How to create a great speech
Speaker Commitment
Public speaking is presented as an asset that lasts decades; commitment signals to the audience that you took the assignment seriously and did the necessary work.
Key maxim: "the best way to sound like you know what you're talking about is to know what you're talking about" (anonymous). This underscores thorough preparation as foundational to credibility.
Auteurs cited a rule of thumb: an hour of preparation for each minute of presentation time (attributed to an 18th-century philosopher, though the name in the transcript appears garbled as "Wayne American Burgraf"). This highlights the link between commitment and the time invested in preparation.
Consequences of commitment:
If committed, you’ll likely address ethics, devote time to rehearsal, craft delivery, and creatively approach the topic.
Overall emphasis: commitment underpins the other eight criteria (ethics, delivery, topic, audience, purpose, structure, content, language).\
Ethics
Speech is a tool; like a hammer, it can build or destroy. The ethical use of speech depends on audience and context.
Historical anchor: Adolf Hitler viewed the spoken word as a powerful weapon, illustrating the responsibility that comes with power.
Core ethical practices:
Communicate with integrity and ethics at all times.
Thoughtful topic selection and approach; deliberate content inclusion or omission.
Proper citation and avoidance of plagiarism or copyright violations.
Acknowledgement of personal biases that might affect the message.
Consider whether the audience benefits from the speech and is not harmed by it.
Foundational idea: Emerson’s adage that "speech is power" reinforces the duty to use that power responsibly.
Ethical delivery includes aligning content and delivery to avoid manipulation and to respect sources and audience welfare.
Delivery
Delivery is described as the most important of the three core elements because a dull or distracting delivery can ruin a strong speech.
Nonverbal emphasis: between approximately and of meaning is conveyed through delivery (eye contact, gestures, posture, tone, pace).
Nonverbal components to cultivate:
Direct eye contact with limited reliance on notes
Appropriate, natural gestures
Confident posture and a clear, passionate voice
Appearance matters: clothing can influence credibility; avoid distracting attire (e.g., a Grateful Dead t-shirt) because it can shift focus away from the message.
Delivery should augment rather than obstruct the message; credibility, likability, and comfort with topic, occasion, and audience should be enhanced by delivery.
Natural style: aim for conversational tone rather than speaking at the audience; authenticity helps engagement.
Managing speech anxiety: acknowledge that anxiety is common; the goal is to minimize it, not eliminate it entirely; channel nervous energy into positive delivery.
Dynamic energy is critical because the audience (not the speaker) is the center of the presentation; audience engagement drives decisions about topic, examples, structure, and delivery.
Practical strategy: hook the audience early and design the talk to maintain interest throughout; brainstorm creative ways to keep attention and make the speech memorable.
Topic
Even when you don't choose the topic, you can influence how you approach it; audience analysis and situational awareness (occasion and purpose) matter.
Consider time, place, and setting (e.g., workshop vs sales interview) as factors shaping approach.
Time management guidance: Churchill reportedly advised that a good speech should be long enough to cover the subject but short enough to maintain interest.
Other situational considerations:
How long the presentation should be
Room arrangement and physical setup
Encouragement to take creative risks to make the presentation more engaging while remaining appropriate.
Audience-Centered
The audience is the primary driver of the speech; all decisions should be made with the audience in mind.
Hook and sustain interest: design the talk to hook the audience and keep them engaged through the entire presentation.
A one-size-fits-all approach does not work; tailor the speech to the audience, their needs, and expectations.
Purpose
A clear argument or point of view should underpin the speech; even informative talks should advance a purpose or claim.
Begin with the end in mind and ensure all design and delivery components support that argument.
Example of a purpose-focused approach:
Status report: demonstrate that the team is performing well and justify continued support/resources, which constitutes a specific argumentative goal.
Resource request: make a case for additional resources with a targeted objective.
Structure (Organization)
Every speech has a beginning, middle, and end (intro, body, conclusion); even jokes or stories follow this format.
The body is often organized into 2–5 main points in formal presentations.
Use connectives to show logical flow and to guide the audience: transitions link points and signal topic shifts.
Preview statements orient the audience to the main points (the thing you’re going to tell them).
Transitions help signal changes in topic or point; examples include: "So now that we have a better understanding of the current challenges, let's turn next to how we've been managing those challenges."
A summary reiterates the core points after coverage; the oral format requires explicit reminders since listeners cannot easily scan ahead or back.
The classic mantra for structure: "Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them."
The structure should align with the speech purpose, occasion, and audience; it guides content and delivery choices.
Content
Substance is essential; use a variety of support types to strengthen arguments:
Testimony
Statistics
Explanations
Illustrations
Examples
Avoid monotony by not relying on a single type of support; incorporate narrative and concrete examples to illuminate points.
When selecting content, consider guidelines for relevance to topic and audience, recency of evidence, and qualification of sources.
Use stories or anecdotes with enough specificity to be engaging without becoming bogged down in detail.
Ensure evidence is credible and appropriate for the audience and context.
Language
Language should fit the audience and occasion; adjust formality and terminology accordingly.
A speech typically uses more formal structure and language than everyday conversation.
Choose vivid, specific language over vague terms (e.g., avoid words like "stuff").
Use language to create mental imagery, such as a "balance sheet splattered with red ink" to illustrate financial concerns.
Let personality show through; use tasteful humor when appropriate to the audience and occasion.
Language should support clarity and credibility and help listeners form a connection with the speaker.
Notes on Rhetorical Techniques and Practice
Connectives and previews: essential tools to guide listeners and maintain coherence.
Preview statements orient the audience to main points; summaries reinforce memory.
Transitions signal topic shifts and keep the audience oriented.
Audience-centric design: every choice (topic, examples, structure, delivery) should be evaluated for its impact on the audience.
The role of humor: employ only if appropriate for the audience and context; misjudged humor can derail credibility.
Quotes, Metaphors, and Real-World Relevance
Metaphor: a speech as a tool—like a hammer that can build or destroy; underscores responsibility and precision in delivery.
Churchill’s time-management metaphor on speech length emphasizes balancing depth with audience interest.
Actionable ethos: Emerson’s claim that speech is power reinforces ethical implications for public speaking.
Myers of public speaking: Mark Twain on handling anxiety—two types of speakers: nervous or liars; the goal is to manage anxiety and channel it productively.
Practical image: wearing appropriate attire to avoid distracting from the message.
Reflection and Takeaways
Prompt for reflection: Which of the nine criteria do you think is most important? Could there be a fatal flaw?
Core takeaway: with attention to the nine criteria, you can move toward delivering a good, potentially great, speech.