Features You Should not Ignore When Writing Your Speech

The ability to deliver a great speech is a superpower. This has always been true but the presence of social media and the internet has made it more important.

But it all starts with writing the speech. We write speeches for all kinds of reasons from weddings to corporate presentations. Writing a great speech requires some important conditions to be met.

Because of how important great speeches are and how they can impact everything from our relationships to our careers, this article will reveal what makes speeches great in their written form. 

If this is something you would like to know about, then you can learn by going through this article patiently.

Structural features of speech writing

Just like most written works, speeches usually contain three main parts;

• A greeting (Introduction)
• A body
• A conclusion

I will go over each feature

The Greeting

Greetings are normally used to show respect but in a speech your greetings can do much more than that. It is an opportunity to create a good first impression and capture the interest of your audience.

It is easy to get nervous and mess up this part of your speech but you shouldn’t. Instead, start with something positive. The simplest way to start is to give a generic greeting which can immediately create a positive atmosphere in the room.

There are many other ways to start but I would like to outline 7 of them that work really well especially with beginners.

1. You can try complimenting the audience. Make them feel special by highlighting something unique about them. While you want to come off as friendly, you also want to come off as genuine so don’t give a compliment nobody is going to believe.

2. Tell a great story. Stories have a way of making people relate better with what you have to say to them. Tell a story even if it isn’t a personal one as long as it is great. And as much as possible, make sure it has something to do with what you have to say.

3. Tell a good joke. Emphasis on ‘good’. Many people feel that they don’t have a good sense of humour so they avoid this one altogether. Well, it doesn’t have to be your joke, you just have to deliver it well. You can even get a little practice before you come on stage. Of course, this all depends on your audience and the purpose of your speech.

4. Start with a strong point. You can use an analogy or a startling fact to make this strong point. If you can make people suddenly realise something that has been staring them in the face for a long time they would be interested in hearing more from you. The idea is to get their attention and keep it.

5. Quote research. This can be an easy way to come off as credible. It also gives the impression that you are well prepared to make the speech. 

Remember to confirm any stats or research you quote so that you are not hurt by a fact check.

The Body

The contents of the body section depends on the purpose of the speech. Speeches can be meant to inform, persuade, entertain or demonstrate. 

For each type, there is a different approach you can use in writing the body section. I will recommend an appropriate approach for each. 

Informative speech- The purpose of this type of speech is to introduce, teach or explain an idea so clarity is the most important goal.

To achieve this, focus on a single idea per paragraph. Remember to give clear examples where applicable so that your readers can clearly understand your logic.

Persuasive speech- Persuasive speeches are meant to win your audience over through logic and emotions. In the body section, you should start by giving an overview of your viewpoint. 

Are you in support of or against an idea? make it clear in the beginning. Then continue by expanding your logic, giving good examples and appealing to the emotional side of your readers. Simply put, make your point and make it clear.

You can conclude this section by buttressing your main point using the power of repetition.

Demonstrative speech- Demonstrative speeches are used when you want to provide guidance to your audience on how to do something. For instance, you can use this kind of speech to  show people how to use a product you just launched.

A simple way to achieve this is by breaking down the process into steps in your speech. Go from Step 1  to Step X and carry your audience along with you by choosing the right pace.

One thing to note is that each step should be easy to understand. Break up steps that seem too complex or rushed to simpler, easily digestible steps.

Entertaining speech- In some cases, speeches are intended to allow people to have a good laugh while informing them of something. This is the kind of speech you may want to give at a party.

It helps if you can tell a story because it will allow you to capture and keep your audience’s interest while you are speaking. A good story would have a catchy introduction and a storyline that builds tension up to a climax and then a good resolution.

A good rule of thumb is to avoid stretching out your story too much so that it doesn’t become boring or miss the point.

The conclusion

Regardless of the type of speech, the conclusion is an opportunity to leave a lasting impression on your audience. Many people like to end with a quote, a story or a joke. Whichever one you choose, make it memorable.

How to make your speech stand out

There are so many ingredients that make a speech great. Let me outline some important tips that can be the difference between a mediocre and remarkable speech.

• Understand your audience- Having a clear sense of who your audience is would help you make the right choice of words when writing your speech. Take time to understand the demographics, pain points and problems of the people that would be listening to you. It would make it easier for you to connect with your audience.

• Have clear goals- Why am I making this speech? The answer should be clear to you. Stick to that goal all through your speech and do it in the simplest ways possible. If you could use fewer, simpler words to achieve your aim, then do so.

Having clear goals would help you place emphasis on the right things through repetition.

• Use examples and statistics- Examples can bring abstract ideas to life and statistics would strengthen the logic in your speech. Use them when ideas seem too abstract for your audience. Examples can take the form of comparisons.

         I should state here that you need to use statistics from verified sources. One important ingredient of a great speech is that it also provides high quality information. Simply put, get the statistics right.

• Tell a good story- You can connect with your audience by telling a great story that your audience can relate to. If your story is also fun then that is an extra advantage for you.

Conclusion

A great speech needs an appropriate structure from the greeting to the conclusion. In order to write a great speech, you must be clear about the purpose of your speech and then use some of the techniques introduced in this article to drive your point home.