How to write a speech
To write a speech quickly, start from the time limit, not the first line: the minutes decide how many main points fit, and two or three is plenty. Then draft out loud, because listeners can't reread.
What is the speech for?
Undecided? The link opens Confidently's store page on the App Store or Google Play; its first test draws two random words, then times half a minute of you talking.
- Determine the goal
- Limit your core message
- Keep sentences conversational
- Time yourself
Last reviewed . A speech planner that starts from the clock: pick your goal, squeeze your core message into a single sentence and enter your time limit. You get the introduction, body and conclusion in minutes and seconds, room for two or three main points, and a draft checker that finds your longest sentences and measures your own reading pace.
Speech planner
Work down the page. Everything you type stays in this browser tab and is gone when you close it.
Links to Confidently's listing in the App Store or Google Play
Why two or three main points
Writing a speech means planning words for listeners, who get each sentence once, at your pace, with no way to scroll back. A reader can flip to the previous page. A listener has only memory.
That memory is small. A 2001 review in Behavioral and Brain Sciences found that short-term memory holds about three to five chunks at a time, around four on average. Every extra main point asks the room to juggle one more thing while you keep talking.
Classroom advice lands in the same place. The public speaking outline example from AmberWillo says a speech usually has three or four main points, while class speeches usually have two or three. It also suggests starting with a keyword outline and growing it into a full-sentence outline once the order feels right.
- Bike lane on Main Street
- Safer route to school
- Less traffic at pickup
- A bike lane on Main Street would change how kids get to school.
- Riders would have their own space, away from parked cars.
- Fewer parents would need to drive at pickup time.
Points picked? Say each one aloud in a sentence before you write a word.
Writing for the ear, shown on a real speech
Writing for the ear means short sentences, plain words and a key phrase that comes back on purpose, so people can follow without a page in front of them. One of the best known American speeches shows how far a single repeated opening can carry.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, address to Congress,
Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
Repetition helps belief as well as memory. A 2010 meta-analysis of 51 studies in Personality and Social Psychology Review found that statements people have heard before are rated as more true than new ones. That is why repeating your core message works, and why it should be a message you can stand behind.
| Written for the eye | Written for the ear |
|---|---|
| Due to the reduction in library hours, students who rely on evening access have experienced difficulties. | The library closes early now. If you study at night, that hurts. |
| As can be seen in the chart, participation increased significantly. | Look at this line. It climbs every single month. |
| The aforementioned proposal, discussed previously, offers several advantages. | Remember the plan from a minute ago? Here is why it works. |
| In conclusion, it is evident that further action is warranted. | So here is my ask: sign up before you leave tonight. |
Rehearse the draft out loud
Rehearsal is the last writing step, not an extra one. Your ear catches what your eye skipped: the sentence that runs out of breath, the joke that needs a beat, the point that works better second.
Start with the opening. AmberWillo's guide to speech introductions puts the introduction at about 10 to 15% of the whole speech and makes its last sentence a preview of your main points. Say that preview out loud. If it won't come out in one breath, the body isn't settled yet.
Then keep the speech yours. AmberWillo's guide to speech examples warns that copying another speaker or borrowing their stories can make you sound inauthentic, and that reading an example word for word keeps you from connecting with your listeners. Study how good speeches are built, then fill that shape with your own lines.
Speeches for occasions
For a wedding toast, run the same planner, then read full best man speech examples to hear how the parts sound at a reception.
Every wedding role, from parent to maid of honor, has its own order, and how to write a wedding speech walks through each one.
If the writing comes easily and saying it out loud is what stops you, that fear has a name, glossophobia, and it responds to treatment.
One more place to look: howtostartaspeech.com, if the first line is the only part you're stuck on.
Questions from speech writers
How do you start writing a speech?
With the goal and your one-sentence core message, not the opening line. Once the body is drafted you know what the opening has to set up, so write the first line last.
What is a good opening line for a speech?
One that suits your goal: a question for the room, a short story, or a fact you can source. Keep it brief and write it after the body is done.
Can ChatGPT write me a speech?
It can draft one, but you still have to make it yours: add your own stories, use your own words, read it aloud and cut. AmberWillo's speech examples guide notes that borrowed lines and stories can come across as insincere.
What is the MLA format for a speech outline?
MLA is a citation style, not an outline layout. Most teachers want Roman numerals for main points, capital letters for support, and an MLA works cited list for your sources. If the assignment sheet says something else, follow the sheet.
How to make an outline for extemporaneous speech?
Use a keyword outline on a few cards: main points and cue words only, no full sentences. The note cards button in the planner builds a rough set from your draft.
What is a speech in English?
A talk given to an audience to inform, persuade, motivate or entertain them.
Sources
- Public Speaking Outline Example: How to Create an Effective Speech Outline. AmberWillo, 2026.
- Joint Address to Congress Leading to a Declaration of War Against Japan (1941). National Archives.
- Cowan N. The magical number 4 in short-term memory: a reconsideration of mental storage capacity. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2001. PMID 11515286.
- Dechêne A, Stahl C, Hansen J, Wänke M. The truth about the truth: a meta-analytic review of the truth effect. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2010. PMID 20023210.
- How to Write and Deliver an Effective Public Speaking Introduction. AmberWillo, 2026.
- Speech Examples for Public Speaking: A Complete Guide to Inspire and Prepare Your Speech. AmberWillo, 2026.
- Rated practice session log. Confidently.
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