Newbie Tips To Create A Simple Speech In 3 Days

Suppose you're an amateur expert in Native American Arrowheads. Let's say you just got invited, out of the blue, to give a presentation on arrowheads to an interested audience on the 20th. You got so excited, you accepted without stopping to think. Arrowheads are your passion! There's just one problem: you forgot to ask which month it is.

It turns out to be this month. Now you're in trouble. You're far from the most experienced speaker around. And you just realized you only have three days from right now to prepare your speech. What started out as a happy rush of excitement has just been replaced by a sinking feeling.

Not to worry! Here are some tips and techniques to help you out.

You probably know that several elements go into a presentation. They are your content (or speech), your blocking (an actor's term for how you move around on stage), your body language, your emotions, your voice and how you rehearse.

Today we'll talk about the verbal part of your presentation. We'll save the rest for another post.

The goal is to get the whole thing ready, fast, but still make it good. You'll have to do some serious work, but it can be done. Let's look at each part, one by one.

The Audience

First you have to answer the question: who is your audience? Are they in your field, or are they laypeople who want a basic introduction?

Suppose your audience has a level of expertise. Then you know they're already familiar with your terminology and background. In that case, feel free to show off your knowledge and use all the specialized jargon you need. On the other hand, if you're going to be talking to an interested but uninformed audience, they will only have basic knowledge. Advanced terminology will only scare them away, and you'll lose your audience.

Length

Know exactly how long your presentation needs to be. For time-limited speeches, don't go into great amounts of detail. Make sure your presentation is a well-rounded story. That way, your audience may want you back another time — and you might have more spots in future events.

Pacing

Keep in mind that you're going to have to speak more slowly than normal to be understood. When you're writing the speech, time yourself by reading it out loud at that slower pace. Don't wait until you're on the practice stage. Your job will be that much harder when you realize you have to rewrite your speech to make it fit the time slot.

Stories, Examples and Humor

Make sure to sprinkle stories in your speech here and there. This especially applies if your time slot is right after lunch! Your audience will be digesting instead of listening. If you're good at humor, keep them awake with laughter. Otherwise, you'll have to think of some other way to engage them. An example is examples. Regale them with interesting stories or anecdotes. They're excellent ways to make ideas stick in people's minds.

Knowing Your Content

Now your outline is ready. It's time to get up in front of a mirror and start playing with the sentences. Experiment with different ways to express your thoughts. Try adjusting your pace. Work with voice pitch — lower is better. Explain your material to yourself in different ways and look at it from different points of view.

Practice explaining your topic to a friend. It's your speech, after all. Where is it written that you have to use big words or fancy expressions? Just make it easy for your audience to understand and digest. When it comes to enjoying your presentation, understanding everything you say is far better than struggling to follow you. Give yourself a test: read it to your mother or spouse. If you can hold their interest, then you're halfway there!

Memorizing Or Reading Your Speech

Remembering your speech is pretty important when you're face to face with your audience. You have two basic approaches here: notes, or no notes. Some presenters do better speaking freely than memorizing. If that's you, then you need to memorize the logical structure of your speech. That will be your guide to lead you through your presentation.

It really is possibly to get through a speech without notes. If you can manage it, that's usually the best way. Don't let stage fright worry you. Most beginners don't just have stage fright – they have a fear of stage fright! They worry about choking or freezing on stage. Fortunately, that anxiety fades away with more speaking experience.

Learning the structure of your speech is easy. Break it down into sections. Then break the sections down into smaller sections. Get down to a size that you can easily handle, and learn one section at a time. Once you know all the smaller sections, add them together and make sure you know the flow. Keep building back up to bigger chunks, testing yourself as you go. Eventually, you'll know the whole speech, almost word for word.

What if you're not sure you'll be able to come up with the right words on the spot? You might be nervous, with only three days to go. In that case, write your speech down and practice reading it aloud. There's nothing wrong with reading your speech. Just make sure you keep looking up often, to engage your audience.

Practice reading it through enough times that you can get by just glancing at your notes. Then you'll be able to maintain eye contact with your audience. Remember the extra-slow pace I told you about earlier? That can be a life saver, if you choose to read instead of memorize.

Preparing Your Speech For Reading

Reading your speech? Here are a couple more tips for printing it out to make life easier. First, make the font big enough that you can easily see it from waist level. Set the line spacing wide so you can use your thumb as a placeholder. It helps you keep track of where you are as you go.

Some speakers prefer index cards with a phrase or two apiece. These fit comfortably in your hand, making them less visible to your audience and less awkward for you to hold.

One last pointer about reading your speech. If you have any any free time during the next three days, you may still want to memorize the basic outline and the opening and closing of your speech. Better safe than sorry. You never know what might happen to your notes!

Pacing Your Ideas

You're eager to share your knowledge with your audience. Your speech will be full of ideas. Make sure they're spaced out so they don't overwhelm your listeners. Insert clear pauses between points. Listeners need this transition time to take in what you're saying. Remember to add these pauses to your presentation's total time!

As you polish your pacing, be your own devil's advocate. Explain your ideas to yourself or to a friend. Try to find weak points. Those are where you have to do some fine tuning.

Importance Of Practice

As you can see, practicing your speech is just as important as writing it. Your presentation can either help or hinder your message. As you schedule the next three days, make sure you leave enough time for practice, practice and more practice. Even professional actors need to rehearse eight hours a day, six days a week, for two months. Then how important is practice for the rest of us!

Your content is the heart of your presentation. Without it, there's nothing to talk about. Get it right, and the rest is just delivery. I'd like to hear more about arrowheads, myself.

How do you prepare your content?