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Public Speaking is a communication ability which some people are born with while others have to learn by practicing. For this latter group, at least, the point is to confront your anxieties and force yourself to lose your fear of speaking to any audience. It does not matter if you feel that you do not know the topic well enough to discuss it in public. You can do your research in advance and prepare it for your target audience. EverythingisPRsonal brings you a brief guide to develop an appealing speech.

#1 Choose a topic

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The first step in speechmaking is choosing a topic, says Stephen E. Lucas, author of The Art of Public Speaking. With that in mind, a good exercise to start developing your public speaking skills would be to develop a speech based on a topic of your selection.

In his book, Lucas explains that most people speak best about subjects with which they are most familiar. Consequently, why not start to write a personalized speech in which you are the expert? You can write about your own knowledge and experience, such as unusual situations you have found yourself in or the particular expertise that you have acquired through your personal or professional life.

#2 Organize your speech

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Organizing your ideas is a crucial second element to develop your speech. Divide it into three sections. First comes the intro, where you need to grab your audience’s attention. You can start with a question or a joke, but be careful because sometimes this is a risk; you need to be good at telling jokes. Therefore, if you think that you’re not good at this, avoid doing it. Also, the intro is the section where you will reveal your topic.

Then follow with the body of the speech. According to Lucas, this can be organized chronologically, topically, or by main points, each of them with their own unique characteristics.

Finally, give the conclusion. Let your audience know that you have to come to the end of your address and reinforce your central idea. The best way to do with is usually with a full and concise sentence about what you want your audience to remember.

#3 Think about your audience

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Always keep your audience in mind during the preparation process of your speech, both in terms of the writing and presentation.

Analyzing your audience plays an essential role in the selection of your topic, your preparation, presentation, and the tone that you want to convey.

For instance, consider:

• Age
• Religion
• Racial, ethnic and cultural background
• Gender and sexual orientation

#4 Do your research

For almost any speech that you want to give, it is necessary to do research. If you want to demonstrate to your audience that you have a firm grasp on a specific topic, gather your information from several reliable sources such as libraries, academic databases, internet archives or primary sources.

#5 Avoid being too technical

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Don’t make use of complicated vocabulary in your speech. It’s better to convey concepts or ideas with ordinary words. That being said, there are going to be certain cases when the use of specialized vocabulary might actually be useful. Everything will depend on your target audience. Giving a speech about how to deal with stress, for example, isn’t the same as discussing a major scientific breakthrough. Your choice of words should suit the topic.

Finally, practice, practice, and practice. The more speeches you write and give, the better you will become. It is the same as learning to drive; the more you do it, the more natural the impression you will give to your audience. As a result, you will gain confidence, not only as a good speaker but also as an individual.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post. I encourage you to complement this reading visiting How Do You Organize a Successful Media Conference? and 5 Top Tips to Write an Engaging News Release.

See you on my next post…