How to Write a Speech

By: Ms. Anggun

There are moments when we need to stand up in front of the audience to give a speech. Some of them are spontaneous, but the arranged ones are much better. At school, students are taught and trained to write and deliver speech properly. These are some basic tips to write a good speech.

First of all, preparation is important. After choosing the topic, you need to list down the supporting ideas so that the speech is more organized. Then, you should be audience-centered. Your speech must be easily understood by the audience, as well as fulfilling their needs. Decide what you want the audience to do or to think as a result of your speech. The first draft of your speech may not be perfect, but you can polish it by rewriting. However, make sure that your speech focuses on maximum three points. A wordy speech tends to make the audience bored and sleepy. The audience wants to hear your personal point of view, indeed. However, by keeping less point to be stated, your audience will find it easier to comprehend your ideas. These three points must cover the most important point up to the least one. By asking questions like what is the most critical or what is the very least the audience needs to know about my ideas will make you speech keeps on track. Last but not least, the WIIFM technique or What is in it for me is a good element to consider. If your audience can respond to your speech by asking themselves “What's In It For Me?” People are really only interested in material that affects them. After writing any piece of material, no matter how brilliant, apply the WIIFM principle and judge if your audience will care about it and use it.

So there you have it, tips for writing a better speech. When you write your speeches, remember these and your audience will thank you by giving you their attentive respond.