how do you make a speech step by step

If You Want to Write a Great Speech, Here’s How to Do It

Writing a speech isn’t all that different than writing for other mediums. You need to know your audience, the required length, and the purpose or topic. This is true whether your speech is for a business conference, a wedding, a school project, or any other scenario.

But there’s something about speech writing that’s especially nerve-wracking .

If you write and deliver a speech that doesn’t go over well, you’ll get feedback in real time. The people sitting in front of you could lose interest, start talking, doze off, or even wander out of the room. (Don’t worry, only audiences in movies throw tomatoes).

Of course, a poor speech is not the end of the world. You can give plenty of crummy speeches and live to tell the tale.

But we also know that a great speech is capable of changing the world. Or at least sparking an audience’s imagination, catapulting your business into success, earning an A+ on your assignment, or ensuring that the bride and groom are still friends with you after the wedding.

So if you’re feeling stressed over your impending speech writing duties, fret no more! Today we’re breaking down for you the step-by-step process of exactly how to write a great speech.

Here’s a tip: Want to make sure your writing shines? Grammarly can check your spelling and save you from grammar and punctuation mistakes. It even proofreads your text, so your work is extra polished wherever you write.

Your writing, at its best Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Write with Grammarly

1 Tips to write (and live) by

Let’s start with the 30,000 foot, big-picture view. These are the tenets that will guide you in your speech writing process (and pretty much anything else you want to write).

• Know the purpose: What are you trying to accomplish with your speech? Educate, inspire, entertain, argue a point? Your goals will dictate the tone and structure, and result in dramatically different speeches.
• Know your audience: Your speech should be tailored for your audience, both in terms of ideas and language. If you’re speaking at a sound healer convention, you won’t need to explain the concept of energetic blocks. And if you’re speaking to an octogenarians-only quilting circle, you probably shouldn’t drop as many F-bombs as you would with your local biker gang.
• Know the length: You don’t want to underwhelm or overwhelm your audience.Ten minutes may be too short for your keynote address, but it’s probably too long for your best man speech. Don’t leave things up to chance. Your writing process will be much easier if you keep your eye on your target length.
• Write, revise, practice, revise, practice…: MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech wasn’t written in a day. Give yourself the time you need to practice your material and work through multiple drafts. Don’t expect to nail everything on the first try.

2 The step-by-step process

Still feeling stressed over how to get started? Here’s how to write your speech from concept to completion.

Step 1: Outline your speech’s structure. What are the main ideas for each section?

Step 2: Flesh out the main ideas in your outline. Don’t worry about finding the perfect words. Just let your creativity flow and get it all out!

Step 3: Edit and polish what you’ve written until you have a cohesive first draft of your speech

Step 4: Practice, practice, practice. The more you practice your speech the more you’ll discover which sections need reworked, which transitions should be improved, and which sentences are hard to say. You’ll also find out how you’re doing on length.

Step 5: Update, practice, and revise your speech until it has a great flow and you feel it’s ready to accomplish its purpose.

3 The universal structure

Getting hung up on Step 1? Here’s a structure you can follow for any type of speech.

Introduction

Who are you, why are are you giving this speech, what is your main thesis?

The “who” and “why” can be longer or shorter depending on the context. For example, if you’re speaking at a wedding, you’ll want to explain your relationship to the bride and groom and why they mean so much to you. But if you’re presenting to your class at school, you may be able to head straight into your thesis.

If you’re presenting in a business or motivational setting, this is a crucial time to hook your audience’s attention and pique their curiosity. Typically someone else will have already introduced you and your accolades, so use this to your advantage and dive straight in.

“Hi everyone, it’s great to be here! As Kevin just said, I’ve been an urban beet farmer for 30 years, and a couple years back I got this absolutely crazy idea. What if…”

Main message

Idea 1, Idea 2, Idea 3…

The majority of your speech should be spent presenting your thesis and supporting material in a simple, organized way.

Whether you’re giving an inspirational talk or a business presentation, rambling is a sure-fire way to lose your audience’s attention. Don’t try to share absolutely everything you know on your topic, instead pick a few (two to five) key points to present to your audience.

Stick to one point at a time and finish the thought before you move on to the next. Build in clear, logical transitions from idea to idea.

Want to make your speech memorable? Studies have shown our brains are great at remember stories! As much as is appropriate, make your speech personal and include your own anecdotes and thoughts.

We’re also better at remembering big ideas if they’re condensed into a few memorable words, so do your best to sum up your thesis.

“I have a dream.”

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

“Make good art.”

What do you want your audience to walk out of the room remembering?

Wrap everything up and drive home your main idea, whether that’s through providing a few (one to three) key takeaways, or telling one last story that perfectly illustrates your point.

Here are some examples of how your outline might look

As a researcher presenting your findings…

Introduction: Explain the key problem or question of your research.

Main message: Describe the research process, then describe your three key findings.

Takeaway: Present your conclusions and their implications, then your next steps for moving forward.

As the maid of honor giving a speech at your best friend’s wedding…

Introduction: Explain who you are and how you met the bride.

Main message: Recount three funny and heartwarming stories about your decades-long friendship with her, plus your first impressions of the groom.

Takeaway: Wrap things up by expounding on how amazing the bride and groom’s love for each other is, how they’re meant to be together, and how you know their love will last a lifetime. …L’chaim!

What are your favorite tips for writing a great speech?

Here’s a tip: Grammarly’s  Citation Generator  ensures your essays have flawless citations and no plagiarism. Try it for citing speeches in Chicago , MLA , and APA styles.

How it works

Transform your enterprise with the scalable mindsets, skills, & behavior change that drive performance.

Explore how BetterUp connects to your core business systems.

We pair AI with the latest in human-centered coaching to drive powerful, lasting learning and behavior change.

Build leaders that accelerate team performance and engagement.

Unlock performance potential at scale with AI-powered curated growth journeys.

Build resilience, well-being and agility to drive performance across your entire enterprise.

Transform your business, starting with your sales leaders.

Unlock business impact from the top with executive coaching.

Foster a culture of inclusion and belonging.

Accelerate the performance and potential of your agencies and employees.

See how innovative organizations use BetterUp to build a thriving workforce.

Discover how BetterUp measurably impacts key business outcomes for organizations like yours.

A demo is the first step to transforming your business. Meet with us to develop a plan for attaining your goals.

• What is coaching?

Learn how 1:1 coaching works, who its for, and if it's right for you.

Accelerate your personal and professional growth with the expert guidance of a BetterUp Coach.

Types of Coaching

Navigate career transitions, accelerate your professional growth, and achieve your career goals with expert coaching.

Enhance your communication skills for better personal and professional relationships, with tailored coaching that focuses on your needs.

Find balance, resilience, and well-being in all areas of your life with holistic coaching designed to empower you.

Discover your perfect match : Take our 5-minute assessment and let us pair you with one of our top Coaches tailored just for you.

Research, expert insights, and resources to develop courageous leaders within your organization.

Best practices, research, and tools to fuel individual and business growth.

View on-demand BetterUp events and learn about upcoming live discussions.

The latest insights and ideas for building a high-performing workplace.

• BetterUp Briefing

The online magazine that helps you understand tomorrow's workforce trends, today.

Innovative research featured in peer-reviewed journals, press, and more.

Founded in 2022 to deepen the understanding of the intersection of well-being, purpose, and performance

We're on a mission to help everyone live with clarity, purpose, and passion.

Join us and create impactful change.

Read the buzz about BetterUp.

Meet the leadership that's passionate about empowering your workforce.

For Business

For Individuals

How to write a speech that your audience remembers

Whether in a work meeting or at an investor panel, you might give a speech at some point. And no matter how excited you are about the opportunity, the experience can be nerve-wracking . 

But feeling butterflies doesn’t mean you can’t give a great speech. With the proper preparation and a clear outline, apprehensive public speakers and natural wordsmiths alike can write and present a compelling message. Here’s how to write a good speech you’ll be proud to deliver.

What is good speech writing?

Good speech writing is the art of crafting words and ideas into a compelling, coherent, and memorable message that resonates with the audience. Here are some key elements of great speech writing:

• It begins with clearly understanding the speech's purpose and the audience it seeks to engage. 
• A well-written speech clearly conveys its central message, ensuring that the audience understands and retains the key points. 
• It is structured thoughtfully, with a captivating opening, a well-organized body, and a conclusion that reinforces the main message. 
• Good speech writing embraces the power of engaging content, weaving in stories, examples, and relatable anecdotes to connect with the audience on both intellectual and emotional levels. 

Ultimately, it is the combination of these elements, along with the authenticity and delivery of the speaker , that transforms words on a page into a powerful and impactful spoken narrative.

What makes a good speech?

A great speech includes several key qualities, but three fundamental elements make a speech truly effective:

Clarity and purpose

Remembering the audience, cohesive structure.

While other important factors make a speech a home run, these three elements are essential for writing an effective speech.

The main elements of a good speech

The main elements of a speech typically include:

• Introduction: The introduction sets the stage for your speech and grabs the audience's attention. It should include a hook or attention-grabbing opening, introduce the topic, and provide an overview of what will be covered.
• Opening/captivating statement: This is a strong statement that immediately engages the audience and creates curiosity about the speech topics.
• Thesis statement/central idea: The thesis statement or central idea is a concise statement that summarizes the main point or argument of your speech. It serves as a roadmap for the audience to understand what your speech is about.
• Body: The body of the speech is where you elaborate on your main points or arguments. Each point is typically supported by evidence, examples, statistics, or anecdotes. The body should be organized logically and coherently, with smooth transitions between the main points.
• Supporting evidence: This includes facts, data, research findings, expert opinions, or personal stories that support and strengthen your main points. Well-chosen and credible evidence enhances the persuasive power of your speech.
• Transitions: Transitions are phrases or statements that connect different parts of your speech, guiding the audience from one idea to the next. Effective transitions signal the shifts in topics or ideas and help maintain a smooth flow throughout the speech.
• Counterarguments and rebuttals (if applicable): If your speech involves addressing opposing viewpoints or counterarguments, you should acknowledge and address them. Presenting counterarguments makes your speech more persuasive and demonstrates critical thinking.
• Conclusion: The conclusion is the final part of your speech and should bring your message to a satisfying close. Summarize your main points, restate your thesis statement, and leave the audience with a memorable closing thought or call to action.
• Closing statement: This is the final statement that leaves a lasting impression and reinforces the main message of your speech. It can be a call to action, a thought-provoking question, a powerful quote, or a memorable anecdote.
• Delivery and presentation: How you deliver your speech is also an essential element to consider. Pay attention to your tone, body language, eye contact , voice modulation, and timing. Practice and rehearse your speech, and try using the 7-38-55 rule to ensure confident and effective delivery.

While the order and emphasis of these elements may vary depending on the type of speech and audience, these elements provide a framework for organizing and delivering a successful speech.

How to structure a good speech

You know what message you want to transmit, who you’re delivering it to, and even how you want to say it. But you need to know how to start, develop, and close a speech before writing it. 

Think of a speech like an essay. It should have an introduction, conclusion, and body sections in between. This places ideas in a logical order that the audience can better understand and follow them. Learning how to make a speech with an outline gives your storytelling the scaffolding it needs to get its point across.

Here’s a general speech structure to guide your writing process:

• Explanation 1
• Explanation 2
• Explanation 3

How to write a compelling speech opener

Some research shows that engaged audiences pay attention for only 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Other estimates are even lower, citing that people stop listening intently in fewer than 10 minutes . If you make a good first impression at the beginning of your speech, you have a better chance of interesting your audience through the middle when attention spans fade. 

Implementing the INTRO model can help grab and keep your audience’s attention as soon as you start speaking. This acronym stands for interest, need, timing, roadmap, and objectives, and it represents the key points you should hit in an opening. 

Here’s what to include for each of these points: 

• Interest : Introduce yourself or your topic concisely and speak with confidence . Write a compelling opening statement using relevant data or an anecdote that the audience can relate to.
• Needs : The audience is listening to you because they have something to learn. If you’re pitching a new app idea to a panel of investors, those potential partners want to discover more about your product and what they can earn from it. Read the room and gently remind them of the purpose of your speech. 
• Timing : When appropriate, let your audience know how long you’ll speak. This lets listeners set expectations and keep tabs on their own attention span. If a weary audience member knows you’ll talk for 40 minutes, they can better manage their energy as that time goes on. 
• Routemap : Give a brief overview of the three main points you’ll cover in your speech. If an audience member’s attention starts to drop off and they miss a few sentences, they can more easily get their bearings if they know the general outline of the presentation.
• Objectives : Tell the audience what you hope to achieve, encouraging them to listen to the end for the payout. 

Writing the middle of a speech

The body of your speech is the most information-dense section. Facts, visual aids, PowerPoints — all this information meets an audience with a waning attention span. Sticking to the speech structure gives your message focus and keeps you from going off track, making everything you say as useful as possible.

Limit the middle of your speech to three points, and support them with no more than three explanations. Following this model organizes your thoughts and prevents you from offering more information than the audience can retain. 

Using this section of the speech to make your presentation interactive can add interest and engage your audience. Try including a video or demonstration to break the monotony. A quick poll or survey also keeps the audience on their toes. 

Wrapping the speech up

To you, restating your points at the end can feel repetitive and dull. You’ve practiced countless times and heard it all before. But repetition aids memory and learning , helping your audience retain what you’ve told them. Use your speech’s conclusion to summarize the main points with a few short sentences.

Try to end on a memorable note, like posing a motivational quote or a thoughtful question the audience can contemplate once they leave. In proposal or pitch-style speeches, consider landing on a call to action (CTA) that invites your audience to take the next step.

How to write a good speech

If public speaking gives you the jitters, you’re not alone. Roughly 80% of the population feels nervous before giving a speech, and another 10% percent experiences intense anxiety and sometimes even panic. 

The fear of failure can cause procrastination and can cause you to put off your speechwriting process until the last minute. Finding the right words takes time and preparation, and if you’re already feeling nervous, starting from a blank page might seem even harder.

But putting in the effort despite your stress is worth it. Presenting a speech you worked hard on fosters authenticity and connects you to the subject matter, which can help your audience understand your points better. Human connection is all about honesty and vulnerability, and if you want to connect to the people you’re speaking to, they should see that in you.

1. Identify your objectives and target audience

Before diving into the writing process, find healthy coping strategies to help you stop worrying . Then you can define your speech’s purpose, think about your target audience, and start identifying your objectives. Here are some questions to ask yourself and ground your thinking : 

• What purpose do I want my speech to achieve? 
• What would it mean to me if I achieved the speech’s purpose?
• What audience am I writing for? 
• What do I know about my audience? 
• What values do I want to transmit? 
• If the audience remembers one take-home message, what should it be? 
• What do I want my audience to feel, think, or do after I finish speaking? 
• What parts of my message could be confusing and require further explanation?

2. Know your audience

Understanding your audience is crucial for tailoring your speech effectively. Consider the demographics of your audience, their interests, and their expectations. For instance, if you're addressing a group of healthcare professionals, you'll want to use medical terminology and data that resonate with them. Conversely, if your audience is a group of young students, you'd adjust your content to be more relatable to their experiences and interests. 

3. Choose a clear message

Your message should be the central idea that you want your audience to take away from your speech. Let's say you're giving a speech on climate change. Your clear message might be something like, "Individual actions can make a significant impact on mitigating climate change." Throughout your speech, all your points and examples should support this central message, reinforcing it for your audience.

4. Structure your speech

Organizing your speech properly keeps your audience engaged and helps them follow your ideas. The introduction should grab your audience's attention and introduce the topic. For example, if you're discussing space exploration, you could start with a fascinating fact about a recent space mission. In the body, you'd present your main points logically, such as the history of space exploration, its scientific significance, and future prospects. Finally, in the conclusion, you'd summarize your key points and reiterate the importance of space exploration in advancing human knowledge.

5. Use engaging content for clarity

Engaging content includes stories, anecdotes, statistics, and examples that illustrate your main points. For instance, if you're giving a speech about the importance of reading, you might share a personal story about how a particular book changed your perspective. You could also include statistics on the benefits of reading, such as improved cognitive abilities and empathy.

6. Maintain clarity and simplicity

It's essential to communicate your ideas clearly. Avoid using overly technical jargon or complex language that might confuse your audience. For example, if you're discussing a medical breakthrough with a non-medical audience, explain complex terms in simple, understandable language.

7. Practice and rehearse

Practice is key to delivering a great speech. Rehearse multiple times to refine your delivery, timing, and tone. Consider using a mirror or recording yourself to observe your body language and gestures. For instance, if you're giving a motivational speech, practice your gestures and expressions to convey enthusiasm and confidence.

8. Consider nonverbal communication

Your body language, tone of voice, and gestures should align with your message . If you're delivering a speech on leadership, maintain strong eye contact to convey authority and connection with your audience. A steady pace and varied tone can also enhance your speech's impact.

9. Engage your audience

Engaging your audience keeps them interested and attentive. Encourage interaction by asking thought-provoking questions or sharing relatable anecdotes. If you're giving a speech on teamwork, ask the audience to recall a time when teamwork led to a successful outcome, fostering engagement and connection.

10. Prepare for Q&A

Anticipate potential questions or objections your audience might have and prepare concise, well-informed responses. If you're delivering a speech on a controversial topic, such as healthcare reform, be ready to address common concerns, like the impact on healthcare costs or access to services, during the Q&A session.

By following these steps and incorporating examples that align with your specific speech topic and purpose, you can craft and deliver a compelling and impactful speech that resonates with your audience.

Tools for writing a great speech

There are several helpful tools available for speechwriting, both technological and communication-related. Here are a few examples:

• Word processing software: Tools like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or other word processors provide a user-friendly environment for writing and editing speeches. They offer features like spell-checking, grammar correction, formatting options, and easy revision tracking.
• Presentation software: Software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides is useful when creating visual aids to accompany your speech. These tools allow you to create engaging slideshows with text, images, charts, and videos to enhance your presentation.
• Speechwriting Templates: Online platforms or software offer pre-designed templates specifically for speechwriting. These templates provide guidance on structuring your speech and may include prompts for different sections like introductions, main points, and conclusions.
• Rhetorical devices and figures of speech: Rhetorical tools such as metaphors, similes, alliteration, and parallelism can add impact and persuasion to your speech. Resources like books, websites, or academic papers detailing various rhetorical devices can help you incorporate them effectively.
• Speechwriting apps: Mobile apps designed specifically for speechwriting can be helpful in organizing your thoughts, creating outlines, and composing a speech. These apps often provide features like voice recording, note-taking, and virtual prompts to keep you on track.
• Grammar and style checkers: Online tools or plugins like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor help improve the clarity and readability of your speech by checking for grammar, spelling, and style errors. They provide suggestions for sentence structure, word choice, and overall tone.
• Thesaurus and dictionary: Online or offline resources such as thesauruses and dictionaries help expand your vocabulary and find alternative words or phrases to express your ideas more effectively. They can also clarify meanings or provide context for unfamiliar terms.
• Online speechwriting communities: Joining online forums or communities focused on speechwriting can be beneficial for getting feedback, sharing ideas, and learning from experienced speechwriters. It's an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and improve your public speaking skills through collaboration.

Remember, while these tools can assist in the speechwriting process, it's essential to use them thoughtfully and adapt them to your specific needs and style. The most important aspect of speechwriting remains the creativity, authenticity, and connection with your audience that you bring to your speech.

5 tips for writing a speech

Behind every great speech is an excellent idea and a speaker who refined it. But a successful speech is about more than the initial words on the page, and there are a few more things you can do to help it land.

Here are five more tips for writing and practicing your speech:

1. Structure first, write second

If you start the writing process before organizing your thoughts, you may have to re-order, cut, and scrap the sentences you worked hard on. Save yourself some time by using a speech structure, like the one above, to order your talking points first. This can also help you identify unclear points or moments that disrupt your flow.

2. Do your homework

Data strengthens your argument with a scientific edge. Research your topic with an eye for attention-grabbing statistics, or look for findings you can use to support each point. If you’re pitching a product or service, pull information from company metrics that demonstrate past or potential successes. 

Audience members will likely have questions, so learn all talking points inside and out. If you tell investors that your product will provide 12% returns, for example, come prepared with projections that support that statement.

3. Sound like yourself

Memorable speakers have distinct voices. Think of Martin Luther King Jr’s urgent, inspiring timbre or Oprah’s empathetic, personal tone . Establish your voice — one that aligns with your personality and values — and stick with it. If you’re a motivational speaker, keep your tone upbeat to inspire your audience . If you’re the CEO of a startup, try sounding assured but approachable. 

4. Practice

As you practice a speech, you become more confident , gain a better handle on the material, and learn the outline so well that unexpected questions are less likely to trip you up. Practice in front of a colleague or friend for honest feedback about what you could change, and speak in front of the mirror to tweak your nonverbal communication and body language .

5. Remember to breathe

When you’re stressed, you breathe more rapidly . It can be challenging to talk normally when you can’t regulate your breath. Before your presentation, try some mindful breathing exercises so that when the day comes, you already have strategies that will calm you down and remain present . This can also help you control your voice and avoid speaking too quickly.

How to ghostwrite a great speech for someone else

Ghostwriting a speech requires a unique set of skills, as you're essentially writing a piece that will be delivered by someone else. Here are some tips on how to effectively ghostwrite a speech:

• Understand the speaker's voice and style : Begin by thoroughly understanding the speaker's personality, speaking style, and preferences. This includes their tone, humor, and any personal anecdotes they may want to include.
• Interview the speaker : Have a detailed conversation with the speaker to gather information about their speech's purpose, target audience, key messages, and any specific points they want to emphasize. Ask for personal stories or examples they may want to include.
• Research thoroughly : Research the topic to ensure you have a strong foundation of knowledge. This helps you craft a well-informed and credible speech.
• Create an outline : Develop a clear outline that includes the introduction, main points, supporting evidence, and a conclusion. Share this outline with the speaker for their input and approval.
• Write in the speaker's voice : While crafting the speech, maintain the speaker's voice and style. Use language and phrasing that feel natural to them. If they have a particular way of expressing ideas, incorporate that into the speech.
• Craft a captivating opening : Begin the speech with a compelling opening that grabs the audience's attention. This could be a relevant quote, an interesting fact, a personal anecdote, or a thought-provoking question.
• Organize content logically : Ensure the speech flows logically, with each point building on the previous one. Use transitions to guide the audience from one idea to the next smoothly.
• Incorporate engaging stories and examples : Include anecdotes, stories, and real-life examples that illustrate key points and make the speech relatable and memorable.
• Edit and revise : Edit the speech carefully for clarity, grammar, and coherence. Ensure the speech is the right length and aligns with the speaker's time constraints.
• Seek feedback : Share drafts of the speech with the speaker for their feedback and revisions. They may have specific changes or additions they'd like to make.
• Practice delivery : If possible, work with the speaker on their delivery. Practice the speech together, allowing the speaker to become familiar with the content and your writing style.
• Maintain confidentiality : As a ghostwriter, it's essential to respect the confidentiality and anonymity of the work. Do not disclose that you wrote the speech unless you have the speaker's permission to do so.
• Be flexible : Be open to making changes and revisions as per the speaker's preferences. Your goal is to make them look good and effectively convey their message.
• Meet deadlines : Stick to agreed-upon deadlines for drafts and revisions. Punctuality and reliability are essential in ghostwriting.
• Provide support : Support the speaker during their preparation and rehearsal process. This can include helping with cue cards, speech notes, or any other materials they need.

Remember that successful ghostwriting is about capturing the essence of the speaker while delivering a well-structured and engaging speech. Collaboration, communication, and adaptability are key to achieving this.

Give your best speech yet

Learn how to make a speech that’ll hold an audience’s attention by structuring your thoughts and practicing frequently. Put the effort into writing and preparing your content, and aim to improve your breathing, eye contact , and body language as you practice. The more you work on your speech, the more confident you’ll become.

The energy you invest in writing an effective speech will help your audience remember and connect to every concept. Remember: some life-changing philosophies have come from good speeches, so give your words a chance to resonate with others. You might even change their thinking.

Elevate your communication skills

Unlock the power of clear and persuasive communication. Our coaches can guide you to build strong relationships and succeed in both personal and professional life.

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

How to write an impactful cover letter for a career change

6 presentation skills and how to improve them, 10+ interpersonal skills at work and ways to develop them, what is a career statement, and should you write one, the 11 tips that will improve your public speaking skills, how to be more persuasive: 6 tips for convincing others, a guide on how to find the right mentor for your career, self-management skills for a messy world, asking for a raise: tips to get what you’re worth, similar articles, how to write an executive summary in 10 steps, how to disagree at work without being obnoxious, how to pitch ideas: 8 tips to captivate any audience, how to give a good presentation that captivates any audience, writing an elevator pitch about yourself: a how-to plus tips, 9 elevator pitch examples for making a strong first impression, how to write a letter of recommendation (with examples), how to write a memo: 8 steps with examples, stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

3100 E 5th Street, Suite 350 Austin, TX 78702

• Platform Overview
• Integrations
• Powered by AI
• BetterUp Lead
• BetterUp Manage™
• BetterUp Care™
• Sales Performance
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Case Studies
• Why BetterUp?
• About Coaching
• Find your Coach
• Career Coaching
• Communication Coaching
• Life Coaching
• News and Press
• Leadership Team
• Become a BetterUp Coach
• BetterUp Labs
• Center for Purpose & Performance
• Leadership Training
• Business Coaching
• Contact Support
• Contact Sales
• Privacy Policy
• Acceptable Use Policy
• Trust & Security
• Cookie Preferences

How to Write a Speech: My Simple 6-Step Formula

Ed Darling 9 min read

What you’ll learn:

• Why great speechwriting requires a structure.
• My exact 6-step speech structure you can steal.
• How to start and end your speech strong.

How to write a speech, the easiest way possible.

How? By following a simple frame-work that’s powerful and versatile.

Whether you have a work presentation, keynote talk, or best man’s speech – by the end of this article, you’ll know exactly how to write a speech, and in what order.

I’m Ed, a public speaking coach and co-founder of Project Charisma . I help professionals, leaders and business owners to speak in public, and this is the #1 speech framework that I share with all of my clients.

I ’ll walk you through the process of how to write a speech step-by-step , explaining each section as we go. I’ll also give you some examples of how this would look in different types of speech.

The first step is something 99% of people miss.

PS. Check out our specific speech guides on:

Delivering a Business Pitch

Giving a Best Man Speech

Step 1. Find your speech's "Golden Thread"

The first lesson in how to write a speech is setting a clear objective from the get-go — so that what you write doesn’t end up being vague or convoluted.

Afterall, If you don’t know exactly what your speech is about, neither will your audience.

To avoid this, we’re going to begin by defining our “Golden Thread”. 

This is the key idea, insight or message that you want to get across. Like a thread, it will run throughout your speech, linking each section together in a way that’s clear and coherent.

To help you figure out your Golden Thread, try answering these two questions:

• If you had to summarise your speech into a single sentence, what would that be?
• If your audience could leave remembering only one thing, what would that be?

Golden Thread examples: A work presentation: “Customer referrals can be our our super-power”

A motivational speech: “Don’t let circumstances define you”

For a wedding/event speech: “Enjoy the journey together”

Speech Writing Tip:

Your Golden Thread isn’t something you share with the audience. You don’t start your speech by saying it out loud. Rather, it’s something we define in the preparation phase to clarify your own thoughts and ensure everything that comes next makes sense. 

That said, your Golden Thread may double-up as the perfect speech title, or memorable catch-phrase. In which case it’s fine to use it within your speech as a way to drive-home the overall message. 

Think of MLKs famous “I have a dream” speech . The Golden Thread would be his dream of a future with equality — a core idea which ran throughout the speech. But the exact phrase “I have a dream” was also spoken and repeated for effect.

Ready to feel confident while speaking in public? Join our next 1-Day Public Speaking Masterclass

Step 2. Start with your Hook

Now we get into the nitty-gritty of how to write a speech.

The Hook is the first thing you will actually say to the audience – usually within the first 10-30 seconds of your speech.

Most people start a speech by introducing themselves and their topic:

“Hello everyone, I’m John from accounting, today I’ll be talking about our quarterly figures” . 

It’s predictable, it’s unimaginative, it’s starting with a yawn instead of a bang.

Instead, we’re going to open the speech with a hook that gets people sitting up and listening.

A hook can be anything that captures attention, including a:

• Relevant quote
• Interesting statistic
• Intriguing question
• Funny anecdote
• Powerful statement

Watch how Apollo Robbins opens his TED talk with a question-hook to engage the audience.

Whichever type of hook you use, it needs to be short, punchy and ideally something that builds intrigue in your audience’s mind. Depending on the type of speech, your hook might be humorous, dramatic, serious or thoughtful. 

For an in-depth guide on how to write a speech with a great hook, I highly recommend our article on 9 Killer Speech Openers.

H ook examples:

A work presentation: “What if I told you we could increase revenue by 35%, without any additional ad-spend?”

A motivational speech: “At the age of 30, my life was turned upside down – I was jobless, directionless, and depressed”

For a wedding/event speech: “Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell! – so said Joan Crawford” 

Speech Hook Tip:

Don’t rush into things. Hooks work infinitely better when you pause just before speaking, and again just after.

Step 3. The Speech Introduction

We’ve captured attention and have the whole room interested. The next step is to formally introduce ourselves, our speech, and what the audience can expect to hear. 

Depending on the situation, you can use your introduction as an opportunity to build credibility with your audience. If they don’t know you, it’s worth explaining who you are, and why you’re qualified to be speaking on this topic.

The more credibility you build early on, the more engagement you’ll have throughout the speech. So consider mentioning expertise, credentials and relevant background.

In other situations where people already know you, there may be less need for this credibility-building. In which case, keep it short and sweet.

Intro examples:

A work presentation: “Good morning everyone, I’m Jenny from the Marketing department. For the past few months I’ve been tracking our referrals with a keen-eye. Today, I want to show you the numbers, and explain my plan double our referrals in the next 6 months”

A motivational speech: “Ladies and gentlemen, at the age of 40 I’m a speaker, an author and a teacher – but my life could have turned out very differently. Today, I want to share with you my story of overcoming adversity.”

For a wedding/event speech: “Good afternoon everyone, I’m Luke the Best Man. I can’t promise anything quite as poetic as that quote, but I’d like to say a few words for the Bride and Groom”.

Speech Intro Tip:

 In certain situations, your introduction can also be a time to give thanks – to the event organisers, hosts, audience, etc. But always keep this brief, and keep focused on your message.

Step 4. The Speech Body

The body of the speech is where you share your main stories, ideas or points. The risk for many speakers here is that they start meandering. 

One point leads to another, which segues into a story, then a tangents off to something else, and before we know it, everyone’s confused – definitely not how to write a speech.

Remember, clarity is key.

For this reason, wherever possible you should aim to split the body of your speech into three distinct sections. 

Why three? Because humans tend to process information more effectively when it comes in triads . Making it easier for you to remember, and easier for your audience to follow.

The most obvious example of this is the classic beginning, middle and end structure in storytelling .

You can also use past, present and future as a way to take people on a journey from “where  we used to be, what happens now, and what the vision is going forwards”.

Or even more simple, break things up into:

• Three stories
• Three challenges
• Three case-studies
• Three future goals

Of course, It’s not always possible to structure speeches into three sections. Sometimes there’s just more information that you need to cover – such as with a technical presentation or sales pitch.

In this case, I recommend thinking in terms of chapters, and aiming for a maximum of 5-7. Ensure that each “chapter” or section is clearly introduced and explained, before moving on to the next. The more content you cover, the greater the need for clarity.

Body examples:

A work presentation: “We’ve discovered that referrals happen when we get three things right: building the relationship, delighting the customer, and making the ask – let’s look at each of these stages.

A motivational speech: “I don’t believe our past has to dictate our future, but in order to tell my story, let me take you back to the very beginning.” For a wedding/event speech: “Of all the most embarrassing, undignified, and downright outrageous stories I could think of involving the Groom, I’ve whittled it down to three, which I think sum up why this marriage is destined for a long and happy future. It starts back in high-school…”

Speech Body Tip:

I mention “chapters” because when reading a book, there’s a moment to reflect after each chapter as we turn the page. In the same way, when speaking, make sure to give your audience a moment to process what you’ve just said at the end of each section, before moving on to your next point. 

Ready to speak with confidence ? Explore our training options...

Step 5. the conclusion.

Now it’s time to bring everything together, guiding your audience to the key conclusions you want them to take away.

Depending on your speech, this could be an idea, an insight, a moral, or a message. But whatever it is, now is your time to say it in a clear and compelling way.

Watch David Eagleman use a thought-provoking metaphor and rhetorical question to wrap up his TED talk on senses.

This final conclusion should always link back to your Golden Thread, making sense of everything that’s come before it.

Answer the following questions as prompts (you could even say one of these out-loud to lead into your conclusion)

• What is the message I want to leave you with?
• What have we learned from all this?
• What is the key take-away?

Conclusion examples:

A work presentation: “So what have we learned? When we get each of these steps right, our customers are eager to give us referrals, and those referrals usually result in more happy clients.”

A motivational speech: “My journey has had many ups and downs, but if there’s one lesson I’ve learned – it’s that our circumstances don’t dictate our direction, that we can come back from failure, and find a way to win” For a wedding/event speech: “So what can I say about the Bride and Groom? They’re clearly made for each other and if history is anything to go by, their future will be full of many more stories and adventures.”

Speech Conclusion Tip:

Never use your conclusion to apologise for yourself, explain a whole new idea, or be overly thankful to everyone for watching. Keep it professional, and keep it focused on hammering-home the main idea of the speech.

6. The Call To Action, or Call To Thought

You’ve concluded your message and summarised your main points. At this point, most people think the speech is done.

Not so fast — there’s one final key step we need to take, the Call to Action .

If you’ve followed the steps so far on how to write a speech, your audience should have been listening, learning, and hopefully now feel inspired by your words. 

We’ve built up the potential for some kind of action , and now all that’s left is to direct that energy into a clear “next step” they can take.

Imagine your audience are thinking “what should I do with this information”?

Your CTA is the direct answer to that question.

It should be clear, simple and ideally – something they can act on quickly. For instance, you may request the audience to download an app you’ve discussed, connect with you online, sign up for a service, or come and speak with you afterwards.

Not every speech suits a CTA however, which is where the CTT comes in. 

This is a great variation I picked up from Justin Welsh which stands for “ Call to Thought ”. It’s a more nuanced action – typically asking people to reflect on an idea, consider a specific issue, or think differently about something. 

C TA/CTT examples:

A work presentation (CTA): “As an immediate next step to get us started, I’d like everyone to reach out to your current clients this week, and ask them to refer one new customer. We’ll be tracking the results, and rewarding the winning referral rain-maker!”

A motivational speech (CTC): “So ask yourself, where are you allowing circumstances to hold you back, and how could your life change if you took a new direction?”

For a wedding/event speech (CTA): “With that said, I’d like to raise a toast to the Bride and Groom. Now enjoy the day, and get yourself a drink at the bar!”

Speech CTA/CTT Tip:

Once you’ve stated your CTA/CTT, the only thing left to do is thank people and finish. Don’t be tempted to back-track and start repeating any of your points. It’s time to get off stage!

How to write a speech using this framework.

Without a framework to guide you, it’s easy to get lost in analysis-paralysis, or worse, create a speech which gets everyone ELSE lost. 

Now that you’re armed with this foolproof formula and know exactly how to write a speech, you can approach the situation with confidence . 

• Define your speeches Golden Thread.
• Hook your audience in the first 10-30 seconds.
• Introduce yourself while building credibility.
• Divide your body into three clear sections.
• Conclude your main points and drive-home the message.
• Leave them with an inspiring CTA/CTT.

Even as an inexperienced speaker, by following this formula you’ll come across with the clarity and credibility of a professional.

R emember, public speaking is simply a skillset that requires practice . The more you use this speech framework, watch other speakers in action, and gain practical experience, the more your communication skills will naturally develop. 

I hope learning how to write a speech using this frame-work makes the process of writing your next speech a breeze.

Need any further help with how to write a speech? Feel free to reach out.

Head Coach and co-founder at Project Charisma.

Join 350+ leaders getting my weekly tips on confidence and charisma... 👇

Navigation:.

Home About Success Stories Contact Privacy Policy

Work with Ed:

1-to-1 Coaching 1-Day Masterclass Team Training

Follow/Connect:

Get started:, copyright © 2023 project charisma ltd. all rights reserved..

The Complete Beginner’s Guide To Writing A Speech

Writers Write creates writing resources and shares writing tips. In this post, we offer you the complete beginner’s guide to writing a speech .

Last week I started my series on speech writing with  What People Expect From A Speech . Today I am going to give you a foolproof guide that will help you structure the speech.

Speech Writing Part Two: How To Write The Speech

Who will deliver the speech.

Make sure you write a speech that fits the personality, speech patterns, and competency level of the speaker. If you do not know the person, try to arrange a short interview with them. Find out who they are, what tone suits them, and what they want to communicate.

Persuade With A Classic Structure

The classic structure of a persuasive speech is to state a problem and offer a solution.

• In the first part of your speech you state: ‘This is the problem.’
• In the second part of your speech you cover: ‘This is what we can do to fix it or make things better.’
• Answer the five Ws and the one H about the topic: who, what, where, when, why, and how.
• Write your main ideas down, including your research, data and quotations.
• Make a linear timeline for the speech, linking the points together making sure that they flow in a smooth, logical progression. Do not move away from this linear format. If you do, you will digress and lose the message.
• Write your introduction, including the hook you want to use to get your audience to listen to you.
• Write your ending, briefly summarising your main ideas. If you want your audience to do something, end with a call for action.
• Remember the length of a speech, as explained in  What People Expect From A Speech  is important.
• An easy way to explain the process is as follows:
• Tell them what you’re going to tell them (Introduction) 15%
• Tell them (Body of your speech – the main ideas plus examples) 70%
• Tell them what you told them (The ending) 15%

About The Introduction

Do not waste time. People make the mistake of starting speeches by effusively thanking everybody and telling us how happy they are to be there. It is a good idea to explain quickly what your main point is going to be. That helps the audience know what to listen for. Then start with a statistic, or a question to interact with the audience.

All good speeches are only about one thing. Get straight into the story and tell the audience what you’re going to tell them.

About The Body

Nobody likes to be bored. Imagine yourself in your audience’s shoes. What would you like to hear from the speaker? Do not put too much information into your speech. If people read a newspaper or a blog, and do not understand something, they read it again. They cannot do this with a speech. Get it right the first time.

Remember you are not writing a formal essay. People will hear the speech and it should sound conversational.  

• Use shorter sentences. It is better to write two simple sentences than one long, complicated sentence.
• Use contractions. Say ‘I’m’ instead of ‘I am’, and ‘we’re’ instead of ‘we are’.
• Do not use big words when simple ones do the work for you.
• Never use jargon or acronyms.
• You do not have to follow all the rules of written English grammar strictly, for example, you can use fragments.

About The Ending

End by answering the question you asked at the beginning. Then tell everybody what you have told them – listeners need you to do this. End your speech on a positive note. This is what they will remember.

Watch out for next week’s post,  Part Three: Delivering The Speech

If you need to write speeches, you should attend this course: Can I Change Your Mind?

If you enjoyed this post, read:

• 5 Important Things You Need to Know About Writing Speeches
• 18 Things Writers Need To Know About Editing And Proofreading
• 7 Choices That Affect A Writer’s Style
• Business Writing Tips , Writing Speeches , Writing Tips from Amanda Patterson

2 thoughts on “The Complete Beginner’s Guide To Writing A Speech”

I want to thank you Writers Write for these notes, they really help. Especially for beginners like me. Hopefully I’ll be joining your classes soon.

Comments are closed.

© Writers Write 2022

PHILADELPHIA, MAY 9-10 PUBLIC SPEAKING CLASS IS ALMOST FULL! RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW

• Public Speaking Classes
• Corporate Presentation Training
• Online Public Speaking Course
• Northeast Region
• Midwest Region
• Southeast Region
• Central Region
• Western Region
• Presentation Skills
• 101 Public Speaking Tips
• Fear of Public Speaking

How to Write a Speech in Just a Few Simple Steps

In fact, once you understand the concepts below, you can use our Online Speech Writer to organize and print your presentation. A little warning, though, the process is very simple if you follow every step . If you skip a step, you can get bogged down, and the process can take a lot of time. However, if you follow the steps, you can write an effective speech in just a few minutes (versus hours or days)!

This post is the second in a series designed to help people create a perfect speech from scratch. Last week, I gave you a few ways to start a speech . Next week, I will show you how to end a speech . We will also cover a few unique types of presentations in future posts such as writing a eulogy . We will cover a few other types of speeches that are common such as a wedding speech , a persuasive speech , and a graduation speech.

A Few Concepts You Need to Know Before Writing a Speech.

Remember that if you want to hold your audience’s attention, less is more . Short is better than long. No one ever said, “That meeting was so good, I wish everyone would have spoken longer.” So, a few concepts (bullet points) covered really well is much better than a bunch of stuff covered in a cursory way. Another great tip is that writing a presentation word-for-word and then trying to memorize your entire speech is hard. To make this writing process easier, people will often use note cards and try to practice in front of the mirror. This often will just make you more nervous. Instead, create a presentation outline and use literary devices to add “meat to the content.” For instance, examples and stories are fantastic reinforcement for your points or concepts. You can also use analogies, quotes, and visual aids to prove your points.

When you do practice, practice in front of an audience. Live audiences will let you practice making eye contact and make sure you are using proper body language when you present. A run-through in front of real people will also help you fit your speech into the proper time limit.

For additional details, see Create a Persuasive Speech Outline .

How to Write a Good Speech in Just a Few Simple Steps

Step #1: narrow down your topic first, and your speech writing will be faster and easier..

So, the first thing you want to do is narrow down your topic. An easy way to do this is to use the five W’s from journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why?

An Example of Using the Who, What, When, Where, Why Technique.

For instance, let’s say that I am giving a work presentation about our company financials last quarter. The who is the company. The when is last quarter. If I narrow down the where, I might want to focus on just the Midwest Region. So, now I have to ask, “What exactly happened with our company offices in the Midwest Region last quarter?”

Well. sales increased more in that region than anywhere else. The final question is, “Why?” Why was this region different from the other regions? They hired a new regional sales manager. She and her team focused on repeat business from past customers. After finding answers to each of these questions, I can create a much more narrow and focused title. Financials from Last Quarter Becomes… A Focus on Generating Repeat Business from Past Customers in the Midwest Region Generated a Sharp Increase in Revenue Last Quarter. If you have trouble narrowing down the focus of your topic, make sure to focus on the WHY? Why would your audience care about the topic that you are presenting? Why should they pay attention to you? If you can add the answers to these questions into your title, your presentation will be more narrow and interesting to your audience.

Step #2: Create a Speech Outline Out of Your Main Ideas.

Keep listing these important points until you have five to ten of them. Then, rank them from the most important idea to the least important. The process here is to brainstorm possible concepts or different points to cover, and then sort them from most important to least important.

By the way, you won’t be able to effectively cover ALL of the points that you brainstormed. You will only want to cover three, four, or five of these items. That is why you want to sort them by importance. If you can only cover a few points, why not cover the most important?

The number of items that you cover will be determined by the required length of time that you have to speak. A good rule of thumb is to cover one item or bullet for every seven to 10 minutes that you have to speak. However, you definitely want to limit your bullets to just five per sitting. For a short speech (less than 20 minutes,) three points is a good number. If you have 45 to 50 minutes, you probably want to cover five bullet points.

Pro Tip! Go through the same process of determining the “Why?” for each of your bullet points. This will make your entire presentation something that the audience will want to pay attention to. Just read each of your bullets and ask, “Why does my audience need to know this?” Whatever the answer is, add that why to the statement that you made in the bullet point.

Now that you have your topic and your three to five bullet points, you have a great presentation outline. You can also use this outline as your slide or visual aid.

Step #3: Insert “Impact Ideas” to Add Content to Your Presentation.

Instead, use what we call a Presentation Impact Idea to better explain each bullet point. Pretend that your audience members are a jury. The bullet points are the statements that you are trying to prove. And the “Impact Ideas” are the pieces of evidence that prove that each statement is true. Below are some of my favorite items, but anything that answers the question, “How can I prove this bullet point to my audience?” will do.

• Add a Personal Story or Example : Relay a quick story that occurred to actual people. These stories are solid proof that what you are saying is true because it happened before. The funny thing about stories is that most presenters avoid stories like the plague. But professional speakers use almost nothing but great stories to make their points. (That is why most speakers are boring and most professional speakers are interesting.) Going back to the jury analogy, a story about a personal experience is like an eye-witness testifying in court.
• Quotes : A simple quote from an expert that you can remember will add a lot of credibility to your speech. By inserting a quote, you are borrowing credibility from another expert. To continue with the jury analogy, this is like bringing in an expert witness.
• Analogy : After you have used a quote from an expert or a story to verify that your bullet point is true, adding an analogy can add flavor to your presentation and make your points memorable. If you recall from literature class, an analogy is a comparison. You can use these to compare a point that you are trying to explain to something that the audience can better relate to. (Like comparing a presentation to a jury trial.) For additional information, visit the post about how to insert analogies into presentations .

You may also like How to Design and Deliver a Memorable Speech .

If You Really Want to Learn to Write an Amazing Speech, Register for a Class

Obviously, this is a very abbreviated version of our turn-key process to help people design speeches. If you want a complete guide to designing and delivering presentations or need help preparing your final draft, you have a couple of options. You can purchase access to our Online Public Speaking Course for a do-it-yourself type of process. Or you can register for a seat in our in-person public speaking training sessions if you want access to a personal presentation coach. Remember that the Online Course is also included in the tuition for our presentation classes, so if you attend a class, you get lifetime access to the online course.

For additional help, make sure to visit our 101 presentation tips blog post.

Free Public Speaking Tips , Podcasts

View More Posts By Category: Free Public Speaking Tips | leadership tips | Online Courses | Past Fearless Presentations ® Classes | Podcasts | presentation skills | Uncategorized

• Games, topic printables & more
• The 4 main speech types
• Example speeches
• Commemorative
• Declamation
• Demonstration
• Informative
• Introduction
• Student Council
• Speech topics
• Poems to read aloud
• How to write a speech
• Using props/visual aids
• Acute anxiety help
• Breathing exercises
• Letting go - free e-course
• Using self-hypnosis
• Delivery overview
• 4 modes of delivery
• How to make cue cards
• How to read a speech
• 9 vocal aspects
• Vocal variety
• Diction/articulation
• Pronunciation
• Speaking rate
• How to use pauses
• Eye contact
• Body language
• Voice image
• Voice health
• Public speaking activities and games
• About me/contact
• How to plan a speech

Planning your speech

- a complete, unabridged guide with multiple examples to help plan a successful speech ☺.

By:  Susan Dugdale  | Last modified: 06-05-2023

Planning your speech is where your success begins. I do not jest! 

In your imagination you may hear yourself being stunning, the audience clapping wildly  as they rise to their feet to give you a standing ovation.

You may see yourself being deluged in red roses and offered several speaking contracts. Obviously, they are all lucrative but you choose the one with optional extras: an extended holiday in the South of France …

But first you have to begin at the beginning: planning your speech. Without a plan you are whistling in the wind, dreaming.

What's on this page:

How to plan a speech step by step:

• gathering the information to write your speech
• brainstorming : what is a brainstorm, examples of brainstorms, getting started, with full step by step explanations and examples
• how to shape material to fit an audience, the speech setting, and time allocation
• an example speech outline
• how and why to research
• how to meet varying learning style needs: visual, auditory, and  kinesthetic
• links to other useful pages: how to rehearse, make cue-cards...

Planning your speech from the start

A note about these notes.

These notes are general guidelines for ALL types of speeches. I know they are long.

(Actually that's an understatement! They are very long.)

I also know if you take the time to go through them they'll give you a solid introduction to thorough speech preparation.

They cover the basics of good presentation planning, research, writing and rehearsal: aspects you’ll want to consider regardless of the type of speech you’re giving.

Gathering your information

Once you have information about:

• WHY you are going to speak (the purpose of your speech),
• WHO you are going to speak to (your audience),
• WHAT your general or specific subject matter is,
• HOW long the speech is to be,
• and WHERE it is...,

you are ready to make a rough or draft outline.

This will be your guide for writing.

You may alter the outline as you go along, as better or different ideas occur to you and that’s OK. It shows you’re flexible and thinking but before we can change anything we have to have something to start with.

To get to the outline stage in the speech planning process we first need to collect up all the "why", "who", "what", "when", "how", and "where" information needed. And that begins with a brainstorm * .

* What is a brainstorm?

A brainstorm is the name given to a commonly used, and effective, technique for generating lots of ideas on a topic, or theme, fast.

Using a heading as a prompt to get you thinking, you quickly note everything you can think of relating to it. You do not edit yourself.  You simply let the ideas flow until you can think of no more, making no judgements about whether it's a good idea, a silly idea, or a right or wrong one.

Ultimately, some will be more useful than others. You will sort through and order them later. However, the first step in the brainstorming process, is to accept everything you think of without hesitation. Stopping to decide what's OK and what's not breaks the flow.

If you'd like to see what a completed brainstorm looks like I have examples of them on my site. You'll see they provided the ideas that were then used to write the example speeches.

• one for a maid of honor speech
• one for a 50th wedding anniversary speech
• and another for a farewell speech for a colleague

Return to Top

Brainstorm to begin planning your speech

The brainstorm you are going to do is about making sure you thoroughly understand everything you possibly can about the speech you intend to give.

On a large piece of paper or in a word document write these headings with enough space between them for notes.   

WHY are you giving this speech?

What is the purpose of the speech? Do you intend to inspire? To motivate? To entertain? To inform? Or perhaps you want to combine several, like to inform, motivate and inspire?

Knowing what you want your audience to think, feel and do as a result of listening to your speech is the WHY underpinning your presentation. It will help guide what content you use and how you structure it.

WHO is your audience?

Write down as much as you know about the audience.

This will give you ideas about what they will want to hear and be interested in. It will also be your guide when it comes to shaping your material. (More about this later!)

For now, make notes covering:

• the number of people expected to be in your audience,
• their age group,
• ethnicity, if appropriate,
• and the common, or uniting factors they share,
• and specific interests they may have.

Why is knowing who you're talking to vital?

Find out more about why being in harmony with your audience is so important. Check out building rapport.

Examples of WHY, WHO, WHAT...brainstorm notes 

Meet Martha Brown. She's fictional. I've made her, and the presentation she's preparing for up, to show you how the brainstorming part of the planning process works.

Martha's been asked to give a motivational speech to a group of women whose background is similar to her own. She, too, came from a family who struggled financially.

Today she is one of the few amongst her relatives who has maintained a marriage, raised children and has a successful business. Her small catering firm specializes in delivering beautifully presented gourmet meals and finger food on demand.

The organizer of the event wants her to share her life story as a guide or inspiration.

Martha is conscious of her good fortune but also knows the starting point, or the seed, lay within her. She desired the change of circumstances so much she enabled them to happen.

WHY is Martha giving this presentation?

What's the principal purpose behind Martha's speech? What does she want her audience to think, feel or do as a result of listening to her? 

Let's put ourselves in her shoes.

She wants to:

• motivate and inspire her audience
• give them hope 
• show them there is a way out of the circumstances they find themselves in

WHO is Martha's audience?

These are Martha's notes covering the key points about her audience.

• Approximately 25 people ( number )
• Mostly mid to late 30s (age)
• All women (gender)
• Mixed ethnic background but all speak English (ethnicity)
• City dwellers (uniting factor)
• Mostly work inside the home (uniting factor)
• Many have children (uniting factor)
• Interested in achieving work/life balance for themselves and their families and in particular a better financial situation (interest/uniting factor)
• All belong to the same church group (uniting factor)

WHAT are you going to talk about?

Write down the title and/or type of speech you have been asked to prepare. Now using your notes from the WHO section of your brainstorm, begin another set.

This time you are looking to see how WHAT you're going to talk about can be specifically shaped to meet and serve the interests of your audience.

Let's look at an example of WHAT

How does martha shape her life story to fit her audience.

She doesn't want to overwhelm them with information so they can’t think straight or digest it. That will turn them off.

They will think it’s too difficult and beyond them. They may listen, be interested, but they won’t  identify  with it.

She wants them to feel they can take from her experience and use it to enrich their own lives.

Her notes for WHAT may look like this:

• S peech Title How to win a future for your family when the kids need feeding and the bills want paying.
• Content - main points
• I am like you – I get too busy to plan ahead, I have a tendency to deal with what or whoever squeals loudest, I get tired …
• Before and after – life before I made the decision to start my own business – life after I made the decision. Comparisons – several examples.
• The hardest part of making the decision and acting on it was … Examples.
• The best part of making the decision … Examples. People who inspired me to act.
• What I’ve learned in the process about my family, others and myself … Examples.
• How I keep myself inspired … goal setting, listening and learning from others
• The future – a possible way forward for you, the women in the audience listening.

It’s not a speech yet but you can see the beginnings of its shape and how she’s used her knowledge of the audience to ensure giving them something they’ll enjoy listening to and identify with.

How? (How long will I speak for? How will I deliver my speech?)

There are two important 'hows' to consider.

1. How long have I got to speak?

The first is HOW long have I got to speak.

The time allocation you have been given will determine what you put into your speech and what you will leave out.

If you have a relatively short time, 3-5 minutes, you will need to either focus on one major topic with examples to illustrate or settle for covering a maximum of three lightly.

The purpose of your speech and your audience will help you make the most relevant choice. A longer time gives you more freedom to develop several ideas/themes fully.

2. How will I deliver my presentation?

The second 'how' relates to the method of presentation. HOW will you deliver this speech?

For example:

• Will this be a speech told with humor?
• Will you have a 'show and tell'? (This is when you take objects relevant to your speech to illustrate your points. It could be photographs or other items if they are suitable to transport.)
• Could you give a demonstration?

Shaping delivery to meet different learning styles

When you consider this 'how' bear in mind the different needs of your audience. Most people have a preferred mode for receiving information. That is their learning style.

Some people understand well through listening. They are called 'auditory'.

Some people get most of their understanding through looking. They are called 'visual'.

Others receive and understand information best when they can touch, feel or do what is being explained to them. These are the 'kinesthetics'.

Most of us have a preference for one or two modes. For instance, I am 'auditory' and 'visual'. I want to hear and see.  

A considerate speaker tries to include all three modes (learning styles) in their speech.

(For more on catering for learning styles with examples see the foot of the page.)

Delivery and time are yoked together

How you to choose to deliver your presentation is governed by the time you have available. If it is short, you may have to leave out a 'show and tell' or a demonstration but you will always be able to include something to meet all three modes satisfactorily.

'HOW' example from Martha's brainstorm notes 

Let’s return to Martha’s Notes to see what she does with the 'how' segment of her brainstorm.

How long? Time available = 10 minutes. (Maybe a little more but that depends on the rest of the agenda of the meeting and how well it flows. Could be some space for questions from the audience and answer.)

How to present? Definitely with humor! Also take some fliers, business cards and samples of finger food along. These can be available for people to pick up at the end of the presentation.

WHEN will this speech be given?

WHEN has two aspects you'll want to take into consideration.

The first is the actual date you have to have it ready for delivery. That lets you know how much time you have for preparation. Is it three weeks, six weeks, or two days?

You'll use that information to plan your workflow. For example, allocating yourself one week to get your preliminary outline and any research required, completed.   

The second aspect is the actual time of day and season you deliver a speech. This can have an impact on what you do and say.

For example: You can use an early bird start in the middle of winter on a wet Monday morning effectively by acknowledging the efforts people have made to be there, and by making sure the heaters are on and there's hot coffee available.

Finding ways of tying in what is happening in the 'here and now' is a good way to connect with your audience.

A word of warning : Be conscious about presenting difficult or challenging material when people are either both tired and hungry (just before lunch or dinner) or when they’ve just eaten! Concentration spans are not at their best in either situation. If possible save this type of content for a mid-morning or afternoon slot.

Martha’s Notes, WHEN:  2.45pm, Wednesday, 2nd August – Summer heat

WHERE will this presentation take place?

The environment/room/space you are to speak can play a big role in shaping the final presentation of your speech.

Points to consider are:

• Where will I be in relation to the audience?
• Will they see me easily?
• Will they hear me easily?
• Do I need a microphone?
• Is there a place to put notes if I’m using them?
• Where can I set up my samples for people to take them easily?
• Are there power points if I want to use any electronic devices?
• Do I have to provide everything I want to use (e.g.: computer, screen, leads…)?

Many fully prepared, beautifully rehearsed speeches fail because insufficient thought has gone into where they are to take place.

It’s no fun when people can neither see nor hear you or the carefully thought through demonstration is stymied through lack of an electric socket in the right place!

Martha’s Notes, WHERE: Church meeting room. It can seat everybody comfortably and there’s room for a table to put out a display of fliers and trays of food, paper napkins etc. Arrange the chairs in a horseshoe or semi-circle so everybody can see clearly.

Pulling the brainstorm notes together in an outline

Once you've worked your way through making notes under your WHY, WHO, WHAT, HOW, WHEN, and WHERE headings, you're ready for the next step.

That's picking and choosing, then re-ordering and re-writing the material you've taken from the WHAT and HOW segments of your brainstorm until you're satisfied it flows well and meets your speech purpose.

After you’ve completed outlining your speech, you’ll be ready to do any extra research required, and then you’re on to the task of writing your speech.

Martha's completed outline

Here's Martha’s Finished Outline as an example. 

Speech length : 15 minutes with extra time for a 'Question and Answer' session at the end of the presentation.

Speech title : How to win a future for your family when the kids need feeding, and the bills want paying

Introduction (2.5 minutes): Thanks for coming today … Summer heat, we’d all rather be at beach reading a book under a sun umbrella….etc. But I hope I’ve got something for you that’ll more than make up for it. I look around the hall and I see a lot of women just like me: women, who work hard, love their families, etc., … want the best for them.

(Insert anecdotal humor, perhaps a small personal story about credit cards. For instance, the only way I could manage them was to banish them the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet. Or use them to test how sharp my scissors were.)

Main Idea 1 (3 minutes): Introduce business and what it is.

Explain how it functions on a daily basis. Briefly outline long-term goals.

(Quick show-and-tell with flyers and food. Invite people to sample at end and ask questions.)

Main idea 2 (3.5 minutes): My life before the business (tie to women in audience). My life after business started. What I have achieved. The hardest part about starting, staying in business. The best part about starting, staying in business. People who have inspired me.

Main idea 3 (3.5 minutes): What I’ve learned in the process about my family, others and myself … Examples. How I keep myself inspired … goal setting, listening and learning from others

Summary : (2.5 minutes): Very quick round up of principal points. The future – the way forward for you, the women in the audience listening. Invite questions if time. Remind them about the fliers and the food! Thank organizers.

Summary - Core speech planning questions

That’s it! Very short, sweet and simple.

There’s nothing magical about planning your speech. It's just methodical: one-step-after-another. If you find yourself flustered go back to the core brainstorm headings and ask yourself the key questions once more.

• WHY am I giving this presentation? What is my purpose?What do I want my audience to do, think, or feel as a result of having heard me speak?
• WHO is this speech for?
• WHAT am I going to tell them that’s relevant and interesting?
• HOW long is the speech expected to be?
• HOW am I going to present it?
• WHEN is the speech for? (Date, day, time, season)
• WHERE is the speech going to happen? (Hall, outdoors, stadium…)

Write your answers down and let them be your guide.

Remember this is not your finished speech.

It’s your outline * : a map of what you’re going to cover.

Don’t spend too much time trying to get it perfect. You’ll want that energy for researching, writing and rehearsing!

And guess what is coming up next?

* If you'd like more about outlining a speech, including a printable outline template to use, go to sample speech outline .

Getting from planning to delivery

Here are links to articles on:

• how to research your speech . The reasons for research are discussed under the heading below -"When and What to Research"
• how to write your speech
• how to prepare and use cue cards. The benefits of using cue cards over reading from a word-for-word script are enormous. Because you are freed from having to focus on your notes you can interact with your audience directly. Your speech becomes more spontaneous and "in-the-moment".
• how to use story telling to enrich your speech . Do consider weaving your personal stories into your speech. They add tremendous audience appeal. 
• how to use props. If you're planning a "show and tell" type speech, this page is essential reading.
• how to rehearse. Rehearsal will lift your speech from ordinary to extraordinary. You'll find out privately where the glitches are, rather than publicly. It gives you an opportunity to refine your delivery.  I think it's absolutely essential!  

When and what to research

If you already know your subject thoroughly, inside out, back to front and sideways, there will be no need to research and you can skip this part of planning your speech.

BUT if you don’t, the outline should point up the gaps needing to be filled with specific information.

In our example it there seems little need for Martha to do any further research, as this speech is her personal story.

However, there are a number of ways she could strengthen her speech and add real benefits for her audience.

For example: she could bring along fliers from local training institutions providing courses especially geared for women setting up business on their own or she could provide a list of business women in the community willing to mentor and advise women in start-ups. A reading list would be helpful, as would a resource list.

All of these ideas need researching before presenting.

Careful research adds authority to your work. It shows care, thought and dedication to getting it right. Your audience will appreciate and respect you for it.

NB. If you are presenting material as fact rather than as opinion, check it! Make sure you know rather than think you know. If you can’t find out, then say so.

PS. Remember those modes or preferred learning styles?

Did you pick how Martha planned to meet each of them in her outline?

For the 'auditory' learners she would tell her story using her voice in a lively, interesting-to-listen-to way! Nothing turns an auditory focused person's ears off faster than a monotone drawl.

For the 'visual' people, she would provide fliers and food to see. Plus her appearance and body language would 'say' to them, this is a vibrant, purpose-filled person who loves what she does.

And lastly, she would use 'word pictures' to illustrate the points she made in her speech. The 'visual' would literally 'see' where she was coming from by using their imagination to recreate her images in their own minds!

For the 'kinesthetics', Martha planned to actively tell her story. She would use vivid 'action' words describing how she did things.

Example: ' I started a business.'  is bland. It doesn't communicate any of the effort or feelings involved.

By contrast: ' I started my own business. What a journey! I know you've watched your children learning to walk. Well, that was me! I fell. I skinned my knees and bruised myself. I got up, took two steps and crashed again...'

You get the idea. This is action, living and real.

The 'kinesthetic' folk will appreciate and know what she is talking about.

Additionally, Martha's fliers and food will appeal too. They can hold them, actively read the fliers and taste the food.

Lastly, they will be aware of what Martha does while she's talking to them. Is she conveying energy, excitement and action in her body language? If so, she'll have them with her!

• Return to the top of planning your speech page  

speaking out loud 

Subscribe for  FREE weekly alerts about what's new For more see  speaking out loud  

Top 10 popular pages

• Welcome speech
• Demonstration speech topics
• Impromptu speech topic cards
• Thank you quotes
• Impromptu public speaking topics
• Farewell speeches
• Phrases for welcome speeches
• Student council speeches
• Free sample eulogies

From fear to fun in 28 ways

A complete one stop resource to scuttle fear in the best of all possible ways - with laughter.

Useful pages

• Search this site
• About me & Contact
• Blogging Aloud
• Free e-course
• Privacy policy

©Copyright 2006-24 www.write-out-loud.com

Designed and built by Clickstream Designs

• Testimonials

7 steps to prepare a speech in a surprisingly short time

Most of my clients are entrepreneurs, CEOs or working in other leadership positions. I also meet many small business entrepreneurs. One common thread is that they’re very busy. Successful leaders are mindful about how they spend every single minute.

It’s no surprise then, that when these leaders are asked to speak in public, the one thing they are thinking is:

How do I prepare a speech in as little time as possible?

They realise very well that speaking well is important , and that preparation is necessary to deal with speaking anxiety . They just want to do it efficiently.

Today I’d like to share with you an excerpt of my CEO playbook for delivering speeches. The section on preparation contains tips that are useful to anyone looking to prepare a speech in half the time while doubling their impact .

I’ve compiled them into a handy list of 7 steps:

The 7 steps to efficiently prepare a speech

The steps are:

• Identify your purpose . Why are you speaking?
• Know your audience. What are their aspirations, pains, …?
• Add significance. Why should the audience care?
• Define your clear message. What should your audience remember?
• Establish your structure . Develop a middle part with one or two points supported by an anecdote, story, and preferably backed up by facts and data.
• Prepare a strong opening and a strong ending .

1. Define your purpose

For a speech to be effective, it must have a clear goal. A goal also helps you focus while creating the speech.

Ask yourself: do you mainly want to…

Note: these goals may overlap, and one does not exclude another. But one must be your main goal.

2. Know your audience

In order to connect with your audience during speeches, it is important to be able to place yourself in their shoes. Only from this perspective can you truly communicate understanding and establish rapport.

To know your audience is to engage your audience.

The Empathy Map is a handy technique from the world of user experience and marketing, where it is used to better understand potential or existing customers. It works remarkably well when you prepare a speech, too.

The big idea is to go over the different areas in the map and come up with the elements that create your listeners’ mental world in relation to the topic.

Suppose you are to deliver a speech on the use of sugar in processed foods. Some questions the empathy map would trigger are:

• What do they think about the use of sugar and how does it make them feel ?
• What do they hear about sugar from their environment or in the news?
• What do they see when it comes to sugar, e.g. in terms of advertising or packaging?
• What do they say about sugar to their peers? What do they do – what actions do they take (or not take)?
• What  pain, or significant disadvantages, do they associate with sugar?
• What  gain, or significant advantages, do they associate with sugar?

Note that the answers to some of these questions will overlap. Don’t worry about that — this is just a brainstorming tool to trigger relevant information stored in your memory. The point is not to organise information in any neat way.

Try it, even if it’s for 5 minutes! You’ll be surprised how helpful the answers are for:

• finding an angle
• finding the right words
• creating goodwill
• overcoming resistance
• and much more.

3. Add significance

Why significance is key when you prepare a speech.

Crafting any good story starts with the why . What’s the point exactly?

There’s a saying in public speaking: you win the heart before you win the mind. Knowing the  why of your speech is essential in accomplishing that.

Speakers engage an audience by being significant; by creating meaning. Audiences feel engaged when they have the feeling the talk is also about them. A great example is Martin Luther King’s famous ‘I have a dream’ speech. The audience did not come to see Martin Luther King, they came because they identified with his ideas. They felt his speech was about them, their lives, and their dreams.

That explains the importance of step 2: Know your audience. You can only add significance if you have a clear image of the receiving end of your speech.

How to find your speech’s significance

To find the significance of your speech, ask yourself the following questions when you prepare a speech:

• Why am I giving this speech?
• What do I believe, that I want to share? What do I stand for?
• So what?! Why should my audience care?

4. Define your clear message

Today, people are flooded with information. There is an image circulating on the web which goes so far to say that a person today receives more information in a day than a person in the middle ages in his entire life!

True or not, we can all agree that in a device-rich world, the information intake has never been more intense.

How does that translate to speeching? Well: to make your speech memorable, I suggest you focus on extracting one key message .

Your key message should be as simple as possible, regardless of the complexity of the issues and topics at hand. It will consist of one or two phrases that express your main point.

If that sounds daunting, let’s look at a model that can help.

The Message House model is a time-tested PR tool to condense complex stories into a thematic ‘house’. This house is made of a set of three messages that together form the overarching key message (called the Umbrella Statement in the model).

The Core Messages on the second level represent your Umbrella Statement, but in greater detail. They can be supporting arguments, sequential steps to take, conditional statements, descriptive (think: who, what, where, when, why and how), or of another kind.

Finally, the lower part of the house provides evidence, proof points and support. This is the foundation of your story.

How to use the Message House

In some cases, your Umbrella Statement (that’s your key message) will be very clear to you. If that’s so, it’s useful to come up with the 3 Core Messages that make up the Umbrella Statement.

At other times, you’ll have 2 or 3 messages in mind as you prepare a speech. In that case, consider those your Core messages and start to look for the single Umbrella Statement.

Examples of Umbrella Statements and their Core Messages

• Employees lose time and energy in traffic.
• Some employees report they feel less productive in larger office spaces.
• Candidates for jobs that are hard to fill, are not attracted to our current policy.
• First, I will introduce the idea at the annual shop owner’ meeting.
• Then, I will have the team communicate the exact steps to each shop owner.
• Finally, our sales representatives will check each shop they visit.
• The Polish and Swedish teams did exceptionally well.
• May and June were top periods for sales.
• Orange bicycles are super popular and account for a large part of the profits.

5. Establish your structure

The way you organise information is essential if you want your audience to follow and understand your speech. Ideas must be put together in an orderly manner.

I therefore recommend every speaker to use an  outline as the backbone for their speech.

An outline is simply 10,000 feet view of your speech. It’s as if you would zoom out completely and see the major turns your speech takes.

Why use an outline?

That’s easy: our brains are simply not capable of creating quality content from beginning to end.

Compare it to cooking a meal. Imagine yourself standing in front of different foods. Without thinking ahead, you grab a couple of ingredients and start cutting, cleaning and preparing them.

Unless you’re an experienced chef, that won’t result in a remarkable meal, will it? Without a gameplan to prepare a speech, the end result of your creation will be underwhelming.

Here are a few general directions your outlines can take. These are based on effective storytelling principles:

• Problem – pathway – solution
• Problem – solution – reasoning
• Situation – complication – solution
• Past – present – future

After you’ve decided on the general direction, flesh out your outline. See if you can describe your speech in ten to fifteen bullets. Refer to your Message House (see previous point) to make sure your outline includes your Core messages.

What structure works best for your purpose? Do you have a preference? Try a few structures for your speeches and choose the one that is most persuading.

Related article: How to structure a victory speech in three steps

Next, integrate even more storytelling. Your bigger picture might be represented by a story, but can you integrate ‘mini-stories’ to illustrate specific points?

6. Prepare a strong opening and strong ending

Scientific research shows it again and again. If you ask people to rate a certain experience they had recently, they will base a lot of their opinion on how it began and how it ends. Looking back at an experience, whatever happens in the middle seems to carry less weight for us.

A classic example is a visit to a restaurant. Smart restaurant owners focus extra on doing two things impeccably: the welcoming and the dessert. Although they pay great attention to the overall experience, of course, they know that a sloppy greeting of their guests, or a below-standard dessert, can easily spoil their guests’ memory of the whole evening.

For you, it means it’s smart to think twice about how you open and how you close.

Ideas for a strong opening

Here are a few angles to inspire you in crafting your opening:

• ‘Start with a bang’: use a quote, bold claim or striking fact, or ask a question.
• ‘So what?’: Go straight to the point and open with why your audience should care.
• ‘Introduce yourself’: But do it in a compelling way. Tell a juicy story. What would the tabloids write about you?
• Make the purpose clear – What impact do you want to achieve?

Ideas for a memorable ending

• Repeat your Key Message. Think ‘key takeaway’. This is a natural-feeling and effective way to make a firm point.
• Refer to the beginning. Most good stories develop in a circular way. A problem introduced in the beginning gets solved in the end. Balance gets restored; etcetera.
• Present a call-to-action . If you want your audience to take a certain action, always end with that.

7. Rehearse

1. write out, practice and tweak (optional).

At this point, you could write out your speech in full text – if you have the time.

Read your text out loud for a few times until you’re comfortable with the content. You will probably still tweak a few parts.

If you don’t have the time, or you feel comfortable working with just bullet points, feel free to skip to step 2!

I do highly recommend you write out your opening and ending.

2. Bring back to bullet points and practice again

Once on stage, you don’t want to hold the full text of your speech in your hand. You will be tempted to look at it often, which will break your connection with the audience.

So now, reduce your text to a list of main points, keywords, facts and anecdotes. And practice your speech again. Refer back your outline from step 5 for the general structure.

This will also help you memorise the speech completely by heart faster.

Do I have to know my whole speech by heart, you ask?

My answer is: not necessarily. But as just mentioned, do know your opening and ending from the inside out.

3. Take your practice to the next level

Here are my rehearsing tips for the best results:

• Record yourself . Most beginning speakers find this tough, but it’s an essential way of spotting weaknesses in your speaking and improving them.
• Practice for real people. The gap between practising in front of a mirror and practising in front of a crowd is just too large. Practice for a small group of colleagues or family members to get used to the stress that comes with having an audience.
• Ask for specific feedback. If you practice in front of people, help them evaluate you by asking them specific questions. It could be the content, your body language, or your opening. Anything you feel you need feedback on.
• Rehearse often. Once you’re happy with your speech’s content and your performance, practice your speech ten times – if you have that luxury of time. If you need more practice, go for it. There’s no better confidence booster as knowing you’ve rehearsed your speech until it hurt 🙂

That’s it!

Although I could elaborate on each on the above points, this provides you with a larger plan to optimally prepare a speech.

Are you a busy professional looking for a speaker coach to get you from good to great in the most efficient way. Look no further. I am here to help all my clients achieve exactly that.

“I knew that Elizabeth really understands what I want to achieve and whom I want to reach, and that she is a bad-ass coach with mad skills. When I was asked to give a keynote at an event, I was determined to really take my talk to the next level. So it was a no-brainer to work with her. Could I have done it on my own? Perhaps, but it would have taken me more time, stress and effort and I would not have achieved the same results. Working with a coach who you can trust, like Elizabeth, creates an extremely comfortable starting position, which made me step onto the stage on the Big Day without any nerves.” – Anouck Meier, CEO of Ampersand

Book your free call via this link. 

• Conversations, negotiations and presentations

15 Tips For Your Speech Writing - Step By Step

Better speech writing

Learn how to solve speech writing problems in all phases of the speech writing process. How to write a speech – step by step.

• Tips for better speech writing – step by step

Are you interested in better speech writing and presenting?

• Ask me personally
• Related articles 

Each presentation is also a self-presentation.

Karsten Noack

15 Tips for your speech writing – step by step

In case you want your speeches to do more than just present information, you will find here some tips. Yes, successful speeches are written to inform, but also to motivate, inspire and engage your audience. When crafting your next speech, follow these essential steps to maximize your impact.

1. Identify your objective

Be sure you know what that your objective is and how you can meet the expectations of your audience. What are the takeaways you want from your speech? What’s the objective you can realistically hope to achieve?

With the objectives in mind, you know where you’re headed and write your speech with a purpose.

2. Know your audience

Do your homework. Everything you know in advance will help you to create a powerful speech. Some questions you must answer before you even touch the keyboard:

• Who is your audience?
• Why are they in the audience?
• And what do they want?

Writing a speech involves meeting the expectations of your audience, whether it is to inform, motivate, entertain, or even challenge. Do it in the right tone.

3. Get an overview and collect the content

I recommend using Mind Mapping to get an overview and to collect the potential elements.

4. Have one clear message

What do you want the people to think, feel, or do after your speech?

In case you could only deliver one sentence to your audience, what would it be? Condense your speech into one sentence. This is your core message.

5. Choose the best arguments

Collect as many arguments as you can find. Make sure you know the relevant pros and cons. What are the key arguments that support your main message?

6. Use a good structure

In case you think back on a terrible speech. What caused you to lose interest? Chances are, the speaker veered off a logical path. You need to choose a clear path and a destination. Your audience wants to know where you’re going and why. Therefore, set the expectation near your opening on what you’ll be covering.

There are plenty of commonsense structures to choose from. The problem and solution are one. Opportunity and leverage are another. The pros and cons are a third. How about the classical structure: Introduction – Body – Conclusion? Use the KaNo-structure or simply list your points in numerical order.

With that preparation, it will be easy to start writing the first draft.

By the way: Sometimes I don’t write the first draft on a keyboard. Speaking, recording, and transcribing can lead to a more natural style.

8. Review the content in different ways

Each way to review the speech offers another insight. I see different things when the speech is printed on paper in comparison to when I work on it on a computer screen.

When I review the content out loud, I realize what may work and what doesn’t. This way I get a sense of which words are powerful, and which are fluff and should be removed or replaced.

9. Rewrite and rewrite and …

While you write and revise, focus on structuring and simplifying. Remove anything extraneous, contradictory, or confusing. If something doesn’t help you get your core message across, drop it.

10. Use transitions

Use transitional phrases to signal intent.

11. Have a great opening

Make sure you have the attention of your audience when you present your message. Capitalize on the goodwill and momentum you’ll enjoy in your earliest moments in front of your audience.

Ways to open with your speech or presentation:

• Storytelling
• Visualize an extraordinary scenario.
• Statement A statement or phrase can catch the audience’s attention by keeping them guessing what you’re about to say next.
• Use an interesting question.
• Pause Silence brings attention to you.
• What if… Asking a “what if” question invites the audience to follow your thought process.
• Statistic Using a surprising, powerful, personalized statistic that resonates with the audience will get your message across right away.

Planing the opening is an important part of speech writing.

12. Be memorable

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a metaphor is worth a thousand pictures. Therefore, use storytelling, metaphors, surprise to make a lasting impression on your audience.

13. Keep it as short as possible

The attention of your audience will naturally wane after a few minutes. They have a lot of other things to do many user issues to think about. The longer you speak, the more competitive with other priorities. So make your points and sit down.

14. Have an effective final moment

It happens way too often; public speaker begins their speech with a compelling opening. They cruise confidently into the body. Then they run out of gas as they come to the close of their speech. Your ending is what the audience will ultimately talk about when they head out the door. Make a strong call to action.

15. Strive for authenticity

Write your speech in a way that sounds authentic. Most people tend to write in another style than they do when speaking to someone else personally. A good speaker needs to be honest, to speak with conviction, to be real. Therefore, use your language.

Are you frustrated because your speeches lack the quality you are looking for? Are you tired of rewriting speeches at the last minute? Do you want to improve the way you deliver speeches?

How much do mediocre speeches and presentations costing you?

Bad speeches are costing you. People aren’t hearing you and because of that, you’re missing out. You’re missing out on new customers, on that promotion you’ve been waiting for, and on opportunities to educate and motivate.

What would it mean to you and your organization if you could improve the quality of your speeches and reduce the amount of time it took to produce them. What would that mean in terms of saved time, stress and money? And what would it mean to deliver speeches that resonate better with audiences? Speeches that make audiences stand up and take action?

Are you interested? I solve speech writing problems for individuals and high-level organizations at all points of the speech writing process.

Many of my clients request great speeches written on high-profile occasions. Others value my help to transform their current speech or presentation to the next step. Most of my clients also benefit from my specific speech delivery coaching and training . My clients told me that working with me not only helped them improve the quality of their speeches but reduced immensely the time it takes to produce a speech. This saves you time, money and stress. Your speeches will also resonate better with audiences, boost your career and support your brand.

To find out more about how I can help you, click here .

Just ask me personally

Please post any questions that may be of interest to other readers in the comments. Looking for professional help?

If you are interested in coaching, training or consulting, if you have organizational questions, or if you want to make an appointment, you can reach me best via this contact form (you can choose if you want to enter your personal data) or via e-mail ( [email protected] ). You can also reach me by phone at +49(0)30 864 213 68 or by cell phone at +49(0)1577 704 53 56 from Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 18:00. Most of the time I am in sessions, so please leave a message with your phone number in Germany. Please remember to be very specific about the reason for your call. I will get back to you as soon as possible. The  privacy policy can be found here.

Transparency is important. That is why you will find answers to frequently asked questions already here , for example about me ( profile ), the services , the fees and getting to know me . If you like what you see, I look forward to working with you.

Topic Topic Personal coaching, training, consulting Business coaching, training, consulting Executive coaching, training, consulting Psychotherapy Open enrollment training Corporate training Keynote speeches Others Press inquiries

When it is about a request for an appointment, then: When it is about a request for an appointment, then: Telephone session or online session Face-to-face session Not yet decided whether face-to-face or online session

Preferred form of address

ZIP/Postal Code

Email Address

I have read and accept the privacy policy. I have read and accept the privacy policy. Yes!

In the address bar of your browser, the URL should begin with " https://www.karstennoack.com /...". This indicates a secure connection (SSL). Whether you enter your real name is up to you.

Related articles

• Preparation of your individual speech in Berlin and online
• Coaching and training by phone or online with video
• Offer for coaching, training and consulting in Berlin
• Presentation training in a group or rather a one-to-one training?
• Make a trip to Berlin for coaching or training?

How about question and comments?

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

When you submit this form, it will save the used name, email address, and content. Find out more in the  privacy policy .

I have read and accepted the Privacy Policy *

Submit Comment

Present the benefits in the beginning of your pitch

There are many strategies to consider in opening your pitch. Think about it twice, because those first minutes can make or break you.

Five fingers for a structured speech. Five-finger speech structure.

The five-finger speech structure step by step. Systematically build up statements, whether for speeches, presentations, or discussions.

Just read out speech manuscripts …

There are good speechwriters. But what value has the best manuscript, when the performance is uncharitable? Unfortunately, in the end, the cupcakes are the highlight! An important speech deserves preparation, rehearsals, …

Create an excellent speech or presentation as a masterpiece

Create an excellent speech or presentation. It will bring you forward as a presenter. Every speaker should make a brilliant speech at least once in his life. The effect goes far beyond the event because the experience becomes a mental reference. Such an experience will change you as a speaker. Create your rhetorical masterpiece. Here is how to do it.

Being right at all costs. The price we pay for needing to be right.

Persuading without arguments, assertiveness, winning without consideration, knockout by nasty tricks, black magic, manipulating. It is a coveted feeling to be right.

What may cost the preparation of a presentation, which effort is justified?

Often, a lot can be achieved with a convincing presentation and investments are worthwhile. But how much should the investment actually be?

Structure for speeches and presentations: Take your audience from hell to heaven.

Do you offer a way to better conditions? It’s about promoting change? Whether products, processes, etc. Do you want to hold a public office?

I call this easy to use and very effective speech structure the “Hell-Heaven-Way”. If the conditions are untenable and there are solutions available, you can also use it outside the church to convince your audience.

20 tips for humor in speeches and presentations

Do you want the attention of your audience? Humorously move your audience before the seat hurts. Humor relaxes. It resolves tense, stressful situations. Humor has some positive effects. Appropriate humor can be used effectively in many situations. Find out what is worth paying attention to.

The first rule of rhetoric: Let us start with the basics of speaking.

Does everyone have to say something about everything? In my opinion, the most important rule of rhetoric and good communication style is that those who have nothing to say should shut up.

Presentation design: 20 tips for PowerPoint, Keynote and Co.

What does a convincing presentation with presentation software need? Here are some tips for presentation design with PowerPoint, Keynote and Co.

The ancient speech structure for your speeches and presentations

The ancient greek speech structure is probably the oldest structuring formula for speeches. It dates back to antiquity. And it still works today for speeches and presentations. Learn how to convince classically.

Freedom of speech, yes! Free speech comes with responsibilities.

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission. It sounds true, and it is true. And it is also not always right to hide behind that saying.

How to organize your speech? Speech structure: Opening, body, conclusion

How do you organize your speeches and presentations? In this article, you will find the simplest structure already taught at the school level. It is still taught because it still works.

This article is a short excerpt from the more comprehensive course materials my clients receive in a group or individual training or coaching .

Published: March 7, 2007 Author: Karsten Noack Revision: August 14, 2019 Translation: ./. German version: K:X H: T: RR #1890

• share    
• share  
• save   0  
• share   0  

Privacy Overview

Chat With Us

Select Service Resume Writing Article Writing Speech Writing eBook Writing Cover Letter Writing LinkedIn Writing Product Description Writing Blog Writing Web Copywriting Press Release Writing Editing and Proofreading

• Blogging Subscriptions
• Resume Writing
• Article Writing
• Speech Writing
• eBook Writing
• Cover Letter Writing
• LinkedIn Writing
• Product Description Writing
• Blog Writing
• Web Copywriting
• Press Release Writing
• Editing and Proofreading

How to Write a Speech – Step By Step Guide (Updated for 2023)

Engage your audience with perfect speech writing.

Do you think writing a speech is a daunting task? Do you often search for tips on how to write a speech to keep your audience interested and engaged? 

If so, don’t worry! 

To compile a comprehensive speech, you need to consider the audience, length, purpose, or topic of the speech. Focusing on these factors helps you retain the audience’s interest and prevent them from dozing off. 

But there’s more you can do to deliver a thought-provoking speech. This detailed blog features helpful information about how to write a speech regardless of the purpose and occasion.

Let’s begin.

What is a Speech?

A speech serves as an excellent medium to deliver whatever message you’ve got for your audience. You can take the speech to convey ideas through communicating to a group of people. 

While writing a speech, ensure that it contains logical ideas. The speech also has sufficient evidence to support those ideas. 

Moreover, it is always written focusing on purpose or message that needs to be delivered to the audience or public. 

What Makes Speeches Different?

Writing for the public isn’t exhausting. It’s pretty similar to other types of writing. For example, you would want to communicate your message in a speech or need the audience’s attention.

However, some writing qualities might favor others, depending on the public speaking conditions. For instance, when your audience listens to you, they understand and process the information as you speak. 

So it’s essential to opt for a speech writing services for your speech to be well structured and easy to understand. More importantly, your speech information and delivery must align with the audience. 

The Purpose of a Speech

When the public gathers to listen to speakers on a particular issue, they expect you to talk about the essential information immediately. On the other hand, as a speaker, you want to have an immediate effect on your audience. 

Hence, the purpose of speaking to a group of people is to get the response you need. And most speeches encourage listeners to react in the following ways:

For example, college lectures enable students to see a topic from a different perspective; protest speeches encourage an audience to take action, and eulogy examples stimulate an emotional response from the listeners. 

Questions to Achieve your Purpose

To attain the purpose of your speech, don’t hesitate to ask yourself the following questions:

• If you’re presenting an argument, why do you want your audience to agree to it?
• Which points or ideas would be beneficial for your audience?
• Do you want your audience to learn anything from your speech?

Understanding How to Write a Speech

There’s no denying that speech writing is the art of communicating your message through words. These words captivate and keep listeners engaged. If you’ve written essays, you might find it easier to compile a meaningful speech. 

But it’s imperative to understand your speech’s purpose. Factors such as required length, purpose, and analysis of the audience are necessary to consider.

It’s true that writing an effective speech is a time-consuming activity. Therefore, it’s best to follow proper guidelines and maintain the format to develop a great speech, leaving your audience to think about something significant. 

Different Types of Speeches

If you’re wondering, speech writing has three types; informative, persuasive, and special occasions. 

Before understanding how to write a speech for school or any other place, let’s discuss each type in detail.

Informative Speech

The type of speech informs and teaches your audience about a particular topic. 

Informative speeches could be a few minute-long overviews on the causes that lead to the American Revolution or an hour-long speaking session on technologies to clean space debris . 

Don’t forget that an informative speech focuses on telling facts or narrating a story, maintaining the audience’s attention.

Persuasive Speech

If you want to convince your audience about an idea, go for the persuasive speech type. 

It could be a short or long one, defining the advantages and disadvantages of a topic that favors a public office’s representative. 

When writing on persuasive speech topics, you need to use facts and opinions to convince listeners to focus on what you’re thinking. 

Special Occasion Speech

Special speeches are what you hear at funerals, parties, or weddings. You can use this type of speech to entertain and pay tribute to a person or institution. You don’t use special speech to inform your audience. They were intended to celebrate the person or place being commemorated at the occasion without the persuasion involved.

For instance, writing a eulogy speech is the perfect example of this category. It is a special speech that allows you to pay a final tribute to your loved one, perfectly by showing the love and affection in words.

How to Write a Speech Outline?

If you want to compose a speech that will create a lasting impact on your audience, you need to work on the speech outline. 

When you begin writing an outline, you will focus on introducing yourself, the topic, and the points you will be highlighting. 

Working on a speech’s outline will help you appear authoritative, save time and organize your thoughts, ensuring that you follow a proper structure. If you don’t know how to write a speech format, an outline will also give you an idea about it. 

It’s also essential to understand who you’re addressing through the speech, what the speech will cover, and how long it will continue.

Following tips will help you to know how to write a speech properly. 

01. Take Time to Write a Speech

This step enables you to choose your topic and points that your speech will address. It would be helpful if you know your audience and understand what they have been living for. 

Try to focus on their needs. More importantly, you need to define the speech’s purpose and structure it correctly. 

02. Write a Compelling Speech Introduction

To make your introduction stand out, you can opt for a strong statement and grab the audience’s attention. And you can incorporate something that builds credibility.

Take introductory lines as an opportunity to discuss something significant and keep your audience engaged. 

03. Focus on Body 

The body of your speech contains main ideas and supporting statements. You can also include examples, facts, and other essentials to compile a great speech.

04. Concluding Lines 

In the end, you need to summarize the essential points of your speech. And you need to end your speech with a relevant closing statement. If there’s a need, you can think about incorporating a call to action. 

How to Write a Speech Introduction in a Few Steps?

You can divide speech writing into different sections to make the entire process smooth and streamlined. However, you need to keep your audience in mind at each level of speech writing. 

Here’s how to write a speech considering these points.

Write a Speech with Audience Research

It’s best to know your audience before writing a speech. The more you know about your audience, the more it becomes easier to reach them. 

For example, you’re already a member of a Chamber of Commerce of your town, and you’ve started a small eatery in your neighborhood. 

You’re invited to an annual dinner where you’ve 10 minutes to speak to the audience and talk about your new venture. 

It might seem stressful if you haven’t interacted with a public gathering. However, to streamline the speech writing process, you can ask yourself the following questions:

• What does the audience want to know?
• Which problems do I need to solve for them?
• Is there anything important I can incorporate in the speech for them? 

Choosing a Topic

In this scenario, you’re familiar with the topic that you’re invited to provide a overview of your business . But you’ve only 10 minutes to speak about it. Therefore, it’s crucial to keep your speech short and focused.

You can create a list of strengths of your food business. Discuss challenges and how you overcome them. You will get 10 minutes, so use these minutes to highlight unique factors that help your eatery stand out. 

Research on your Topic

As a food business owner, you may be familiar with the core areas of your business and don’t need a lot of research before writing your speech. 

But it’s good to be aware of what’s going in the industry or what your competitors are up to. Therefore, spend some on research and include essential points in your speech. 

Compile your Information

This step includes writing your speech once you get the essential information. Here’s how you can ace it.

Stay Organized

Gather all information, facts, or quotes in front of your eyes. And try to be as organized as possible. You can also create an outline to ensure that you don’t miss anything. 

Focus on Using a Conversational Tone 

You need to write your speech in a tone that you use in everyday communication. Incorporate a relevant incident or humor – if it goes well with your topic.

Think about Speaker’s Notes

Your audience can’t see these notes. Therefore, you can use them for self-reminders. 

Try to Be Specific

Avoid providing unnecessary information and incorporate examples or stats to support your point. 

Keep Sentences Short

To make speaking hassle-free, it’s best to use shorter sentences with the rule of three practice. They are also easy to use and can help people to understand your point quickly. 

Choose a Presentation Tool

Depending on your topic and occasion, you can use a professional presentation tool to make the entire session visually interesting. 

Go for a Template

If you prefer, you can use a template to display eye-catching graphics. A good template design can transform an average speaking session into a memorable public speech. 

Deliver a memorable speech with our expertly crafted speeches!

Tips on How to Write a Persuasive Speech

Following tips will help you to know about how to write a speech with a persuasive tone. 

Work on Speech Introduction

You need to work on the introductory lines to keep your audience attentive. If you’re wondering how to write a speech introduction, you can think about the ways that make your listeners relate to your core points.

You can connect with your audience and get their attention by talking about concerns. Moreover, you can try starting with anecdotes to grab your audience’s attention. 

And you can also try other tactics, such as adding interesting facts, realistic stats, and asking questions to make your audience curious to listen more. 

Build a Motive or Context

As a speaker, you need to describe why your topic is significant. Talk about your purpose and factors that made you speak to a particular audience. 

Keep it Well Organized

If you don’t organize your speech, it might turn into a terrible one. Having a structured speech will keep the readers engaged and help you stick to the main points or ideas. 

When you start promisingly outlining the essential factors, challenges, and other relatable things, try to continue your speech in the same manner so that your audience will know where you’re heading and why. 

Stick to a Point

It’d be helpful if you stay relevant and focused on the topic. Don’t provide irrelevant or unnecessary information that might make your audience lose interest. 

More importantly, it takes several minutes to deliver introductory lines. If possible, try to move from introducing a body of the speech quickly to retain the listener’s interest. 

Repeat Important Factors

It’s a good idea to repeat crucial information or buzzwords , especially if your speech is long. For example, you can link an idea that you discussed initially while wrapping or concluding your speech.

Add Summaries and Previews

Adding verbal cues allows your audience to connect pieces of your speech. And they will likely connect with the rest of your speech. 

You can talk about issues in the educational system. For example, I’m here to highlight the so and so issues that have been threatening our educational system for years. 

Go for Strong Transitions

At this level, you can present new information that relates to what your audience has heard. You can always demolish a counter argument by saying, “but this argument doesn’t appear weighty when you think about…”

Use Short or Simpler Sentences

When you want your audience to remember whatever you say, use simpler and shorter sentences. You need to avoid using subordinate clauses, places, and verbs together. 

Don’t Overuse Pronouns

Listeners might need time to understand what “this” or “it” refers to. Therefore, it’s best not to use pronouns and be clear by using nouns. 

Add Rhetorical Strategies

You can incorporate rhetorical strategies of logos, pathos, and ethos to convince your audience to trust you. These strategies also make your argument stronger. 

Ethos refers to building your trustworthiness and authenticity as a speaker. When you opt for pathos, you appeal to your listener’s emotions. And logos refer to using stats and facts in the speech.

Use Quotations and Stats 

To support your perspective, it’s best to incorporate quotes and stats sparingly in your speech. This way, the words will stick to your listener’s mind for a long time. 

However, if you try to provide plenty of information, you may overwhelm your audience, and they may lose interest. 

Focus on the Tone

It’s also one of the essential factors associated with writing or delivering a thought-provoking speech. Therefore, the tone you use must align with your topic or audience. 

More importantly, you need to avoid using inappropriate humor or show over-excitement to grab the audience’s attention. 

Try to Be Memorable

It takes imagination and discipline to become a memorable speaker. As a speaker, if you’re looking for an example of a speech to appear memorable, you can consider the words of John F Kennedy from the 1961 inaugural address:

“And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what can do for your country.” 

Try to Be Yourself

You and your message are the same. If your audience doesn’t consider, they might resist your message. Therefore, ensure that your body language and delivery will leave an impressive impression. 

You can focus on the ways that connect you and your audience. For example, you can talk about how speaking to the public makes you nervous, and some of the attendees might even relate to it. 

Wrap Your Speech Strongly

Knowing the above points about how to write a speech, now you might be wondering about how to end a speech? 

Well, it needs to be something that your audience would always remember. You can share a success story and try to link it with the topic.

You can also make a call to action if it goes well with your topic. And it’s also a good idea to appreciate their presence and time and mention it while concluding your speech. 

Tips to Ace Public Speech

No doubt, writing a well-structured speech is necessary. But how you deliver it plays an essential role too. Here are a few things you can remember to master the art of public speaking. 

Avoid Speech Reading

You can memorize your speech if it’s a possibility for you. But it’s fine to use keynotes or outlines to avoid any inconvenience. 

However, don’t read those notes or outlines and only refer to them when you forget a fact, quote, or when you feel stuck. 

Use Interesting Visuals

If your topic allows, don’t forget to use interesting but relevant visuals. These visuals will incorporate visual elements into your public speech. 

You can find various templates to use for your speech, and if you want to showcase your project work, you can display it too.

Speak and Appear Natural

Don’t worry if you feel nervous. You need to focus on appearing as natural as possible, even after making a mistake. 

Focus on your body language, stay alert, and talk like you normally would. 

Comfortable and Professional Clothing

Wearing comfortable clothing will keep you at ease. However, ensure that whatever you wear aligns with the dress code of the occasion. 

If you aren’t sure, you can always ask the organizer. The key here is to fit in and ace your public speaking experience. 

Try to Maintain Enthusiasm

If you’re excited about your topic, your audience will likely take an interest in it too. It’s essential to maintain enthusiasm as it will keep the readers engaged. 

Practice, Practice, Practice.

Let’s accept the fact that you can’t ace public speaking overnight. Apart from appearing confident and professional, you also need to deliver the speech in the given time. 

Therefore, you need to practice getting more comfortable with your speech and learn to deliver it without exceeding the time. 

If you are a fresher, you can take a look at various speech writing templates for students available on the web. These templates provide you ease in understanding the outline and deliver a speech perfectly in front of the audience.

Speech Writing Topics 

Writing a speech for a university’s orientation or eulogy for a mother required immense effort. Choosing the right topic according to your speech type may take most of your time. 

Here’s a list of some helpful topics to help you get started with your speech.

Topics for Persuasive Speech

If you have to write a persuasive speech, you can write on the following topics:

• Adverse effects of consuming junk food
• Why you shouldn’t text while driving
• A ban needs to be imposed on products containing tobacco
• Give stiffer penalties to celebrities who break the laws
• A society where women ride a bike without fears 

Topics for Special Occasion Speech

It’s challenging to put your emotions into a few lines or choose a topic that resonates with the occasion. You can consider the following examples:

• Volunteer projects and their impact on students
• I’m a proud son today
• No longer an eligible bachelor
• You’re a strong young woman

Topics for Informative Speech

When writing an informative speech, choose topics that interest the audience and encourage them to listen more. 

• Marketing practices in 2023 
• How tech will shape our lives in future
• Tiny herbs, bigger benefits
• Combating factors that impact public speaking

Summing it Up! 

Composing a speech won’t become a hassle if you invest time in researching a speech topic. Researching will help to get the necessary information. It’s up to you how to present that information to make your speaking session exciting and memorable. 

You can ace public speaking by focusing and working on the speech format. A well-organized speech will help your audience understand the purpose of the speech. 

Despite following the practical tips, if you still don’t know how to write a speech for script, don’t worry and consult with us. Our speech writers can help you convey your message by stating points that grab the audience’s attention.

Additional Resources:

• How to write a best man speech
• How to write a valedictorian speech

Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)

Unleash your brand story`s potential with eContentSol – your creative writing companion. We craft narratives that captivate. Ready to elevate your content game? Dive into creativity with us and let`s bring your ideas to life.

Related Articles

Upgrade Your Content with eContentSol

A Reputed Content Writing Agency!

I Need Help With Resume Writing Article Writing Speech Writing eBook Writing Cover Letter LinkedIn Writing Product Descriptions Blog Writing Web CopyWriting Press Release Editing & Proofreading

Contact Details

How to Write an Effective Speech Outline: A Step-by-Step Guide

• The Speaker Lab
• March 8, 2024

Table of Contents

Mastering the art of speaking starts with crafting a stellar speech outline. A well-structured outline not only clarifies your message but also keeps your audience locked in.

In this article, you’ll learn how to mold outlines for various speech types, weaving in research that resonates and transitions that keep listeners on track. We’ll also show you ways to spotlight crucial points and manage the clock so every second counts. When it’s time for final prep, we’ve got smart tips for fine-tuning your work before stepping into the spotlight.

Understanding the Structure of a Speech Outline

An effective speech outline is like a map for your journey as a speaker, guiding you from start to finish. Think of it as the blueprint that gives shape to your message and ensures you hit all the right notes along the way.

Tailoring Your Outline for Different Speech Types

Different speeches have different goals: some aim to persuade, others inform or celebrate. Each type demands its own structure in an outline. For instance, a persuasive speech might highlight compelling evidence while an informative one focuses on clear explanations. Crafting your outline with precision means adapting it to fit these distinct objectives.

Incorporating Research and Supporting Data

Your credibility hinges on solid research and data that back up your claims. When writing your outline, mark the places where you’ll incorporate certain pieces of research or data. Every stat you choose should serve a purpose in supporting your narrative arc. And remember to balance others’ research with your own unique insights. After all, you want your work to stand out, not sound like someone else’s.

The Role of Transitions in Speech Flow

Slick transitions are what turn choppy ideas into smooth storytelling—think about how bridges connect disparate land masses seamlessly. They’re not just filler; they carry listeners from one thought to another while maintaining momentum.

Incorporate transitions that feel natural yet keep people hooked. To keep things smooth, outline these transitions ahead of time so nothing feels left up to chance during delivery.

Techniques for Emphasizing Key Points in Your Outline

To make certain points pop off the page—and stage—you’ll need strategies beyond bolding text or speaking louder. Use repetition wisely or pause strategically after delivering something significant. Rather than go impromptu, plan out what points you want to emphasize before you hit the stage.

Timing Your Speech Through Your Outline

A watchful eye on timing ensures you don’t overstay—or undercut—your moment under the spotlight. The rhythm set by pacing can be pre-determined through practice runs timed against sections marked clearly in outlines. Practice will help ensure that your grand finale isn’t cut short by surprise.

What Type Of Speaker Are You?

Click below to discover your Speaker Archetype and how to start getting booked and paid to speak!

Depending on the type of speech you’re giving, your speech outline will vary. The key ingredients—introduction, body, and conclusion—are always there, but nuances like tone or message will change with each speaking occasion.

Persuasive Speeches: Convincing With Clarity

When outlining a persuasive speech, arrange your arguments from strong to strongest. The primacy effect works wonders here, so make sure to start off with a strong point. And just when they think they’ve heard it all, hit them with an emotional story that clinches the deal.

You might start by sharing startling statistics about plastic pollution before pivoting to how individuals can make a difference. Back this up with data on successful recycling programs which demonstrate tangible impact, a technique that turns facts into fuel for action.

Informative Speeches: Educating Without Overwhelming

An informative speech shouldn’t feel like drinking from a fire hose of facts and figures. Instead, lay out clear subtopics in your outline and tie them together with succinct explanations—not unlike stepping stones across a stream of knowledge.

If you’re talking about breakthroughs in renewable energy technology, use bullet points to highlight different innovations then expand upon their potential implications one at a time so the audience can follow along without getting lost in technical jargon or complexity.

Ceremonial Speeches: Creating Moments That Matter

In a ceremonial speech you want to capture emotion. Accordingly, your outline should feature personal anecdotes and quotes that resonate on an emotional level. However, make sure to maintain brevity because sometimes less really is more when celebrating milestones or honoring achievements.

Instead of just going through a hero’s whole life story, share the powerful tales of how they stepped up in tough times. This approach hits home for listeners, letting them feel the impact these heroes have had on their communities and sparking an emotional bond.

Incorporating Research in Your Speech Outline

When you’re crafting a speech, the backbone of your credibility lies in solid research and data. But remember, it’s not just about piling on the facts. It’s how you weave them into your narrative that makes listeners sit up and take notice.

Selecting Credible Sources

Finding trustworthy sources is like going on a treasure hunt where not all that glitters is gold. To strike real gold, aim for academic journals or publications known for their rigorous standards. Google Scholar or industry-specific databases are great places to start your search. Be picky. Your audience can tell when you’ve done your homework versus when you’ve settled for less-than-stellar intel.

You want to arm yourself with evidence so compelling that even skeptics start nodding along. A well-chosen statistic from a reputable study does more than decorate your point—it gives it an ironclad suit of armor.

Organizing Information Effectively

Your outline isn’t just a roadmap; think of it as scaffolding that holds up your argument piece by piece. Start strong with an eye-opening factoid to hook your audience right off the bat because first impressions matter—even in speeches.

To keep things digestible, group related ideas together under clear subheadings within your outline. Stick to presenting data that backs up each key idea without wandering down tangential paths. That way, everyone stays on track.

Making Data Relatable

Sure, numbers don’t lie but they can be hard to connect to. If you plan on using stats in your speech, make them meaningful by connecting them to relatable scenarios or outcomes people care about deeply. For instance, if you’re talking health statistics, relate them back to someone’s loved ones or local hospitals. By making the personal connection for your audience, you’ll get their attention.

The trick is using these nuggets strategically throughout your talk, not dumping them all at once but rather placing each one carefully where its impact will be greatest.

Imagine your speech as a road trip. Without smooth roads and clear signs, the journey gets bumpy, and passengers might miss the scenery along the way. That’s where transitions come in. They’re like your speech’s traffic signals guiding listeners from one point to another.

Crafting Seamless Bridges Between Ideas

Transitions are more than just linguistic filler. They’re strategic connectors that carry an audience smoothly through your narrative. Start by using phrases like “on top of this” or “let’s consider,” which help you pivot naturally between points without losing momentum.

To weave these seamlessly into your outline, map out each major turn beforehand to ensure no idea is left stranded on a tangent.

Making Use of Transitional Phrases Wisely

Be cautious: overusing transitional phrases can clutter up your speech faster than rush hour traffic. Striking a balance is key—think about how often you’d want to see signposts on a highway. Enough to keep you confident but not so many that it feels overwhelming.

Pick pivotal moments for transitions when shifting gears from one major topic to another or introducing contrasting information. A little direction at critical junctures keeps everyone onboard and attentive.

Leveraging Pauses as Transition Tools

Sometimes silence speaks louder than words, and pauses are powerful tools for transitioning thoughts. A well-timed pause lets ideas resonate and gives audiences time to digest complex information before moving forward again.

This approach also allows speakers some breathing room themselves—the chance to regroup mentally before diving into their next point with renewed vigor.

Connecting Emotional Threads Throughout Your Speech

Last but not least, don’t forget emotional continuity, that intangible thread pulling heartstrings from start-to-finish. Even if topics shift drastically, maintaining an underlying emotional connection ensures everything flows together cohesively within the larger tapestry of your message.

Techniques for Emphasizing Key Points in Your Speech Outline

When you’re crafting your speech outline, shine a spotlight on what matters most so that your audience doesn’t miss your key points.

Bold and Italicize for Impact

You wouldn’t whisper your punchline in a crowded room. Similarly, why let your main ideas get lost in a sea of text? Use bold or italics to give those lines extra weight. This visual cue signals importance, so when you glance at your notes during delivery, you’ll know to emphasize those main ideas.

Analogies That Stick

A good analogy is like super glue—it makes anything stick. Weave them into your outline and watch as complex concepts become crystal clear. But remember: choose analogies that resonate with your target audience’s experiences or interests. The closer home it hits, the longer it lingers.

The Power of Repetition

If something’s important say it again. And maybe even once more after that—with flair. Repetition can feel redundant on paper, but audiences often need to hear critical messages several times before they take root.

Keep these strategies in mind when you’re ready to dive into your outline. You’ll transform those core ideas into memorable insights before you know it.

Picture this: you’re delivering a speech, and just as you’re about to reach the end, your time’s up. Ouch! Let’s make sure that never happens. Crafting an outline is not only about what to say but also how long to say it.

Finding Balance in Section Lengths

An outline isn’t just bullet points; it’s a roadmap for pacing. When outlining your speech, make sure to decide how much time you’d like to give each of your main points. You might even consider setting specific timers during rehearsals to get a real feel for each part’s duration. Generally speaking, you should allot a fairly equal amount of time for each to keep things balanced.

The Magic of Mini Milestones

To stay on track, a savvy speaker will mark time stamps or “mini milestones” on their outline. These time stamps give the speaker an idea of where should be in their speech by the time, say, 15 minutes has passed. If by checkpoint three you should be 15 minutes deep and instead you’re hitting 20 minutes, it’s time to pick up the pace or trim some fat from earlier sections. This approach helps you stay on track without having to glance at the clock after every sentence.

Utilizing Visual Aids and Multimedia in Your Outline

Pictures speak louder than words, especially when you’re on stage. Think about it: How many times have you sat through a presentation that felt like an eternity of endless bullet points? Now imagine if instead, there was a vibrant image or a short video clip to break up the monotony—it’s game-changing. That’s why integrating visual aids and multimedia into your speech outline isn’t just smart. It’s crucial for keeping your audience locked in.

Choosing Effective Visuals

Selecting the right visuals is not about flooding your slides with random images but finding those that truly amplify your message. Say you’re talking about climate change. In this case, a graph showing rising global temperatures can hit hard and illustrate your chosen statistic clearly. Remember, simplicity reigns supreme; one powerful image will always trump a cluttered collage.

Multimedia Magic

Videos are another ace up your sleeve. They can deliver testimonials more powerfully than quotes or transport viewers to places mere descriptions cannot reach. But be warned—timing is everything. Keep clips short and sweet because no one came to watch a movie—they came to hear you . You might highlight innovations using short video snippets, ensuring these moments serve as compelling punctuations rather than pauses in your narrative.

The Power of Sound

We often forget audio when we think multimedia, yet sound can evoke emotions and set tones subtly yet effectively. Think striking chords for dramatic effect or nature sounds for storytelling depth during environmental talks.

Audiences crave experiences they’ll remember long after they leave their seats. With well-chosen visuals and gripping multimedia elements woven thoughtfully into every section of your speech outline, you’ll give them exactly that.

Rehearsing with Your Speech Outline

When you’re gearing up to take the stage, your speech outline is a great tool to practice with. With a little preparation, you’ll give a performance that feels both natural and engaging.

Familiarizing Yourself with Content

To start off strong, get cozy with your outline’s content. Read through your outline aloud multiple times until the flow of words feels smooth. This will help make sure that when showtime comes around, you can deliver those lines without tripping over tough transitions or complex concepts.

Beyond mere memorization, understanding the heart behind each point allows you to speak from a place of confidence. You know this stuff—you wrote it. Now let’s bring that knowledge front and center in an authentic way.

Mimicking Presentation Conditions

Rehearsing under conditions similar to those expected during the actual presentation pays off big time. Are you going to stand or roam about? Will there be a podium? Think about these details and simulate them during rehearsal because comfort breeds confidence—and we’re all about boosting confidence.

If technology plays its part in your talk, don’t leave them out of rehearsals either. The last thing anyone needs is tech trouble during their talk.

Perfecting Pace Through Practice

Pacing matters big time when speaking. Use timed rehearsals to nail down timing. Adjust speed as needed but remember: clarity trumps velocity every single time.

You want people hanging onto every word, which is hard to do if you’re talking so fast they can barely make out what you’re saying. During rehearsals, find balance between pacing and comprehension; they should go hand-in-hand.

Finalizing Your Speech Outline for Presentation

You’ve poured hours into crafting your speech, shaping each word and idea with precision. Now, it’s time to tighten the nuts and bolts. Finalizing your outline isn’t just about dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. It’s about making sure your message sticks like a perfectly thrown dart.

Reviewing Your Content for Clarity

Your first task is to strip away any fluff that might cloud your core message. Read through every point in your outline with a critical eye. Think of yourself as an editor on a mission to cut out anything that doesn’t serve a purpose. Ask yourself if you can explain each concept clearly without needing extra words or complex jargon. If not, simplify.

Strengthening Your Argument

The meat of any good presentation lies in its argument, the why behind what you’re saying. Strengthen yours by ensuring every claim has iron-clad backing—a stat here, an expert quote there. Let this be more than just facts tossed at an audience; weave them into stories they’ll remember long after they leave their seats.

Crafting Memorable Takeaways

Audiences may forget details but never how you made them feel—or think. Embed memorable takeaways throughout your outline so when folks step out into fresh air post-talk, they carry bits of wisdom with them.

This could mean distilling complex ideas down to pithy phrases or ending sections with punchy lines that resonate. It’s these golden nuggets people will mine for later reflection.

FAQs on Speech Outlines

How do you write a speech outline.

To craft an outline, jot down your main ideas, arrange them logically, and add supporting points beneath each.

What are the 3 main parts of a speech outline?

An effective speech has three core parts: an engaging introduction, a content-rich body, and a memorable conclusion.

What are the three features of a good speech outline?

A strong outline is clear, concise, and structured in logical sequence to maximize impact on listeners.

What is a working outline for a speech?

A working outline serves as your blueprint while preparing. It’s detailed but flexible enough to adjust as needed.

Crafting a speech outline is like drawing your map before the journey. It starts with structure and flows into customization for different types of talks. Remember, research and evidence are your compass—they guide you to credibility. Transitions act as bridges, connecting one idea to another smoothly. Key points? They’re landmarks so make them shine.

When delivering your speech, keep an eye on the clock and pace yourself so that every word counts.

Multimedia turns a good talk into a great show. Rehearsing polishes that gem of a presentation until it sparkles.

Last up: fine-tuning your speech outline means you step out confident, ready to deliver something memorable because this isn’t just any roadmap—it’s yours.

• Last Updated: March 5, 2024

Explore Related Resources

Learn How You Could Get Your First (Or Next) Paid Speaking Gig In 90 Days or Less

We receive thousands of applications every day, but we only work with the top 5% of speakers .

Book a call with our team to get started — you’ll learn why the vast majority of our students get a paid speaking gig within 90 days of finishing our program .

If you’re ready to control your schedule, grow your income, and make an impact in the world – it’s time to take the first step. Book a FREE consulting call and let’s get you Booked and Paid to Speak ® .

About The Speaker Lab

We teach speakers how to consistently get booked and paid to speak.  Since 2015, we’ve helped thousands of speakers find clarity, confidence, and a clear path to make an impact.

Get Started

Let's connect.

[email protected]

Copyright ©2023 The Speaker Lab. All rights reserved.

How to Give A Perfect Speech: Step by Step

Table of Contents

Your First Speech in 5 Simple Steps

Public speaking can be daunting, especially when you’re giving your first speech.

Whether it’s a class presentation, a business pitch, or a speech at a family event, the thought of standing in front of a group of people and delivering a message can be nerve-wracking.

However, with the right preparation and mindset, giving a speech can be a rewarding and memorable experience.

In this article, we will provide you with a detailed outline on how to give your first perfect (or near perfect) speech in five simple steps, with a timeline of one month.

Step 1: Define Your Topic and Purpose (Week 1)

The first step to giving a successful speech is to define your topic and purpose. The topic you choose should align with the event’s theme or audience and be something that you’re passionate about.

The purpose of your speech should also be clearly defined, as it will guide your research, content, and delivery.

Are you informing, persuading, entertaining, or inspiring your audience?

For example, if you’re giving a speech about the benefits of a plant-based diet to a group of health enthusiasts, your topic could be “The Power of Plant-Based Nutrition.”

Your purpose could be to persuade your audience to adopt a plant-based diet by showcasing the health benefits and environmental impact of plant-based eating.

Step 2: Research and Prepare Your Content (Week 2)

Once you have defined your topic and purpose, the next step is to research and prepare your content.

Research is a critical component of your speech because it provides you with the evidence and supporting points that reinforce your purpose and captivate your audience.

When conducting research , it’s essential to use reliable sources such as books, articles, and academic journals.

These sources should be up-to-date and relevant to your topic. You can also use personal anecdotes or experiences to illustrate your point and make your speech more relatable.

Organize your ideas into an outline that includes an introduction, body, and conclusion. Your introduction should grab your audience’s attention and set the tone for your speech.

The body should contain your supporting points, evidence, and personal anecdotes. The conclusion should summarize your main points and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Step 3: Practice and Refine Your Delivery (Week 3)

Once you have prepared your content, the next step is to practice and refine your delivery. Practice is crucial to delivering a successful speech, as it allows you to become more familiar with your content and delivery.

When practicing, focus on your body language, vocal tone, and pace. Your body language should be open and engaging, with eye contact and hand gestures that reinforce your message.

Your vocal tone should be clear and confident, with pauses and emphasis that highlight your key points. Your pace should be moderate, allowing your audience to follow along without feeling rushed or bored.

Refine your speech by editing and revising the content and structure.

This includes eliminating unnecessary information, adding transitions between ideas, and ensuring that your speech flows smoothly.

You can also practice your speech in front of a mirror or record yourself and evaluate your performance.

Step 4: Prepare Your Visual Aids (Week 4)

Visual aids can be an effective way to enhance your presentation and engage your audience.

Examples of visual aids include slides, handouts, or props. When preparing your visual aids, consider the purpose of your speech and how the visual aids can reinforce your message.

Create and design your visual aids using software such as PowerPoint or Canva . Ensure that your visual aids are clear, concise, and easy to read. Rehearse your presentation with your visual aids to ensure smooth transitions and effective use.

Step 5: Deliver Your Speech with Confidence (Day of the Speech)

Finally, the day of your speech has arrived. It’s normal to feel nervous, but remember that you have prepared and practiced, and you are ready to deliver your speech with confidence.

Before your speech, take some time to relax and calm your nerves. Take deep breaths, stretch, or listen to calming music.

Arrive at the venue early to set up your visual aids, check the sound system, and familiarize yourself with the surroundings.

When it’s time to deliver your speech, take a deep breath, walk confidently to the podium, and make eye contact with your audience.

Begin with a strong opening that captures your audience’s attention and sets the tone for your speech.

Throughout your speech, use your body language, vocal tone, and pace to engage your audience and reinforce your message.

Use pauses and emphasis to highlight your key points and allow your audience to digest the information.

Finally, end your speech with a strong conclusion that summarizes your main points and leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

Thank your audience for listening, and offer any resources or additional information for those interested in learning more about your topic.

Conclusion: Final Thoughts

In conclusion, giving your first speech can be a nerve-wracking experience, but with the right preparation and mindset, it can be a rewarding and memorable experience.

By following the five simple steps outlined in this article, you can confidently define your topic and purpose, research and prepare your content, practice and refine your delivery, prepare your visual aids, and deliver your speech with confidence.

Remember, the key to giving a successful speech is to be passionate about your topic, connect with your audience, and believe in yourself. Wishing you the very best of luck!

Related Posts

What is taskrabbit (2023).

TaskRabbit Review - Simplify Your Life with Skilled Taskers: Learn about the online and mobile platform that connects you with skilled freelancers. Read our review…

🎨👨‍🎨 How to Make AI Generated Art (With Hotpot AI)

Hotpot AI is a software that converts text to images. It can generate an art from any text you provide, and it does so in…

Privacy Overview

How to prepare your voice for a speech: Step-by-step guide

Hrideep barot.

• Body Language & Delivery , Presentation , Public Speaking

You step on the stage and are about to start your speech. As soon as you utter the first word you are shocked by your voice, all squeaky and hoarse, and you wonder what went wrong.

Maybe the reason is you forgot to prepare your voice!

Now, you might ask what is voice preparation? How can you possibly make your voice ready?

But, believe me, all the successful public speakers, politicians, news anchors, even singers, and anchors never skip this step!

They ensure that they pamper and protect their voice until the last minute of beginning their performance!

So get ready to embark on a journey with our step-by-step guide to develop your voice effectively!

Here is our schedule for preparing your voice!

1. Record Your Voice

2. analyze your recordings, 3. ask for feedback, 4. experiment with your vocal style, 5. train your voice, 6. practice, things to do to improve your voice before giving a speech.

• FAQ's on preparing voice

Examples of speeches with good vocal tonality

Before we proceed with the schedule, there might be some of you wondering: what is even the need to go through the steps? Just practice and perform it.

But here’s why you might be wrong.

Why is there a need to prepare your voice for a speech?

Even though you have a wonderful script, it does not mean that you will have a wonderful speech!

You need to take in all aspects of your performance, such as your vocals and your body language.

Just rehearsing your speech over and over will also not do.

This will do more bad than good. I’ll tell you why:

When I was a freshman at college, my friend and I decided to participate in the annual talent hunt competition.

We had a few rehearsals together, and we were good to go for our performance, which was on the next day.

But, my friend got nervous and she practiced way too many times, and she wasn’t even able to speak!

Our whole practice was fruitless, and eventually, she decided to withdraw her name from the competition.

Apart from this reason of worsening your voice, there a lot more reasons all mentioned in this article, so read till the end!

Now, let’s get started!

Your first step in developing your voice for your upcoming speech, presentation, or performance is to record your voice.

You can record it on your phone through a voice recorder or any other app.

At this point, just read out your speech or draft and record it.

Half of step one is completed!

Next, record an impromptu speech of 1-2 minutes. It doesn’t have to be related to your speech. Just talk about anything you feel like.

With this done, store both these set of recordings for our next step.

The second step is to analyze your previous recordings.

For this step you would require a paper and a pen, along with your recording.

As you hear your first recording, take down points on how you speak when you read a script. For example, what are the characteristics or qualities of your voice?

Is your voice deep or high pitched? Is it clear or has an airy or breathy quality? Is it soft or loud?

Make points for the tone of your voice as well.

Do you speak in a monotonous manner or with vocal variations? Do you speak too fast or too slow?

For your next recording, you simply observe how you speak.

So, in this case, make note of what kind of fillers words you use in between, such as “uh…” or “um…” or do you happen to use repetitive words or phrases.

When you analyze all of these, you will have the qualities, characteristics, vocal patterns, and the strengths and weaknesses of your voice.

This step will make you understand your voice better, so that you can work on them constructively.

The third step is to ask for a feedback about your voice from others.

They can be your colleagues, friends or family members.

Ask them what quality or characteristic they like and dislike about your voice.

Note down all the points given by people.

This will help you comprehend and paint a real picture of your voice, so you can practice and improve them effectively.

This step will give you the exposure and freedom to experiment with various styles of speaking and come up with one you are most comfortable and confident in.

You will need the help of your notes for this step.

Now, the key is to try out different styles. This means you would speak in a way completely opposite to what is the notes.

So if you have written that your voice is high pitched, then try out reading in a lower pitch than usual or if you use too many filler words, use as less as possible.

This step will help you find your natural voice and you will understand what difference does a mere change in the quality of voice does to your speech.

Once you find your comfortable voice pattern and type, the next step is to train them.

For this step, first you need to do a warm up.

Warming up your vocal cords

Just like how you do a quick warm-up before exercising or practicing your dance routine, you have to warm up your vocal cords too to avoid straining them and becoming hoarse.

Vocal warm up usually begin with relaxing your body first.

So, do some basic body stretches, such as slow head rolls, followed by arm rotations clockwise then anti-clockwise, and so on.

If you want to pace up a bit, do spot jogging or march for a minute, followed by knee lifts.

For a better understanding, follow this clip:

Did you feel a rush of blood and energy after doing this warm-up? I certainly did!

Vocal warm-up

So, let’s get to the vocal warm-up.

A vocal warm up can be anywhere around 5-10 minutes long and is the most fun part of all the steps!

You can begin by making a sound while rolling your tongue, known as tongue trill, or hum in ascending or descending pitch.

You can also chant a word and sustain that note for as long as you can.

Vocal exercises

Now that your body and vocal cords are all warmed up, let’s begin with our vocal exercises.

Doing these will make your vocal cords stronger and resist losing voice, which would be a nightmare!

Hence, don’t skip this step.

Some of the important exercises you can do include sustaining notes, trying to sustain a word or sound for as long as you can.

The other involves breathing exercises such as breath holds and deep breathing, to strengthen your lungs for better air flow during speaking, giving your voice a pleasant tone.

Let’s look and follow the demonstration below for a better understanding:

That was an intense vocal workout!

Now, let’s explore some tongue exercises.

Tongue exercises

These will help in speech articulation, make your voice clearer sounding, and make your pronunciations clearer!

You can start with stretching your tongue as far out as you can and notch up with a note!

The key is to make your tongue stronger, hence try to hold it in the same position!

You can do tongue holds, such as sticking your tongue to the roof of your mouth or pointing it outwards, keeping your tongue as straight as possible, for 10-15 seconds each.

Now you may begin with practicing your speech without straining your voice whatsoever!

This step is the most important step of the whole routine, so make sure to take out ample time to practice your speech.

Maintain a video or an audio journal, where you can go back and introspect the strong and weak elements of your voice.

Remember that your vocal cords are made of muscles, which means you can develop them if you regularly exercise them correctly.

Hence, take out at least an hour to practice and rehearse how you are going to use this powerful tool.

However, do not overdo your practice!

This can have disastrous consequences! Instead of developing your cords, you might strain and damage them!

How to talk without losing your voice?

There can be situations where you may lose your voice or experience a bad throat.

What to do in such situations? Don’t panic! Stress will make the vocal cords more tensed than before, increasing the issue!

If you have some time, say 2-3 days, rest your voice and don’t use them at all or to the lowest extent possible.

You probably overworked your voice or practiced the wrong way.

What you can do is engage in relaxing exercises such as body stretches, which will relax your mind and body for a speedy recovery.

You can also drink some homemade herbal tea or warm water to fasten the recovery process.

How to stop straining your voice while giving speech?

If your voice is still not healed, practice a bit on the day before your speech, and take the help of a microphone, so that even if you speak softly, your voice will be heard by others.

If your voice is back to normal, practice for about an hour, and just perform similarly on stage. Don’t talk too loudly as it will strain your voice.

It is essential to warm up before your speech as you did before in your practice sessions.

Loosen up your body and take deep breaths to keep your mind and body calm and relaxed.

You can follow along any vocal warm-ups of your choice. Here are some recommendations:

• 5-minute vocal warm-up: Jacob Vocal Academy
• 5 vocal warm-up exercises before meetings, speeches, and presentations: Vanessa Van Edwards

2. Be hydrated

It is essential that you drink sufficient water, not just to ace your performance but to stay healthy as well.

Drinking water an hour before your performance and a few sips during your speech would keep your vocal cords hydrated and you will avoid cracking your voice.

But how much water is the right amount for your body?

Look at the chart below:

You can easily understand how much water is sufficient by locating your weight and the number of glasses.

So, if your weight is 54, 6 glasses of water are the minimum amount you should consume daily.

What other fluids to consume before speech?

Although water would be more than sufficient to hydrate your throat and vocal chords, you can keep other options as well.

Drinking warm herbal tea or infused water may help in getting that soothing and clear voice.

However, avoid beverages such as coffee, cold drinks or alcohol as they stick to your throat longer, affecting your vocal quality.

3. Eat healthy

Eating healthy food is a major contributor to maintain a healthy voice and body.

A balanced diet and having foods such as garlic, ginger, citrus fruits, green veggies, etc., lower the rate of mucus formation in your throat.

Hence, consuming these foods would keep your throat and voice clear and healthy.

However, avoid consuming oily or sweet food, dairy products, cold food such as ice-cream or cola, etc., since these foods increase the production of mucus, making you more vulnerable to throat infections and cold.

Eating at least 2-3 hours before your performance will give you the required energy and also keep you away from burping on stage!

4. Sleep well

Sleeping is the most crucial thing to do if you want to give your best on stage.

However, most of us are either too excited or too nervous the night before our performance, and we end up sleeping for only 3-4 hours.

This causes us to feel tired and binge-eat fast food snacks to gain energy, but end up feeling even more tired.

It can also cause forgetting important details and most importantly, your speech!

To avoid having this nightmare, it is better to have a sleep schedule a week before your speech and follow it religiously.

Avoid exposure to any kind of light including your phone at least an hour before your bedtime.

You can do relaxing activities like body stretches or some meditation to have a better quality of sleep.

FAQ’s on preparing voice

This section will expose you to different situations which require a slightly different approach when it comes to preparing your voice.

We curated some of these here as follows:

How to clear your throat before a speech and have a clear voice?

Although we all have unique voices, some voices sound more clearer than husky or baritone ones.

We can’t change our voice types, but we can certainly learn and adapt to sound more clearer.

Here are some tips to have a clear voice:

• Avoid straining your voice, such as over practicing, or speaking too loudly to maintain a healthy and clear voice.
• Have a proper schedule for drinking water and avoid carbonated drinks.
• Engage in a vocal warmup just before the speech to clear up your voice.
• Ensure that you let your voice rest, to avoid inflammation.
• Eat a balanced and healthy diet, avoiding too oily or spicy food.
• Drink herbal tea or warm drinks to clear up your voice.

To clear your throat right before you go on stage for your speech, a few of the exercise mentioned here will help you keep your throat clear. For example, before going for your speech, purse your lips, don’t smile and hum a note to yourself for a few seconds. It will help relax your vocal chords.

Also, simply keeping yourself hydrated (preferably with warm water will do just fine in keeping your throat clear.

How to prepare your voice for a presentation?

This is the most commonly asked question, and is indeed a very important one as it concerns the work environment.

Your voice quality and delivery can determine whether you would get selected for your dream job or promotion, as well as progressing your organization through business pitches.

Your focus should be on making your voice clear and loud for showing that you have the confidence and capability of fulfilling your job requirements.

Hence, practice more on the diction and pronunciations, and make sure to have a slightly polite tone in your voice.

How to prepare your voice for a public speaking event?

You might be asked to give a lecture as a guest in colleges or organizations, or are going to host a show.

For such situations, your voice has to be expressive and not neutral and monotonous, especially for giving lectures.

If you want to explain a concept well, have some variations in your vocal tone and pitch to have an expressive voice.

Practice speaking clearly and slowly when giving a lecture.

As for hosting an event, avoid any rudeness in speech or manner, and try to have a polite tone all through the event.

You should also try to make your voice seem energetic, and have a good vocal warmup before the event.

How to prepare your voice for an audition?

For all the budding artists over there, I have been in your place!

From my experience, practice till you make it, be it for a voice-over artist, vocalist, actor, etc.

However, do not overdo it!

You will lose your voice or not be able to perform your level best as a result!

Also, while practicing don’t just try to emulate the artist, add your own flavor to increase your chances of getting selected!

The keys to a great conversation: Celeste Headlee

This small but effective speech by Celeste Headlee is a good example of vocal tonality.

She uses clear speech and the words pronunciations are not muffled, but clean and clear.

The tone also raises at appropriate places and gives a conversational feel to her speech.

The next outbreak? We’re not ready: Bill Gates

Now, some of you might have come across this video during the lockdown of how Bill Gates actually predicted the pandemic!

This speech might have awed you and wanted to hear more at the end of the speech, but the secret is his voice!

He is well-known for his speeches and all have a common trait: his narrative tone.

He uses his voice effectively to present his ideas in the form of a story, which mesmerizes many, including me!

 Let the paint dry: Daniel J. Watts

This is one of the most unique type of speech that I’ve ever come across.

While watching his speech, you might get a bit confused of what the speech is about.

But later when you join the dots, the picture will be clearer.

The technique of bringing a prop, along with body language is incredibly used in his presentation.

Most importantly, the voice makes a difference. He uses a lot of pauses without making it seem awkward, and his storytelling complements the speech a great deal.

So, these were the steps that I personally found helpful and would recommend to anyone who is about to give a speech, presentation, or any performance!

Just be sure to keep the things to do before giving your speech in mind before going on stage.

Hope you gained some knowledge through this article!

Check out our related articles:

How to Present without Sounding like a Robot?

What To Do Right After A Speech: A Step-By-Step Guide

6 Ways You Can Evaluate Your Own Presentation

Enroll in our transformative 1:1 Coaching Program

Schedule a call with our expert communication coach to know if this program would be the right fit for you

8 Ways to Rise Above the Noise to Communicate Better

How to Negotiate: The Art of Getting What You Want

10 Hand Gestures That Will Make You More Confident and Efficient

• [email protected]
• +91 98203 57888

Get our latest tips and tricks in your inbox always

Copyright © 2023 Frantically Speaking All rights reserved

Kindly drop your contact details so that we can arrange call back

Select Country Afghanistan Albania Algeria AmericanSamoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Rwanda Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Tajikistan Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Wallis and Futuna Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe land Islands Antarctica Bolivia, Plurinational State of Brunei Darussalam Cocos (Keeling) Islands Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Cote d'Ivoire Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Guernsey Holy See (Vatican City State) Hong Kong Iran, Islamic Republic of Isle of Man Jersey Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Lao People's Democratic Republic Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Macao Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Mozambique Palestinian Territory, Occupied Pitcairn Réunion Russia Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Sao Tome and Principe Somalia Svalbard and Jan Mayen Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tanzania, United Republic of Timor-Leste Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S.

• Freelancing
• Trending Stories

Unlock the secrets to crafting exceptional how-to speeches with our step-by-step guide! Discover proven techniques to capture your audience’s attention, simplify complex ideas, and deliver engaging how-to speeches that leave a lasting impact. Your journey to mastering how to write a how-to speech starts here.

Imagine you’re standing in front of a room full of people. The spotlight is on you, and all eyes are fixed. You have something important to share that could change lives or make a difference. But as you open your mouth, the words come out jumbled, the message unclear. Your audience begins to drift away, their attention slipping through your fingers like sand.

We’ve all been there, haven’t we? That moment of public speaking anxiety, where the fear of failing to convey our message cripples us. But fear not, because in this post, we’re diving headfirst into the art of crafting a ‘how to’ speech that grabs your audience by the ears and leaves them hanging on to your every word.

Remember that your ‘how-to’ speech isn’t solely about yourself; it’s about aiding your audience. By customizing your subject to their interests and requirements, you can capture their undivided attention, much like when you delight them with their preferred cake at a gathering.

But how do you master this art? How do you transform your jumbled thoughts into a compelling speech? Fear not, because that’s exactly what we’re here to explore. In the following sections, we’ll break it down into simple, actionable steps so you can confidently step into the spotlight and deliver a ‘how to’ speech that leaves a mark.

Table of Contents

Understanding the basics of writing a how-to-speech

Consider the finer details of giving a ‘how-to’ speech. Think of it as if you were teaching a buddy the art of crafting an impeccable cup of coffee. You’d share the necessary components, lay out the procedures, and perhaps give expert suggestions to elevate the experience. Essentially, that’s the essence of a how-to speech.

A how-to speech is like your guide to doing something. It’s when you break down a process or a task into easy-to-follow steps so someone else can learn and do it, too. It’s all about teaching, sharing knowledge, and clarifying things.

How-to speeches help you share your expertise, pass on wisdom, and help others learn something new. Think about it – you’ve got skills and knowledge that others want, and a ‘how to’ speech is your chance to give it away.

Imagine showing your classmates how to solve a tricky math problem or guiding your colleagues through a complicated software setup. Your ‘how to’ speech can make complex stuff seem like a breeze. Plus, it’s not just about knowledge transfer; it’s about making a connection with your audience.

In simple terms, a how-to speech is your toolkit for sharing what you know and making life easier for others. It’s like being the hero who helps everyone conquer their challenges, one step at a time. So, get ready to unlock the secrets of crafting a ‘how to’ speech that shines!

Importance of clear communication while writing how-to-speeches

Clear communication makes all the difference. Imagine you’re trying to learn how to make a delicious sandwich, and your friend starts telling you to “spread the thing on that thing and add some stuff.” Confusing, right? You want specifics! That’s where clear communication comes in.

In learning how to write a how-to speech, being crystal clear matters big time. Your audience relies on your words to understand what to do. Think of it as being a GPS for their journey. If you give vague directions, they might get lost. But if you’re precise and clear, they’ll reach their destination with a smile.

Simplify the complex

Avoiding misunderstandings.

Sometimes, you’re explaining stuff that’s a bit complex, like rocket science (well, not really, but you get the point). Clear communication breaks down these complexities into bite-sized pieces. It takes the “I have no idea what you’re talking about” and turns it into “Oh, that makes sense!”

When you’re clear, you minimize the chances of misunderstandings. Nobody wants to end up with a sandwich when they are trying to bake a cake, right?

Whether you’re guiding someone through changing a tire, cooking a fancy meal, or even explaining how to use a new app, being clear is your superpower. It’s what separates a great ‘how to’ speech from a confusing one.

Clear your throat, speak confidently, and ensure your audience knows exactly what to do next. Your ‘how to’ speech is their guidebook to success!

How do you choose the right topic for your how-to speech?

Let’s talk about picking the perfect topic for your how-to speech. Think of it like choosing the flavor of ice cream you want to eat – it should be something you love and know a lot about.

Identify your expertise and passion

Connecting with your audience, brainstorm ideas.

• Analyze the audiences’ interests and needs

Select a relevant and engaging topic

First things first, what are you good at? What are you passionate about? Your how-to speech topic should be in your wheelhouse. If you’re a cooking whiz, maybe it’s “How to Whip Up a Gourmet Dinner in 30 Minutes.” If you’re a tech genius, it could be “How to Master Smartphone Photography.”

Why’s this Important? Well, imagine trying to explain something you know nothing about. It’d be like trying to teach someone to swim when you can’t even doggy paddle. Not fun, right? But when you choose a topic you’re passionate about, it shines through in your speech. Your enthusiasm is contagious, and your audience will feel it.

Your audience matters, too. Picking a topic that resonates with them is like serving their favourite ice cream flavour – it makes them happy. So, if you’re talking to a group of budding chefs, your cooking-related speech will hit the spot.

Sit down with a pen and paper and brainstorm. List all the things you’re good at, all the things you love doing, and all the things your audience might want to learn. Then, find the sweet spot where your expertise, passion, and interests meet.

Remember, your ‘how to’ speech topic is like the star of the show. So, choose wisely, and you’ll be on your way to delivering a speech that teaches, inspires, and engages your audience.

Analyze the audience’s interests and needs

Alright, now that you’ve figured out what you’re good at and what you love, it’s time to shift the spotlight onto your audience. Think of it like planning a surprise party – you need to know what your guests like.

Why audience matters: Your audience is like the VIPs at your party. They’re the ones you’re speaking to, teaching, and helping. So, understanding what they’re into and what they need is crucial.

What they are interested in: Picture yourself in their shoes. What would grab your attention? What topics would make you sit up and say, “Tell me more!” For example, if you’re speaking to a group of DIY enthusiasts, they might be eager to learn “How to Build Your Dream Treehouse.”

What they need: Now, think about their challenges and questions. What problems are they trying to solve? What knowledge are they hungry for? Your speech should serve up solutions and answers. If your audience struggles with time management, “How to Supercharge Your Productivity” could be the way to go.

Ask and listen: Don’t be shy to ask your audience directly. Connect with them on social media, send out surveys, or have a chat if you can. It’s like sending out party invites and asking, “What kind of cake do you like?” Their responses will guide you in choosing the perfect ‘how to’ speech topic.

Remember that your ‘how-to’ speech isn’t solely about yourself; it’s about aiding your audience. By customizing your subject to align with their interests and requirements, you can capture their undivided attention, much like when you delight them with their preferred cake at a gathering. So, put on your detective hat, uncover their preferences, and get ready to wow your audience!

Now that you know your stuff and understand your audience’s wishes let’s talk about hitting the bullseye with your how-to speech topic. It’s like picking the juiciest fruit from the tree – you want something ripe and ready to savor.

Stay relevant: Think about what’s going on right now. Are there trends or hot topics in your field? Staying current can make your ‘how to’ speech more appealing. For instance, if you’re into fitness, a topic like “How to Crush Your Home Workout Routine” during a pandemic could be spot on.

Solve a problem: Your topic should be a solution to a problem your audience faces. Imagine they’re all trying to figure out how to create a stunning garden. Bingo! You could dive into “How to Cultivate a Lush Garden Paradise.”

Be passionate: Passion is contagious. If you’re excited about your topic, your audience will catch that enthusiasm. When you talk about something you love, it shows, and it draws people in.

Think about impact: Consider the impact your speech could have. Will it help your audience in a significant way? Will it inspire them to take action or learn something new? If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track.

Engage the senses: Engaging topics often touch on the senses – sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. If you can make your audience visualize, feel, or even taste the outcome of your ‘how to’ speech, they’ll be hooked.

Remember, your topic is the first thing your audience hears. It’s like the opening scene of a blockbuster movie. Choose wisely, and you’ll set the stage for a captivating ‘how to’ speech that leaves your audience eager to learn and hungry for more.

Research and content development for your how-to speech

Think of this part like being a detective, hunting down the best clues to solve a case. In our case, the case is crafting an awesome how-to speech.

Why research matters

Find trustworthy sources, cross-check information, stay organized.

Why should you bother with research? It’s like building a strong foundation for a house. You want your speech to be rock-solid, and that starts with credible info.

Not all information is created equal. You want to look for sources that are reliable, like books, articles from respected publications, or experts in the field. Think of it as asking a trustworthy friend for advice.

Sometimes, info can be a bit iffy. It’s like hearing a rumour from a friend’s friend. To be sure, cross-check what you find. If multiple sources say the same thing, you’re on the right track.

Just like a detective with a notepad, jot down important details, stats, or examples. This will be your treasure chest of information when you craft your speech.

Keep all your research neatly organized. It’s like having your detective files in order. This way, you can easily find what you need when you’re putting your speech together.

Remember, your audience trusts you to give them accurate info. So, be the Sherlock Holmes of research, and you’ll have the facts and knowledge to make your ‘how to’ speech shine.

Organizing your how-to speech structure

Now that you’ve gathered your detective-style research, it’s time to put everything in order. Think of this like building a house – you need a strong frame to hold everything together.

Why structure matters

Start with the basics, introduction, transitions.

A well-organized speech is like a clear road map. It helps your audience follow along and understand your message without getting lost.

Begin by deciding how you want to organize your speech. It could be chronological, problem-solution, or even a compare-and-contrast approach. Choose the one that best fits your topic.

Just like a grand entrance to a fancy party, your introduction sets the stage. Tell your audience what you’re going to talk about and why it’s important. A little teaser to grab their attention.

Now, let’s dive into crafting an introduction that’s like a magnetic force, pulling your audience into your ‘how to’ speech. Think of it as the opening scene of a blockbuster movie – it needs to be intriguing.

Why introduction matters: Your intro is the first impression. It’s like a firm handshake when you meet someone new. You want to grab your audience’s attention right from the start.

Hook ‘em in: Start with a bang – a captivating story, a surprising fact, or a thought-provoking question. Make your audience think, “I need to hear more!”

Preview your message: After the hook, give them a sneak peek of what’s coming. It’s like a movie trailer that teases the best parts. Let your audience know what they’ll learn or gain from your speech.

Keep It short and sweet: Don’t drag it out. Your intro is the appetizer, not the main course. Aim for around 10-15% of your total speech time.

Remember, your introduction is your audience’s first taste of what’s to come. Make it deliciously intriguing, and they’ll be hungry for more of your ‘how to’ speech goodness.

This is the meaty part of your speech, where you explain everything. If you’re doing a step-by-step ‘how to’ speech, each step gets its own section. Make sure it flows logically from one to the next. Now, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get into the juicy part – crafting the meat of your ‘how to’ speech. Think of this as building a staircase, one step at a time.

Why the body matters: This is where the real magic happens. The body of your speech is where you lay out all the steps, details, and information that your audience needs to learn or accomplish something.

Step-by-step: Just like a recipe in a cookbook, break down your topic into easy-to-follow steps. Imagine you’re teaching someone how to bake cookies. Each step, from gathering ingredients to setting the oven temperature, gets its moment.

Explain clearly: Use clear language and simple sentences. Pretend you’re explaining to a friend who’s never done it before. Be patient and thorough.

Visualize: Paint a mental picture for your audience. Help them see each step in their mind’s eye. It’s like a GPS guiding them on their journey.

Examples and tips: Add real-life examples and helpful tips along the way. It’s like seasoning your dish to perfection – it makes it even more delicious.

By the end of your speech, your audience should feel like they’ve taken a journey and learned something valuable. So, dive into the step-by-step instructions, and make sure you leave no stone unturned in teaching them your ‘how to.’

Think of this as your big finale, like fireworks at the end of a show. Summarize what you covered, restate why it’s essential, and leave your audience with a memorable ending. It’s like a parting gift of wisdom.

Now, let’s wrap things up in style with a memorable conclusion. Think of it as the grand finale of a fireworks show – it’s the lasting impression you leave on your audience.

Why conclusion matters: Your conclusion isn’t just a polite goodbye; it’s a chance to drive your message home. It’s like the closing scene of a movie that leaves you thinking.

Summarize key points: Recap the main points you’ve covered in your speech. It’s like highlighting the key takeaways from a book. Remind your audience of what they’ve learned.

Reiterate the importance: Explain once again why your topic is essential or how it can benefit your audience. Reinforce the “why” behind your ‘how to’ speech.

End on a high note: Finish with a strong and memorable statement. It’s like the punchline of a joke – leave your audience with something to ponder or act upon.

Thank your audience: Show gratitude for their time and attention. It’s like saying thanks to your guests at the end of a fantastic party.

Your conclusion should be like the cherry on top of a delicious sundae – it completes the experience and leaves a sweet taste in your audience’s mind. So, craft a conclusion that lingers in their thoughts long after your ‘how to’ speech is over.

Just like road signs, transitions help your audience move smoothly from one point to another. Use phrases like “Next, we’ll move on to…” or “Now that we’ve covered that, let’s talk about…”

Visuals (if needed)

If your ‘how to’ speech benefits from visuals, like diagrams or photos, include them in the appropriate spots. They’re like illustrations in a recipe book – they make things clearer.

By organizing your speech thoughtfully, you make it easier for your audience to follow along and understand your message. It’s like giving them a clear path to your knowledge. So, build that strong frame, and your ‘how to’ speech will stand tall and strong.

The art of writing: How to write a how-to speech

Let’s talk about writing – the heart of your how-to speech. Imagine you’re writing a letter to a friend. You want it to be clear and to the point, right? Well, that’s how you should write your speech, too.

Clear language

Cut the fluff, organization is key, avoid jargon.

Use simple words and sentences. Don’t try to impress with big words; aim to be understood. Imagine you’re explaining it to a 12-year-old.

Like trimming a bonsai tree, and cutting unnecessary words and details. Be ruthless. Keep only what’s essential to your message.

Arrange your ideas logically. Think of it as putting puzzle pieces together. Each piece fits just right, creating a complete picture.

Steer clear of fancy terms and acronyms that your audience might not know. It’s like speaking in a secret code – not cool.

Read your writing out loud. If it sounds confusing or clunky, chances are it needs some tweaking.

Clear and concise writing is like a well-tuned engine in your ‘how to’ speech. It keeps things running smoothly and ensures your audience gets the message without a hitch. So, follow these tips, and your words will flow like a clear stream, making your ‘how to’ speech shine.

Importance of using effective language and tone in how-to speeches

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of your writing. Think of it like choosing the right outfit for a special occasion – your language and tone should match the setting.

Effective language

Tone matters, engage your audience, stay positive.

Your words are like tools in a toolbox. Use them wisely. Be clear and precise. Avoid vague or confusing phrases. It’s like giving someone clear directions rather than pointing in a general direction.

Your tone sets the mood. It’s like the soundtrack to a movie. If you’re explaining a serious topic, keep it formal. If it’s a fun and casual subject, feel free to be more relaxed. Match your tone to your audience’s expectations.

Use relatable examples and stories. Make your audience feel like you’re speaking directly to them. It’s like having a friendly chat over a cup of coffee.

Positivity is contagious. If you’re excited and passionate about your topic, it’ll show in your words. Your enthusiasm can inspire and engage your audience.

Effective language and tone are like the secret sauce of your ‘how to’ speech. They make your words more engaging, relatable, and memorable. So, choose your words thoughtfully, and your audience will be hanging on to every sentence you say.

Avoid jargon and technical terms

It’s a good idea to avoid confusing jargon and technical terms in your writing. Think of it like having a conversation with your grandma – you would prefer not to use words she doesn’t understand.

Speak plainly

Clarify complex concepts, think about your audience, be the translator.

Imagine explaining your topic to someone who’s new to it. Use everyday words and phrases. Skip the jargon that might leave your audience scratching their heads.

If you need to delve into something complex, break it down into bite-sized pieces. It’s like explaining a recipe step by step, making it easy to follow.

Consider who you’re talking to. If it’s a group of experts, some technical terms might be okay. But if it’s a diverse audience, keep it simple and inclusive.

Your role is to be the bridge between your knowledge and your audience’s understanding. Translate the complex into the comprehensible.

Remember, clear and straightforward language makes your ‘how to’ speech accessible to everyone. It’s like opening the door to your knowledge and inviting everyone inside. So, steer clear of the jargon jungle, and your audience will thank you for it.

Engaging your audience with your how-to speech

Imagine you’re the storyteller around a campfire – your audience should be hooked from the start.

Why stories matter

Personal anecdotes, real-life examples, emotionally engage, paint vivid pictures.

Stories are like magic spells that capture your audience’s attention and imagination. They make your speech relatable and memorable.

Share personal experiences related to your topic. It’s like saying, “Hey, I’ve been there too.” It creates a connection between you and your audience.

Sprinkle your speech with real-life examples. It’s like showing them the ropes through concrete situations. People love relatable stories they can learn from.

Use stories to evoke emotions. Whether it’s laughter, surprise, or empathy, emotions make your speech unforgettable. It’s like seasoning your speech to taste.

Help your audience visualize what you’re saying. It’s like turning your speech into a mental movie. Use descriptive language and paint a picture with your words.

Remember, your audience doesn’t just want information; they want to be entertained and inspired. Stories, examples, and anecdotes are your tools for doing just that. So, weave them into your how-to speech, and watch your audience hang onto your every word, just like they would with a gripping tale.

The importance of visual aids, if applicable in your how-to speeches

Alright, let’s dive into a crucial aspect of engaging your audience – the use of visual aids. It’s like adding illustrations to a storybook; they enhance the experience and understanding.

• Why visual aids matter

Clarify complex ideas

Engage visual learners, enhance engagement, remember to keep it simple, why visual aids matter  .

Visuals, like charts, graphs, images, or slides, can take your ‘how to’ speech to the next level. They provide a visual roadmap and reinforce your message.

If your topic has intricate details, visuals simplify the understanding process. It’s like a map guiding you through a maze – it makes things much clearer.

People absorb information differently. Some are visual learners who grasp concepts better with images. Visual aids cater to their needs and make your speech inclusive.

Visuals can grab and hold your audience’s attention. They add variety to your speech and prevent it from becoming monotonous.

Don’t go overboard with visuals. Less is often more. Use them when they truly enhance your message but avoid overwhelming your audience.

Incorporating visual aids, when appropriate, can be a game-changer. They add an extra layer of engagement and understanding to your ‘how to’ speech. So, think about how visuals can complement your message, and if they fit, use them wisely to elevate your speech to the next level of impact and engagement.

Techniques for audience interaction and engagement in how-to speeches

Now, let’s uncover some techniques to keep your audience engaged throughout your ‘how to’ speech. Think of it as hosting a lively dinner party – you want your guests to participate and enjoy themselves.

Why engagement matters

• Ask questions

Use rhetorical questions

Poll your audience, tell relatable stories, pause for thought.

An engaged audience is like a team ready for action. They’re more likely to absorb your message, stay interested, and remember what you say.

Ask Questions

Interact by asking questions. It’s like a friendly chat where you genuinely want to know your audience’s thoughts. Encourage them to participate.

These are questions you don’t expect answers to. They make your audience think. For example, “Have you ever wondered…?”

If you have a large audience, use technology to create polls or surveys. It’s like involving everyone in a group decision – it makes them feel heard.

Share stories or examples that your audience can relate to. It’s like saying, “Hey, this could be you!” People connect with stories.

Sometimes, silence is golden. Pause after making a point. It gives your audience a moment to process and reflect.

Engaging your audience is a bit like a dance – you lead, but you also let them take the floor.

These techniques create a dynamic atmosphere where everyone is involved, making your ‘how to’ speech not just informative but also enjoyable. So, sprinkle these tricks into your speech, and watch your audience become active participants in their learning journey.

Rehearsing and refining your speech

We are at the stage where you need to practice and refine your how-to speech. Think of it as rehearsing for a big performance – the more you practice, the smoother it gets.

Why practice matters

Practice alone, record yourself, time yourself, practice in front of a mirror, get feedback.

Practice is like sharpening a tool before using it. It helps you become confident, reduces nervousness, and ensures you deliver a polished speech.

Start by rehearsing on your own. It’s like a solo dress rehearsal. Go through your speech, making sure you remember each step and detail.

Record your practice sessions on your phone or camera. It’s like watching a playback of a sports match to see where you can improve.

Keep an eye on the clock. Your speech should fit within the allocated time. Being too long or too short can disrupt the flow.

This helps you work on your body language and facial expressions. It’s like fine-tuning your performance for an audience.

Share your speech with a friend or family member and ask for their honest feedback. They can point out areas where you can improve.

Feedback is your secret weapon. It’s like having a coach on your side, helping you become better with each practice. So, don’t skip this crucial step. Practice and feedback will turn your how-to speech into a flawless performance that leaves your audience impressed and informed.

Tips for improving your how-to speech delivery and timing

You should remember it’s not just about what you say but how you say it that counts.

Work on your pacing

Use pauses for emphasis, vary your voice.

• Practice in front of the mirror

Seek honest feedback

Rehearse your speech multiple times. It’s like learning the steps of a dance routine until they become second nature.

Pay attention to your speech’s speed. Don’t rush through it like a racecar or drag it out like a turtle. Find a comfortable pace that your audience can follow.

Pauses are like punctuation in your speech. They give your audience time to digest what you’ve said and emphasize important points.

Don’t be a monotone robot. Use changes in pitch, tone, and volume to keep your audience engaged. It’s like playing different musical notes to create a melody.

Practice in front of a mirror or record yourself

This helps you work on your body language and gestures, ensuring they complement your words.

Share your speech with someone you trust and ask for their input. They can provide valuable insights on your delivery.

Improving your delivery and timing is like adding the icing on the cake. It makes your ‘how to’ speech not just informative but also engaging and enjoyable to listen to.

Finalizing your how-to speech

Now, it’s time to put the finishing touches on your how-to speech. Think of it as fine-tuning a musical instrument before a concert – you want everything to be just right.

Why editing matters

Check for clarity, verify facts, cut the clutter, ensuring your speech flows smoothly.

Editing is like the chef’s final taste test; it ensures your speech is clear, accurate, and free from errors.

Start by reading your speech aloud. It’s like checking for any off-key notes in a song. If something sounds off, revise it.

Make sure your sentences are clear and easy to understand. It’s like removing any tangled threads from a tapestry.

Double-check your facts and information. It’s like making sure all the pieces of a puzzle fit perfectly.

Eliminate any unnecessary words or details. It’s like trimming the excess fat from a steak; it makes your speech lean and mean.

Hunt for spelling and grammar mistakes. It’s like picking up typos and grammatical hiccups. They can be distracting.

Editing and proofreading are like adding the final coat of paint to a masterpiece. They make your ‘how to’ speech shine and ensure your audience gets the best experience.

Don’t rush this step. Take your time, and when you’re done, you’ll have a speech that’s not just informative but also polished to perfection.

Now, let’s focus on making sure your ‘how to’ speech flows like a serene river, with each idea seamlessly connecting to the next. Think of it like a well-choreographed dance; a smooth flow keeps your audience engaged and makes your speech easy to follow.

Transitions are key: Use transition words like “first,” “next,” “then,” and “finally” to guide your audience from one step to another. It’s like giving them a roadmap for your speech.

Logical progression: Arrange your ideas logically. Start with the basics and build up to more complex concepts. It’s like constructing a sturdy building; you need a strong foundation before adding the upper floors.

Repetition with a purpose: Repeat key points for emphasis, but don’t overdo it. It’s like a catchy chorus in a song; it sticks in your mind without becoming annoying.

Keep it consistent: Maintain a consistent tone and style throughout your speech. It’s like sticking to the same music genre in an album; it creates a harmonious experience.

Practice the flow: When you practice, pay attention to how smoothly your speech flows. Make adjustments as needed to ensure it feels natural.

A smooth flow is like the secret ingredient that turns a collection of words into a captivating ‘how to’ speech. It helps your audience navigate through your content effortlessly, making it an enjoyable learning journey. So, take the time to fine-tune your speech’s flow, and you’ll have your audience nodding along in agreement from start to finish.

1. How to get into speech writing?

Getting started with speech writing is as simple as picking up a pen or sitting at your computer. Begin by choosing a topic you’re passionate about or knowledgeable in. Then, outline the key points you want to cover and start writing your speech. Practice delivering it, seek feedback, and keep refining your skills.

2. How can I improve my speech writing?

Improvement comes with practice. Read and study great speeches, learn from them, and apply those lessons to your own work. Pay attention to clarity, engagement, and flow. Seek feedback from others, and don’t be afraid to edit and proofread rigorously.

The more you write and refine, the better you’ll become. Keep honing your skills, and soon, you’ll master the art of ‘how to’ speechwriting.

3. How to write a maid of honor speech

Writing a maid of honor speech is a special task. Start with a warm welcome and introduce yourself. Share memorable moments with the bride, like how you met or funny anecdotes. Add some compliments for the bride. Highlight her qualities, and express your happiness for her.

Talk about the groom and their relationship, mentioning what makes them a great couple. Offer some advice, well wishes, or a quote to inspire the couple. Raise your glass and propose a toast to the newlyweds. Rehearse your speech to feel confident.

Remember, it’s about celebrating love and friendship, so be heartfelt and sincere.

4. How to write a speech about someone you admire

Writing a speech about someone you admire is a wonderful way to honor them. Here’s a straightforward approach:

Begin by introducing the person and explaining why you admire them. Share how you know them and any personal experiences that highlight their admirable qualities. Talk about the specific qualities or actions that make them admirable.

Provide anecdotes or stories that illustrate these qualities. Explain how this person’s actions or qualities have made a positive impact on you or others. Sum up your admiration and express your gratitude or well wishes.

The purpose of the speech is to celebrate the person’s greatness and share why they inspire you. Speak from the heart, and your speech will convey your admiration beautifully.

5. How to write a remembrance speech

Writing a remembrance speech can be emotionally challenging, but it’s a beautiful way to honour someone’s memory. Here’s a simple guide:

Start off by mentioning the person you’re remembering and your relationship with them. Share personal memories or stories that reflect the person’s life, character, and impact. Express your feelings, whether it’s grief, gratitude, or admiration.

Discuss the person’s admirable qualities, achievements, and contributions. Conclude with a heartfelt message, offering comfort, inspiration, or a call to remember their legacy.

Remember to speak from the heart and be sincere. A remembrance speech is a way to keep their memory alive and provide solace to those who mourn.

6. How to write a welcome speech for an event

Crafting a welcoming speech for an event is like opening the door to a friendly gathering. Here’s how to do it:

Greet with a warm welcome to the attendees. Make them feel valued and appreciated. Give a brief overview of the event, its purpose, and what attendees can expect. Recognize any special guests or dignitaries in the audience.

Thank everyone for their presence and any contributions that made the event possible. Share your enthusiasm and set a positive tone for the event. Encourage attendees to connect with each other and participate in the event. Conclude with best wishes for a successful and enjoyable event.

A welcome speech is like a friendly handshake, creating a warm atmosphere for your event. Keep it sincere, concise, and filled with hospitality to make attendees feel right at home.

Congratulations on completing your journey in ‘how to’ speechwriting! This skill involves simplifying complex ideas using plain language and engaging techniques like stories and visuals. Practice boosts confidence; seek feedback and prepare to conquer stage fright. Ensure a seamless flow in your speech and edit meticulously.

Now, apply your knowledge by crafting your how-to speech and refining it with practice and feedback. Mastering this art is invaluable, whether you’re teaching, inspiring, or informing. Your words can make a lasting impact. Keep honing your craft, and your speeches will educate, captivate, and inspire your audience.

You Might Also Like

Saying Goodbye Gracefully: How To Write A 2-week Notice Email?

A Perfect Guide On How To Write A Fantasy Novel – Amazing Tips For Writing Fantasy

How To End An Email To A Teacher Formally?

No comments, leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• This Or That Game New
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Education and Communications
• Communication Skills
• Public Speaking

How to Write a Debate Speech

Last Updated: April 12, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Patrick Muñoz . Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,494,063 times.

So, you've joined debate, and it's time to write a debate speech. There are some tried and true methods to writing an effective debate speech. If you understand them, and the components that make up a standard debate speech, you will increase your chances of success.

Sample Speeches

Preparing for the Debate Speech

• You may be asked to stand affirmative or negative. In LD (Lincoln-Douglas debate), the first affirmative speech will be at most 7 minutes long, and the first negative speech will be at most 6 minutes. [1] X Research source
• The speakers then present arguments against the earlier affirmative or negative speech that was just read. Speakers must listen carefully and be able to counter arguments. There are two segments involving cross-examination (CX), in which the debaters are allowed to ask questions and openly debate the topic. This is most often called cross-examination, or cx for short, and occurs after the first affirmative speech, and the first negative speech.
• The best thing you can do to better understand LD/PF/Policy debate is practice and research.

• Brainstorm the topic, and research it before you sit down to write. Write out a list of key components for both sides of the issue. If you are on a debate team, do this together. Each member could discuss the key component list, in order to figure out which issues you want to cover in each speech.
• Spend some time at the library or on the Internet using credible sources to research the key reasons that seem strongest. Use books, scholarly journals, credible newspapers, and the like. Be very cautious about unverified information bandied about on the Internet.
• You will also want prepare to deal with the strongest arguments your opponent(s) might make. Ignoring the other side’s best arguments can weaken your rhetorical appeal.

• A basic debate outline should contain six parts: An attention-getter, your stated stance (aff or neg)/ restatement of the resolution, your definitions, your value, criterion, and contentions.
• You can break each of those six parts into subcategories. It’s often a good idea to write the contentions last, focusing on the value and criterion to hold it up first.

Writing the Debate Speech

• You should address the jury or audience with formal salutations. For example, you could say something like, “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.” Debates are very formal in tone.
• Making a good first impression with the judges is very important. This leads judges to assume the debater is persuasive. One technique to write a strong introduction is to contextualize the topic, especially in relation to real world events. [6] X Trustworthy Source American Bar Association Leading professional organization of lawyers and law students Go to source
• Introductions can also focus on prominent examples, quotations, or on a personal anecdote that can help establish a rapport with the audience and judges. Be careful using humor; it involves risks and can lead to awkward silences if not done right. Find a relevant specific that illustrates the underlying point.

• Don’t muddle your position. It needs to be extremely clear whether you affirm or negate the resolution, so don’t hem and haw and contradict yourself. The audience also should not have to wait until the end to find out. Make your stance very clear, and do it early on
• For example, you could say, “my partner and I firmly negate (or affirm) the resolution which states that unilateral military force by the United States is justified to prevent nuclear proliferation.” [7] X Research source

• A good rule of thumb is to back up your position with 3-4 strong points of supporting argumentation. You definitely need to have more than 1 or 2 key points to back up the stance you have taken.
• The body of the speech – the key points and their development – should be, by far, the longest part of the debate speech (perhaps 3 ½ minutes to 30 seconds for an opening and for a conclusion, depending on the rules of the debate you are doing).

• Focus on the causes of the problem, the effects of the problem, expert opinion, examples, statistics, and present a solution. Try to use visual images, not just generic terms – show don’t tell, and illustrate a point with details.
• Appeal to the motives and emotions of the listener with a light touch. Appeal to their sense of fair play, desire to save, to be helpful, to care about community, etc. Ground examples in how people are affected.
• Try using rhetorical questions, which make your opponents consider the validity of their point; irony, which undermines their point and makes you seem more mature and intelligent; simile, which gives them something to relate to; humor, which gets the audience on your side when done well; and repetition, which reinforces your point.

• Aristotle believed that speakers were more persuasive if they combined elements of logos (persuasion by reasoning) with pathos (having an element of emotional appeal) and ethos (an appeal based on the character of the speaker) - for example, that they seem intelligent or of good will.
• There are two ways to use logic – inductive (which makes the case with measurable evidence like statistics or a specific anecdote or example) and deductive (which makes the case by outlining a general principle that is related to the specific topic to infer a conclusion from it - as in, I oppose all wars except those involving imminent self defense; thus, I must oppose this one because it's a war that was not in imminent self defense, and here's why). Or the reverse.
• You should use pathos sparingly. Emotional appeal on its own can be dangerous. Logos - the appeal to reason - should be at the core. However, logical appeal without any pathos at all can render a speech dry and dull. Consider what you are trying to make your audience feel. Explaining how a topic affects real people is one way to use pathos well.

Concluding the Debate Speech

• One strong way to conclude a debate speech is to bookend the conclusion with the opening, by referring back to the introduction and tying the conclusion into the same theme.
• Quotations can be a good way to end a speech. You can also end with a brief summation of the key arguments of the speech to ensure they remain fresh in judges’ minds.

• Use a clear, loud voice, and be careful to watch pacing. You don’t want to speak too loud or too slowly. Remember that confidence goes a long way toward persuasion.

Expert Q&A

Reader Videos

• Never add new points in your speech because you still have time, as you might not present it in the best way. When you are nervous, you might even say an argument in favor of the other side and you don't want that. Thanks Helpful 31 Not Helpful 2
• Never degrade your topic. Thanks Helpful 32 Not Helpful 3
• Don't use all your points in your debate- in an actual debate, it is sometimes useful to have other information to cite if the argument starts going their way Thanks Helpful 29 Not Helpful 3

Tips from our Readers

• You can make a sample opening and closing speech beforehand so you can focus more time on developing your arguments during the actual debate.
• Make sure to include rebuttals in your speech, as they are just as important as your main arguments.
• Practice as much as possible — it will make you more confident and help you maintain eye contact.
• Imagine you're just practicing with a friend rather than performing in front of an audience.
• Take deep breaths before starting to ease nerves.

• Remember, just because you can write a debate speech, it doesn't mean you can say a debate speech effectively. Practice! Thanks Helpful 22 Not Helpful 5

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.learndebating.com/english/DEBATING.pdf
• ↑ https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/faq/reliable
• ↑ Patrick Muñoz. Voice & Speech Coach. Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.
• ↑ https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/oralcommunication/guides/how-to-outline-a-speech
• ↑ https://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/resources/newsletters/trial-evidence/five-tips-engaging-opening-statements/
• ↑ http://www.oxfordsd.org/Page/5582
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/argument/
• ↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/persuasive-speaking
• ↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/speech-anxiety

About This Article

To write a debate speech, start by researching the topic thoroughly with credible and scholarly sources, and make an outline of your argument including an introduction, thesis argument, key points, and conclusion. Write the thesis argument and develop 3-4 strong points of argumentation. Be sure to clearly state your stance, and utilize expert opinions, statistics, and examples to support your opinion. To finish the speech, write an interesting introduction that incorporates your thesis and a brief conclusion that summarizes your main points. If you want to learn more, such as how to make your debate speech persuasive, keep reading the article! Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Did this article help you?

Kaveesha Pathiranahewa

Dec 1, 2021

Payton Ayoardi

Jul 25, 2021

David Williams

Nov 21, 2017

Luyanda Nondalo

Feb 6, 2017

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

Don’t miss out! Sign up for

wikiHow’s newsletter

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

How will Israel respond to Iran’s attack and could it cope with a war?

A red line has been crossed from an Israeli security standpoint but none of the options for retaliation are without risk

Israel’s war cabinet – Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister; Yoav Gallant, the defence minister; and Benny Gantz, a former defence minister and centrist Netanyahu rival – have spent the last two days deliberating how to respond to Iran’s first ever direct attack on the Jewish state.

The salvo involved more than 300 missiles and drones, the majority of which were intercepted with the help of the US, the UK, France and Jordan.

It is widely expected that Israel’s next steps will have to be calibrated along two axes: the country must take some sort of action to demonstrate to Iran that such an unprecedented show of force cannot pass without consequences, but at the same time must take into account Tehran’s threat that it will strike again “with greater force” if Israel retaliates. None of the options are without risk.

Will Israel respond?

While the destructiveness of the Iranian strikes could have been much worse , with just one casualty reported, a seven-year-old girl, a major red line has still been crossed from an Israeli security and deterrence standpoint.

The important questions on a response are how and when: while statements from Gallant and Gantz have implied that a direct Israeli response to Tehran is not imminent, Netanyahu is yet to make a formal decision.

The chief military spokesperson, R Adm Daniel Hagari, has made it clear that Israel is keeping its options open. “Over the last few hours we approved operational plans for both offensive and defensive action,” he told reporters on Sunday.

What are the issues Israel needs to consider before it responds to Iran?

There are three main factors Israel must weigh up before it responds, according to Raz Zimmit, a research fellow at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies who focuses on Iran.

“One, how Iran will respond, since they have made it very clear that Israeli retaliation will be met with an even harsher reaction,” he said. “Secondly, the US position. Biden is not interested in escalation and wants to close this round of fighting. And third, ever since [7 October], Israel has been trying to avoid opening new fronts so it can focus on fighting Hamas in Gaza.”

What kind of action will Israel take?

Any direct attack on military or infrastructure targets inside Iran would almost certainly trigger all-out war, although some hardline Israeli security establishment figures may view this weekend’s developments as a window of opportunity to go after Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Covert actions that Israel has already used against Iran many times – cyber-attacks, hitting Iranian assets in third countries such as Syria, or not claiming responsibility for an attack on, say, a drone manufacturing site – are also on the cards.

It would be difficult for Tehran to directly blame Tel Aviv for such an attack as it would mean admitting that the country is vulnerable to Israeli operations on its soil.

Could Israel cope with a war with Iran, given it is already fighting in Gaza?

Analysts and former military officers are confident that Israel would emerge better off than Iran if the two sides do go to war: the country has prepared for a multi-front scenario for years.

That said, a wider conflict in which Lebanon’s powerful Iran-backed militia, Hezbollah, would certainly also be involved would be the most serious threat facing Israel since the 1973 Yom Kippur war.

A regional war would require huge amounts of weaponry, ammunition and air defence missiles, with some reports surfacing that there have already been munition shortages in the war in Gaza. Without the advance warning given for this weekend’s strikes, it is much more likely that Israel’s sophisticated multilayered air defence system could be overwhelmed.

Normal life in Israel would also come to a halt: 75% of the military is made up of reservists. Major infrastructure such as power stations, water supplies and transportation are likely to be affected and the impact on the strong economy would be immense.

What about Iran?

Iran is one of the most militarised states in the region, with a standing army of at least 580,000 and a stockpile of 3,000 ballistic missiles, according to western estimates.

However, the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has made it very clear over the last six months of war in Gaza that Iran does not wish to be dragged into a wider conflict. Iran’s economy and people are already suffering under extensive UN, EU and US sanctions.

Iran attacked Israel after the 1 April strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus that hit a diplomatic building and took out the highest-ranking Iranian commander to be killed since the US assassinated the Quds force leader Qassem Suleimani in Iraq in 2020.

“The Iranians decided they had had enough. They took a risk but they calculated that if they did nothing vis-a-vis Israel after that attack then Iran’s deterrence would be compromised,” Zimmit said.

Would the US get involved in an Israel-Iran war?

The outcome of a war would greatly depend on how much support the US, Israel’s most important ally, would be willing to give.

Its resources have already been strained by the war in Ukraine, to the point where Israeli officials have complained that they are not receiving requested weaponry from the US, and Biden is loth to wade into a Middle East conflict, particularly in an election year. The US has said it would not join Israel in any direct attack on Iran.

The UK foreign minister, David Cameron, said on Monday that western countries were mulling extra sanctions against Iran.

• Middle East and north Africa
• Israel-Gaza war

More on this story

Middle East crisis: Israel will ‘make its own decision’ on Iran after UK and Germany call for restraint – as it happened

US to impose new sanctions against Iran after its air attack on Israel

Netanyahu aims to trap west into war across Middle East, says Iranian diplomat

Middle East conflict risks sharp rise in oil prices, says IMF

IDF chief of staff says Israel will respond to Iran missile attack

Backlash as USC cancels valedictorian’s speech over support for Palestine

Jordan faces difficult balancing act amid row over role in downing Iranian drones

Britain has no business intervening in the war in Gaza. So why did it defend Israel against Iran?

Iran attack shows Israeli deterrence policy ‘shattered’, Netanyahu critics say

Most viewed.