4 guidelines I keep in mind while writing a speech
Guidelines I follow for preparing any speech in Toastmasters
Prepared Speech section primarily focusses on public speaking in a Toastmasters meeting. Usually, a prepared speech is of 5–7 minutes. While some advanced level speeches require you to speak up to 15 minutes, some speeches are just 3–5 minutes. Every speech has a set of objectives that needs to be met and must be within the allocated time.
I find giving a speech to be the hardest of all the roles in terms of the effort. Though the experience gained is proportional to the effort. Moreover, there are plenty of constraints within which we ought to operate — time, topic, and objectives. In my Toastmasters journey, I have learned some guidelines that make the speech writing process easier.
Disclaimer: These are not hard and fast rules. Just because these worked for me does not necessarily mean that they will work for you. Please do take it with a pinch of salt.
1. Choosing a topic — The sweet spot
There are a plethora of topics that you can choose from to write a speech. When you have more choices, it makes it harder to choose — The Paradox of Choice! The possibility of I-could-have-chosen-better diminishes motivation and makes it harder to zero-in on a topic. There was a time when I went “speech-less” for six months due to this confusion!
I have an amazing mentor. She is always there to bounce ideas off of. We both emerged a little smarter from that conversation. One of our earlier conversations, I realized we both found it difficult to choose what to talk about. However, that was not all we agreed upon. We thought we could limit our options by hitting the “sweet spot” of topics.
There are surely some things that you are passionate about. It is easier to talk about such topics as they ooze out true and raw emotions in you. On the other hand, my mentor and I also believed that it is not always necessary that the audience is receptive to your interests. That brings us to a set of topics that the audience wants to hear or something they can relate to. A topic that finds a common ground between the two works best!
I was able to break my six-month streak of not giving a speech using this tip. As I was talking to my mentor, we got into a discussion about the Paradox of Choice. Voila! I thought I can give a craft an engaging speech about the paradox. I was able to make it relatable to my fellow Toastmasters by adding our common struggles to fix on a topic. Isn’t that meta?
2. Organization — My Method to the madness
Imagine a movie where the protagonists are introduced towards the late end. Or, imagine a movie that is not split into the first, second, or third acts. Finally, imagine a movie that does not provide closure to the characters. (Unless a sequel is already on the cards)
You would not be invested in the protagonists if they are introduced late. The movie would be haywire or directionless if there are no acts. Lack of closure is just disappointing as you invested roughly 150 minutes of your time with absolutely no payoff.
The exact thing is true for a speech. Even if it is a 5–7 minutes speech, it is still an investment from an audience perspective. Therefore, a speech should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Each segment serves a purpose.
2.a. Introduction
A proper introduction serves two main purposes.
- Grab the attention of the audience
- Give a glimpse of what the audience can expect
The first few sentences you utter on the stage must command attention from the audience. I use the generally observed trope — ask a question. That activates the audience by making them think. Sometimes I start with a relevant quote, or a fact so staggering that makes them go “wow!”. There is a lot to experiment here and I just gave a few of many examples.
I once dropped my phone that was well-cased. It was premeditated and I went on to make a point on how we are more worried about protecting our phones with a case but not our heads by wearing helmets. As you might have guessed, the speech was about the importance of wearing helmets. I was told that worked brilliantly and I know that it is braggy, but the more important takeaway is that there are several ways to have a bang-on introduction.
Now that you have the eyeballs on you, let them know what they can expect. Like the contents slide of a presentation, you do not reveal too much. Rather give an overview of what they are in for in the next few minutes.
2.b. Body
One is an experience, two is a contrast, and three is a certainty.
This is the meat — the juicy part — of the speech that is rich in information.
If I give one example of melting ice-caps while talking about Climate change in general, a non-believer would probably think of it as an exception or an outlier. It is simply not convincing. However, I could use a single example when I want to share an experience or a story that is unique and stands out.
On the other hand, I would use two examples to show the spectrum of the topic. For instance, if I want to talk about the adverse temperatures due to Climate change, I could talk about the hottest summers and the chilliest winters as two examples to indicate the contrast.
More often than not, I believe in the Power of Three. Three examples, three stories, or three points to encompass the topic. Do you see what I did there? Three is an optimum number of points needed to drive an idea across. If I have to talk about what causes Climate change, I could talk about deforestation, excessive use of vehicles, and the unregulated use of non-renewable resources.
I think that anything more than three examples is like selling an idea but sadly, I am not a good marketer.
2.c. Conclusion
“Each section of a speech is a link and the conclusion is the last link. Each link connects to the previous to form a chain. Pull the last link and the whole speech must fall in line.” — A wise Toastmaster
A well-concluded speech will give the audience something to think about or take back. I would reiterate the points I mentioned to leave a memorable impression on the audience.
3. General purpose vs Specific purpose
Every speech has a General purpose. They are broadly classified into 4 categories.
- Inform
- Inspire
- Persuade
- Entertain
The categories help you be in line with the purpose of the speech. I had trouble staying in one category. In a speech where I want to share an idea (Inform), I ended up selling the idea (Persuade). Having a clear general purpose ahead made it easier to craft my speech.
Specific purpose goes a level deeper and deals with the point of the speech.
I want to inform the audience about the harmful effects of social media.
I want to inspire you to take up volunteering.
I want to entertain people with a story from college.
Knowing both the purposes immensely helps in eliminating needless thoughts and giving pinpoint accuracy to what you intend to convey.
4. Put a bow on it
A dish is not complete without adding condiments. A speech is not complete without adding embellishments. Hey, that was repetitive and it rhymes too!
Words have a greater impact if they are told with the use of alliteration, metaphor, puns, and many more. Together they are called rhetorical devices.
It’s the difference between “I am doing great” and “I am relaxed, rejoiced and rejuvenated”.
There are other additions I try to blend in my speech. The title of the speech is an interesting way to elevate curiosity.
I also look for places where I can chime in with different articulations that convey the emotion. Gestures that fit the words to be spoken paint a picture in the eyes of the audience.
Lastly, humor! Who does not love humor? Sprinkled humor, sarcasm, and satire add wit to your speech making it more engaging.
(How many rhetorical devices have I used in this section? ^_^)
Phew! Do you see why speech writing takes so much effort?! I humbly hope that I have made it easier than complicate the speech writing process. Nevertheless, it’s fun!
Interestingly, the guidelines I mentioned are in fact, the first four speech projects in the traditional program of a Toastmaster’s curriculum. As you step into the subsequent project, it is expected that you incorporate the objectives from the previous projects. In the process, the recipe for a wholesome speech just keeps getting better.
After three years of Toastmasters, I am wiser about the fundamentals of speech writing and I hope you have something to take back from my learnings.
Happy speech writing, you all!
