Tips from Professionals: Write your Best Speech

April 29, 2021 By Madeline Pernecky

When pitching your new start-up or proposing a new idea, you need to convince investors or your audience to believe and support your vision. A speech is different than the typical elevator pitch you may give in an interview or when consulting new clients or business personnel. A speech needs to be believable and personal to convince listeners of your business goals. Here are some tips to consider when writing a business speech:

Tips for a Successful Speech

• When writing your speech, the first step is to start with a short story or joke. Starting with a personal humorous story will calm you down and allows you to start connecting with your audience. It is similar to breaking the ice in a conversation with someone new. The audience will also get the chance to learn a little more about you while making a great first impression.
• It is important to create an outline for your speech that will make it easier to flow and memorize. Although you need to create an outline, you do not need to write out every word. A speech should have a conversational tone to connect with your audience. You need to be an expert on your topic to clearly communicate your ideas to the audience. Incorporating your topic into the outline will keep your outline structured and professional. Depending on your audience, personal experience-based stories feel engaging and disclosing.
• The main goal of your speech is to connect with your audience. When writing your outline, it is important to remember who your audience is. Why does the audience care about what you are talking about? Answering this question in your speech will boost your audience engagement both during and after the speech is given.
• To not bore your audience, go one step beyond comfort. People do not want to be lectured about what they already know, but instead, want to be pushed outside their comfort zone. Meet the audience where they are in familiarity with your topic and go one more step into discomfort. Connections and conversations grow with discomfort, so push your audience further.
• The number one rule of giving a speech is eye contact. To help engage with the audience and make them feel important, give the performance to specific people in targeted locations. Really talk to each section of the audience to make your topic personal and believable.
• Finally, make your speech as interactive as possible. Read your venue and your audience to see how much you can engage them. An interactive speech is way more memorable than a lecture and will make your audience feel appreciated and targeted.

GLO member and contributor Joseph Barisonzi is an expert when it comes to giving professional speeches. When asking him for tips about writing a speech he suggests…

“Don’t write a speech – give a performance or facilitate a dialogue – unless it is a formal “speech” setting – you are looking to connect with an audience, and writing a speech doesn’t do that – in fact, it often creates prose that gets in the way. Rather write a script or a series of questions, perform the scrip or facilitate the questions.”

Practice makes perfect in order to gain confidence for performing your speech. Be confident, engage with your audience, and tell your story.

To learn more about how to write the best professional speech for your business and to connect with other entrepreneurs, join GLO today!