Professional writer John Hewitt has just published a guest article I wrote on this topic: how to use statistics which connect with your audience and strengthen your argument.
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Articles tagged: Speechwriting
Have you ever been to a painfully bad seminar with audience members murmuring to each other…?
- “What was that about?“
- “He was all over the place today.“
- “What was her point?“
These are symptoms of a speech that had no clear objective and was not focused on achieving that objective.
The third Toastmasters speech project stresses the importance of clearly identifying your target objective, and then maintaining precise focus to achieve it. This article of the Toastmasters Speech Series examines the primary goals of this project, provides tips and techniques, and links to numerous sample speeches.
The previous article in the Speech Preparation Series showed you how to edit your speech for focus, clarity, and concision.
However, your speech can be focused, clear, and concise and still lack vitality.
If your speech is void of rhetorical devices, it is like a painting void of color.
On all technical points, a black and white sketch might clearly be a woman smiling, or group of men having a meal, but without color, it’s not the Mona Lisa or The Last Supper.
With many examples, this article demonstrates how you can inject rhetorical devices into your speech during the editing process.
Conventional wisdom says the best speeches are not written; they are rewritten. Yet, most speakers present content that falls between a first draft and no preparation at all.
Don’t be like most speakers.
Allow yourself the time to edit for focus, clarity, concision, continuity, variety, and impact. If you do, you will give your audience a performance that will dazzle them.
The previous article in the Speech Preparation Series showed you how to write the first draft of your speech.
In this article and the next one, you will develop the skills required to improve your speech through iterative speech editing.
Writer’s block is debilitating.
Writer’s block is discouraging.
Writer’s block stops average speakers from becoming great speakers.
Don’t let it stop you!
The previous article in the Speech Preparation Series gave tips for writing a speech outline.
This article shows you how to wrestle writer’s block by transitioning from a speech outline to the first draft.
Proper preparation prevents presentation predicaments!
Speech preparation is the most important element to a successful presentation, and also the best way to reduce nervousness and combat fear.
The Speech Preparation Series is a series of articles examining each of the six steps which are necessary to properly prepare for a speech.
These steps are briefly introduced here, and investigated in more depth in later articles:
Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln came to me as a great Christmas gift — a stocking stuffer which will improve my speaking skills considerably.
I was skeptical at first. I guessed that this was another stuffy book filled with speeches and anecdotes from famous speakers who lived so long ago that their speeches are part of history and their anecdotes are no longer relevant. That’s what I thought as I opened the book.
What I discovered is not really a “book full of speeches and anecdotes” (although there are many, many speech excerpts and anecdotes). Rather, I discovered a practical book of speaking techniques that will bolster the repertoire of any speaker who aims to lead.
J.A. Gamache demonstrates how to complement strong writing with powerful body language in a speech titled “Being a Mr. G.” that took first place in the 2007 Region VI Toastmasters speech contest.
This video critique analyzes many noteworthy elements of the presentation, including:
- a memorable speech opening and closing which feature the same prop;
- the callback technique for repetitive humor;
- emotionally charged writing; and
- a series of wonderfully choreographed gestures.
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Reader Favorites
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Speech Critiques
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Recommended Books
