Every manager, chairperson, expert, and trainer will have to deliver a speech at some point in their careers. As if speaking in front of a crowd wasn’t nerve-wracking enough, you also have to figure out what you’re going to say –  and fast. Are your palms starting to sweat? Don’t worry, we’ll guide you through the writing process so you can stand tall onstage. Ding-ding-ding: speech time!

Who’s your audience?

Writing a speech may seem like a creative challenge, but the first step is to gather some concrete facts. Ask yourself: who will be in the room? In other words, who is your target audience? This is the key to setting the right tone. If you’re addressing a room full of experts at a business conference, your message and story should fit the context. If those same experts are there to celebrate a successful year together, your style can be a little more relaxed. Tip: think of a few keywords and organise them in a mind map. What key principles or ideas do you want to get across?

Surprise them

A great speech always has an element of surprise. Whether you’re speaking at a charity gala or an internal company meeting, most audiences expect something dull and dry. A personal anecdote works great as an opener. It grabs your listeners’ attention and shows them you have something unique to share. Alternatives are a good joke (be sure to test it on friends and family first!), a clever observation, a movie quote, or a fun fact you touch on again later. Whatever you do, be sure to keep it light. Depending on your audience, a little humour can’t hurt.

Learn from the best

Think back to some of the world’s most powerful speeches. Famous examples include Winston Churchill’s ‘We Shall Fight on the Beaches’, Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’, and various speeches delivered by presidents and Nobel Prize winners. Watch some of them again and think about what these orators can teach you about charisma, wording, intonation and rhythm. Then think about how you can apply these elements to your own speech. It may not be as emotional or epic, but it should make an impact, nonetheless.

The goal justifies the (rhetorical) means

An easy way to add flair to your speech is through rhetorical devices – little tricks that play with language and rhythm. Take alliteration, for example, where several words start with the same letter:

Bold, brilliant and boundary-breaking: that was last year in a nutshell.

Or an anaphora, which involves starting several sentences with the same phrase:

A year has passed. A year has begun. A year is just a year until you do something with it. Then it becomes a milestone.

Or the opposite – an epiphora:

The team rests on your shoulders. The entire company rests on your shoulders. The world rests on your shoulders.

Our famous friend Aristotle explained devices like these in his Ars Rhetorica, a book devoted to persuasive oratory techniques. Drawing on personal credibility (ethos), stirring emotion (pathos), and presenting strong arguments (logos) helps speakers engage with their audience. It’s definitely worth exploring!

Keep your speech short and simple

As inspiring as your message might be, no one wants to sit through an hour-long speech. Yes, we mean it. No one. Our aversion for long speeches makes sense when we consider the average human attention span is only a few minutes! A good speech gets straight to the point. Write your story out in full, then start trimming. We call it ‘killing your darlings’. It’s tough, cutting out bits you think are great, but you’ll end up with a sharp, engaging text that gets right to the heart of it. Always leave them wanting more!

Still feeling jittery about getting started, or stuck in a style rut? At ZINNIG, we’re pros at penning speeches. Send us your speech details by e-mail or give us a call!