How to Give a KNOCKOUT Speech
Corny is my MO. Ask my kids. Every mnemonic device I've ever made up for them has met with rolled eyes, groans, stifled giggles, and "MOOOOOM, that's corny!" (After 12 years of homeschooling, they've harvested a lot of corn, but the crops've been pretty good.)
So, this next one is a "kernel" for all those who might have to give a speech soon. I teach English to a small group of homeschooled high schoolers and my latest assignment for them was to give an informative speech to the class. To prepare them, I distilled everything I learned from speech class in college days (my roommate was Chaucer's girlfriend) and a perusal of books on public speaking. The results would fit into the cap on your toothpaste.
Some of the following comes from Joan Detz's book How to Write and Give a Speech but most of it comes from between my ears.
“How to Give a KNOCKOUT Speech”
Know your subject.
· There’s no substitute for knowledge.
· Knowing your subject well will add confidence in both you and your listeners.
· Even if you lose your notes, or your place in your notes on speech day, you should be able to “wing it”.
Never chew gum.
· Beware this and other distracting habits (clearing throat excessively, tapping, drooling, swaying, “umming”, giggling, messing with your hair….).
Open with a bang.
· People should remember your first words.
· It’s boring to start with “Thanks for this opportunity” or “It’s good to be here.” The audience has heard that a thousand times and really wonders, “Why is it so great to be here? You mean you’d rather be giving a speech than playing tennis or watching TV or sleeping in?” If the old adage “Familiarity breeds contempt” is apt here, the same is true for insincerity.
Close with a bang.
· People should remember your last words. No new ideas here, please. Tell them what you told them. Don’t say, “Thanks” or “That’s all.”
· Tie your closing back to your opening. Remind them of the MAIN idea.
Keep your audience in mind.
· Eye contact! No matter who your audience is, LOOK at them.
· Project your voice to the person in the back row.
· Don’t rush. This is a speech, not a horserace.
· Adults need to hear you. Speak up.
· Children need to hear you. Whisper to get their attention if necessary.
· Be sensitive to time of day you’re speaking. First thing in the morning? Be upbeat. Right after a meal? Be upbeat.
Last speaker of the day? Be upbeat. For the most part, people would rather do just about anything than listen to a speech. (Unless they paid good money to hear one!)
Organize your speech.
· Christopher Robin said, “Organize is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it’s not all mixed up.”
· “Focus your material and limit the number of points you make. If you concentrate on one central idea, your audience will stand a better chance of understanding you.”
-Joan Detz, How to Write and Give a Speech
· “No matter what your speech is about, you must LIMIT, FOCUS, and ORGANIZE. “ -Detz, ibid. (caps mine)
· How to Organize: many ways
o Chronological
o Cause and effect
o Numerical –always relate numbers to human events. (“While I’m giving this five-minute speech, 6000 children will have died of malnutrition around the world.”)
o Problem-solution . State problem. Offer solutions.
IF your solution may be difficult to implement or enforce, say so.
o Alphabetical
o Alliteration. (We will pray, we will picket, we prevail.”)
o Psychological- based on needs of audience. What will they find mot acceptable? Most important? Most interesting? Put that FIRST.
Closing- Options
o End with a rhetorical question.
o End with words that sound strong.
Use humor unless it’s inappropriate.
· People like to laugh. They will listen better to a funny speaker.
· Unless it’s inappropriate. Caution: Starting with a joke is risky. If it falls flat, you’re off to a bad start.
· The safest humor pokes fun at yourself. –Herbert Gardner
Someone once commented to Abraham Lincoln about being two-faced. He quipped, “If I had two faces, do you think I’d wear
this one?”
Take your seat.
· Don’t plop or sigh with overt relief.
· Simply sit down quietly, smiling if appropriate, and give your attention to the next speaker.
So, this next one is a "kernel" for all those who might have to give a speech soon. I teach English to a small group of homeschooled high schoolers and my latest assignment for them was to give an informative speech to the class. To prepare them, I distilled everything I learned from speech class in college days (my roommate was Chaucer's girlfriend) and a perusal of books on public speaking. The results would fit into the cap on your toothpaste.
Some of the following comes from Joan Detz's book How to Write and Give a Speech but most of it comes from between my ears.
“How to Give a KNOCKOUT Speech”
Know your subject.
· There’s no substitute for knowledge.
· Knowing your subject well will add confidence in both you and your listeners.
· Even if you lose your notes, or your place in your notes on speech day, you should be able to “wing it”.
Never chew gum.
· Beware this and other distracting habits (clearing throat excessively, tapping, drooling, swaying, “umming”, giggling, messing with your hair….).
Open with a bang.
· People should remember your first words.
· It’s boring to start with “Thanks for this opportunity” or “It’s good to be here.” The audience has heard that a thousand times and really wonders, “Why is it so great to be here? You mean you’d rather be giving a speech than playing tennis or watching TV or sleeping in?” If the old adage “Familiarity breeds contempt” is apt here, the same is true for insincerity.
Close with a bang.
· People should remember your last words. No new ideas here, please. Tell them what you told them. Don’t say, “Thanks” or “That’s all.”
· Tie your closing back to your opening. Remind them of the MAIN idea.
Keep your audience in mind.
· Eye contact! No matter who your audience is, LOOK at them.
· Project your voice to the person in the back row.
· Don’t rush. This is a speech, not a horserace.
· Adults need to hear you. Speak up.
· Children need to hear you. Whisper to get their attention if necessary.
· Be sensitive to time of day you’re speaking. First thing in the morning? Be upbeat. Right after a meal? Be upbeat.
Last speaker of the day? Be upbeat. For the most part, people would rather do just about anything than listen to a speech. (Unless they paid good money to hear one!)
Organize your speech.
· Christopher Robin said, “Organize is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it’s not all mixed up.”
· “Focus your material and limit the number of points you make. If you concentrate on one central idea, your audience will stand a better chance of understanding you.”
-Joan Detz, How to Write and Give a Speech
· “No matter what your speech is about, you must LIMIT, FOCUS, and ORGANIZE. “ -Detz, ibid. (caps mine)
· How to Organize: many ways
o Chronological
o Cause and effect
o Numerical –always relate numbers to human events. (“While I’m giving this five-minute speech, 6000 children will have died of malnutrition around the world.”)
o Problem-solution . State problem. Offer solutions.
IF your solution may be difficult to implement or enforce, say so.
o Alphabetical
o Alliteration. (We will pray, we will picket, we prevail.”)
o Psychological- based on needs of audience. What will they find mot acceptable? Most important? Most interesting? Put that FIRST.
Closing- Options
o End with a rhetorical question.
o End with words that sound strong.
Use humor unless it’s inappropriate.
· People like to laugh. They will listen better to a funny speaker.
· Unless it’s inappropriate. Caution: Starting with a joke is risky. If it falls flat, you’re off to a bad start.
· The safest humor pokes fun at yourself. –Herbert Gardner
Someone once commented to Abraham Lincoln about being two-faced. He quipped, “If I had two faces, do you think I’d wear
this one?”
Take your seat.
· Don’t plop or sigh with overt relief.
· Simply sit down quietly, smiling if appropriate, and give your attention to the next speaker.
posted by Zoanna at
7:17 PM
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