{"id":86788,"date":"2022-12-21T17:23:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T21:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=86788"},"modified":"2026-01-22T14:51:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T18:51:02","slug":"how-to-give-a-good-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-give-a-good-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Give a Good Speech & Win Over an Audience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What’s the secret to giving a good speech? How should you prepare for a speech<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public speaking is frightening to many people, but being prepared will help calm your nerves. Once you feel confident enough to get up on stage, you\u2019ll be able to deliver a powerful speech that will inspire others<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below, we\u2019ll look at how to give a good speech that\u2019s authentic and unforgettable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why a Passionate Speech Is Important<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Choosing a topic that you\u2019re passionate about is important for several reasons, according to Carmine Gallo\u2019s book Talk Like TED<\/em><\/a>. First, if you deeply care about the subject you\u2019re about to talk about, you\u2019re less likely to feel nervous<\/strong> about your presentation.<\/strong> You\u2019ll be so excited about getting to share your passion with the world that the idea of your speech going wrong won\u2019t even cross your mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, when you\u2019re passionate about your topic, you\u2019re likely to speak enthusiastically. You\u2019ll therefore be more interesting to watch<\/strong> than a bored and lackluster speaker.<\/strong> People are more likely to actually pay attention to you and what you\u2019re saying, and your message is more likely to sink in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, studies have shown that feelings are contagious<\/strong>\u2014they spread from person to person. Therefore, if you speak with passion, your audience will feel your excitement, and they\u2019ll listen intently to what you\u2019re saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TED Talk Example: Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2008, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor gave a TED talk<\/a> about a severe stroke she\u2019d suffered 12 years earlier. She described in detail how she slowly felt her brain function deteriorating as the stroke progressed. Taylor also discussed the spiritual awakening that her stroke triggered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The response to Taylor\u2019s TED talk was overwhelmingly positive. It was the first TED talk to go \u201cviral\u201d online, quickly accumulating millions of views. In the aftermath of the talk, Taylor\u2019s book detailing her stroke and recovery process became a bestseller and was translated into 30 languages. TIME <\/em>magazine named her as one of the top 100 most influential people of 2008. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gallo argues that the key to Taylor\u2019s talk\u2019s success lay in her true passion for her subject. She was fascinated by and enthusiastic about the topic, not only because it related to a transformative experience in her life, but also because she was a trained neuroanatomist. Even before her stroke, Taylor\u2019s life\u2019s work and passion had been studying the brain and its workings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This passion shone through as Taylor gave her TED talk. Her enthusiasm and energy were infectious, and the result was a speech that captivated millions of people worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re an entrepreneur, you must be able to speak passionately about your product, service, or idea for two reasons. First, research has shown that you\u2019re more likely to secure funding from investors if you speak passionately about your business.<\/strong> In one study, investors ranked passion as the third most important criteria when deciding whether or not to offer funds to a business leader. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, if you can\u2019t muster passion when discussing your business idea with your employees, they won\u2019t feel passionate about the business either<\/strong>. Consequently, they won\u2019t care about the business enough to work hard on their daily tasks. Your company\u2019s performance will likely suffer as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure that you consistently speak passionately about your business, make sure you<\/strong> genuinely care about the product or service you\u2019re putting out into the world<\/strong>. Lots of people pursue a business idea not because they\u2019re really passionate about it, but because they think it\u2019ll generate a quick profit. Don\u2019t fall into this trap. <\/strong>If you do, you\u2019ll struggle to recruit the people who really matter: committed investors and dedicated employees. Without them, it\u2019s unlikely you\u2019ll get your business off the ground, let alone make a huge profit.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 4 Steps of Writing a Good Speech<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now let\u2019s look at the ways to give a good speech that your audience will remember. We\u2019ve broken down this process into four steps: writing and rehearsing your speech, practicing relaxation techniques, using confident body language<\/a>, and closing out strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Write and Rehearse Your Speech<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Writing your speech is the first step. Winging it might make you look disorganized, as you haven\u2019t rehearsed what you\u2019re going to say beforehand. If your thoughts seem scattered, your audience will less likely listen to what you have to say. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know Your Audience<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Before you sit down to write a good speech, Joel Schwartzberg\u2019s book Get to the Point!<\/em><\/a> suggests knowing who your audience will be first. You also need to know what they want from you, so you can tailor your message, language, and tone to them.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if you\u2019re giving a speech to students at an all-boys high school, your delivery and the stories you use to illustrate your point should be relevant to them and should be different from how you\u2019d convey your message to a roomful of female entrepreneurs. With the first group, you might take the tone of \u201ccoach\u201d or \u201cmentor,\u201d while the second group would appreciate your talking to them like a peer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Present Something New<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Talk Like TED<\/em><\/a> recommends presenting something new to your audience to capitalize on the human brain\u2019s love of learning new things. According to neuroscientists, when we learn something new, the brain releases dopamine\u2014a hormone that makes us feel good. <\/strong>Because this dopamine rush<\/a> is so pleasurable, people constantly seek out ways to replicate it: In other words, they look for sources of new knowledge. If you provide this knowledge during your talk, you\u2019re more likely to keep people interested in what you\u2019re saying.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, because what you\u2019ve said has made your audience feel good, they\u2019re more likely to be receptive to you and your ideas. They\u2019ll link what you\u2019re saying with feeling positive, and they\u2019ll respond with positivity in turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell a Story<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The third principle of preparing a good speech is telling your audience stories. <\/strong>Incorporate at least one of the following three types of stories<\/a> into your presentations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Type #1: A story from your own life. <\/strong>For example, in a speech about your career, you could tell a story about the biggest challenge you\u2019ve overcome so far. In a presentation about an amazing sale you recently made, you could tell the story of how you secured the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Type #2: A story about someone else. <\/strong>This \u201csomeone else\u201d could be someone you know personally, a famous person, or a historical figure: anyone who\u2019s had an experience that relates to the topic you\u2019re discussing. For example, when giving a presentation to your colleagues about a new management style you\u2019ve read about, you could tell the story of the person who created the management style and how it worked for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Type #3: A story about a product or brand. <\/strong>In some situations, this may involve telling a story about a product or brand that you\u2019ve created. For example, if you\u2019re making a speech to launch your new product, you could tell your audience the story of how you came up with the product\u2019s design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other scenarios may require you to tell a story about someone else\u2019s product or brand. For instance, if you\u2019re giving a presentation about why your marketing team should adopt a new brand strategy, you could tell them a story about how a competing brand successfully implemented the strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incorporate a Shocking Moment<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The fourth principle of effective public speaking is incorporating a shocking moment into your speech or presentation.<\/strong> A \u201cshocking moment\u201d is an event that your audience doesn\u2019t anticipate, but which deeply surprises, impresses, or moves them.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Including a shocking moment in your presentations will benefit you in three ways. First, the unexpectedness of the moment will grab your audience\u2019s attention.<\/strong> They\u2019ll become totally focused on what you\u2019re saying and doing, and are therefore more likely to absorb your ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, shocking moments get people talking. <\/strong>Your audience will rush to tell everyone they know about the surprising thing they just heard or witnessed. In the process, they\u2019ll spread information about your talk and the ideas you communicated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, shocking moments are memorable:<\/strong> They frequently stick in an audience\u2019s mind after your presentation. The more your audience thinks about the shocking moment, the more they contemplate the idea you were trying to get across\u2014and the more likely they are to act on that idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow the Rule of Three<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To make your talks brief, follow the Rule of Three, which <\/strong>states that you should only communicate a maximum of three ideas in any one presentation.<\/strong> For example, if you\u2019re asked to give a presentation on your sales successes in the last quarter, pick just three transactions to discuss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the Rule of Three will naturally reduce the time you spend speaking since you\u2019re setting restrictions on the amount of information you\u2019re going to communicate. It\u2019ll also increase the likelihood of your audience absorbing everything you say.<\/strong> Research suggests that the maximum number of ideas that the brain can process at once is three: Add any more ideas than this, and your audience simply won\u2019t remember them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practice Again and Again<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve fully planned your speech or presentation, practice it again and again. If you don\u2019t rehearse before you speak, you won\u2019t know your talk\u2019s structure or content very well. As you present, you\u2019ll spend all of your mental energy<\/a> contemplating logistical issues such as when to move on to the next slide and what\u2019s actually on <\/em>the next slide. Consequently, you won\u2019t have the focus required to state your ideas clearly and smoothly.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might think that the most important element of practicing your presentation is memorizing its content. This is undoubtedly important\u2014you don\u2019t want to get up on stage only to find that you can\u2019t remember what you\u2019re supposed to be talking about. However, there are three other things you need to practice as well. These are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Verbal delivery<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Confident body language<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Hand gestures<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    2. Practice Relaxation Techniques<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    In TED Talks<\/em><\/a>, Chris Anderson says the fear of public speaking<\/a> is two-fold: There is the in-the-moment fear of<\/strong> temporary humiliation\u2014<\/strong>stumbling over words, forgetting what to say, and so on. Then there is the long-term fear of a damaged reputation<\/strong>. Most people care deeply about what others think of them, and they worry that a public flop will change the way they\u2019re viewed. While these fears are normal and common, Anderson stresses that they must be overcome. Why? Because you\u2019ll likely have<\/em> to speak publicly at some point, whether you fear it or not, so you might as well reap the rewards of good public speaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To get rid of the anxiety that comes with public speaking, The Power of Vulnerability<\/em><\/a> by Bren\u00e9 Brown suggests practicing mindfulness<\/a>. Calm is the discovery of perspective through mindfulness. <\/strong>Calmness is the antidote to anxiety because it allows you to look at the source of your anxiety in a reasonable way. For example, if you\u2019re feeling anxious about an upcoming date, a moment of calm can lead to the realization that the stakes of a single date are relatively low, allowing you to enter the date collected and emotionally available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Calmness requires practice, especially in high-stress situations. When your anxiety is triggered, use the following steps as a guide to calmness:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Breathe. Take a few deep breaths and focus on nothing but your breathing for a moment.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Respond to anxiety triggers with questions. This will give you a moment to calm down and gauge the severity of the situation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. After thinking through the situation, ask yourself, \u201cIs there enough information to justify an anxious meltdown?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. If the answer to that is, \u201cYes,\u201d ask yourself, \u201cWill melting down be helpful?\u201d In almost every situation, the answer to this final question will be, \u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Curbing Instant Emotional Reactions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      According to Brown\u2019s other book The Gifts of Imperfection<\/em><\/a>, another aspect of practicing calmness is stopping yourself from instantly reacting to your strong emotions<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      When you experience these strong feelings, you may rush to express them just to get them out of your head and stop them from affecting you as much. However, this desperation to express feelings may cause you to hastily react in a harmful way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      To stop yourself from instantly reacting to your emotions before or during giving a speech, you could: <\/p>\n\n\n\n