you their full attention. You may even need to sidestep occasionally and tell a fun memory so they are attracted to your conversation again. This is while older people prefer to speak precisely in a way that does not have extra foliage and is entirely in line with their needs and interests.

3. Find the subject of the noble speech

The more you know about the speech topic, the less you clap. If it is up to you to choose the case, we suggest you think more about the topics you are interested in or the topics you know a lot about. If the choice of the subject is beyond your control, there is no need to worry. Research the topic you have received and be more curious to know the details you don’t know. Learning more about the case of the speech will make you feel more confident and appear more powerful.

4. Write the text of your speech

The text of the speech consists of three parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. Be careful to include all three mentioned parts in the text you are setting. For example, if you are writing about smoking cessation strategies, introduce the topic of discussion to your audience and then review the smoking cessation strategies one by one. Finally, finish your writing with a short summary. Nick Morgan, writer and art teacher, says:

Listeners first ask why. Why am I here? Why should I care? If you answer the why questions in the beginning, then they will ask how you are. Your task is to answer the why questions and then the how questions.

So first, tell your audience the topic of discussion and then offer a solution.

Suppose you will talk about a topic related to you, for example. In that case, you are a successful entrepreneur who wants to discuss success strategies. Don’t write your text in such a way that the audience thinks that you were born from the womb of an entrepreneur and successful mother. Be honest and mention your not-so-successful past. Tell nothing but the truth, and let your audience learn from your mistakes.

Another thing is to write your text as simply as possible and not deviate from the main topic. Morgan says:

Speech is the most ineffective way to communicate.

According to Morgan, people only remember some of what they hear. So prepare your content so that it can be understood at the moment.

5. Practice arithmetic

Practice your text out loud in front of a mirror or a group of friends. During practice, you will discover which parts of the text are more difficult to perform and how much time you need to present the whole text. You will also learn how to connect your sentences and not have unnecessary pauses. Another thing is to avoid memorizing the sentences of separate text like a parrot so that you look more natural when performing. Instead, brainstorm the topics you are going to talk about. To remember any point, using auxiliary tools such as slides is okay.

6. Arrive at the lecture place a little early

Arrive at the venue before the start of the speech to familiarize yourself with the environment and have enough time to practice your text for the last time on the stage. It is better to check the equipment, such as the video projector. If you have a problem with the slide show, ask the hall officials to fix the technical problems as soon as possible. If you notice technical issues during the performance, don’t panic; just ignore the vandalism on the stage with a pleasant smile and calmly continue your conversation.

Arriving early will also give you a chance to work on your posture. Be aware that when walking in front of the crowd or behind the podium, you must stand straight, as if something is constantly pulling your body up.

7. Master your anxiety

For someone who doesn’t feel comfortable in front of a crowd, his audience won’t like to listen to him, even if he talks to the point. Remember that you will give the best speech of your life, and to reduce your anxiety, take a few deep breaths or drink a cup of tea or coffee. You can also take a short walk before the lecture. Make eye contact with your audience during the performance, and try to get energy from seeing their smiles.

8. Start with a casual conversation

Instead of talking clichés and thanking the event organizers, welcome the attendees and enjoy them for the first few minutes. It is not harmful to open the conversation with a funny joke so that you have a chance to collect yourself and master your anxiety before entering the main discussion. But if you’re not good at telling jokes, think of a different way to start: pointing out an instructive point or a personal memory to get into the main discussion. Suppose you can attract your audience’s attention from the very beginning of the speech. In that case, you can be sure they will accompany you until the end.

9. enjoy

Enjoy every moment of your speech. Try to keep calm and be happy to be in front of the crowd. Know that if you feel satisfied with what you do, your audience will also feel good about your performance.