Public Speaking: Preparing Your Speech
The key to a successful presentation is a systematic plan of action. There are, essentially, three
major actions you’ll need to accomplish in preparing to speak: consider topic, purpose, and
audience; organize ideas and supporting materials into a coherent message; and practice your
delivery skills. Here’s an outline addressing these three main points:
I.
When planning your speech, you must consider topic, purpose, and audience.
A. Select and narrow your topic.
1. Consider the knowledge and interest of speaker.
2. What will the audience consider interesting and significant?
3. Limit the scope and purpose of your topic.
a. Time constraints are an important factor.
b. What will the audience understand and expect in this speech?
B. Determine your general and specific purposes of speaking.
1. Why are you speaking? To inform, to entertain, to persuade?
2. What are your specific goals you want to achieve by speaking?
C. Analyze your audience, occasion, and setting.
1. Effective public speaking is audience-centered.
a. What does the audience know about the topic?
b. What are their interests and attitudes about the topic?
2. Consider particular requirements about the occasion or the setting.
II.
Organize information from 1) rough draft to 2) research to 3) final copy.
A. Write a rough draft of your thesis, main ideas, and probable sub points.
1. Your thesis expresses the main point of your speech.
2. Use main ideas to explain the thesis.
3. Sub points clarify main points and may be examples, testimony, or
statistics.
B. Research and gather support materials relevant to the audience.
1. Use examples to help the audience better understand your message.
2. Statistics are useful, when properly used.
3. Testimony from credible sources is a powerful factor in a speech.
C. Compose your final outline complete with examples, introduction, and conclusion.
1. The introduction includes your “hook” or attention-getter, motivational
statement, and an overview of your main points.
2. Your conclusion is the introduction in reverse!
III.
Practicing your presentation skills is your final consideration when preparing a
speech.
A. Practice aloud for clarity and fluency.
1. An abbreviated speaking outline can help you stay “on track” during
your speech.
2. Note cards are another speaking aid you might like to use.
B. Practice aloud in a conversational style.
1. Memorization is NOT a preferred speaking style!
2. Investing in research and preparation time will actually help you be a
more confident and successful speaker.