How to Write a Speech: Giving Your Audience What it Needs
by Beth Mende Conny
The content of this article may be forwarded in full without special permission, provided it is used for nonprofit purposes and full attribution and copyright notice are given. For other purposes, contact Beth Mende Conny at Beth@WriteDirections.com.
Attribution: © 2002-2012 Beth Mende Conny. Beth Mende Conny is the founder of WriteDirections.com and the author of more than four dozen books and collections.
I’ve heard that more people fear public speaking than they do death. I don’t know if this is true, but I do know that all of us, like comics, fear dying on stage. And therein lies the problem:
We think we have to make people roll in the aisles. But really, our task is easier. We just have to be helpful. Here’s why:
Our audience is egocentric
People attend speeches and/or presentations because they have something to gain. Sometimes it’s to be entertained. Most times, however it’s to get information to improve their performance. They want — and sometimes are required — to work smarter, faster, more creatively and/or selflessly. Put another way, they’re in it for themselves.
Our audience is needy
Successful speakers pinpoint needs. They understand that attendees must come away with X, Y and Z. If not, the presentation was a waste of time, not to mention an opportunity lost. I believe audiences more willingly accept an uninspired speaker than one who offers little or no substance.
Our audience is not bilingual
I’m not talking about English-Spanish, Spanish-Chinese, etc., but your attendees’ native tongue. All audiences, at least during the course of your presentation, speak a common language. If you don’t know how to speak it, then learn it — pronto. When you walk onto a stage, you enter your audience’s homeland, so to speak, so be respectful. This applies to both the spoken and unspoken word. Sure, talking intelligibly about policies and procedures is important, but so, too, is following local customs as they relate to body language, dress, etc. Blending in engenders trust (and doesn’t require you to lose your personality).
Our audience, like us, wants to be nice
I believe people are inherently good. They want to think well of their fellow beings, including public speakers. True, you’ll stumble upon a few misanthropes (who always seem to sit in the front row), and, true, they may throw you off your game, but most attendees will give you a fair shot. They will try to like you. Even when they don’t, they are bound to walk away with something, however infinitesimal. Like a seed, that something will grow over time. You, the speaker, are responsible for planting it their minds.
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Beth Mende Conny is the founder and president of WriteDirections.com. She has published more than four dozen books and collections, and helps individuals and businesses bring their projects to publication. She can be contacted at Beth@WriteDirections.com.