President's Tip of the Week

How to Write a Great Speech
(8/12/08)

The Toastmasters standard speech length is 5-7 minutes. For all intents and purposes, this is a very short speech length. It's no wonder so many of our speakers have trouble running over their time limit. The blunt truth: you will not be able to make all the points you want to make, tell all the stories you want to tell, and say all the things you want to say in 5-7 minutes. It simply won't fit into such a brief window. In order to write a good speech that fits within this timeline, your speech material must be tightly focused. Here is some advice from Nick Morgan on writing a great short speech:

"When you've got more than 3 but less than 7 minutes, think in terms of problem-solution. If you have a great story to begin the problem section, then do so, but don't allow it to take over the problem section entirely. You need to spend half of your allotted time discussing the problem in as much detail as you can (which is not much). Heretical mice are running amok throughout the Vatican. This deplorable plague has led to illness, destruction of some of the Vatican's most precious artifacts, and the discomfort of many visitors and residents....

"About half way through your total time, switch to the solution and buttress that with as much logic and passion as you can muster. I recommend beginning with an excommunication, followed by mice traps, poison, and the playing of Barry Manilow recordings in the basement....

"That's really all there is to it. Keep it simple..."

"Repetition and simplicity will help you keep your remarks organized and under control, and will help your listeners follow you."

To read Nick's entire article, including how to deliver a very short speech (aka a table topic), click here.