How to Deliver an Excellent Speech

Thanks to the innovations in technology, including that used in schools today, most students have had the opportunity to view professional speeches, such as those given by the U.S. President. Presidents throughout
history have given speeches in a similar manner, as have other public figures including lawyers, conference speakers, and even educators and writers. Regardless of the content, the delivery of these speeches is almost always the same. Unfortunately, such examples are typically some of the poorest speeches in terms of delivery. Learning the correct method of delivery will allow students to present excellent speeches.

The biggest mistake

Most public figures who give speeches make the biggest mistake a presenter can make: they read the speech. A speech should be extemporaneous, not read. An excellent speech is delivered so the audience feels as if the speaker is having an intelligent conversation with them about the topic, not reading to them as if they were still in kindergarten.

Preventing a speaker from reading a speech depends largely upon the preparation. When writing the speech, only two sections may be written in complete sentence form: the introduction and conclusion. These parts of the speech are supposed to get the reader’s interest and summarize the point, respectively. The language used in them might be difficult to put in more conversational terms, so they might be written down. The other points in the excellent speech, however, should be single words or short phrases. There should be just enough there to remind the speaker of the ideas to discuss.