Notes on The Content of Your Speech

Title

To make your title interesting, here are some tips:

• Use numbers
• Use interesting adjective such as Effortless, Painstaking, Fun, Free, Incredible, Essential, Absolute, and Strange
• Use a unique rationale such as Reasons, Principles, Facts, Lessons, Ideas, Ways, Secrets, and Tricks
• Use what, why, how, when, who, or where
• Make an audacious promise

Example:

Topic: Shopping for Clothes
Title with How: How To Shop for Clothes
Title with Number: 6 Tips to Shop for Clothes
Title with Adjectives: 6 Easy Tips To Shop for Fashionable Clothes
Title with promise: 6 Easy Tips To Shop for Fashionable Clothes without Breaking the Bank

Introduction

• The introduction is not your opening.
• It is also not your bio.
• The introduction should be made by you, but should be delivered by the master of ceremonies.
• It should say something briefly about you and your speech.
• The introduction should answer three questions:

1. Why this subject?
2. Why this speaker?
3. Why now?

• Also consider:

1. Who is your audience?
2. Why are they attending?
3. What is their investment to attend?
4. What do they expect to learn from your talk?
5. What do they already know about you and the topic you'll be speaking on?

• It is much better to have someone else state your professional credentials and present evidence of legitimacy or credibility. 
• This not the time to be modest about your accomplishments. 
• Make it clear to the Master of Ceremonies that you will bring or, better yet, send ahead of time your introduction. 
• Your introduction should be tailored to the audience, never use a previous introdcution without a little revising. 
• A good introduction is often delivered as if the introducer wrote it. 
• Always bring an extra copy of your introduction.
• The last sentence should build the audience's excitement.
  

Opening

• The opening has two functions:  (1) to capture the audiences attention and (2) to inform the audience what you will talking about. 
• Here are some tips that you can use to grab your audience's attention:
• Open with a question
• Present a famous quote
• Start with a story or anecdote
• Present a special talent
• Use a visual
• Make a declarative statement or alarming statistic
• Paint a word picture
• Suspense/Surprise
• Use something timely in your opening
• Do something unusual
• Use Vivid language

• Don't start immediately and smile before speaking.

Content

The content of your speech must be able to:

• Educate
• Entertain
• Explain

The following are some tips when writing the content of your speech:

• Keep it simple
• Discard extraneous phrases, jargon and everything else that confuses
• Ask yourself, "So what?" "What has that got to do with me?"
• Keep in mind
• Good writing in specific writing
• Good speaking contains specifics
• Language
• Avoid words that put down someone's ethnicity, religion, physical attributes, or sexual orientation
• Use proper English

To make sure that what you have included in your content is necessary, you can answer the following question:

When my audience reflects on my presentation, what will they remember?

1. __________________________
2. __________________________
3. __________________________

Make sure that your answers match your content. This activity is also helpful when you are still writing the content of your speech.

Conclusion

• The final part of a speech is the conclusion.
• The conclusion has two elements: the summary and the closing.
• If there is a question and answer session, this must be done before the conclusion.
• Your closing can take several forms, and should always be relevant to your talk.
• Call to action
• Challenge
• Humor
• Quotation or Story
• Switching Delivery Styles
• Tying the closing to the Opening
• Use the title of the speech