How to Prepare and Give a Great Speech?

Feb 27, 2020

Giving a speech can be a stressful procedure for many people who don’t do this often. While talking in front of many people and possibly many strangers can be tough if you’re not used to it, there are a few things you can do in order to make this process a little bit easier.

One of the most effective things anyone can do is to prepare well in advance, so they are able to avoid long silent pauses and forgetting their words. Here are some of the best tips you can follow in order to achieve that.

Preparing for your speech in advance

1. Planning out what you want to say

The very first thing you can start doing in order to start the preparation process for your speech is to plan it out and know exactly what you wish to say. This will mainly come from having a good understanding of the topic you will be presenting, as the more you understand it, the easier it will be for you to present it.

Planning it out and organizing your speech into sections will help you remember everything a lot better and as a result, you won’t have to make long pauses or stare awkwardly at your audience while you try to gather your thoughts.

2. Doing your research in advance

Depending on the type of topic you will be talking about, you might need to do some research in advance. This is something that might not be necessary for certain topics, but in most cases, it will help you get a better understanding of your topic and allow you to be able to answer questions the audience might have.

You can do research on your topic in a couple of different ways. First of all, you can go online and try to reach some published bibliography if your topic is in any scientific field. If you wish to back up your speech correctly, you need to make sure that everything you mention is legitimate.

Another thing you can do if your topic is not that strictly scientific is to come in contact with professionals in the field who will be able to share their opinion and knowledge with you. This way, you can quote them and answer questions based on your understanding of their point of view and ideas.

3. Making a small cheat-sheet

One more thing that is usually very helpful when it comes to preparing for giving a speech is to create a small “cheat-sheet” with a summary of everything you wish to mention. Speaking publically is not an easy thing and forgetting your words is absolutely normal, especially if you are doing this for the first few times.

Keeping a few notes of the key points you wish to mention is not a bad thing and it will help you stay concentrated on what you are talking about. The only thing you need to remember is that you need to practice your speech in advance so you are able to know exactly when each part of your notes will be needed. If you get stuck, your notes will definitely be helpful if you know where to incorporate them.

4. Check your speech for mistakes

While you might have done your research correctly and been prepared to deal with any unexpected issues that might arise, you still need to make sure that you have taken the time to check your speech for any small grammar mistakes you might have missed.

This might not seem like an issue to many, but it can greatly impact the way you present yourself and what you have to say, as it will not sound like it was professionally put together. In order to proofread your speech, you can use the help of a professional writing service such as TheWordPoint and fix this issue easily.

Giving a great speech for your audience

1. Familiarize yourself with your audience

One of the things that will help you make the process of giving a speech a little easier is familiarizing yourself with the audience you will be speaking to. Some factors you need to take into consideration are their overall ages, the occasion or event you will be attending and the topic of your speech.

Based on those, you can know whether you can add a story in your speech, make a few jokes or keep a stricter tone during the whole process. These small factors will allow you to connect more with your audience and make sure that anything you present them with will be in alignment with the occasion and their interests.

2. Speak with confidence

Have you ever heard of the phrase “Fake it, ‘till you make it”? This small phrase should always be your guide when it comes to public speaking. Playing it cool and speaking with confidence will help you feel more secure about what you are presenting and it will help you get through it a lot easier.

Confidence when giving a speech will only come through experience and the best way for you to gain experience is through putting yourself through this situation even if it makes you nervous. If you have done a lot of practice in advance, you will be able to be more confident about making fewer errors.

3. Be aware of your posture

The way you present yourself during your speech has a lot to say about how your audience perceives you and what you have to say. It can also affect how confident you look and it can also affect your own view of yourself and the topic you are presenting.

By keeping a straight posture, your diaphragm will function better and you will be able to have a clearer and stronger speaking voice, therefore making you easier to listen to. This is something that can impact your performance and help your audience listen to you more pleasantly.

4. Don’t focus on small mistakes

The number one thing you need to remember when giving a speech to any audience is that nobody knows exactly what you wanted to present in advance. Making small mistakes will only be noticed by you since you are the only person that had heard the whole speech before you gave it.

Therefore, you should remember to not be too harsh on yourself. Making mistakes is human and a part of being able to make progress and evolve your public speaking.

Becoming a great speaker takes practice

Being able to give a speech and feeling great about it is something that definitely takes some trial and error for most people. Giving a speech is a process which can take some time to master and you need to be able to do some research in advance and prepare yourself for each individual audience you will be talking to.

After some time, you will be able to be much more confident in yourself and present what you have to say with more ease. Therefore, don’t forget to not be too harsh on yourself if you make some simple mistakes, as they can be one of the best ways for you to learn and improve the way you handle public speaking.