A creative delivery and original content can make your next speech stand outImage Credit: jonjomckay
If there is one thing that every speaker wants from their next speech, it is for it to mean something so that our audience can realize the importance of public speaking. The way that we determine if one of our speeches means something is if our audience can remember it after we are done speaking. In order to be able to claim some of that valuable mental real estate, we’ve got to be able to create a speech that is original – our audience has to be treated to something that is new and novel. If, as speakers, we can discover a way to create a speech that will come across as being original to our audience then we’ll have a very good chance of being remembered long after we’ve stopped talking.
It’s All About How You See The World
If you want your next speech to truly be original, then you are going to have to start things off correctly by making a good topic selection. Choosing the right topic gives you a chance to distinguish yourself from anyone else who will be talking the same day and potentially from anyone who has talked about your content in the past. As speakers we are often given a set of material that someone wants us to present. When this happens you still have the opportunity to create techniques that can be used to make your presentation of the material different from everyone else’s.
One of the most important things that you need to understand is that your message in your speech must be clear. Yes, there are times that what we’ll be talking may contain either complicated ideas or associated jargon; however, it is your responsibility as the speaker to find ways to simplify it. Keep in mind that if your audience is not able to follow you, then they will end up losing interest in what you have to say. In order to keep your audience’s attention, you need to make sure that you don’t include too many facts or statistics. If you do have to include some facts, look for novel ways to present them by comparing them to something else. If you are talking about money, talk about how tall a pile it would make if it was made up of US$1 bills stacked on top of each other.
One important point that a lot of speakers tend to overlook is that if you are permitted to choose your own speech topic, then a great place to go looking for original content for your speech will be your own set of personal experiences. Yes, yes – everyone has had many of the same things happen to them during their lives. However, only you have had a set of thing happen to you in a particular way. If you share the specific details of your experience with your audience then you will have created something that is unique. Good speakers understand that originality is simply the ability to look at something in a different way and then see value in that may have been missed by your audience.
The Delivery Makes The Speech
Having a speech that is just brimming with originality is a great place to start. However, sadly, it’s not going to be enough in order to make sure that your audience remembers what you said. Nope, it turns out that how you choose to present your speech is going to matter also. It’s all in the delivery. Often when we are planning our delivery, we spend our time creating PowerPoint slides or gathering props to use. What we often don’t realize is that slides or props are actually going to take away from what we are saying. You are really only going to want to use them if they are going to help you to get your message across.
As you search for ways to be creative in your delivery of your speech, you need to remember that you can interact with your audience during your speech. You’ve got several different ways that you can go about doing this. One is to ask them questions that will cause them to have to pause and think about what you are saying. Another approach is to add humor to your speech. Keep in mind that humor, as tough as it can be to do correctly, is always appropriate for a speech. What too many speakers don’t realize is that humor does not come from telling jokes. Instead, it comes from finding the wit in the tales that you tell your audience in which you see the humorous side of life.
Humor can be a tough item to add to a speech – what we find funny may not be funny to our audience. That’s why speakers should always try out their humorous material with friends and family before trying it on an audience. If your friends and family laugh, then your audience will probably laugh also. One important point that speakers who are seeking to add originality to their speech need to understand is that all of the ideas that get worked into their speech do not have to be totally new. You are permitted to build on ideas that came before you. What you are going to want to do is to adapt a creative device to the message that is contained in your speech. Likewise, the delivery of your speech will then have to be adapted to the speech that you are giving. You don’t want to copy something that someone else has done, but there is no problem with you creatively adapting it to the message of your speech. Always think about how you would react to your speech – would you be able to remember it long after you were done?
What All Of This Means For You
It’s tough to create and deliver a speech. If we are going to go to the effort of doing this, then we had better make sure that what we present to our audience will be remembered by them so that they get the benefits of public speaking. In order to make this happen, what you are going to want to do is present them with a speech with original content. If you can make this happen, then you’ll be remembered long after you are done talking.
Creating an original speech starts with selecting a good topic to talk about. The message that will be contained in your speech must be clear to your audience. Don’t include too many facts or statistics or else you’ll run the risk of losing your audience. If you have chosen your own speech topic, then you need to take a look at your own life and find the unique experiences that you’ve had that you can share with your audience. The delivery of your speech will be a key factor in making it memorable for your audience. Try to avoid using PowerPoint slides or props if at all possible. Humor can be a key part of any speech. Double check to make sure that your humor makes your friends and family laugh before you try to make your audience laugh. All of your content does not have to be original. You can use other people’s ideas. However, you have to mold them to the ideas that are being presented in your speech.
Creating an original speech that your audience will remember is the ultimate goal for any speaker. Original material is available to us, but we need to know what it looks like and where we can go to find it. If we take the time to create a speech with original content and then create an original way to present our material, we have a real chance to become a memorable speaker. No, none of this is easy to do; however, the results make it well worth the effort.
– Dr. Jim Anderson
Blue Elephant Consulting –
Your Source For Real World Public Speaking Skills™
Question For You: If you choose to modify someone else’s material
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Note: What we talked about are advanced speaking skills. If you are just starting out I highly recommend joining Toastmasters in order to get the benefits of public speaking. Look for a Toastmasters club to join in your home town by visiting the web site www.Toastmasters.org. Toastmasters is dedicated to helping their members to understand the importance of public speaking by developing listening skills and getting presentation tips. Toastmasters is how I got started speaking and it can help you also!
What We’ll Be Talking About Next Time
Every speaker wants to be able to use the importance of public speaking to connect with their audience. We all know that there are lots of different ways to make this happen. If we can find a way to work humor into our next speech, then we have a pretty good chance of being able to connect with our audience. The challenge here is that humor can be very difficult to work into a speech. The good news is that you can do it if you understand comedy structure.