Depending on where you are speaking and your own preferred style, you may want to write out a full speech, or you might only want to prepare some bullet-point speaking notes to follow along with. Either way, you should ensure that your remarks are organized, so that you are clear and easy to follow along with.
Start by thinking about the
main idea of your speech. Can you summarize your topic in one sentence? It might take you some time to come up with just one, concise sentence, but this is an important step. Having a clear main idea will help you ensure that all your other points are clearly connected back to your goal.
Once you have your main idea, here is a basic structure you can use for planning your remarks:
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Introduction
- Start with a “hook”: an exciting question or statement that captures the audience’s attention.
- From here, transition to your main idea. Summarize what you will be speaking about in just a few sentences. Let the audience know what you want them to get out of our speech.
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Body
- Next, break down your main idea into different points or arguments. Try to stick to two to three points.
- Focus on one argument at a time before moving on to the next one.
- Make sure you link each argument back to the main idea.
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Conclusion
- To wrap it up, tie all your points together by summarizing what you talked about.
- Leave your audience with a call-to-action or take-away. What do you want them to do now, with the information you’ve given them?
