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How to Give a Speech: 10 Tips for Powerful Public Speaking

When we start preparing to give a speech, it can be a nerve-wracking experience. It’s completely normal—most of us feel a combination of excitement and nerves when we’re about to take the stage.

However, with some strategic planning and practical advice, you can make sure your speech is powerful and effective. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to give a speech that will leave your audience engaged and inspired.

We’ll examine 10 tips to help you build a powerful speech, from outlining your points methodically to crafting captivating introductions . Whether you’re a beginner or experienced public speaker, these nuggets of wisdom will help you take your next speech to the next level. Let’s get started!

Quick Review of Key Points

Preparing ahead of time is the key to giving an effective speech. Make sure to structure your speaking points, rehearse your delivery, and be aware of the needs of your audience for maximum impact.

How to Prepare for a Speech

Preparing for a speech is an essential step to public speaking success. It can help to build your confidence, create content that reaches the audience, and reduce performance anxiety.

Although it can be time-consuming in the beginning, preparation will ensure less stress and more comfort during delivery. Here are some tips to consider when preparing for a speech:

Practice : Before delivering a speech, practice it out loud several times. This will allow you to gain experience in speaking without an audience and increase your confidence when you do have one.

Practicing also helps to identify awkward moments in the speech or any difficult phrases which then can be changed or removed altogether. Additionally, it helps you determine where to pause for effect. Research : Depending on the topic of the speech , research should be done beforehand to gather information that is relevant and interesting for the audience. It is important to get acquainted with the language typically used by audiences to ensure a clear understanding of what is being said.

Additionally, relevant statistics and stories concerning the topic are a great way to draw in listeners and make the presentation more engaging .

Know Your Audience : When preparing your speech, be sure to consider who will be listening. For instance, if giving a presentation at work, include industry jargon that members would understand and include relevant topics from publications that might be familiar to the employees.

On the other hand, if consulting business professionals in their field then technical language may be easier for them to comprehend than laypeople or students.

By gathering valuable information about the topic and getting comfortable with a speech’s content and delivery through practice, speakers will gain more assurance during their talk as well as respect from their audience.

Preparing beforehand not only gives insight into how to engage listeners but also encourages more meaningful conversations after the event. Now that we have discussed how to prepare for a speech let us move on to creating an outline which will provide structure during delivery.

Create an Outline

After determining the audience and purpose of your speech, the next step to effective public speaking is to create an outline .

An outline serves as a roadmap to ensure that your speech has a logical flow and contains all important points. It also can help keep you on track during the speech itself, allowing you to stay focused and organized.

When constructing an outline, consider drawing up both a main point and sub-points for each portion of the speech. Both should be relevant to the goal of the presentation and backed up by facts and research.

Brainstorming can help in this process; try grouping your ideas together in clusters to make sure you cover all possible angles.

Furthermore, writing out exact quotations or figures can prove beneficial in forming a cohesive argument. At this stage, it is also wise to decide where transitions, humor, stories, or other engaging techniques will be included.

While there are differing opinions as to whether outlines should be memorized or simply used as a reference while speaking, many agree that they should serve their purpose – not only articulate the main thoughts of the speech but also assist the speaker with maintaining focus and preventing distractions.

The debate between those who advocate for memorization versus casual consulting touches upon issues such as rehearsal time, risk of errors in delivery, ease of practice versus actual performance and more.

Each side has valid arguments that should be weighed prior to deciding what type of approach best suits your needs.

Having a firmly constructed outline acts as a valuable tool when it comes time to deliver a powerful public speech. By actively utilizing this tactic, speakers may not only enhance their clarity and coherence, but also add structure and vibrance to their presentations.

Now that we have explored what goes into crafting an effective outline, let’s dive deeper into how we can best collect resources and research our topics for maximum impact.

Collect Sources and Research

Collecting sources and research is a crucial step for any public speaking engagement. It ensures that you have the necessary information to make strong points and back up your statements.

Before writing your speech, take time to research your topic to gain familiarity with different perspectives, facts, and counterpoints. This will help you to craft an argument that can stand up to scrutiny while also adding a breadth of knowledge to your speech.

Interviews can be a powerful source of evidence and anecdotes, so try to include one or two relevant interviews in your research process. Relying solely on secondary sources such as books and articles can lead to a narrow scope of understanding.

Interviews provide an opportunity to hear directly from an expert and create an interesting dynamic in your speech by adding personal experiences as well as commentary from a professional.

In research it is important to stay objective. Gather a variety of perspectives and be open-minded about their merits. Don’t forget to consider both sides of the argument when researching for your speech.

Doing this allows you to understand the opposing perspective and enables you to anticipate potential counter arguments from your audience.

By acknowledging them beforehand, you may increase the persuasive power of your speech by showing confidence in the points you make.

Once you have collected all sources, review them carefully and separate the most pertinent information from the less useful material.

Synthesising this information into concise yet impactful points is a critical part in delivering powerful talks without overloading your audience with too much data or going off track during your speech delivery.

Organizing Your Speech

Before you start putting your words together, it’s important to consider how the different parts of a speech fit together. By taking the time to organize the ideas in your speech , you’ll be able to deliver a presentation that is well-constructed and easy to understand.

One way to help with organizing your speech is to write an outline . An outline is like a map or plan that will provide you with a framework for each section of your speech.

Start by writing out your main points and then include additional details underneath each one. This will help keep your speech focused and provide direction for where you are going next.

Another approach for organizing your speech is known as the “inverted pyramid” method. This structure starts with your conclusion at the beginning of the speech, and then works backward by providing more explanation and detail as it moves toward the introduction.

This method can be helpful when speaking about topics that are unfamiliar to the audience since it doesn’t require them to wait until near the end of the presentation to learn what you’ve been talking about.

No matter which organization approach you choose, make sure to practice it before giving your speech so that you are comfortable with its flow. Lastly, remember that it’s ok to adjust things while you speak if they don’t seem or feel quite right.

Now let’s take a look at how we can use these organizing techniques to actually put our speeches together – starting with structuring our speech.

Structure Your Speech

Creating a strong structure for your speech will ensure that the audience stays engaged and understands your main points. As you are developing an outline, map out how you want to begin and end your speech.

Break up the information into smaller sections with either verbal or visual cues so that your audience can clearly see how you are transitioning between topics . Consider adding humor judiciously throughout your presentation as this could help engage the audience and lighten any tension.

The length of your presentation is also important. You will want to make sure that you include all of the necessary information without going over time.

Oftentimes less is more; if you can say it in five minutes why use ten? Make sure that you practice timed rehearsals so that you can gauge how long you’re actually speaking.

In contrast, avoid trying to pack too much content into one presentation as this could overwhelm both you and the audience. If needed, offer supplemental reading materials for those who may be interested in delving further into the subject matter.

Paragraphs can also be helpful when organizing large amounts of content within the body of your presentation. Utilizing paragraph breaks gives your audience a break and helps to highlight key ideas or summaries before moving onto a new topic area.

Finally, it is crucial to remember what your desired outcome is from the presentation; plan accordingly by ensuring that the beginning, middle, and end serve their respective purposes and adhere to that goal.

With careful deliberations, structuring a successful presentation can be achieved with relative ease.

Having established a solid structure for your speech, it’s important to focus on another key element: rehearsal. The next section will discuss the benefits of practicing before delivering a powerful public speaking performance.

Rehearse Your Speech

Rehearsing is integral to giving a successful speech. When you rehearse your presentation, you give your mind an opportunity to become familiar with the notes and concepts that you are presenting. It also increases your confidence and reduces anxiety or self-doubt.

In fact, studies have found that those who rehearsed their presentation had higher scores in public speaking performance and language proficiency evaluations.

When it comes to how much rehearsal is enough, opinions are divided. Some people believe that over-rehearsing can lead to a more robotic speech with less natural emotion and connection with the audience .

On the other hand, others argue that no matter how well-versed someone is on the topic, additional rehearsal time improves both the delivery of the speech and memorization of key points and facts.

Ultimately, it’s important to practice until you personally find the most comfortable level for yourself, as this will ultimately result in a more engaging delivery.

Finally, if at all possible, try to practice in front of a friend or colleague for honest feedback on any elements that need improvement before the big day. Rehearsal dedication may be tedious, but it results in big rewards on stage–enabling you to deliver your content with clarity, confidence, and poise.

With thoughtful preparation complete, it’s now time to step into the spotlight and give your speech!

Giving Your Speech

The key to success when giving a speech is to be well prepared and confident. Every individual’s preparation process will vary, but the basics should stay the same.

Start by studying your content, understanding the material and being able to repeat it in your own words. Clarify any potentially difficult points. Create visual aids like PowerPoint slides or handouts that supplement the key ideas in your speech.

Practice your public speaking skills with informal conversations with friends and family or rehearse it alone in front of a mirror. Use visualization; imagine yourself confidently delivering your speech. Consider addressing a practice audience if possible to become more accustomed to a live size group.

On the day of the event, arrive early and plan for any potential obstacles: What if my computer doesn’t work? What if I forget something? Allow sufficient time for setup and check-in.

When you are ready to give your speech, take some deep breaths, focus on the positives, and distract yourself from any anxious thoughts with positive affirmations. Remember you have prepared diligently for this moment, you are well prepared and you will succeed!

Start strong by engaging the audience immediately with an attention grabbing opening statement. Speak clearly and make sure that everyone can hear and understand your message.

Slow down and emphasize points as needed throughout your presentation. Be aware of pace, volume, and tone of voice: too fast/monotone can confuse/bore listeners while pauses add a dramatic effect that keeps their interest piqued.

Ultimately, giving a successful speech will depend on knowing your material well enough to speak confidently in front of your audience without hesitation or missteps.

When you do make a mistake (and they happen!) don’t panic – know that mistakes are inevitable but don’t be discouraged; get back on track as soon as possible and continue at the same energy level you had before the mistake occurred.

Having successfully given your speech, take a moment to reflect on what went well and what could be improved upon for next time before transitioning into the next step: mastering delivery.

Master Your Delivery

Mastering your delivery is the key to an effective speech. Without purposeful body language and careful emphasis on certain words , your speech may lack wow-factor and prevent listeners from tuning in. Following these simple tips can help you get started with delivering an engaging and memorable speech:

The most important part of delivery is practice. Rehearse and perfect your speech ahead of time – this allows for more natural flow and confidence during your presentation. It also helps to create pauses between sentences for clarity, emphasize key points, and not be too casual or stiff.

Practicing inflections and varying tones adds interest to your speech by keeping listeners’ attention.

Additionally, it’s important to project your voic e so everyone in the room can hear you; make sure you’re speaking loud enough but don’t feel pressure to shout or yell at any point unless that’s part of the atmosphere of the event.

It’s also crucial to maintain good posture while speaking – stand tall with both feet on the ground, keep your back straight, hold yourself up without gesturing too much or leaning against a podium if applicable.

To further engage listeners, use purposeful hand gestures as they help emphasize certain points and add visual interest – however, avoid overusing them as it can hinders communication.

Make meaningful eye contact with audience members throughout the presentation – otherwise you might come across as unenthusiastic or bored with what you’re saying which deters attention away from the content itself.

By mastering your delivery, you can boost the impact of your presentation considerably – providing a memorable experience for your audience that stands out from others’. As such, it’s worth investing time into practicing ahead of time until delivery feels comfortable and second nature.

Having said this, making use of visual aids such as PowerPoint slides can greatly improve the impact of a speech once delivery has been mastered – let’s look into that next.

Use Visual Aids

Using visual aids can help presenters express concepts more clearly and engage the audience.

Visuals are particularly useful when conveying complex information, such as data, trends, or statistics — they impart meaning at a glance. But some public speakers may wonder if visual aids can be distracting or unnecessary.

Even though visuals can attract attention away from a presenter’s verbal delivery, carefully designed visuals can actually support the speech and help provide clarity. If done well, visuals are effective for capturing an audience’s interest and helping them to better understand the content being presented.

For example, a graph or chart should relate to the points made in the speech and should be discussed in more detail during its appearance onscreen. The presentation can also include larger images that effectively reinforce the ideas conveyed in the speech.

Videos and sound clips are other powerful forms of multimedia that could be employed to make the speech more meaningful.

To ensure that visuals enhance the message of the presentation, key factors to consider include relevancy to topic, good graphic design or aesthetics, accurate size to prevent distortion or blurriness, and seamless integration into the keynote slides or printed handouts .

In this way, visuals offer an opportunity for presenters to demonstrate their creativity and keep their audiences interested in what is being said. Thus, used wisely and aptly, visuals can add tremendous value to speeches by presenting arguments more efficiently and driving home important points. Now let’s explore effective techniques for speech giving that will allow you to craft and deliver your speeches with confidence.

Effective Techniques for Speech Giving

There are a number of effective techniques for giving a speech that will help you deliver it with confidence and poise.

First, practice your delivery in advance. You should practice both in front of a mirror or recording device to check for any distracting habits such as talking too quickly or mispronouncing words.

Second, use simple, clear language and short, concise sentences. Avoid overly technical terms and jargon that may leave your audience confused.

Third, work to establish a connection with your audience by using appropriate facial expressions and hand gestures while speaking.

Fourth, utilize effective persuasive techniques such as presenting evidence, strong arguments supported by facts, personal anecdotes and vivid metaphors.

Finally, articulate an organized structure for your speech. Your speech should have an introduction, body and conclusion to clearly communicate the main point and provide the audience with the necessary context to understand it better.

While these techniques may sound intimidating at first, they can be learned over time with practice and will make all the difference in how successful your speech delivery is received by your audience.

To build on these skills further , the next section will provide tips on how to build confidence when giving a speech.

Building Confidence

Building confidence is key when giving a powerful speech, as it will enable you to deliver the speech in a more poised and credible manner.

To create this confidence , start by understanding that any hesitation or butterflies prior to your speech are completely normal and should not be feared. Instead, view them as natural states of anticipation for something exciting, knowing that you are about to give an amazing speech.

Next, understanding who your audience is and tailoring your speech to meet their expectations will help build your confidence.

Familiarizing yourself with their interests and knowledge on the subject matter ahead of time can equip you with the understanding needed to respond appropriately if questions arise or objections surface during the speech.

Further, practice is key when building confidence for a public speaking engagement . Rehearsing with friends or colleagues before hand will give you an opportunity to learn where problem areas are within the content of your speech, as well as help solidify your delivery by becoming more comfortable with each step.

Checking sound levels in the room you’re presenting in coupled with learning where exits/emergency locations are located within that space can also help alleviate stress levels and boost self-assurance while delivering the speech.

Finally, wearing comfortable clothing and dressing professionally adds an extra layer of confidence when speaking in public.

If possible, bring an additional outfit on hand during the presentation in case of spills or accidents that would require a quick change between sections of the talk. Having this back-up plan in place can aid in keeping peace of mind at ease throughout the speech.

In conclusion, building confidence prior to a public speaking event can mean the difference between a good and great delivery of your message.

By taking into account each of these tips you can ensure that this part of your preparation runs smoothly and sets you up for success when delivering powerful speeches.

With a well-crafted note card of talking points and strong sense of self-assurance, it’s time to start speaking with passion!

Speaking with Passion

As a public speaker, your audience expects you to engage not only with your words but also with your emotions. To share the most impactful message, it is important to speak passionately about your subject.

Doing so will make your speech more memorable and thereby more effective in convincing your audience of its legitimacy.

The power of speaking authentically with emotion lies in its relatability and connection. Showing feelings allows people to connect with you as a person rather than just a speaker. It opens the door to understanding through empathy and active listening .

Examples might include adding personal stories , telling jokes, or displaying your feelings openly during the delivery of your message.

However, not all topics lend themselves easily to expressing emotion. If the subject matter is overly complex or technical there may be less opportunity for emotional expression—but this doesn’t mean those conversations can’t incorporate emotion.

Even if faced with a difficult situation such as death or financial turmoil, emotions can still be conveyed in a respectful way that keeps audiences engaged.

Remember that how much emotion you show depends on the type of audience you’re sharing it with—using sensitivity when delivering passionate speeches helps avoid awkwardness or embarrassment for any attendees who may find opinionated language uncomfortable for whatever reason.

Striking the right balance between being straightforward and showing compassion takes practice, so take the time to develop a style that works best for you and improves upon each performance.

Finally, incorporating passion into a speech gives it life and makes it relatable and engaging—which are essential elements to speaking effectively.

Having passion means giving ourselves permission to take ownership over our stories, making them deeply personal in order to reach our goals and touch people’s hearts in meaningful ways. With that said, let’s move on to discussing how we should tackle dealing with challenges while giving a speech.

Dealing with Challenges

The process of delivering a speech can be challenging, but it is also rewarding. Difficulties can arise during the process that may threaten to derail your success. To ensure you are adequately prepared for these possible pitfalls it is important to consider strategies for proactively mitigating the risk of encountering these challenges. 1. Public Speaking Anxiety: Many people experience some form of anxiety when asked to speak in public. There are a number of techniques available to combat this fear and increase confidence, such as deep breathing exercises, mental rehearsal, positive self-talk and visualization of success.

Learning about the audience, creating an engaging presentation and using props or visual aids can also help reduce anxiety levels and create a better overall experience for both the speaker and the audience. 2. Unfamiliar Topics or Audiences: When presenting on unfamiliar topics or to an unknown audience it can be difficult to prepare effectively.

In this situation it is important to conduct research on the topic and familiarize yourself with the needs of your audience so that the content is tailored accordingly. It is also helpful to use humor or stories related to the topic in order to engage your audience and make them more receptive to your message. 3. Lack of Support: If you lack support from family, friends, colleagues or mentors, it can be difficult to push through difficult conversations or speeches without any additional motivation.

To overcome this challenge, seek out peer mentorship opportunities or find compatible online communities where people discuss similar topics or objectives. Here you can share ideas, provide feedback and learn from others who have experienced similar issues. 4. Time Constraints: One of the biggest challenges when giving a speech is managing your time effectively in order to deliver an effective message without going over allotted timeslots and boring your audience .

To successfully address this challenge try setting manageable goals for each section of your speech and practice regularly. Replicating real-time conditions as closely as possible will help you stay within time constraints when delivering your speech on the day itself. In conclusion, there are many potential challenges you may face when giving a speech or taking part in a public speaking event – but with proper preparation and practice they are easily managed if approached correctly.

With knowledge of techniques for dealing with such scenarios comes increased confidence when stepping up to the podium – further improving your chances of delivering an effective speech that resonates with your audience members.

Responses to Frequently Asked Questions

How should i end my speech to leave a lasting impression.

The best way to end your speech is by reinforcing your main point and summarizing the key takeaways. You should also encourage the audience to take action, whether it be to sign up for a newsletter, make a donation, or visit your website for more information. This final call to action will not only leave a lasting impression on the audience but will also help you achieve any goals you might have had when making your speech in the first place.

What techniques can I use to keep my audience engaged during my speech?

One of the best techniques for keeping an audience engaged during a speech is to keep it interactive . Ask questions throughout the presentation, as well as allowing for audience input and discussion. This can help to keep people’s attention and create a more engaging experience.

Another great tip is to use humor. Even if you don’t consider yourself a natural comedian, sprinkling in a few jokes here and there can break up the monotony of long speeches and keep people interested. Humor can also help to make points stick in people’s minds, making them easier to remember.

Finally, try to be enthusiastic about the content of your speech. If you show too much indifference or lethargic behavior, it will discourage your audience from paying attention and taking your message seriously.

Instead, be passionate about what you are saying so that the energy of your words carries into the room and engages your audience with excitement.

How can I use storytelling to make my speech more interesting?

Storytelling is a powerful tool that can be used to make any speech more interesting. Telling stories in your speech will help engage the audience and make your message stick. Here are some tips for using storytelling in your speech:

1. Choose stories that are relevant to your message and audience. Think about stories that will best illustrate the point you are trying to convey, or evoke emotions in your listeners. 2. Use vivid descriptions and visuals when telling your story. Be sure to include details such as setting, character descriptions, dialogue and plot points. This will help to bring the story to life for your audience. 3. Make sure the story you are telling has a strong conclusion or moral at the end. This will help add emphasis to your message and make it memorable. 4. Practice telling stories out loud before delivering a speech with them. Rehearsing will help you deliver your story more effectively and with more confidence in front of an audience. By using these tips, storytelling can be an effective tool to make any speech more interesting, engaging, and persuasive!

How can I prepare for my speech effectively?

Preparing for a speech effectively is essential to delivering an impactful and memorable presentation. Here are some tips: 1. Have a clear goal in mind. Before starting to prepare, ask yourself what the purpose of giving the speech is: what message do you want to convey? Defining this will help to structure your content and focus your research. 2. Research thoroughly. Make sure you understand the subject matter well, so that your delivery sounds confident and inspiring. Using facts and data will strengthen your arguments and make your talk more convincing. 3. Outline your speech. Make a rough outline of how you want it to go – from beginning to end – well in advance of the actual presentation. This will give you a strong foundation upon which you can craft an engaging talk with an effective narrative arc that keeps audiences interested and engaged. 4. Practice regularly. Rehearsing your speech out loud several times is key to ensuring that you know it well enough to feel comfortable when delivering it live in front of an audience.

5. Time yourself. Record how long it takes for you to go through your entire speech, so that you can adjust the length as needed before delivering it live – remember that most speeches should last no more than 10-15 minutes. 6. Identify potential questions from the audience and prepare answers before hand. Knowing ahead of time what kind of questions people may ask can help reduce the anxiety of not knowing what comes next, enabling you to stay confident when speaking in public. 7. Work on building up confidence levels before delivering a speech. Visualize yourself succeeding in delivering a great presentation; practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or positive self-talk; or use props during practice sessions such as water bottles or stress balls if needed to remain calm during the real thing!

What strategies can I use to reduce my anxiety when giving a speech?

1. Plan Ahead: Create an outline of your speech beforehand and practice it multiple times to become familiar with the content. Doing a trial run with the audience can also help you get used to speaking in front of people.

2. Visualize Success: Positive visualization is a great way to reduce anxiety before giving a speech. Imagine yourself confidently delivering the speech while feeling relaxed and composed.

3. Get Organized: Make sure you have all the materials necessary for your presentation, including notes, slides, etc., to reduce any additional stress that may come from not having what you need when you speak.

4. Take Deep Breaths: Before and during the speech, take a few deep breaths as this will help calm nerves and make sure your breathing is regulated throughout the duration of your presentation.

5. Speak Slowly: It is common to feel anxious while giving a speech and try to rush through it too quickly. Speaking slowly helps maintain composure while delivering your message effectively and clearly.

6. Pay Attention to Your Body: Your posture, stance, movements , facial expressions can all influence how confident you appear to your audience and how nervous you may be feeling inside. Check in with yourself frequently throughout the presentation and correct any tense body language or physical actions if needed.

7. Focus on the Audience: If you notice that your anxiety levels are growing as you present, shift your focus onto the audience instead of yourself as this will help refocus your attention away from negative thoughts that may arise from fear or insecurity.

8. Make Eye Contact: Establishing eye contact with your audience is a key confidence-builder for public speakers—it shows that you’re strong, engaged with them, and receptive to feedback or questions they might have regarding your speech topic .

9. Practice Positive Affirmations: Positive thoughts will boost your self-confidence as well as your mood which can help increase performance quality significantly during speeches or presentations in general—so don’t forget to tell yourself “you can do it!” several times throughout the day leading up to the event!

10. Seek Support of Friends & Family: Many experienced public speakers suggest seeking support of close friends & family members prior and during their speeches—not only does it allow helpful critique regarding content but it also creates a more comfortable atmosphere while speaking which can reduce pre-speech jitters drastically.

10 Tips for Improving Your Public Speaking Skills

Few are immune to the fear of public speaking. Marjorie North offers 10 tips for speakers to calm the nerves and deliverable memorable orations.

Marjorie North

Snakes? Fine. Flying? No problem. Public speaking? Yikes! Just thinking about public speaking — routinely described as one of the greatest (and most common) fears — can make your palms sweat. But there are many ways to tackle this anxiety and learn to deliver a memorable speech.

In part one of this series,  Mastering the Basics of Communication , I shared strategies to improve how you communicate. In part two, How to Communicate More Effectively in the Workplace , I examined how to apply these techniques as you interact with colleagues and supervisors in the workplace. For the third and final part of this series, I’m providing you with public speaking tips that will help reduce your anxiety, dispel myths, and improve your performance.

Here Are My 10 Tips for Public Speaking:

1. nervousness is normal. practice and prepare.

All people feel some physiological reactions like pounding hearts and trembling hands. Do not associate these feelings with the sense that you will perform poorly or make a fool of yourself. Some nerves are good. The adrenaline rush that makes you sweat also makes you more alert and ready to give your best performance.

The best way to overcome anxiety is to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more. Take the time to go over your notes several times. Once you have become comfortable with the material, practice — a lot. Videotape yourself, or get a friend to critique your performance.

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2. Know Your Audience. Your Speech Is About Them, Not You.

Before you begin to craft your message, consider who the message is intended for. Learn as much about your listeners as you can. This will help you determine your choice of words, level of information, organization pattern, and motivational statement.

3. Organize Your Material in the Most Effective Manner to Attain Your Purpose.

Create the framework for your speech. Write down the topic, general purpose, specific purpose, central idea, and main points. Make sure to grab the audience’s attention in the first 30 seconds.

4. Watch for Feedback and Adapt to It.

Keep the focus on the audience. Gauge their reactions, adjust your message, and stay flexible. Delivering a canned speech will guarantee that you lose the attention of or confuse even the most devoted listeners.

5. Let Your Personality Come Through.

Be yourself, don’t become a talking head — in any type of communication. You will establish better credibility if your personality shines through, and your audience will trust what you have to say if they can see you as a real person.

6. Use Humor, Tell Stories, and Use Effective Language.

Inject a funny anecdote in your presentation, and you will certainly grab your audience’s attention. Audiences generally like a personal touch in a speech. A story can provide that.

7. Don’t Read Unless You Have to. Work from an Outline.

Reading from a script or slide fractures the interpersonal connection. By maintaining eye contact with the audience, you keep the focus on yourself and your message. A brief outline can serve to jog your memory and keep you on task.

8. Use Your Voice and Hands Effectively. Omit Nervous Gestures.

Nonverbal communication carries most of the message. Good delivery does not call attention to itself, but instead conveys the speaker’s ideas clearly and without distraction.

9. Grab Attention at the Beginning, and Close with a Dynamic End.

Do you enjoy hearing a speech start with “Today I’m going to talk to you about X”? Most people don’t. Instead, use a startling statistic, an interesting anecdote, or concise quotation. Conclude your speech with a summary and a strong statement that your audience is sure to remember.

10. Use Audiovisual Aids Wisely.

Too many can break the direct connection to the audience, so use them sparingly. They should enhance or clarify your content, or capture and maintain your audience’s attention.

Practice Does Not Make Perfect

Good communication is never perfect, and nobody expects you to be perfect. However, putting in the requisite time to prepare will help you deliver a better speech. You may not be able to shake your nerves entirely, but you can learn to minimize them.

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About the Author

North is a consultant for political candidates, physicians, and lawyers, and runs a private practice specializing in public speaking, and executive communication skills. Previously, she was the clinical director in the department of speech and language pathology and audiology at Northeastern University.

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• 11 Tips for Giving a Great Speech

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Chances are you’ll be asked to give speeches or presentations in classes at school. If you get involved in volunteer groups, brief speeches to open events or thank participants are a must. Then there are the speeches at events such as weddings, as well as speeches that you might have to give in the workplace. That amounts to the average person being required to give quite a lot of speeches, even if they don’t get involved in an area such as politics where the ability to give a good speech becomes even more important. You might also have suffered through quite a number of bad speeches from other people – whether that’s at family events where the microphone squeaks the whole way through or a school presentation where the headteacher can’t quite make the jokes work. If you don’t want to inflict the same sort of experience on others, here are our top tips for giving a great speech.

1. Practise your microphone technique

2. Keep it short

Particularly at something like a party or a wedding, no one will be unhappy if your speech runs a little short; it’ll just give them more time to investigate the canapés. If you are giving a speech for a class in school, and it’ll be assessed, you need to prioritise keeping it within the required time limits. But even under these circumstances, if you’ve been tasked – say – with giving a 10-15 minute speech, it’s usually better to come in nearer the 10 than the 15 minute mark. Put simply, even if your speech is terrible, your audience can probably tolerate it for 10 minutes. Much longer, and they’ll be struggling. This shouldn’t limit what you can cover; in the film Up , the whole of Carl and Ellie’s heartbreaking love story is told in under 12 minutes. Do you really need longer to make your points? Achieve brevity by writing out the speech you would give if you had all the time in the world, and then cut anything that seems extraneous or boring.

3. Consider what your audience wants to hear

If you are giving a speech in class because it’s your assignment, what your audience wants to hear is likely to be “the bell ringing for lunch”; you can’t help them there. But under other circumstances, consider what your audience wants to hear and what you want to say, and strive for there to be as much overlap as possible. In the context of a political speech, for instance, what you want to say might be why your party should receive votes; what your audience wants to hear is what your party would do for them, if they won power. Hopefully it should be possible to write a speech that meets both sets of needs, rather than focusing solely on whatever it is that you want to say and leaving your audience disappointed.

4. Pick a theme and stick to it

Here’s a goal for giving a speech: someone sitting near the back, who’s messing around on their phone for at least two-thirds of it and focusing mainly on how long it will be until lunch, should nonetheless be able to give a reasonably accurate answer to the question, “what was it about?” If you’re supposed to be giving a speech in defence of the nuclear deterrent, for example, both the topic and your position on it should be clearly identifiable. This means – to stick with the nuclear deterrent example – not talking for a while about jobs, and then the wider economy, and then the North-South divide, and then Scottish independence, and then Ukraine with a brief digression into South Ossetia before rounding off by squeaking out “and that’s why we should renew Trident!” seconds before you run out of time – no matter how relevant that cornucopia of topics may feel (and they are all relevant, albeit tenuously). It means that even if you do have to take a while to explain a more complex idea, you need to be concise, and bring it back to your theme as quickly as you can.

5. Speak slowly

Most people speak more quickly than they realise when they’re on stage, especially if they’re nervous. But no one will be able to follow your speech if you’re jabbering it out. Thankfully, this one is easy to fix with a little effort and practise. First of all, figure out how quickly you’re actually speaking: do a word count for your speech and then time yourself saying it. A fast speaker will speak at maybe 160 words per minute, a slow speaker at 100 wpm and an average speaker at 130 wpm. For a formal speech, you want to be speaking on the slow side. While this will vary by culture and environment, 120 wpm is a reasonable target to aim for; slow enough that everyone should be able to understand you, and fast enough that you hopefully won’t be sending them to sleep.

6. Tell a couple of jokes

This is a tricky tip because there are lots of pitfalls in the world of telling jokes. For instance, there’s the temptation to include an in-joke that three of your friends will understand and find hilarious, that is utterly baffling to everyone else in the room. Avoid this – if you include any jokes, witty references or anything along those lines, make sure they are accessible to everyone present. All the same, if you can manage a joke or two, it can be a useful way to break up a speech and retain the audience’s interest. A little self-deprecation (not too much!) or the use of classic joke formats such as “the scene was chaotic; it looked as if a bomb had hit and we didn’t know where to start on repairs – but that’s enough about the hen party…” work nicely even if you’re not very confident. Don’t turn it into a stand-up comedy sketch if you’re not a comedian, don’t wait for ages for laughter that’s not showing up, and don’t make jokes at the expense of anyone who you don’t know for sure can take it.

7. Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself if you need to

If you follow US or UK politics at all, you’ve probably heard some of these phrases recently: take back control, make America great again, long-term economic plan, son of a bus driver. Three of these have already led the party or people they’re associated with to electoral victory; the fourth remains to be seen. To take the ‘son of a bus driver’ as an example, this refers to Sadiq Khan, now Mayor of London. There can be hardly anyone in London who doesn’t know what their Mayor’s dad did for a living. Meanwhile, many of them probably can’t remember his rival Zac Goldsmith’s name, let alone anything he said during the campaign. The point is that repetition works. In pursuit of point 4, if you want people to remember your key theme, you’re going to have to say it more than once. Don’t assume that everyone will have paid attention to everything you’ve said, unless you’re in a classroom setting where they’ll get told off if they don’t.

8. Only use the visual aids you need

This tip applies to two things: PowerPoints and notes. If you can do without either (and your assignment allows it), then do. Every time you’re glancing over your notes or up at the screen, fiddling with the laptop to get the slide to move on, fighting with a video that isn’t working or struggling to read your own handwriting, is time that you’re not spending engaging with your audience. A well-written, clear speech delivered without notes is always going to be better than someone awkwardly reading aloud the bullet points on their PowerPoint slides. If you must do a presentation – for instance, because there are photos that need to be included – have as little text on it as possible, preferably none. That way, if there are people at the back who can’t really see the screen through the sea of heads in front of them, they’ll still be able to follow what you’re saying.

9. Get a friend to check for awkward mannerisms

Mannerisms that are entirely fine in normal life become awkward and strange when you’re speaking in public. Perhaps you’re inclined to fiddle with your hair or your cuffs, you rock back and forth on the balls of your feet, or you have a habit of reaching your hand to your cheek when you’re talking. No one would notice in everyday conversation, but when you’re on a stage, it’ll become all they’ll see. Some of this is easily avoidable – for instance, if you have long hair that you’re inclined to twirl or otherwise fiddle with, tie it up. For other mannerisms, get the critical friend who helped you sort out your microphone technique to tell you what they are, and do your best to suppress the more annoying ones.

10. Look around the room

Talking about eye contact usually has the effect of making normal eye contact a lot harder, and so does giving a speech. All of a sudden, you’re up on stage, and you have no idea what a normal way to look at a group of people is. Some speakers deal with this by picking a point in the middle distance and speaking to it; others by picking a particular person near to the back and addressing their entire speech at them. This is obviously no fun for that person, who probably spends the whole thing feeling extremely uncomfortable, but it’s not too weird for everyone else. Better still, though, if you can manage it, is to look slowly and steadily around the room, trying to make eye contact with a decent range of people, before returning to the middle distance for a while, rinse and repeat. This needs to be slow and steady, or you give the impression that you’ve just smelled smoke and are casting about for a fire exit before the stampede beings.

11. Don’t be scared of a good reaction

If your speech is genuinely engaging, funny, inspiring or any of the other things you might hope it would be, your audience will react to it. There might be laughter, or applause, or even a bit of cheering depending on the setting. This can be daunting because when you’re practising your speech in front of your bedroom mirror, there’s no way to prepare for it. And it’s where even the best speakers can go wrong, by launching straight into what they were going to say next without waiting for the laughter or applause to stop, or by looking painfully awkward while it’s going on. It’s a pitfall that’s mostly solved by being aware it might happen. If your audience is applauding you or otherwise reacting well, it’s OK to smile, look up, wait for them to stop and then keep going with your speech – it’s as simple as that. You could even throw in a “thank you” before you continue in the knowledge that it’s all going well. Image credits: microphones ; audience ; boy with microphone ; clock ; winding road ; enjoy a joke ; sticky notes ; 

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How to write a speech that your audience remembers

Whether in a work meeting or at an investor panel, you might give a speech at some point. And no matter how excited you are about the opportunity, the experience can be nerve-wracking . 

But feeling butterflies doesn’t mean you can’t give a great speech. With the proper preparation and a clear outline, apprehensive public speakers and natural wordsmiths alike can write and present a compelling message. Here’s how to write a good speech you’ll be proud to deliver.

What is good speech writing?

Good speech writing is the art of crafting words and ideas into a compelling, coherent, and memorable message that resonates with the audience. Here are some key elements of great speech writing:

• It begins with clearly understanding the speech's purpose and the audience it seeks to engage. 
• A well-written speech clearly conveys its central message, ensuring that the audience understands and retains the key points. 
• It is structured thoughtfully, with a captivating opening, a well-organized body, and a conclusion that reinforces the main message. 
• Good speech writing embraces the power of engaging content, weaving in stories, examples, and relatable anecdotes to connect with the audience on both intellectual and emotional levels. 

Ultimately, it is the combination of these elements, along with the authenticity and delivery of the speaker , that transforms words on a page into a powerful and impactful spoken narrative.

What makes a good speech?

A great speech includes several key qualities, but three fundamental elements make a speech truly effective:

Clarity and purpose

Remembering the audience, cohesive structure.

While other important factors make a speech a home run, these three elements are essential for writing an effective speech.

The main elements of a good speech

The main elements of a speech typically include:

• Introduction: The introduction sets the stage for your speech and grabs the audience's attention. It should include a hook or attention-grabbing opening, introduce the topic, and provide an overview of what will be covered.
• Opening/captivating statement: This is a strong statement that immediately engages the audience and creates curiosity about the speech topics.
• Thesis statement/central idea: The thesis statement or central idea is a concise statement that summarizes the main point or argument of your speech. It serves as a roadmap for the audience to understand what your speech is about.
• Body: The body of the speech is where you elaborate on your main points or arguments. Each point is typically supported by evidence, examples, statistics, or anecdotes. The body should be organized logically and coherently, with smooth transitions between the main points.
• Supporting evidence: This includes facts, data, research findings, expert opinions, or personal stories that support and strengthen your main points. Well-chosen and credible evidence enhances the persuasive power of your speech.
• Transitions: Transitions are phrases or statements that connect different parts of your speech, guiding the audience from one idea to the next. Effective transitions signal the shifts in topics or ideas and help maintain a smooth flow throughout the speech.
• Counterarguments and rebuttals (if applicable): If your speech involves addressing opposing viewpoints or counterarguments, you should acknowledge and address them. Presenting counterarguments makes your speech more persuasive and demonstrates critical thinking.
• Conclusion: The conclusion is the final part of your speech and should bring your message to a satisfying close. Summarize your main points, restate your thesis statement, and leave the audience with a memorable closing thought or call to action.
• Closing statement: This is the final statement that leaves a lasting impression and reinforces the main message of your speech. It can be a call to action, a thought-provoking question, a powerful quote, or a memorable anecdote.
• Delivery and presentation: How you deliver your speech is also an essential element to consider. Pay attention to your tone, body language, eye contact , voice modulation, and timing. Practice and rehearse your speech, and try using the 7-38-55 rule to ensure confident and effective delivery.

While the order and emphasis of these elements may vary depending on the type of speech and audience, these elements provide a framework for organizing and delivering a successful speech.

How to structure a good speech

You know what message you want to transmit, who you’re delivering it to, and even how you want to say it. But you need to know how to start, develop, and close a speech before writing it. 

Think of a speech like an essay. It should have an introduction, conclusion, and body sections in between. This places ideas in a logical order that the audience can better understand and follow them. Learning how to make a speech with an outline gives your storytelling the scaffolding it needs to get its point across.

Here’s a general speech structure to guide your writing process:

• Explanation 1
• Explanation 2
• Explanation 3

How to write a compelling speech opener

Some research shows that engaged audiences pay attention for only 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Other estimates are even lower, citing that people stop listening intently in fewer than 10 minutes . If you make a good first impression at the beginning of your speech, you have a better chance of interesting your audience through the middle when attention spans fade. 

Implementing the INTRO model can help grab and keep your audience’s attention as soon as you start speaking. This acronym stands for interest, need, timing, roadmap, and objectives, and it represents the key points you should hit in an opening. 

Here’s what to include for each of these points: 

• Interest : Introduce yourself or your topic concisely and speak with confidence . Write a compelling opening statement using relevant data or an anecdote that the audience can relate to.
• Needs : The audience is listening to you because they have something to learn. If you’re pitching a new app idea to a panel of investors, those potential partners want to discover more about your product and what they can earn from it. Read the room and gently remind them of the purpose of your speech. 
• Timing : When appropriate, let your audience know how long you’ll speak. This lets listeners set expectations and keep tabs on their own attention span. If a weary audience member knows you’ll talk for 40 minutes, they can better manage their energy as that time goes on. 
• Routemap : Give a brief overview of the three main points you’ll cover in your speech. If an audience member’s attention starts to drop off and they miss a few sentences, they can more easily get their bearings if they know the general outline of the presentation.
• Objectives : Tell the audience what you hope to achieve, encouraging them to listen to the end for the payout. 

Writing the middle of a speech

The body of your speech is the most information-dense section. Facts, visual aids, PowerPoints — all this information meets an audience with a waning attention span. Sticking to the speech structure gives your message focus and keeps you from going off track, making everything you say as useful as possible.

Limit the middle of your speech to three points, and support them with no more than three explanations. Following this model organizes your thoughts and prevents you from offering more information than the audience can retain. 

Using this section of the speech to make your presentation interactive can add interest and engage your audience. Try including a video or demonstration to break the monotony. A quick poll or survey also keeps the audience on their toes. 

Wrapping the speech up

To you, restating your points at the end can feel repetitive and dull. You’ve practiced countless times and heard it all before. But repetition aids memory and learning , helping your audience retain what you’ve told them. Use your speech’s conclusion to summarize the main points with a few short sentences.

Try to end on a memorable note, like posing a motivational quote or a thoughtful question the audience can contemplate once they leave. In proposal or pitch-style speeches, consider landing on a call to action (CTA) that invites your audience to take the next step.

How to write a good speech

If public speaking gives you the jitters, you’re not alone. Roughly 80% of the population feels nervous before giving a speech, and another 10% percent experiences intense anxiety and sometimes even panic. 

The fear of failure can cause procrastination and can cause you to put off your speechwriting process until the last minute. Finding the right words takes time and preparation, and if you’re already feeling nervous, starting from a blank page might seem even harder.

But putting in the effort despite your stress is worth it. Presenting a speech you worked hard on fosters authenticity and connects you to the subject matter, which can help your audience understand your points better. Human connection is all about honesty and vulnerability, and if you want to connect to the people you’re speaking to, they should see that in you.

1. Identify your objectives and target audience

Before diving into the writing process, find healthy coping strategies to help you stop worrying . Then you can define your speech’s purpose, think about your target audience, and start identifying your objectives. Here are some questions to ask yourself and ground your thinking : 

• What purpose do I want my speech to achieve? 
• What would it mean to me if I achieved the speech’s purpose?
• What audience am I writing for? 
• What do I know about my audience? 
• What values do I want to transmit? 
• If the audience remembers one take-home message, what should it be? 
• What do I want my audience to feel, think, or do after I finish speaking? 
• What parts of my message could be confusing and require further explanation?

2. Know your audience

Understanding your audience is crucial for tailoring your speech effectively. Consider the demographics of your audience, their interests, and their expectations. For instance, if you're addressing a group of healthcare professionals, you'll want to use medical terminology and data that resonate with them. Conversely, if your audience is a group of young students, you'd adjust your content to be more relatable to their experiences and interests. 

3. Choose a clear message

Your message should be the central idea that you want your audience to take away from your speech. Let's say you're giving a speech on climate change. Your clear message might be something like, "Individual actions can make a significant impact on mitigating climate change." Throughout your speech, all your points and examples should support this central message, reinforcing it for your audience.

4. Structure your speech

Organizing your speech properly keeps your audience engaged and helps them follow your ideas. The introduction should grab your audience's attention and introduce the topic. For example, if you're discussing space exploration, you could start with a fascinating fact about a recent space mission. In the body, you'd present your main points logically, such as the history of space exploration, its scientific significance, and future prospects. Finally, in the conclusion, you'd summarize your key points and reiterate the importance of space exploration in advancing human knowledge.

5. Use engaging content for clarity

Engaging content includes stories, anecdotes, statistics, and examples that illustrate your main points. For instance, if you're giving a speech about the importance of reading, you might share a personal story about how a particular book changed your perspective. You could also include statistics on the benefits of reading, such as improved cognitive abilities and empathy.

6. Maintain clarity and simplicity

It's essential to communicate your ideas clearly. Avoid using overly technical jargon or complex language that might confuse your audience. For example, if you're discussing a medical breakthrough with a non-medical audience, explain complex terms in simple, understandable language.

7. Practice and rehearse

Practice is key to delivering a great speech. Rehearse multiple times to refine your delivery, timing, and tone. Consider using a mirror or recording yourself to observe your body language and gestures. For instance, if you're giving a motivational speech, practice your gestures and expressions to convey enthusiasm and confidence.

8. Consider nonverbal communication

Your body language, tone of voice, and gestures should align with your message . If you're delivering a speech on leadership, maintain strong eye contact to convey authority and connection with your audience. A steady pace and varied tone can also enhance your speech's impact.

9. Engage your audience

Engaging your audience keeps them interested and attentive. Encourage interaction by asking thought-provoking questions or sharing relatable anecdotes. If you're giving a speech on teamwork, ask the audience to recall a time when teamwork led to a successful outcome, fostering engagement and connection.

10. Prepare for Q&A

Anticipate potential questions or objections your audience might have and prepare concise, well-informed responses. If you're delivering a speech on a controversial topic, such as healthcare reform, be ready to address common concerns, like the impact on healthcare costs or access to services, during the Q&A session.

By following these steps and incorporating examples that align with your specific speech topic and purpose, you can craft and deliver a compelling and impactful speech that resonates with your audience.

Tools for writing a great speech

There are several helpful tools available for speechwriting, both technological and communication-related. Here are a few examples:

• Word processing software: Tools like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or other word processors provide a user-friendly environment for writing and editing speeches. They offer features like spell-checking, grammar correction, formatting options, and easy revision tracking.
• Presentation software: Software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides is useful when creating visual aids to accompany your speech. These tools allow you to create engaging slideshows with text, images, charts, and videos to enhance your presentation.
• Speechwriting Templates: Online platforms or software offer pre-designed templates specifically for speechwriting. These templates provide guidance on structuring your speech and may include prompts for different sections like introductions, main points, and conclusions.
• Rhetorical devices and figures of speech: Rhetorical tools such as metaphors, similes, alliteration, and parallelism can add impact and persuasion to your speech. Resources like books, websites, or academic papers detailing various rhetorical devices can help you incorporate them effectively.
• Speechwriting apps: Mobile apps designed specifically for speechwriting can be helpful in organizing your thoughts, creating outlines, and composing a speech. These apps often provide features like voice recording, note-taking, and virtual prompts to keep you on track.
• Grammar and style checkers: Online tools or plugins like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor help improve the clarity and readability of your speech by checking for grammar, spelling, and style errors. They provide suggestions for sentence structure, word choice, and overall tone.
• Thesaurus and dictionary: Online or offline resources such as thesauruses and dictionaries help expand your vocabulary and find alternative words or phrases to express your ideas more effectively. They can also clarify meanings or provide context for unfamiliar terms.
• Online speechwriting communities: Joining online forums or communities focused on speechwriting can be beneficial for getting feedback, sharing ideas, and learning from experienced speechwriters. It's an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and improve your public speaking skills through collaboration.

Remember, while these tools can assist in the speechwriting process, it's essential to use them thoughtfully and adapt them to your specific needs and style. The most important aspect of speechwriting remains the creativity, authenticity, and connection with your audience that you bring to your speech.

5 tips for writing a speech

Behind every great speech is an excellent idea and a speaker who refined it. But a successful speech is about more than the initial words on the page, and there are a few more things you can do to help it land.

Here are five more tips for writing and practicing your speech:

1. Structure first, write second

If you start the writing process before organizing your thoughts, you may have to re-order, cut, and scrap the sentences you worked hard on. Save yourself some time by using a speech structure, like the one above, to order your talking points first. This can also help you identify unclear points or moments that disrupt your flow.

2. Do your homework

Data strengthens your argument with a scientific edge. Research your topic with an eye for attention-grabbing statistics, or look for findings you can use to support each point. If you’re pitching a product or service, pull information from company metrics that demonstrate past or potential successes. 

Audience members will likely have questions, so learn all talking points inside and out. If you tell investors that your product will provide 12% returns, for example, come prepared with projections that support that statement.

3. Sound like yourself

Memorable speakers have distinct voices. Think of Martin Luther King Jr’s urgent, inspiring timbre or Oprah’s empathetic, personal tone . Establish your voice — one that aligns with your personality and values — and stick with it. If you’re a motivational speaker, keep your tone upbeat to inspire your audience . If you’re the CEO of a startup, try sounding assured but approachable. 

4. Practice

As you practice a speech, you become more confident , gain a better handle on the material, and learn the outline so well that unexpected questions are less likely to trip you up. Practice in front of a colleague or friend for honest feedback about what you could change, and speak in front of the mirror to tweak your nonverbal communication and body language .

5. Remember to breathe

When you’re stressed, you breathe more rapidly . It can be challenging to talk normally when you can’t regulate your breath. Before your presentation, try some mindful breathing exercises so that when the day comes, you already have strategies that will calm you down and remain present . This can also help you control your voice and avoid speaking too quickly.

How to ghostwrite a great speech for someone else

Ghostwriting a speech requires a unique set of skills, as you're essentially writing a piece that will be delivered by someone else. Here are some tips on how to effectively ghostwrite a speech:

• Understand the speaker's voice and style : Begin by thoroughly understanding the speaker's personality, speaking style, and preferences. This includes their tone, humor, and any personal anecdotes they may want to include.
• Interview the speaker : Have a detailed conversation with the speaker to gather information about their speech's purpose, target audience, key messages, and any specific points they want to emphasize. Ask for personal stories or examples they may want to include.
• Research thoroughly : Research the topic to ensure you have a strong foundation of knowledge. This helps you craft a well-informed and credible speech.
• Create an outline : Develop a clear outline that includes the introduction, main points, supporting evidence, and a conclusion. Share this outline with the speaker for their input and approval.
• Write in the speaker's voice : While crafting the speech, maintain the speaker's voice and style. Use language and phrasing that feel natural to them. If they have a particular way of expressing ideas, incorporate that into the speech.
• Craft a captivating opening : Begin the speech with a compelling opening that grabs the audience's attention. This could be a relevant quote, an interesting fact, a personal anecdote, or a thought-provoking question.
• Organize content logically : Ensure the speech flows logically, with each point building on the previous one. Use transitions to guide the audience from one idea to the next smoothly.
• Incorporate engaging stories and examples : Include anecdotes, stories, and real-life examples that illustrate key points and make the speech relatable and memorable.
• Edit and revise : Edit the speech carefully for clarity, grammar, and coherence. Ensure the speech is the right length and aligns with the speaker's time constraints.
• Seek feedback : Share drafts of the speech with the speaker for their feedback and revisions. They may have specific changes or additions they'd like to make.
• Practice delivery : If possible, work with the speaker on their delivery. Practice the speech together, allowing the speaker to become familiar with the content and your writing style.
• Maintain confidentiality : As a ghostwriter, it's essential to respect the confidentiality and anonymity of the work. Do not disclose that you wrote the speech unless you have the speaker's permission to do so.
• Be flexible : Be open to making changes and revisions as per the speaker's preferences. Your goal is to make them look good and effectively convey their message.
• Meet deadlines : Stick to agreed-upon deadlines for drafts and revisions. Punctuality and reliability are essential in ghostwriting.
• Provide support : Support the speaker during their preparation and rehearsal process. This can include helping with cue cards, speech notes, or any other materials they need.

Remember that successful ghostwriting is about capturing the essence of the speaker while delivering a well-structured and engaging speech. Collaboration, communication, and adaptability are key to achieving this.

Give your best speech yet

Learn how to make a speech that’ll hold an audience’s attention by structuring your thoughts and practicing frequently. Put the effort into writing and preparing your content, and aim to improve your breathing, eye contact , and body language as you practice. The more you work on your speech, the more confident you’ll become.

The energy you invest in writing an effective speech will help your audience remember and connect to every concept. Remember: some life-changing philosophies have come from good speeches, so give your words a chance to resonate with others. You might even change their thinking.

Boost your speech skills

Enhance your public speaking with personalized coaching tailored to your needs

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

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How to Give a Great Speech Every Time

August 8, 2020

How to give a great speak required practice and a specific skill set. And starts before you even step foot onto the stage. It comprises of three main categories: Getting Ready, Segments of the Speech, and Delivery. A good speech gives you the opportunity to leave the audience with the message you want to get across.

Getting Ready

Delivering a successful speech and the overall impression you give, depends on how well you prepare. This requires having a thorough understanding of your topic and a well-developed presentation. Additionally, it helps to know the stage, what you wear, how you stand and gesture, and how you will handle questions.

Know Your Topic

You probably have a good grasp of the topic on which you have been asked to speak or you would not have been asked. But just knowing the topic isn't enough of a strategy for giving a great speech. If you are still relatively new to the subject area, consider talking to others who have more expertise and doing more through research to prepare.

Being familiar with related topics and pertinent current events or trends is important, particularly if you will be answering questions. If speaking out of town, find out if any local issues or events are related to your speech topic.

Know Your Audience

Depending on the context of the speaking engagement, you might be able to some broad generalizations about the audience. However, don't make too many assumptions. Consider how much the audience already knows about your topic. Consider these questions:

• Will there be anyone who has a special or niche interest?
• Depending on your topic, will there be a contingency who have already taken a position about the topic?
• Will your approach be considered neutral, for, or against?

Answers to these questions should shape your speech and prepare you for follow-up questions.

Script Preparation

Many public speaking experts recommend writing out your speech, even if don’t plan on using notes. Doing this makes it easier to determine whether you are within your time limit and gives you something to edit.

Often speakers end up cutting their original manuscript in half to stay within the allotted time. If you intend to memorize your speech, you will need something to read and memorize.

EXPERT TIP If you use your written speech during delivery, make the font extra-large, in all capital letters, and on half of an 8-1/2 x 11-inch piece of paper or 5 x 7-inch cards. Mark pauses with a slash (/) and circle or underscore words and phrases requiring emphasis. Make sure to number the pages or cards.

The make-up of your audience should influence the language you use in your speech. Don't use technical terms with a nontechnical audience. Avoid phrases or nomenclature your listeners might not understand. Never use acronyms; they may exclude some audience members from your message. Use short sentences.

Above all, speak in a way that is natural for you. Stay away from compound sentences, multisyllable words, parenthetical phrases and qualifications, clichés, and overused phrases such as "you know."

Segments of the Speech

Your speech should have a clear opening, body, and ending. This not only lets the audience focus on what you are saying but it helps you convey the message you want to convey. Each segment provides an opportunity to engage the audience and build upon your overall message.

A strong opening statement will grab attention and set the tone for the rest of the speech. Right away establish the purpose and importance of your speech. There are several strategies you can use.

• Express your main point in an assertive manner   e.g. The company believes...
• Ask a rhetorical question   e.g. What is really needed to beat the pandemic?
• Include one or a series of startling facts   e.g. Are you aware that... ?
• Use a human-interest story
• Tell a joke or humorous anecdote One that bridges smoothly into the body of your speech will not only attract your listeners' attention, but also help you to relax.

No matter how you choose to begin, be sure it's pertinent to the topic of your speech and launches you toward making your main points.

Side Note: If you’ve been invited to give the speech, acknowledge the person who introduces you and thank the group for attending.

The body of your speech needs to support your topic, main message, and key points. There are many ways you can deliver the information you want to convey. However, avoid trying to use all of them as some may not be appropriate for the situation.

Anecdotes and Humor

Anecdotes and jokes, when chosen carefully and delivered naturally, are good tools to connect to your audience. Of course, humor should always be in good taste; in no way should it offend your audience.

Keep your humor relevant. Some apt humor within the speech can help maintain your rapport with your audience. A totally irrelevant joke will be recognized for what it is.

Not everybody can handle humor without some practice. Memorize and practice delivering anecdotes and one-liners because they fall flat if you read them. A pause is essential before the punchline and at the end of an anecdote.

Generally, if you are good at telling jokes privately, you will be able to joke publicly. If you're not a funny person, don't try to be funny at the podium.

Like humor, statistics are desirable, but too much data is hard for a listener to absorb. Save large tables of data, charts and graphs for a handout or packet the audience can take with them. For your presentations, use statistics and date to create complete thoughts or comparisons.

Good visuals add impact to your words. They should, however, support your speech and not overpower it.

Most people today use slide decks that can include charts, maps, and pictures along with text. However, don’t rule out the use of printed jumbo charts, maps, pictures, or other "show and tell" items. They can provide variety to your presentation but make sure everyone in the audience is able to see what you are showing.

Avoid complexity. Each visual should, at a glance, convey a single idea. The more "pictographic" a visual aid is, the better. With data and statistics only show the specific numbers or percentages that you mention.

Ending / Conclusion

The ending of your speech should be synopsis of what you covered by summarizing your main point and repeating your objectives.

A good strategy is to clue the audience that you are about to wrap up. For example, "Before I finish, there's one point I want to emphasize."

End compellingly or give your audience something extra like "In conclusion, let me add just one bit of advice."

Let your audience know how to connect with you via a website, email, or social media. If you will be presenting at at future meetings or seminars, it is appropriate to mention them at this point. Be open to answering questions, if the event is structured to include them.

A speech is only as effective as its delivery.

No matter how much time you spent writing your speech, your effort will be wasted if...

• You appear overly nervous
• You speak in a monotone
• You appear ridge or unmoving
• The audience can't hear you
• Your visuals can’t be seen by everyone

Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice multiple times. To give a natural delivery, you need to be as familiar with the text you’ve written as possible. It helps alleviate nerves the more accustom you are with the flow of the speech.

Practice delivering your speech by yourself in front of a mirror, in front of a family member or co-worker, and/or before a video camera.

This give an opportunity to test your anecdotes and jokes, as well as your stance and gestures. It allows you to check that your visuals are clear, pertinent, and emphatic.

Remember the Clock

Unless you are giving a keynote speech and have been asked to speak for a longer period of time, the best time frame for most speeches is 15 to 20 minutes, with another 10 minutes for questions and answers. Regardless of the subject matter and delivery method, you will lose your audience if you go on longer than this.

If you been given a specific amount of time to speak that is shorter than 15-20 minutes, be vigilant about staying within that time limit. Exceeding your time limit will only create a dissatisfied audience and risk losing their respect.

Your Stage and Props

Arrive at the speech site early so you have a chance to check the ambiance, chat with your hosts and the person who will introduce you and meet the other speakers if there are any.

Note the location from which you will be speaking. If using a slide deck take note of the screen and projector location. Find out how much of the set up you will be responsible for. If using other visual aids, be sure they can be seen by everyone in the audience.

Take time to be sure your presentation slides are in the right order. If possible, see if you can run them through the projector before the audience arrives to identify and address any technical malfunctions.

Your Appearance

Your speech actually starts the moment you enter the room. Dress in a manner that makes you comfortable. However, be aware of nature of the event and audience. For instance, you may be most comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt but that might not be appropriate at an awards ceremony.

Check your clothing and overall appearance before going on stage. That will give an opportunity to catch spinach in your teeth or a coffee stain on your shirt.

Eye Contact and Body Signals

Think of your audience in three segments‚ left, center, and right. Look at, and speak directly to, individuals in each segment.

When speaking from behind a lectern, don't grab onto it and hold tightly with both hands. Your body will tense up and you'll appear even more nervous than you are. If the microphone is removable, you may wish to pick it up and move about.

Gestures can help you look more relaxed and add emphasis to what you are saying. However, like every other element of your speech, they need to be controlled and pertinent. Don't "dead pan." Smile, nod, shrug your shoulders‚ move naturally and appropriately. Stand tall, with your head level and your shoulders square.

While you are speaking, be aware of the signals your audience is sending you. Are they looking right at you or are their eyes wandering? Are they sitting up and listening or slouched and dozing? If you begin to lose too much of your audience, you may have to change your style.

Voice and Diction

A clear, strong voice sets off a speech just as an attractive frame enhances a picture. The general tendency is to speak too softly, so speak louder than you consider normal. Good volume communicates confidence.

A monotone is boring, so change volume and pitch during your speech. Absorb this technique by listening to newscasts and commercials on radio and television. Note how they create interest by changing voice pitch and emphasis. Work to develop enthusiasm and "sell" in your voice.

Diction is important. You need to enunciate without going overboard and appearing stilted. The bottom line is to be clear while appearing natural.

People tend to speak too fast. Pacing and pausing are among the most effective techniques for public speaking. Change speed: go faster for excitement and slower for suspense. You do not have to keep talking. Pauses attract attention and may even trigger applause after strong statements.

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16 Public Speaking Tips for Students

Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of The Anxiety Workbook and founder of the website About Social Anxiety. She has a Master's degree in clinical psychology.

Aron Janssen, MD is board certified in child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry and is the vice chair of child and adolescent psychiatry Northwestern University.

Public speaking tips for students aim to reduce anxiety that can interfere with giving presentations or speeches in class. These tips can also be helpful for those with social anxiety disorder (SAD)   who have difficulty speaking in front of a group or telling a story among friends.

Public Speaking Tips

If you have SAD and need to give a speech  in elementary school, high school, college, or university, it helps to be as prepared as possible . Beyond preparation, however, there are strategies that you can use to reduce anxiety and fight the urge to stay home with a fake illness.

Even great speakers practice their speeches beforehand. Practice out loud with a recording device or video camera and then watch yourself to see how you can improve. If you are feeling brave, practice in front of a friend or family member and ask for feedback.

• Talk about what you know : If possible, choose a topic for your speech or presentation that you know a lot about and love. Your passion for the topic will be felt by the audience, and you will feel less anxious knowing that you have a lot of experience to draw from when other students ask you questions.
• Concentrate on your message : When you focus on the task at hand, anxiety is less likely to get out of control. Concentrate on the main message of your speech or presentation and make it your goal to deliver that message to the other students in your class.
• Grab the audience's attention : Most of your fellow classmates will pay attention for at least the first 20 seconds; grab their attention during those early moments. Start with an interesting fact or a story that relates to your topic.
• Have one main message : Focus on one central theme and your classmates will learn more. Tie different parts of your talk to the main theme to support your overall message. Trying to cover too much ground can leave other students feeling overwhelmed.

Tell Stories

Stories catch the attention of other students and deliver a message in a more meaningful way than facts and figures. Whenever possible, use a story to illustrate a point in your talk.

Being prepared to speak in public can also be important if you have social anxiety disorder. Feeling confident and prepared to give your speech may help lessen your feelings of anxiety. Some of the things that you can do to prepare include:

• Visit the room : If you have access to the classroom where you will be speaking outside of class hours, take the time to visit in advance and get used to standing at the front of the room. Make arrangements for any audio-visual equipment and practice standing in the exact spot where you will deliver your speech.
• Rack up experience : Volunteer to speak in front of your class as often as possible. Be the first one to raise your hand when a question is asked. Your confidence will grow with every public speaking experience.
• Observe other speakers : Take the time to watch other speakers who are good at what they do. Practice imitating their style and confidence.
• Organize your talk : Every speech should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Structure your talk so that the other students know what to expect.

Manage Your Anxiety

Taking steps to deal with your feelings of anxiety can also make public speaking easier. Some of the things that you can do:

• Tell someone about your anxiety : If you are speaking in front of a high school or college class, meet with your teacher or professor and describe your public speaking fears . If you're in elementary or high school, share your fears with your parents, a teacher, or a guidance counselor. Sometimes sharing how you feel can make it easier to overcome stage fright.
• Visualize confidence : Visualize yourself confidently delivering your speech. Imagine feeling free of anxiety and engaging the students in your class. Although this may seem like a stretch for you now, visualization is a powerful tool for changing the way that you feel. Elite athletes use this strategy to improve performance in competitions.
• Find a friendly face : If you are feeling anxious, find one of your friends in class (or someone who seems friendly) and imagine that you are speaking only to that person.

Press Play for Advice on Finding Courage

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares a strategy to help you find courage when you need it the most.

Follow Now : Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts

Maintain Perspective

Remember that other students are on your side. Think about a time when you have been an audience member and the student delivering the speech or presentation was noticeably nervous. Did you think less of that student? More likely, you felt sympathetic and wanted to make that person more comfortable by smiling or nodding.

Remember—other students generally want you to succeed and feel comfortable. If for some reason the audience is not on your side or you experience bullying or social exclusion, be sure to discuss this with a parent, teacher, or guidance counselor.

Be Confident

Sometimes just knowing what makes a good speech can help you feel more confident. Focus on some of the following elements and practice them before you have to speak in public.

• Develop your own style : In addition to imitating good speakers, work on developing your own personal style as a public speaker. Integrate your own personality into your speaking style and you will feel more comfortable in front of the class. Telling personal stories that tie into your theme are a great way to let other students get to know you better.
• Avoid filler words : Words such as "basically", "well", and "um" don't add anything to your speech. Practice being silent when you feel the urge to use one of these words.
• Vary your tone, volume, and speed : Interesting speakers vary the pitch (high versus low), volume (loud versus soft), and speed (fast versus slow) of their words. Doing so keeps your classmates interested and engaged in what you say.
• Make the audience laugh : Laughter is a great way to relax both you and the other students in your class, and telling jokes can be a great icebreaker at the beginning of a speech. Practice the timing and delivery of your jokes beforehand and ask a friend for feedback. Be sure that they are appropriate for your class before you begin.
• Smile : If all else fails, smile. Your fellow classmates will perceive you like a warm speaker and be more receptive to what you have to say.

Don't Apologize

If you make a mistake, don't offer apologies. Chances are that your classmates didn't notice anyway. Unless you need to correct a fact or figure, there is no point dwelling on errors that probably only you noticed.

If you make a mistake because your hands or shaking, or something similar, try to make light of the situation by saying something like, "I wasn't this nervous when I woke up this morning!" This can help to break the tension of the moment.

A Word From Verywell

It's natural to feel frightened the first time you have to speak in front of your class. However, if you fear continues, interferes with your daily life and keeps you awake at night, it may be helpful to see someone about your anxiety.

Try talking to a parent, teacher, or counselor about how you have been feeling. If that doesn't get you anywhere, ask to make an appointment with your doctor. Severe public speaking anxiety is a true disorder that can improve with treatment .

Spence SH, Rapee RM. The etiology of social anxiety disorder: An evidence-based model . Behav Res Ther. 2016;86:50-67. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2016.06.007

By Arlin Cuncic, MA Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of The Anxiety Workbook and founder of the website About Social Anxiety. She has a Master's degree in clinical psychology.

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Tips on Persuading People From the Head of TED Talks

Chris anderson has the inside scoop on the famed lecture series and advice for our sixth grade listener..

Subscribe to How To! on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or Stitcher for the full episode. 

These days, TED Talks have become synonymous with great speeches. There’s Angela Duckworth on the importance of grit , Susan Cain on the power of introverts , and Dan Pink on the puzzle of motivation . Bill Gates even released live mosquitoes into the audience during his talk. So when a 6th grade listener named Lucy wrote into How To! looking for help with an important speech, she mentioned she too hoped to someday share the TED stage. So who better to help than Chris Anderson, the head of the TED Talk series and author of TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking ? On this recent episode of How To! , Chris helps Lucy craft the perfect speech to wow her school board and, in the process, reveals expert tips that can help all of us give TED-worthy speeches—whether in an auditorium, a conference room, or, these days, on Zoom. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

David Epstein: Chris, to start can you walk us through what makes a good TED Talk? 

Chris Anderson: Sometimes speakers think a talk is their chance to push their agenda onto the world. If that is how you’re thinking, the talk is almost certain to fail. So instead, know that in your head there is something really special called an idea, this little pattern of knowledge that can be amazingly transferred to the people in the audience. Just by opening your mouth and sending sound waves out, you can literally rewire their brains. And if you do that in the right way, you have given them a gift that can matter to them for the rest of their lives.

It starts with making a connection with the audience. You have to signal “It’s OK. You can open the doors of your mind to me. We can be friends for the next 15 minutes.” That’s why a lot of talk starts with relaxed humor or the telling of a story that is engaging. The second piece is showing early on why this even matters. It might be articulating a question: “Here is a problem in the world that I’ve been thinking about” or “Here’s something big that happened to me that had really big implications for me and I want to share them with you.” But you have to do something to give people an incentive that they should continue to pay attention.

David: We were hoping that you could give some of this advice directly to our 6th grade listener. Lucy, can you tell us why you wrote into us? 

Lucy: I was trying to write a speech and I was struggling with the beginning and the end especially. I recently read a book called Free to Learn , and I thought that maybe if I could write a speech and talk to my school board, then maybe some of the stuff from the book could be implemented into my school.

David: And so your speech, which you shared with us earlier, is about the benefits of less homework and non-age segregated play. Chris, what advice would you give to Lucy that might help anyone giving a speech for the first time? 

Chris: Goodness, Lucy. If I could have given that talk when I was in 6th grade, I’d have been a very proud boy. I would say a couple of the things you might tweak are first, you asked about how you begin it. [In the version of your speech I heard], you just went straight in—“My name’s Lucy and I’m here to talk about a book I read.” Is that the best way to really grab the attention of the school board? I think you could play with some ideas about why they should listen to this. The way to do that is to think about what is important to them. You could play with something like, “My name is Lucy, I’m in 6th grade and I want to talk about something that I know we all care a lot about here—how to make a great school even greater.”

Then the other main thing I’d say is a really clever technique to persuade someone of something that might seem a bit controversial is to recognize the likely objection. So less homework, right? You know, in some adults’ minds, they’re going, “Oh boy, here’s a sixth grader being lazy and wanting to spend more time playing rather than doing actual work.” I think there’s a case to try and take that head on and say, “I know that this sounds really self-serving. Of course, every 6th grader wants to have less homework, but what I’ve been persuaded of is that play could be more than you think it is. It’s not just wasting time. It’s actually learning.” Then to make that really land, you might need to do one more thing, which is to tell a personal story of when play did something important for you. A story will really make something vivid and land even deeper.

Lucy: OK. And I’d also add how less homework could benefit the teachers. They would have less stuff to do as well.

Chris: Yeah, a key piece [of a good speech] is that you’ve got to explain what’s in it for them. You also asked about the ending and how you could make that more powerful. If you want people to act on an idea, they need to be able to picture what the action is. So could you ask, for example, “I know this seems weird, but here’s a suggestion, why don’t we just try a little experiment. Pick a small group of us and try this policy for one semester and then see what happens. I’m betting you’re going to be amazed.” I always remember a couple of TED Talks where a person made a commitment at the end of the talk and it was super powerful. So if you’re willing to say, “Why don’t you try this and sign me up? I’ll be your guinea pig,” that could be something powerful given how confident and compelling you are.

David: So let’s say Lucy has the speech all written. How can she deliver it well when under pressure? 

Chris: Nerves are there for a reason. They’re there to tell us that this matters. Before the talk, breathe deep. Go for a really vigorous walk to get the blood flowing. Do what you can physically so that you’re relaxed. Also, give the talk to four people in different parts of the room. Give a sentence to one person and look at them and then look at the next person. That will help you ground it. I think that kind of practice is much more powerful than imagining the audience in their underwear. Don’t do that.

David: Have you ever had a mishap during a speech? 

Chris: Oh, goodness, yes. I’ve definitely had moments where I completely freeze. My biggest single failure on stage was when I was carrying a Burmese python. We had a session about the wonder of nature. I wanted to say, “Hey, this thing is incredible.” It was like a yellow python, so beautiful, around my neck. I was just saying, how nature was amazing and then, unfortunately, the audience started guffawing. And what I didn’t know was this python’s head had gone down my back and had emerged from between my legs, waving itself at the audience. That was kind of hilarious.

But I’ll be honest, in many ways I’m baffled by how the great orators do what they do. It’s a skill that arose in times well before microphones, well before the internet, well before television, where one person with a big crowd could weave a kind of magic. You are aware that you are one of thousands of people listening, and you are aware of the sort of the growing belief of those around you. It’s far, far more than simply listening to a talk. You’re part of a movement. I’m going to learn something and listen to this person. Oh gosh, I hope there’s some way to solve this problem. Wait a second, this is making sense . You end up coming to a place of sharing someone’s vision. You start with curiosity and you end with inspiration. That makes the difference between just understanding something and wanting to do something about it.

Subscribe to How To! on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or Stitcher

To hear Lucy give her speech and more behind-the-scenes details about TED Talks from Chris, listen to the episode by clicking the player below or subscribing to How To! wherever you get your podcasts. 

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Five Tips to Give a Great Speech

• Strategic Communication

Anybody can learn to give a great speech, says  Jane Praeger , a faculty member for the  Programs in Strategic Communication  at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. She offers five tips on how to keep speeches both simple and authentic.

1. Practice Beforehand

Practice replacing filler words like "um," "so," and "like" with silence. If you can rehearse in the space where you’ll be speaking, that’s a real plus. Go to the back of the room, imagine that you’re hard of hearing or distracted, and you’ll know how to reach those people.

2. Work the Room

Try to speak to audience members before your speech, so that you can focus on a few friendly faces, particularly if you get nervous. If you’re making eye contact with a friendly person in one quadrant, those nearby will think that you’re talking to them. Then do the same thing in another quadrant. You want to see your talk as a series of conversations with different people throughout the room.

3. Prepare with Relaxation Techniques

If you’re nervous before approaching the stage, take a few deep breaths. Picture yourself delivering a successful speech. Most people will be nervous for the first few minutes, but you want to channel that adrenaline into positive energy.

4. Don’t Read Your Speech

Tell your speech from heart or use a notecard with bullet points as a cheat sheet. Bring the card with you and place it on the lectern. If you freeze up mid-speech, you can take a deep breath, look at your card, and know exactly which story you’re going to tell next.

5. Stand Up Straight

Whether you walk across the stage or stand behind a lectern, try to maintain good posture. Imagine that your head is being held up by a string. Standing up straight shows that you have confidence in what you’re talking about and your audience will feel more inclined to listen.

Read the full story for five more tips at  Forbes  and learn more about the  Programs in Strategic Communication  at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies.

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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

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How to Give a Great Impromptu Speech

Last Updated: March 19, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Lynn Kirkham . Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 407,674 times.

Most speeches are the result of careful planning, revision and practice. There may be times, however, when a situation demands that you give an impromptu speech with little or no time to prepare. When you find yourself in an unexpected public speaking scenario, you’ll be improvising what you say, which means you’ll have to be able to think on your feet. Following a basic structure, pacing yourself and staying composed will help you deliver an oration you can be proud of, or at least survive with minimal embarrassment.

Setting Up an Unexpected Speech

• Most of the time when you’re giving an impromptu speech, you’ll be singled out to say a few words on the spot. Since you’ll only have a few moments, preparing yourself is more about getting yourself in the right state of mind than it is knowing exactly what you’re going to say.
• If you really need to milk it, you can buy yourself some extra time by shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries or adjusting the microphone stand before speaking.

• Assume that everyone around you wants to see you succeed. This will help put you at ease. Expecting yourself to fail will only destroy your composure and make you more fearful of your audience.
• Confront the reality of your situation to avoid being blindsided by panic. Accept that you have to give a speech and then focus all your resources on giving a good one.

• Oftentimes, the more confident you make yourself appear, the more confident you’ll feel.
• Relax! Speaking in front of a crowd is not that big a deal. Even if you make a mistake, it’s not the end of the world.

• Don’t just jump right into the main idea of your speech. Test the waters by getting used to speaking and sharing a little about yourself first.

Delivering an Effective Speech

• Use simple sentences that follow a logical progression and enunciate your words carefully to keep yourself from getting tongue-tied.
• Slowing yourself down a little will give your mind time to catch up and formulate new ideas.

• Two minutes will fly by once you start speaking. Despite your reservations about being put on the spot, you may actually find it harder to give a short speech than a long one.

• A good way to give your speech a solid beginning, middle and end is to present details chronologically. For example start with “when I first became friends with John, he…”, follow that up with “now that we’re coworkers, we have more fun than ever…” and conclude with “I have no doubt that the future of our friendship will be just as entertaining.”
• When describing personal experiences, avoid sharing opinions on irrelevant controversial subjects.

• Humor is a great icebreaker and also makes it easier to hold your audience’s attention.
• Be sure any jokes you make are suitable for the age and demographic of your audience, as well as the occasion itself.

Ending on a High Note

• As with the rest of your speech, keep your conclusion brief. It’s alright to sign off with a simple “thank you for your time” or “let’s hear it for the newlyweds.”

• If you’re planning on making a specific request or appeal, as for a business conference, the end of your speech is the proper time to do it.
• The conclusion is the perfect occasion to come out with something especially heartfelt. Emotions will run high and the crowd will be moved by your sentiments.

• You don’t have to thank every important figure at the event individually. A general expression of gratitude is all that’s needed.
• Be clear who you’re supposed to hand the microphone or floor off to so that you don’t end your speech by looking around in confusion. [11] X Research source

• Impromptu speeches are mostly appraised by the willingness of the speaker to rise to the occasion. There’s no sense in being too critical of your performance since you’ll have had no time to work on it beforehand.

Expert Q&A

• Practice for unexpected speaking scenarios by volunteering to give impromptu speeches at casual events. Thanks Helpful 16 Not Helpful 2
• If you're using a microphone, stay within optimal range for your voice to be amplified. Don't move the microphone too close or too far away from your mouth. Thanks Helpful 14 Not Helpful 2
• While brainstorming, quickly come up with three or four main points to cover. Thanks Helpful 18 Not Helpful 4

• Steer clear of subjects you don't know much about. Thanks Helpful 13 Not Helpful 2
• Be careful not to offend your audience. Not only is it bad form and will make your speech be perceived as a failure, it could actually harm your standing among your acquaintances. Thanks Helpful 12 Not Helpful 3
• Take a moment to get your appearance in order before presenting yourself. Steal a quick glance in the mirror or have a trusted friend tell you if your hair is a mess, your shirt is untucked, you have food stuck in your teeth, etc. Thanks Helpful 10 Not Helpful 3
• Don't use generic, pre-written speeches pulled from the internet or oration guidebooks. These can easily come off as stilted and inorganic. Your audience will be able to tell if you're simply going through the motions. Thanks Helpful 9 Not Helpful 4

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Lynn Kirkham. Public Speaking Coach. Expert Interview. 20 November 2019.
• ↑ http://wittcom.com/how-to-develop-confidence-speaking/
• ↑ http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/how-to-impromptu-speech/
• ↑ http://www.askmen.com/money/body_and_mind_150/192b_better_living.html
• ↑ http://www.write-out-loud.com/how-to-use-humor-effectively.html
• ↑ https://speakingwithoutnet.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/ending-on-a-high-note-the-last-sentence/
• ↑ https://www.workingvoices.com/insights/presenting-how-to-react-when-you-make-a-mistake/

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100+ Excellent Topics for A Stellar Persuasive Speech

What Makes a Truly Remarkable Speech?

The Ingredients of an Effective Topic

Ideas & Inspiration: 100+ Topics

Your Next Steps, Step-by-step

This comprehensive blog post serves as a vital resource for anyone looking to craft an impactful persuasive speech. It provides an extensive list of over 100 compelling topics tailored for a wide range of interests and academic fields. Additionally, it offers advanced guidance on selecting the perfect topic, structuring your arguments effectively, and employing persuasive techniques that captivate and convince your audience. Whether you're an academic achiever or an aspiring public speaker, this guide equips you with the insights to deliver a stellar persuasive speech.

Before You Pick the Perfect Topic...

If you’re struggling to find a strong topic for a persuasive speech , you’ll find 100+ ideas for subjects and topics below. Use one that grabs you, or simply find inspiration to get unstuck and come up with a topic about something you and your audience will find interesting.

To help you think about the big picture — your larger essay — we also review what makes a truly effective persuasive speech, all the ingredients of an effective topic, and how to pick the best topic for your circumstances.

Here's what's most essential as you consider your topic choices:

• pick a topic that has the right scope, one aligned with your larger assignment
• be sure the topic is one you're interested in researching, has meaning and relevance for your audience, and has the right level of complexity — both for your audience and for your level of speech writing prowess
• remember your topic should align with themes and subjects related to your circumstances and the speech requirements

Finally, once you’ve picked your topic, and even if you know all the basics — which I’m guessing you do if you’re following posts from Crimson Education — you might still benefit from other advice in today's post, such as numerous speech writing tips and strategies designed to save you time and stress and improve the odds your final speech will exceed expectations.

Here's what you'll find:

• What Makes a Truly Remarkable Persuasive Speech
• The Ingredients of an Effective Topic, and Tips for Picking Your Topic
• 100+ Topic Suggestions
• How to Develop a Stellar Persuasive Speech — Step-by-Step!

Still feeling a bit hesitant or stuck?

Don’t worry. Once you've picked a really interesting and effective topic and start your research, you'll quickly become a subject-matter expert, regaining both motivation and confidence for all the remaining steps.

What Makes a Truly Remarkable Persuasive Speech?

A good persuasive speech will grab the audience’s attention, help them connect with the speaker (that’s you), and guide their reasoning process — giving the speech the power to persuade your audience why your point of view is logical and compelling, and also superior to the opposing viewpoints.

The 6 Most Essential Ingredients

• A strong introduction that gets the audience engaged and provides context about the subject and topic, what’s at stake (why it matters), and what issues or concerns tend to be front and center
• A clear thesis in the form of a specific point of view, opinion, or argument
• An orderly progression of ideas and arguments, each argument or subtopic supported by logic and evidence
• An anticipation of opposing viewpoints and arguments (the counterarguments to your opinion)
• Your responses or ‘rebuttals’ to the opposing viewpoints , answering the anticipated objections and adding additional support for your point of view or thesis
• A conclusion that highlights the most powerful persuasive elements in your speech and reminds listeners what's at stake, including, if suitable, a call to action

The Historical Roots of Persuasive Speech

Did you know that persuasive speech assignments may be testing your mastery of concepts that go back as far as ancient Greece?

The emergence of democracy in ancient Greece (the 6th and 5th centuries B.C.) created a space for the rule of law and political governance informed by the will of the people — making persuasive speech an essential element of social life.

From courtroom trials to political campaigns and democratic assemblies, persuasive speech emerged in 5th-century Athens as an essential tool of democracy.  Soon the brightest philosophers of the day became concerned with the principles of "rhetoric" — the study of orderly and effective persuasive speaking.

Now, thousands of years later, little has changed in Western democracies: "constructing and defending compelling arguments remains an essential skill in many settings" (Harvard U, Rhetoric ). In short, the principles of deliberation, free speech, and consensus building we use for governance, in school, extracurricular activities , at work, and sometimes our day-to-day life, still rely on persuasive speech.

In every free society individuals are continuously attempting to change the thoughts and/or actions of others. It is a fundamental concept of a free society.

- persuasive speaking, by r. t. oliver, ph.d..

How The Rhetorical Triangle Can Turbo-charge Your Speech

The 5th-century B.C. Athenian philosopher Aristotle argued that your ability to persuade is based on how well your speech appeals to the audience in three different areas: logos, ethos, and pathos, sometimes referred to as the three points of the rhetorical triangle .

From observation and reflection Aristotle understood that humans are thinking animals (logos), social and moral animals (ethos), and emotional animals (pathos) — such that appealing to all three of these pillars of human understanding and action were essential parts of an effective persuasive speech .

1. Logos — Using clear, logical, and evidence-based reasoning and argumentation to add persuasive power to your speech.

For obvious reasons, audiences will typically expect strong arguments supported by evidence and clear reasoning and logic, all elements that are often prominent on grading rubrics for persuasive speeches.

Maybe you're thinking of speeches you've heard that utterly lacked logic and evidence? It's a reminder that persuasion as such is ultimately about points of view and not always about facts. Even without logic, a speaker can persuade, through effective uses of ethos and pathos , for example. In other instances social phenomena may underlie a lack of logic and evidence, such as "group think," for example , when people are swayed or swept up by a common point of view about an issue, instead of thinking critically about it.

2. Ethos — The component of persuasive speaking that spotlights the appeal, authority, credentials, and moral standing of the speaker .

Have you ever agreed with a speaker simply because you liked the person speaking, or rejected an argument because you disliked a speaker, responding to who the speaker is more than to their arguments? That may not be very logical, but it is very natural for us humans.

Aristotle understood this, that persuasion relies not solely on logical thinking but on relational factors too, including how much we trust a speaker, how much we believe in the integrity of their motives, and the knowledge and expertise they possess (or are perceived to possess).

Take law courts, for example. One common strategy lawyers use to undermine the force of witness testimony is to “discredit” or “taint” the witness , to undermine jurors' confidence in the veracity and motives of the witness. That's using ethos, rather than logic and facts, to impact an audience (the jury).

Likewise, when an audience has a high regard for the speaker's reputation, authority, and credibility, the more convincing that person's arguments are likely to be.

Suggestions for enhancing appeals to ethos in your speech:

• Share a transformative journey where you shifted from an opposing perspective to your current stance due to overwhelming evidence. This approach can demonstrate your capacity for logic and open-mindedness, helping your audience see you as very rational and impartial, potentially strengthening your credibility.
• Incorporate the viewpoints and expertise of respected authorities to bolster your arguments. Referencing reliable sources and experts boosts your credibility by showing you've grounded your arguments in established facts, perspectives, and ideas.
• Foster a connection with your audience. For example, rather than overwhelming them with complex reasoning to showcase your intelligence, strive to comprehend and reflect their perceptions and potential biases regarding your topic. This should make your audience more receptive to your logic and perspectives as your speech progresses.
• Employ personal anecdotes or lived experiences that unveil a deeper layer of understanding and wisdom. This personal touch not only humanizes you, the speaker, but makes your arguments more relatable and persuasive.

Depending on circumstances, you may think of additional ways to bolster your credibility and trustworthiness — enhancing your standing in the eyes of the audience in order to elevate the persuasive impact of your speech!

3. Pathos — This means injecting your speech with some powerful appeals to listeners' feelings and emotions , in addition to using logic and reason.

For example, if your speech entails persuading voters to increase foreign aide to combat world hunger, you wouldn’t just want to cite cold statistics. Painting a picture of ways malnutrition is affecting real individuals is likely to have a strong impact on listeners' emotions, appealing to their innate capacity for compassion towards others and helping them more deeply appreciate the urgency of the subject . This approach impacts listeners' emotions and highlights an urgent and universal moral imperative that adds conviction to your point of view.

In most academic settings, you'll be expected to present a speech with a strong line of evidence-based, logical reasoning, often making appeals to logos prominent in persuasive speeches in school settings. That said, by injecting and balancing appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos, based on what's most suitable for your topic, assignment, and approach, you'll add a significant measure of mastery to your persuasive writing method.

A Consistent Style and Tone

What style, voice, and tone best suit your personality, the occasion, the listeners, and your subject?

• Consider adopting a straightforward, clear, and succinct style , reminiscent of a newspaper editorial or a no-nonsense argument in a voter guide. This approach works well for topics and settings requiring direct communication with clear insights and persuasive arguments free from subjectivity and unnecessary analysis and complexity.
• For topics, interests, or assignments that naturally entail wading through broader philosophical and ethical debates — like debating justifications for euthanasia or arguments against the death penalty — a more introspective, contemplative voice may be expected . This style allows for a deeper exploration of moral dimensions and the broader implications of the issue at hand or the underlying logical principles involved.
• If your inclination is towards something more unconventional, employing humor and wit could be a chance to take the road less traveled! Whether through irony or parody, for example, by showcasing a humorous topic from the outset, such as "why dog people outshine cat people," or cleverly presenting weaker arguments to underscore your point, this strategy, while offbeat, can captivate and entertain , making your speech stand out in a large class setting. Just be sure to balance the creativity with a clear demonstration of your persuasive speech skills and consider checking in with your teacher about possibilities and expectations beforehand.

With a broader understanding of what goes into a great persuasive speech, you’re better equipped for the important step of picking the topic that will guide your speech.

Picking Your Topic — Questions to Ask

Does it interest you.

Conveying passion for a topic is infectious, adding power to your speech. The more interested and invested you are in your subject and topic, the more likely you are to make your speech the best it can be.

Will the topic interest your audience?

Understanding your audience's values, interests, and views will help you make immediate connections with their own thought processes and attitudes. Try to pick a topic that will get your listeners to perk up and move to the edge of their seats.

Is the topic or point of view fresh and engaging?

Choosing a topic that's novel, contemporary, or presents a unique angle on a familiar issue should help you captivate your audience's attention. You also want the topic to be something that matters to your audience with a point of view that challenges their thinking, so you're not just "preaching to the choir."

Are there any "triggers" or otherwise "sensitive" or "inappropriate" themes?

You might not think there’s not any problem with a topic such as Should we build a wall to keep immigrants out of the country? Or, Should same sex marriage be legal? That said, topics that delve into identity politics or areas that are so controversial that they elicit anger or hostility rather than dialogue and debate may lead to emotional hurt and harm, even if not intended. If you have any doubts, check in with your teacher or a school counselor before settling on your topic!

Finding Subjects and Topics on Your Own

Before you jump ahead and grab a ready-made topic from the list below, remember that a quick brainstorming or online search could be your preferred method to find the best, most interesting topic for your audience, setting, and individual interests or class requirements. For example, an internet search with keywords such as “biggest problems or biggest issues in the world today” will quickly uncover a host of themes and subjects that are both timely and controversial.

Search Results for Keyword Phrase Contemporary World Problems and Issues

• Water contamination
• Human rights violation
• Global health issues
• Global poverty
• Children's poor access to healthcare, education and safety
• Access to food and hunger
• Anti-corruption and transparency
• Arms control and nonproliferation
• Climate and environment
• Climate crisis
• Combating and crime
• Countering terrorism
• Cyber issues
• Economic prosperity and trade policy
• Technology and privacy

A General List vs. Time & Place Factors

Where you live and what’s timely for you and your audience is going to depend on your circumstances. Finding a “hot topic” in your specific time and place could be an effective way to get listeners' attention and address an issue that feels highly relevant.

• Is there a big policy decision that’s a hot topic at your school?
• Is there a ballot initiative your community will vote on soon that your audience has strong opinions about?
• Is there a current events issue in your local news headlines that offers a compelling persuasive speech topic?
• What’s before congress these days, or before the Supreme Court, or the United Nations — this week (any great topics there for your speech)?

More Inspiration: 100+ Interesting Persuasive Speech Topics for High School

If you haven’t already navigated your way to an interesting persuasive speech topic, use the list below for even more ideas and inspiration!

You can go from top to bottom, or you can jump the line and look for the themes that most interest you, such as Art and Culture or Recreation and Tourism.

Art and Culture

1. Is digital art really art?

2. Street art: vandalism or cultural expression?

3. Is there a place for censorship in the music industry?

4. Do museums promote culture or appropriate culture?

5. Should other countries have a minister of culture or similar government office, as they do in France?

6. Can schools, or art teachers, define good art vs. bad art? Should they?

7. Censorship in art: when is it justified or necessary?

8. Does creative freedom take precedence over cultural appropriation?

9. The impact of digital platforms on the consumption of art and the value of art.

10. Is there a role for public policy and public funding in arts and culture?

1. The pros and cons of minimum wage laws and policies.

2. Cryptocurrency: the future of finance or a scam?

3. Is student loan debt relief good policy?

4. Gender wage gap: are the concerns justified or unjustified?

5. Sustainable development: Is there a way to sustain economic growth and without an environmental catastrophe?

6. The role of small businesses in the economy, do they promote prosperity or undermine efficiencies?

7. Globalization: economic boon or bane?

8. Is consumerism in the general interest or a threat to the planet?

9. The economic effects of climate change, should they be paid now or later?

10. Universal Basic Income: a solution to poverty or a disincentive to work?

1. The case for and against school uniforms.

2. Should non-citizens be allowed to vote in school board elections?

3. The impact of technology on education.

4. Should college education be free?

5. The importance of teaching financial literacy in schools: promoting independent living or consumerism?

6. Should parents have the right to home school children against their will?

7. Is the grading system improving learning?

8. Is mandatory attendance a good policy for high school?

9. Addressing the mental health crisis in schools: is it an individual problem or a social one?

10. Arts education: valuable or a waste of time?

Environmental Issues

1. The urgency of addressing climate change and what to do about it.

2. Plastic pollution: are more stringent government regulations, policies, and laws the answer?

3. Should the government subsidize clean energy technologies and solutions?

4. The importance of water conservation, but whose responsible?

5. Should there be a global environmental tax? On what?

6. Should environmental costs be factored into everyday economic activity?

7. The impact of fast fashion on the environment.

8. The necessity of protecting endangered species.

9. Deforestation: Who's impacted? Who should have power (or not) to stop it?

10. Are electric cars truly better for the environment?

1. The changing dynamics of the modern family.

2. The role of the state in protecting children from parents and guardians.

3. Should adoption records be open or sealed?

4. How can employers, or employment laws, support healthy families?

5. Is there an age when euthanasia should become universally legal and accessible?

6. How to balance parental rights with child welfare.

7. Is your child's gender something they're born with, or something they should be free to choose?

8. The responsibilities of women vs. men in addressing an unplanned pregnancy.

9. Should parents restrict children's use of technology? What is too lax vs. what is too restrictive?

10. Balancing discipline and love in parenting.

Health, Nutrition, & Fitness

1. Should junk food advertising be regulated?

2. The dangers of fad diets: free market vs. consumer protection.

3. Should junk food be banned in schools?

4. Nutrition: are schools failing to teach it?

5. Should students be graded on their fitness and nutrition levels and habits?

6. Should sports programs be replaced by fitness education?

7. E-cigarettes: should they be regulated or not?

8. The obesity epidemic: a problem of individual responsibility, genetics, or social policy?

9. Are agricultural subsidies good for health and the environment?

10. Should teens have more options for balancing school attendance and individual sleep needs and preferences?

Media, Social Media, and Entertainment

1. The effects of social media on teenagers.

2. Should there be regulations on influencer marketing?

3. The impact of video games on behavior.

4. Fake news: Its impact and how to combat it.

5. The role of media in shaping public opinion.

6. Privacy concerns with social media platforms.

7. The influence of celebrities on youth culture: is there a role for rewards and consequences to impact celebrities public behaviors?

8. Digital detox: pros and cons.

9. Media portrayal of women and its societal impact.

10. Censorship in media: necessary or oppressive?

Politics and Society

1. The importance and limits of voting in a democracy.

2. Gun control laws: balancing safety and liberty.

3. The impact of immigration: universal human rights vs. national sovereignty.

4. The death penalty: justice vs. ethics?

5. The legalization of marijuana: the right policy?

6. The right to protest vs. public order.

7. Affirmative action: whose definition of "fairness" do we use?

8. The future of healthcare in America: market solutions or a public option?

9. Climate change policy: National vs. global approaches.

10. The role of the United Nations in today's world.

Recreation & Tourism

1. The benefits of outdoor recreation.

2. Sustainable tourism: protecting nature while promoting travel.

3. The impact of tourism on local cultures.

4. The future of space tourism.

5. The effects of recreational activities on mental health.

6. The importance of historical preservation in tourism.

7. Adventure tourism: reasonable or unreasonable risks vs. rewards proposition?

8. The effects of over-tourism on popular destinations and local communities.

9. Is eco-tourism the right way to promote environmental sustainability?

10. Does international tourism help or harm indigenous peoples, cultures, and communities?

1. Do the ethical downside of genetic engineering outweigh the potential benefits?

2. The potential and pitfalls of artificial intelligence in society.

3. Climate change denial: is it fully within the bounds of free speech?

4. Competing views of vaccine policies and individual rights in pandemics and other health emergencies.

5. Space exploration: is it worth the investment?

6. The use of affirmative action to diversify STEM education and workforce.

7. The impact of technology on job displacement and future employment: is a universal income the right answer?

8. Do renewable energy technologies offer a feasible substitute for eliminating fossil fuels?

9. Ocean pollution: is more government regulation the answer?

10. Protecting biodiversity vs. the right to economic prosperity.

Sports and School Athletics

1. The emphasis on athletic programs in high schools: is the hype benefiting students?

2. Should college athletes be compensated?

3. Do teamwork and group activities help or hinder academic and athletic development?

4. Should schools should require more physical education or less?

5. Should there be more emphasis on non-competitive formats in high school and college athletics?

6. The influence of professional athletes as role models: good or bad?

7. Doping in sports: are athletic programs teaching the wrong values?

8. The benefits and risks of contact sports in high schools athletics.

9. Should there be absolute gender equality in school athletics?

10. What should the educational goal of school athletics be?

These topics span a broad spectrum of interests and concerns — look for one that matters to you and your audience, is likely to prompt insightful dialogue or debate, and is challenging enough to put your individual persuasive speech skills to the test!

1. Use Diligent Research to Make a Watertight Argument

To go from just any persuasive speech to a truly riveting one, you’ll want to dig around until you find compelling and authoritative research . Even if you're already knowledgeable about your topic, applying yourself with patience and perseverance at this early stage will usually pay off, allowing you to uncover some real gems when it comes to compelling facts and expert perspectives.

What to look for:

• Facts, statistics, and surveys
• An expert analysis of a policy or issue
• Quotes from compelling experts, from books, editorials, or speeches
• Anecdotal evidence in the form of isolated events or personal experiences that don’t have much statistical significance but can illustrate or capture something powerful that supports your point of view, or add emotional appeal
• Graphs, tables, and charts

Riveting research will better position you to hit some home runs when you put together your speech. And remember, research is primarily to build a strong logical argument ( logos ), but citing and spotlighting reputable sources will also lend your speech greater persuasive credibility ( ethos ), just as experiential perspectives can add appeals to emotion ( pathos ).

Define Your Thesis

Clearly articulate your stance on the topic. This thesis statement will guide the structure of your speech and inform your audience of your central argument.

I like to create a "working thesis" as a planning tool, something that encapsulates and maps my point of view and essential supporting arguments, and as a way to uncover gaps in my reasoning or evidence early on. Later, it also gives me a ready guide for writing my outline.

Essential Elements of a ‘working thesis’ for a persuasive speech:

• The subject (including how you'll frame the context for your topic and speech)
• Your main point of view
• List of principal arguments
• The most important counterarguments
• Key rebuttals to the counterarguments

As you can see, this kind of "working thesis" gives you a bird's eye view of your thesis along with all the key components of your speech and the reasoning you’ll deploy.

Marshaling Your Evidence

As you delve into researching your chosen topic, such as "Why space exploration is not worth the investment," you'll accumulate evidence, including data, anecdotes, expert opinions, and more. This evidence is vital for adding depth, credibility, and persuasion to your speech. You also need to strategically align the evidence with each of your supporting arguments , ensuring that each claim you make is substantiated.

You can use a simple table format to visually map out how you want to align your subtopics and evidence.

Here's an example using the topic Why space exploration is not worth the investment .

This table is just for illustration, and doesn't use real data and opinions, but you can see how organizing your evidence ahead of time can help you logically present and support your arguments and subtopics . It can also help you spot gaps, in case you need to do additional research, and gives you a head start on the next step: outlining your speech!

Make an Outline

Begin with a structured outline to ensure your speech flows logically from one point to the next. Your outline should include:

• introduction elements
• key subtopics and the relevant arguments and evidence, examples, anecdotes, or citations, all in sequential order
• key wording for any important or challenging transitions from one line of thought to the next, or from one subtopic to the next
• a section for responding to opposing arguments and viewpoints, with the specific rebuttals, all in sequential order
• key points for your conclusion

Drafting Body Paragraphs, Your Introduction & Conclusion

Now you're making your first rough attempts of turning the key content of your speech into phrases, sentences, and paragraphs. So, this is a could point to refocus on the tone, style, and voice you want to use, and how to use it consistently.

Pro Tip: Write your introduction and conclusion after drafting all of your body paragraphs, because you these two sections to really capture the essence of the larger speech.

Introduction : Start with a strong hook—this could be a startling statistic, a compelling quote, or a relatable and captivating (or entertaining) anecdote— then briefly preview your main points to set the stage for your argument.

Conclusion : Reinforce your thesis with concise references to the the primary evidence you presented. End with a powerful closing statement that reminds your audience of why this topic is important. As suitable, you can also call your audience to action or leave them with something significant to ponder on their own.

Balancing Pathos, Logos, Ethos

Ensure a harmonious balance among logos (logical appeal), ethos (establishing your credibility and using evidence from credible sources and quotes or perspectives from credible authorities), and pathos (emotional appeal).

Checklist for Balancing Logos, Ethos, and Pathos

Here's a rubric, adapted from a real university writing rubric for persuasive speeches, that can help you elevate appeals to logos , ethos , and pathos in your speech.

• Is the thesis clear and specific?
• Is the thesis supported by strong reasons and credible evidence?
• Is the argument logical and well organized?
• What are the speaker’s qualifications?
• How has the speaker connected him/herself to the topic being discussed?
• Does the speaker demonstrate respect for multiple viewpoints, and respond to them with thoughtful arguments?
• Are sources credible?
• Are tone, style, and word choice appropriate for the audience/purpose?
• Is the speech polished and written with care?
• Are vivid examples, details and images used to engage the listeners' emotions and imagination?
• Does the writer appeal to the values and beliefs of the listeners by using examples the audience can relate to or cares about?

Revise & Polish

Review your speech and revise for clarity, flow, sentence structure, and word choice.

Remember to use a voice and style consistent with making a speech, with the topic and subject matter, and the specific circumstances for your speech.

Remove any jargon or unnecessary details that might distract from your message.

Sharpen your arguments, making sure they are clear, concise, and compelling.

Practice the Delivery

Dedicate ample time to practicing what it will be like giving your speech. Focus on mastering the tone, pace, and volume of your delivery. If you have time limits on the speech, be sure to time your delivery as well, and make any needed adjustments. Consider body language, eye contact, and gestures, as these non-verbal cues can significantly impact your speech's effectiveness.

The more comfortable and familiar you are with your speech, the more confidently you'll present it.

Also, being nervous, for lots of people, is normal. Practice will help; with better command of your speech you'll feel more confident. Also, practicing your delivery with a friend who can listen and give you some feedback is good way to catch helpful adjustments.

Final Thoughts

Finding a topic you like and one that your audience will be interested in is a critical foundation for an effective persuasive speech. It will also help you stay motivated and get more out of the experience!

Just remember that investing in some extra research, some thoughtful organization, anticipating counterarguments, and artfully weaving in ethos and pathos alongside a strong line of evidence-based arguments ( logos ) will help you elevate your speech and your learning experience.

With the insights we've just shared, you're more than ready to turn what is often a rote class exercise into something far more artful. In addition, your effort will help prepare you for college — for debating, editorial writing, legal argumentation, public policy advocacy, public speaking, and even running for ASB President!

If you're interested in taking on the challenge of more advanced research and persuasive writing, or even projects that involve scholarly publication, be sure to reach out to a Crimson Education Advisor for information on ways to get connected to advanced online courses and any number of cool capstone and research projects that will also connect you to networks of motivated young scholars and top-notch research and writing mentors.

About the Author

Keith Nickolaus

Keith Nickolaus is a former educator with a passion for languages, literature, and lifelong learning. After obtaining a B.A. from UC Santa Cruz and exploring university life in Paris, Keith earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and then worked for 16 years in K12 education before setting up shop as a freelance writer.

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5 chatgpt prompts to improve your public speaking (wow your audience).

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5 ChatGPT prompts to be a better public speaker (wow your audience)

If you find yourself on a stage or in the spotlight, you had better take it seriously. People are watching, so don’t let them down. Open with confidence, deliver with passion, and close with a bang. There is no other way. But if you’re not sure how to begin preparing, this might seem like a mammoth task. Luckily, there’s time to learn.

These five public speaking experts have you covered, along with a little help from ChatGPT. Copy, paste and edit the square brackets in ChatGPT, and keep the same chat window open so the context carries through.

Wow your audience with your words: ChatGPT prompts for public speaking

Get ideas for keynotes.

Keynote speaker, leadership performance coach, and host of the Compete Every Day podcast Jake Thompson uses ChatGPT to get ideas for keynotes, “as a baseline to start and then adjust the copy and tune.” He said it’s helpful if you’re “stuck generating a strong starting point.” Don’t let the blank page intimidate you. Give ChatGPT information about your audience and their goals, to get brand new ideas you can roll with in minutes. Prompt like a winner from the very start, following Thompson’s lead.

“You are an expert marketing copywriter. Create a list of five ideas for keynote speech titles for my talk for [describe your audience, e.g. new managers and leaders], aspiring to be [describe their goal, e.g. high performance in their role].”

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Once you have options for ideas, choose your favorite and request a framework with examples tailored to your field of expertise.

“The talk will discuss the importance of [outline the key learning objectives, e.g. self-leadership, building rapport with team members, investing in your professional network]. Create a structure for the talk. Include titles and subtitles that incorporate examples and metaphors from [your signature topic, e.g. sports, business] to [outcome you want to achieve, e.g. inspire, motivate] the audience.”

Resonate with your audience

Keynote speaker, corporate facilitator and founder of Breakthrough Play , Gary Ware, has worked with some household name brands, including HP HP , Intuit Intuit and GoFundMe, to improve the public speaking skills of their outward-facing team members. Ware is all about the audience. Use these prompts to make a speech you have already written super relevant to the people in the room. Don’t miss the mark by taking them in turn.

“The audience of my next talk consists of [describe your audience including their profession, typical age, and any other characteristics] and the theme of the [event, e.g. conference] is [describe the theme, e.g. marketing]. Based on this information, outline the key interests or concerns my speech should address to be most relevant to them.”

When you have your answer, incorporate the learning into your speech, then check it aligns.

“Based on your recommendations given, review my attached talk to ensure my message is aligned with this audience’s expectations and needs. [Paste speech]”

Balance warmth and competence

Vanessa Van Edwards is founder of The Science of People and bestselling author of books Captivate, unpacking the science behind succeeding with people, and Cues, mastering the secret language of charismatic communication . She delivers 50 keynote speeches every year and knows how to make a great impression that lasts long after her talk is over.

“The best presenters have the perfect blend of warmth and competence,” Van Edwards explained. “But most of us have an imbalance between the two.” To redress the balance, Van Edwards pastes her script into ChatGPT and asks for recommendations. Here’s a prompt you can try for yourself.

“Review the script for an upcoming keynote I’m delivering. Identify three sections that lack warmth, and suggest the most appropriate way to improve that (for example, with a story, joke, case study, example or warm words) being specific about what to add or remove. Then, identify three sections with the potential to signal more competence, and suggest what to add (for example data, facts, analytics or competent words), being specific. [Paste script]”

Breathe more often

Founder of Best Speech Mike Pacchione, a keynote coach who has worked with renowned speakers such as James Clear , Donald Miller, Amy Porterfield and Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton, wants you to focus on breathing. Sounds simple? There’s much more to it. “Speakers can speak with more power when they breathe frequently,” he explained. “But they write notes in paragraphs and long sentences. That leads to being out of breath by the time you hit a full stop.”

Pacchionne recommends that speakers write their scripts as if they're song lyrics. In other words, format your keynote wording in such a way where you are reminded to take a breath. An ideal task for ChatGPT.

"Rewrite the following text with the exact same words, but add a line break every 7-10 words. The end product should resemble song lyrics instead of written paragraphs. [Paste your script]"

When you have your reworked speech, Pacchionne recommends you “go back and make sure the breathing breaks are in natural spots,” adding that “a speaker would be far better served with that format versus paragraphs.”

Make a backup plan

Entrepreneur, bestselling author, podcast host and keynote speaker Liz Bohannon is hired to give keynotes of different lengths, usually between 30 and 60 minutes. But the story is sometimes different on the day. “Often the event is running late, so I have less time than I'd planned for.” Bohannon uses ChatGPT to make a robust backup plan, so she’s prepared for any eventuality before she arrives.

"This speech is [duration]. I need to shorten it by [number] minutes but maintain [topic of speech, lesson or takeaway] as the main point. Make suggestions as to which parts I can cut while maintaining the powerful message: [Paste script]"

Stand out on stage: ChatGPT prompts to show up and wow

Give your audience everything they want and more when you prepare well using ChatGPT. Get ideas for talks with suitable examples, resonate with your audience whatever the event, and balance warmth and competence for charismatic delivery. Don’t forget to breathe by seeing your paragraphs as lyrics, and make a backup plan to fit in with questionable organizer timings.

Show up, stand tall, and say your words with pride. Secure raving fans and repeat bookings. The mic is yours, don’t let us down.

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I'm Great at Giving Wedding Speeches—But Here's the One Thing I'd Never Do During My Toast

Allow me to not-so-humble brag for a second: I’m really good at wedding speeches.

I’ve now officiated four weddings, given a best man speech, delivered a half dozen wedding toasts and I’ve helped a number of friends write wedding speeches. These public displays of my affection for the happy couple are always well received, and there’s one large reason why my speeches go over better than those of others: I don’t wing it and I don’t go off script.

You may now be thinking to yourself, duh, of course I’d prepare my remarks in advance . But that’s not what I mean. I don’t just prepare. I write out every. Single. Word. And then I read every. Single. Word. No deviation. No improv. No winging it.

The Horror Story

Everyone thinks they can lightly prepare their wedding speech or toast and just riff in the moment. This is a huge mistake . Best men, maids of honor, officiants, parents of the bride or groom—I’ve seen them all transform from happy-go-lucky wedding guests to deer in headlights right before my very eyes. They only prepare some bullet points. Or they decide they’ll just tell a funny story. But things never go over as they want. Inevitably, nerves take over, jokes don’t land, things they wanted to say get left out. Or even worse, the speech will go on and on and on while we all sit in our seats silently screaming to ourselves, Land the freaking plane, Grandma!

I’ve seen some of my funniest friends absolutely bomb during a wedding speech even though I know they’re good public speakers. Why? They jot down a couple notes and try to just “be in the moment.”

At a recent wedding in upstate New York, I watched one of the funniest people I’ve ever met (no exaggeration, honestly) start sweating bullets during his best man toast. He clearly had prepared a couple of jokes that he thought he could somehow navigate between in the moment. But when his first joke didn’t land, he began to panic. He began stuttering. He began searching through his notes for a way to salvage the moment. His voice began to quiver. The speech…wasn’t great. But it wasn’t the worst one of the night.

The other groom’s best man didn’t lose confidence. In fact, I’m pretty sure he thinks he delivered the best wedding speech in history. But he’d be wrong. His speech went on for sooooo long. He glanced down at a couple of notes he had brought with him periodically, basically as a reminder of the embarrassing story about the groom he wanted to tell next. With no script to read from, he had no idea that he lost his audience at about minute five and that by minute 11 we were all looking at our watches wondering how much longer it'd be before we could dance the damn Cha-Cha Slide.

This all could have been avoided…

My Foolproof Advice

At the same wedding that I watched these two loved ones struggle, I officiated a ceremony that was followed by handshakes and back pats from every friend I knew and every family member I’d never met before. It was a success because I had crafted (and rehearsed) a ceremony over the course of weeks—and then I read exactly what I had written down.

A wedding speech isn’t easy, but I would highly discourage anyone from leaving anything to chance. On the contrary, I recommend crafting a speech, practicing it, honing jokes, cutting out unnecessary details and practicing in front of a trusted friend. And then, when you get out in front of the crowd, just stick to the script. It hasn’t failed me yet!

A Few Other Tips

Besides keeping things scripted, I do have a few other small pieces of advice I can offer. First of all, keep it brief . It’s much better to err on the side of too short than too long. Second, don’t make it about yourself —keep it about the bride or groom. In fact, why not make a joke out of that? Early on in my wedding speech or toast, I’ll introduce myself and how I know the bride or groom, followed by the line, “But today isn’t about me…at least according to the program.” Cue the laughter. It kills every time, and it breaks the ice early on. (Feel free to steal it—the best comedians steal from one another.)

And that brings me to my next two tips: break the ice right away and make things funny . Breaking the ice can be difficult, so I recommend either making a self-deprecating joke right at the top of your speech (I personally go with, “You probably recognize me as the one who looks like Adrian Brody, only more sinewy and with less money”) or encouraging everyone to be loud right away (“This isn’t one of those quiet weddings so let’s give a big, rowdy round of applause for our bride and groom…”).

And include jokes where you can, but keep it clean. No one wants to awkwardly look over to the mother of the groom to see how she’s reacting after you make an off-color joke. Jokes can also be difficult, but that’s why you practice in advance (and why you practice in front of a friend). Keep the ones that work and ditch the ones that don’t.

You’ll Be Fine

The biggest thing to remember? This isn’t a life-or-death situation. This is a day of celebration where everyone wants you to succeed in your toast. And if you prepare in advance, practice your script and then read it word for word, you’ll have nothing to be nervous about. Before you know it, you’ll be high fiving the father of the bride as he congratulates you for totally nailing your speech.

The ‘24-Hour Photo Freeze’ Is the Wedding Etiquette Rule We Need in Our Lives

I'm Great at Giving Wedding Speeches—But Here's the One Thing I'd Never Do During My Toast

I’ve seen some of my funniest friends flop during their speech.

Allow me to not-so-humble brag for a second: I’m really good at wedding speeches. I’ve now officiated four weddings, given a best man speech, delivered a half dozen wedding toasts and I’ve helped a number of friends write wedding speeches. These public displays of my affection for the happy couple are always well received, and there’s one large reason why my speeches go over better than those of others: I don’t wing it and I don’t go off script. You may now be thinking to yourself, duh, of course I’d prepare my remarks in advance . But that’s not what I mean. I don’t just prepare. I write out every. Single. Word. And then I read every. Single. Word. No deviation. No improv. No winging it.

The Horror Story

Everyone thinks they can lightly prepare their wedding speech or toast and just riff in the moment. This is a huge mistake . Best men, maids of honor, officiants, parents of the bride or groom—I’ve seen them all transform from happy-go-lucky wedding guests to deer in headlights right before my very eyes. They only prepare some bullet points. Or they decide they’ll just tell a funny story. But things never go over as they want. Inevitably, nerves take over, jokes don’t land, things they wanted to say get left out. Or even worse, the speech will go on and on and on while we all sit in our seats silently screaming to ourselves, Land the freaking plane, Grandma!

I’ve seen some of my funniest friends absolutely bomb during a wedding speech even though I know they’re good public speakers. Why? They jot down a couple notes and try to just “be in the moment.”

At a recent wedding in upstate New York, I watched one of the funniest people I’ve ever met (no exaggeration, honestly) start sweating bullets during his best man toast. He clearly had prepared a couple of jokes that he thought he could somehow navigate between in the moment. But when his first joke didn’t land, he began to panic. He began stuttering. He began searching through his notes for a way to salvage the moment. His voice began to quiver. The speech…wasn’t great. But it wasn’t the worst one of the night.

The other groom’s best man didn’t lose confidence. In fact, I’m pretty sure he thinks he delivered the best wedding speech in history. But he’d be wrong. His speech went on for sooooo long. He glanced down at a couple of notes he had brought with him periodically, basically as a reminder of the embarrassing story about the groom he wanted to tell next. With no script to read from, he had no idea that he lost his audience at about minute five and that by minute 11 we were all looking at our watches wondering how much longer it'd be before we could dance the damn Cha-Cha Slide.

This all could have been avoided…

My Foolproof Advice

At the same wedding that I watched these two loved ones struggle, I officiated a ceremony that was followed by handshakes and back pats from every friend I knew and every family member I’d never met before. It was a success because I had crafted (and rehearsed) a ceremony over the course of weeks—and then I read exactly what I had written down.

A wedding speech isn’t easy, but I would highly discourage anyone from leaving anything to chance. On the contrary, I recommend crafting a speech, practicing it, honing jokes, cutting out unnecessary details and practicing in front of a trusted friend. And then, when you get out in front of the crowd, just stick to the script. It hasn’t failed me yet!

A Few Other Tips

Besides keeping things scripted, I do have a few other small pieces of advice I can offer. First of all, keep it brief . It’s much better to err on the side of too short than too long. Second, don’t make it about yourself —keep it about the bride or groom. In fact, why not make a joke out of that? Early on in my wedding speech or toast, I’ll introduce myself and how I know the bride or groom, followed by the line, “But today isn’t about me…at least according to the program.” Cue the laughter. It kills every time, and it breaks the ice early on. (Feel free to steal it—the best comedians steal from one another.)

And that brings me to my next two tips: break the ice right away and make things funny . Breaking the ice can be difficult, so I recommend either making a self-deprecating joke right at the top of your speech (I personally go with, “You probably recognize me as the one who looks like Adrian Brody, only more sinewy and with less money”) or encouraging everyone to be loud right away (“This isn’t one of those quiet weddings so let’s give a big, rowdy round of applause for our bride and groom…”).

And include jokes where you can, but keep it clean. No one wants to awkwardly look over to the mother of the groom to see how she’s reacting after you make an off-color joke. Jokes can also be difficult, but that’s why you practice in advance (and why you practice in front of a friend). Keep the ones that work and ditch the ones that don’t.

You’ll Be Fine

The biggest thing to remember? This isn’t a life-or-death situation. This is a day of celebration where everyone wants you to succeed in your toast. And if you prepare in advance, practice your script and then read it word for word, you’ll have nothing to be nervous about. Before you know it, you’ll be high fiving the father of the bride as he congratulates you for totally nailing your speech.

The ‘24-Hour Photo Freeze’ Is the Wedding Etiquette Rule We Need in Our Lives

VP, News and Entertainment; 'And Just Like That' Podcast Host; Up-And-Coming Bowler

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• Water-based exercise offers physical and mental health benefits, including improved health for people with chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis.
• However, recreational water can also spread illness or cause injury, so it is important to know what to do to protect yourself and others.

Health benefits

Swimming can improve mood and people report enjoying water-based exercise more than exercising on land.

People are able to exercise longer in water without increased joint or muscle pain, which has been shown to be especially helpful for people with arthritis and osteoarthritis. Water-based exercise can help people with arthritis improve the use of their arthritic joints, decrease pain, and not worsen symptoms. People with rheumatoid arthritis have shown more health improvements after participating in hydrotherapy (exercising in warm water) than with other activities.

For people with fibromyalgia, swimming can decrease anxiety, and exercise therapy in warm water can decrease depression and improve mood. Parents of children with developmental disabilities find that recreational activities, such as swimming, improve family connections.

Water-based exercise can benefit older adults by improving their quality of life and decreasing disability. It can also improve or help maintain the bone health of post-menopausal women.

Staying healthy and safe while you swim

To stay healthy and safe while you swim, it is important to understand how to prevent illness and injury when you are in or around the water.

You can get swimming-related illnesses if you swallow, have contact with, or breathe in mists of water contaminated with germs. The most common swimming-related illnesses are diarrhea , skin rashes , swimmer's ear , pneumonia or flu-like illness , and irritation of the eyes or respiratory tract .

Learn more about what you can do to prevent these illnesses when you swim and how to protect yourself depending on where you go (pool, hot tub, splash pad, ocean, etc.)

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Keeping your pool and hot tub clean

Having pool or hot tub can be a fun way to be active or just relax. It is important to know what to do to reduce the risk of pool-related injury and illness, as well as how to clean your pool if it has been contaminated by poop, vomit, blood, or a dead animal.

Guidelines for Keeping Your Pool Safe and Healthy

Responding to Pool Contamination

• US Census Bureau. Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012. Arts, Recreation, and Travel: Participation in Selected Sports Activities 2009. [XLS – 40 KB] ·
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans: Be active, healthy, and happy! In Chapter 2: Physical Activity Has Many Health Benefits. 2009.
• Westby MD. A health professional's guide to exercise prescription for people with arthritis: a review of aerobic fitness activities. Arthritis Rheum. 2001;45(6):501-11.
• Hall J, Skevington SM, Maddison PJ, Chapman K. A randomized and controlled trial of hydrotherapy in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Care Res. 1996;9(3):206-15.
• Tomas-Carus P, Gusi N, Hakkinen A, Hakkinen K, Leal A, and Ortega-Alonso A. Eight months of physical training in warm water improves physical and mental health in women with fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial. J Rehabil Med. 2008;40(4):248-52.
• Broman G, Quintana M, Engardt M, Gullstrand L, Jansson E, and Kaijser L. Older women's cardiovascular responses to deep-water running. J Aging Phys Act. 2006;14(1):29-40.
• Cider A, Svealv BG, Tang MS, Schaufelberger M, and Andersson B. Immersion in warm water induces improvement in cardiac function in patients with chronic heart failure. Eur J Heart Fail. 2006;8(3):308-13.
• Bartels EM, Lund H, Hagen KB, Dagfinrud H, Christensen R, Danneskiold-Samsøe B. Aquatic exercise for the treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;3:CD005523.
• Berger BG, and Owen DR. Mood alteration with yoga and swimming: aerobic exercise may not be necessary. Percept Mot Skills. 1992;75(3 Pt 2):1331-43.
• Gowans SE and deHueck A. Pool exercise for individuals with fibromyalgia. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2007;19(2):168-73.
• Hartmann S and Bung P. Physical exercise during pregnancy—physiological considerations and recommendations. J Perinat Med. 1999;27(3):204-15.
• Mactavish JB and Schleien SJ. Re-injecting spontaneity and balance in family life: parents' perspectives on recreation in families that include children with developmental disability. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2004;48(Pt 2):123-41.
• Sato D, Kaneda K, Wakabayashi H, and Nomura T. The water exercise improves health-related quality of life of frail elderly people at day service facility. Qual Life Res. 2007;16:1577-85.
• Rotstein A, Harush M, and Vaisman N. The effect of water exercise program on bone density of postmenopausal Women. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2008;48(3):352-9.

Healthy Swimming

CDC’s Healthy Swimming website provides information on how to have healthy and safe swimming experiences while minimizing illness and injury.

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Public health.