This guest post is by M. Miche Suboski, Your Business Advisor.

We have all been bored to tears by a speech. We have all heard speeches that sound interesting at first and quickly switch to daydreaming when we realize how unrealistic it was. Some of us have given speeches in which we were horrified to see in one dreadful glance that we had bored the socks off a few and lost the rest of the audience we were supposed to have engaged. It is an incredibly painful experience. 

Once you have experienced this as a speaker you become committed, truly committed to never having it happen again … which is probably why you are here reading this. Believe me, it can get better.

Although there are other essential components of a speech, two of the most fundamental are that it be both compelling and grounded. 

Compelling
Being compelling is a relative assessment. Only those that hear it can say whether or not it was compelling. You cannot simply recite your speech in a vacuum. You must try it out on those for whom it is meant. 

How do you make a speech compelling? A quick, high-level check is to ask:
Who is my audience?
What is it they care about?
How can I help to make that happen?

Step 1 – Keep looking at your speech as you write it from the perspective of your audience and their concerns, then how does this help them make that happen.

Step 2 – Have those listening to the speech as you practice hold the role of your audience.  Make sure as you have them critique (make them take notes), they tell you how they felt as you spoke different parts. Having them respond to your intellectual arguements will only confuse things. You will know you are being compelling if they sit forward, nod their heads or get goose bumps (we all wish!!). If they yawn, look at their watch or get glassy eyed … change that part.

Grounded
Having a well grounded speech is one that has a fair number of grounded assessments. An assessment is grounded if facts are either presented or globally accepted that back them up. A fabulous paper written by Peter Denning “Assertions and Assessments – CS4900 Technology and Transformation” can begin to shine a light on how we speak to move others into action. 

A well grounded speech will include:
- assessments that include assertions (facts) with the speech
- assessments that have assertions (facts) backing it up that are globally accepted

Step 1 – Look through your speech. Are there assessments in the speech? If so, are they backed up with fact?

Step 2 – Get rid of any and all assessments that cannot be grounded in fact.

Conclusion
Those of us that speak to what our audience truly cares about and speak to them in a way that motivates them to action will not have to fear the dazed look of the disinterested, or worse, have to speak to the back of departing participants. How wonderful is that?

The fact is you could be an effective and in-demand speaker. It only requires practice and, of course, knowing how to write a perfect speech for the perfect occasion.

• First and primarilly, it must be prepared from the heart. It can be rewarding to take heartfelt notions and turn them into something that affects other people in a positive way. Try to visualize what it is that you want to convey and then describe it as though you were painting a picture. The picture you describe should conform to your own vision.  The passion inside will come through and you will catch their attention. It does not matter how long or short your speech is. Remember Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was only a few minutes long. Just make sure you make your point.

• Know your subject and know your audience. If you do not already have a thorough grasp of your subject matter, it is time to study it. If it is a topic you can read about, go to the library. If it is a person study him on the internet. If you can, talk to him or her personally. Find out as much as you reasonably can. Of course, your audience will generally want plenty of detail, but there is a limit. Your audience will have an orientation, be it a friend of the person under discussion or trying to learn about the subject of your presentation. The level of expertise of the audience also plays a huge factor. You do not want to explain elementary things to doctors or delve into philosophy with young children.

• Know the occasion. There is no speech that is suitable for every occasion. You will have to tailor your words to the moment. If it is a formal occasion, then your speech should be formal, too. Speak wisely, and speak carefully.

You have watched great speakers. They made it look easy, but years of practice and preparation are behind that seeming ease. To be a great speaker takes time and effort. Don’t think, just because you can be glib in a conversation, that you can speak without preparation. You don’t want to create a disaster nobody wants. Remember, speak from the heart, know your subject, know your audience, write your speech for the occasion.

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Instructions

Step 1

Do a brainstorming session. Write down everything that comes into your mind when thinking about your speech topic. Limit yourself to 10 minutes. Write down everything no matter how useless it seems at the moment. Remember to use ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade your audience. Use a good vocabulary, but not one that causes you to lose your connection with your audience.

Step 2

Do some research on your topic. Use libraries, experts, friends & family, magazines and – of yours – the Internet. Use a good vocabulary, but not one that causes you to lose your connection with your audience.

Step 3

Get your material into order. Most of the times the structure of your speech evolves out of it. Which arguments are forming? Is there some kind of pattern like past-present or current state-desired outcome? In other words, feel passionately about your topic.

Step 4

Structure your speech. The easiest way to do this is what we all learned in school: Introduction, main part, ending.

Step 5

Try to capture your audience’s interest with the first or second sentence of your introduction. Build clear and sensible transitions (segues) from one thought to the next. The biggest mistake speakers and writers make is to assume people will follow their leaps of logic. Spell out to the audience when you are taking a turn in your thoughts with phrases like: “As an example of this” or “This brings us to the larger problem of,” and so forth.

Step 6

Put your arguments in the main part. Even if you have lots of arguments you should choose the three or four strongest ones. More could ask too much of your audience. Even if you have a definite attitude towards your topic try to implement the other side’s arguments in your speech. Start with them first and later invalidate them with your own arguments.

Step 7

The ending is equally important as the other two parts. Don’t end your speech half-heartedly. The last impression your audience gets from you is the one that will stick. Try to envision a goal that you want to reach with your speech. If you want your audience to do something end with a call to action. If you want your audience to remember the speech as a funny one end with a joke.

Your words should clearly show that this is the end. There’s nothing more embarrassing than an audience who doesn’t know if to clap or not.

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So how did Obama connect with such a difficult audience? Read the text of his speech:

Good afternoon. I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions. For over a thousand years, Al-Azhar has had stood as a beacon of Islamic learning. And for over a century, Cairo University has been a source of Egypt’s advancement. Together, you represent the harmony between tradition and progress.

I’m grateful for your hospitality and the hospitality of the people of Egypt. And I’m also proud to carry with me the good will of the American people and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: Assalamu-alaikum.

We meet at a time of great tension between the United States and Muslims around the world, tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of coexistence and cooperation but also conflict and religious wars.

More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims and a Cold War in which Muslim majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam.

Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small but potent minority of Muslims. The attacks of September 11, 2001, and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and western countries but also to human rights.

All this has bred more fear and more mistrust. So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, those who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. And this cycle of suspicion and discord must end.

I’ve come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap and share common principles, principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.

I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight. I know there’s been a lot of publicity about this speech, but no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust nor can I answer in the time that I have this afternoon all the complex questions that brought us to this point.

But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another, and to seek common ground.

As the Holy Quran tells us, Be conscious of God and speak always the truth.

That is what I will try to do today, to speak the truth as best I can. Humbled by the task before us and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.

Now, part of this conviction is rooted in my own experience. I’m a Christian. But my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and at the fall of dusk.

As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith. As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam. It was Islam at places like Al-Azhar that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s renaissance and enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities…

It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra, our magnetic compass and tools of navigation, our mastery of pens and printing, our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires, timeless poetry and cherished music, elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.

I also know that Islam has always been a part of America’s story. The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second president, John Adams, wrote,

The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims. And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States.

They have fought in our wars. They have served in our government. They have stood for civil rights. They have started businesses. They have taught at our universities. They’ve excelled in our sports arenas. They’ve won Nobel Prizes, built our tallest building and lit the Olympic torch. And when the first Muslim American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same holy Quran that one of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, kept in his personal library.

So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed. That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn’t. And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.

But that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America. Just as…

Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire. The United States has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known. We were born out of revolution against an empire.

We were founded upon the ideal that all are created equal. And we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words, within our borders and around the world.

We are shaped by every culture. Drawn from every end of the Earth, and dedicated to a simple concept, E pluribus unum: Out of many, one.

Now much has been made of the fact that an African-American with the name Barack Hussein Obama could be elected president.

But my personal story is not so unique. The dream of opportunity for all people has not come true for everyone in America, but its promise exists for all who come to our shores. And that includes nearly 7 million American Muslims in our country today who, by the way, enjoy incomes and educational levels that are higher than the American average.

Moreover, freedom in America is indivisible from the freedom to practice one’s religion. That is why there is a mosque in every state in our union and over 1,200 mosques within our borders. That’s why the United States government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab, and to punish those who would deny it.

So let there be no doubt…

… let there be no doubt, Islam is a part of America. And I believe that America holds within her the truth that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share common aspirations: to live in peace and security, to get an education and to work with dignity, to love our families, our communities, and our God. These things we share. This is the hope of all humanity.

Of course, recognizing our common humanity is only the beginning of our task. Words alone cannot meet the needs of our people. These needs will be met only if we act boldly in the years ahead. And if we understand that the challenges we face are shared and our failure to meet them will hurt us all.

For we have learned from recent experience that when a financial system weakens in one country, prosperity is hurt everywhere. When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk. When one nation pursues a nuclear weapon, the risk of nuclear attack rises for all nations.

When violent extremists operate in one stretch of mountains, people are endangered across an ocean. When innocents in Bosnia and Darfur are slaughtered, that is a stain on our collective conscience.

Did you notice what Obama did there? He made a seamless transition from his personal experience of Islam to his general conviction on the partnership between Muslims and Americans. And he does the same thing again! He takes his “personal story” about his middle name Hussein and the fact that he was elected president nevertheless as an example for many millions of American-Muslims.

The president also couched his arguments in terms of the Koran, citing its lines to morally justify the US war in Afghanistan. His predecessor Bush often used the word “crusade” when talking about the aftermath of 9/11. For Muslims this word automatically evokes images of medieval Christian invasions. By adapting the speech to his audience Obama certainly used a strategy to make his listeners more receptive to what he had to say.

The speech in Cairo was an effort at diplomacy. This was reflected in the way Obama crafted his speech. He appearance of seeking to resolve conflicts was inherent in the text.

If you are reading this, you probably are not the president of the United States. However, you can benefit from his ability to persuade. When you have to make a persuasive speech remember to speak in terms your audience finds agreeable. Make every sentence bolster the points you are trying to make. Do not speak off-the-cuff and don’t ramble. When you tell a story, it should make your point. 

Related articles

• Obama’s Cairo Speech (outsidethebeltway.com)
• Full text of Obama’s speech in Cairo (msnbc.msn.com)
• Barack Obama Had 5772 Words for the Middle East. None of Them About Gays (queerty.com)
• Video of President Barack Obama’s Speech To Muslims And Reaction (themoderatevoice.com)
• Obama Addresses Muslim World From Cairo (takepart.com)
• ‘As eloquent as any Obama performance’ (guardian.co.uk)

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Whatever your reason is for standing in front of an audience it is important to determine your goal. Let’s try this right now. What is your reason for wanting to know how to write a speech? Make a presentation for your boss? Are you taking a course in public speaking and this is your practice? Do you want to pursue public speaking as a career?

Several speakers will tell you that there are four reasons to deliver a speech: to inform, persuade, inspire, or entertain. On the other hand most college texts on public speaking will only list three reasons. They file inspirational speaking as either informational or persuasive.

When giving informative speeches, you are teaching your audience something. Whatever your topic is, your main goal is to deliver a speech that is descriptive. It might be over something as touchy and delicate as bedwetting or as straightforward as how to tile a bathroom with ceramic tile. You don’t need to sell anything or convince anyone, you only want to inform. Most books recommend to limit your main points to five in an informative speech.

A persuasive speech on the other hand is being given to convince the audience of something. This may be with an idea, a theory or a product but whatever it is the speech’s purpose is for your audience to understand your point of view. Imagine yourself as a lawyer giving a closing statement for your client. Imagine yourself running for political office. Or imagine yourself as an insurance broker trying to sell life insurance. Or you are a motivational speaker trying to improve the lives of your listeners.

In a nutshell, a persuasive speech aims to sell something. As a persuasive speaker you want to convince your audience because you need their support.

A persuasive speech works best with two main points. The first point should be a problem that must be resolved. The second will be what you think is the answer to the problem.

Whatever your motivation is for a persuasive speech, it is important that you are convincing. Your success is determined by how effectively you can make your audience see things your way.

Thinking about your goals and objectives before you even think about how to write a speech will make you a much more successful public speaker.

If you’d like to write a persuasive speech now but can’t find a topic try the Persuasive Speakers Kit with 2000 speech topics, 12 Quick Research Checklists, 6 Time-Saving Speech Outline Templates and more to create a not-boring persuasive speech!

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• How To Write A Speech – Structure (Part 2) (howtowriteaspeech.net)

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When people claim that they have no idea how to write a speech in most cases they lack a basic understanding of the different kinds of speeches. There are two types of speeches in public speaking, either you are “selling” something or you “say” something. The type of speech which you choose depends on why you are presenting, and the nature of the audience. In public speaking choosing the right type of speech defines the effectiveness of your speech. The goal of your speech can range from enjoyment  to convincing the audience to a particular action. How much the public knows about your topic and their attitude towards  it is also important when selecting the type of speech you deliver.

The “Telling” speech is made up of either an informative or entertaining speech. The “sale” type of speech, where you try to convince the audience to a particular action is either convincing or motivating.

Entertaining – The reason for the giving such a speech is for the audience to enjoy it and be entertained. However, it is more than a series of jokes, it’s entertaining material woven around a central theme.

Informative – The objective of this type of speech is to inform your audience. The speech involves teaching and describing, explaining or describing your topic. You are not seeking to persuade or to motivate, but to provide information.

Persuasive – the goal is to bring the audience to a particular action. You reason with people to agree with your position on the topic. Your audience will be familiar with the topic, but is either against or undecided about your purpose.

Motivation – the goal is to convince people to take action that will improve their lives. You are trying to inspire your audience to change. It involves the use of personal and emotional arguments. Your audience will usually agree with the goal, but needs the inspiration to take action.

If you know which kind of speech serves the goal you seek, then you should take a look at the elements from other forms of speeches nonetheless. A persuasive speech is more convincing if it includes elements of informative and entertaining speeches.

In summary to be effective in public speaking you have to determine your purpose and get to know your audience. Then select the right kind of speech which you will help you best in achieving your goals.

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It is really important to have a speech topic that you can get passionate about. This guarantees you’ll have more fun researching the speech and gathering material. As a consequence you can focus on the content of your speech rather than focusin on how nervous you are.

If you want to give a persuasive speech and your desired outcome is to change something in the ways your audience thinks and acts then you should construct your topic as a story. Decide what your main points are, what you need to get across to your audience, and then for each point pick one or two stories that illustrate those points. People are not persuaded by facts. People are persuaded by emotion. Stories can generate emotion and thus make your speech more persuasive.

If you are new to speech writing and desperately looking for an interesting speech topic you can present to a group then try asking yourself one of these questions:

• What is my audience interested in?
• What is the purpose of their group and what topics that I could use in my speech could relate to their purpose?
• What are the goals of my audience? Do they seek a business goal? Do they want to learn about something? Or be entertained?
• What are my goals for this speech? How can I relate my own goals to those of my audience?

Use your own imagination and thoughts to come up with great persuasive topics that you and your audience can relate to. When you have a great idea for a speech topic researching  and writing the speech will be easy.

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Recently we published an article on how to write a speech that’s not only about yourself. This article got a lot of attention – funnily by people who wanted to know the exact opposite: how to write a speech about yourself. Here are the main points you have to think about when presenting yourself.

• Develop a teaser. Start with a catchy phrase or story which encourages your audience to want to hear more from you. Visually span the group making a point to engage in eye contact.
• An adult attention span is about twelve minutes. Keep your entire speech under ten to be on the safe side.
• A speech about yourself is your opportunity to brag about your accomplishments. Give your audience the information they need to acknowledge you as a credible source. Keep it short and to the point. Don’t bore your audience with too much dry information. If your accomplishments are the reason for the speech don’t hide them at the end. Put them in the beginning to gain attention and confidence as a speaker.
• Be honest! It may be tempting to lie or embellish the truth to impress the audience. Let me tell you, it won’t work. You should be honest, even brutally at some times. Your accomplishments will even sound more special if you also talk about your failures.
• Tell a story. Just because your speech is fact-based doesn’t mean you can’t use creative phrasing and plot twists to write it. This will give your story a needed punch for effect and audience reaction. But tell the story and leave out anything that the audience does not need to follow you.
• Making fun of yourself and telling embarrassing stories along with the good ones is a great way to show your human qualities.
• Get quotes and commentary from those who are closest to you.

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One of the three categories of speech writing is the persuasive speech. This kind of speech is used especially when you want to change your audience’s behaviour. The objective is to make people think differently or act in a certain way.

A persuasive speech is not a new concept. Greek philosopher Socrates described three components a speech should have to be effective:

• Ethos: refers to a speaker’s style of presentation.
• Pathos: aims at striking an emotional chord with the audience.
• Logos: appeals to the rational side of listeners and should include proofs and examples.

To give a successful persuasive speech each of these components should be considered.

To be effective you have to capture the attention of your audience this is done with ethos. It can be telling a joke, voice intonation or gestures. Use pathos to connect. Make people want to believe you by making them like you and see that you share goals and beliefs. Make them see how whatever it is you are proposing helps them or makes the world a better place. The most well written speech is a disaster unless it it appeals to audience interests. You can facilitate their interest the most by being passionate about your topic. Nothing disappoints an audience more than a speech that feels like it’s written by somebody else and that the speaker is merely quoting it from memory.

Finally, reel your audience in with inescapable logic. Make them see that what you are proposing not only makes them feel good, but is unavoidably true.

As an aside, speakers on the left of the political spectrum tend to emphasize pathos, while those on the right tend to emphasize logos. Ideally, a balance between the two will be effective with the widest possible audience. This does not mean that the speaker must change his or her convictions, but rather seek a balanced approach.

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• Persuasive Speech Outline – Depending on the type and aim of your persuasion, there are a number of ways you can structure your speech to ensure maximum effectiveness. The most basic and also the most common way to structure a persuasive speech, is to present a problem to your listener and then solve it by presenting a convincing solution. Ideally this should also be backed up with supporting evidence to make the solution seem more valid.
• Persuasive Techniques – People best remember the beginning and end of your speech. Use evidence to increase the persuasiveness of your message. Present a balanced argument and you will appear more trustworthy.
• Persuading Uninformed Supportive And Mixed Groups Of People. – Information can be biased when persuading uniformed people. Persuade people who support you by energising them. An uninformed person simply lacks knowledge or expertise of a subject.

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