Effective tips for successful speech preparation

What you absolutely must consider when preparing your speech

If we don't prepare adequately for our speech or presentation, we are preparing to fail.

Many people give presentations, but something's always missing. They don't achieve the impact they'd like. The audience doesn't remember the speaker, or they don't gain any customers.

Preparation isn't exciting. It's like tidying up your apartment before guests arrive. But whether your presentation or speech is a success depends heavily on how you prepare.

The best presentations—the ones that flow effortlessly, move us, and are memorable—are usually the result of careful preparation.

Speech preparation: Why is it so important to prepare well for a presentation?

1. Your listeners will understand the information.

2. Your audience will remember your speech and message.

3. You will achieve the desired effect, whether that's appearing more confident, selling your service or product, or motivating your audience to take action.

What all goes into good speech preparation?

1. Know your audience

Want to know how to get more applause at your next presentation?

The key is: It's primarily about your audience, not you!

Whenever I have a performance—whether as a singer or a speaker—one of my first questions is: Who is my audience?

Because I know that every audience is different and has different needs and desires. Every audience needs a different song. Every audience needs a different message or speech.

Before you write and deliver your speech, ask yourself beforehand:

• What interests my audience?
• What is important to them?
• What do they want to know, or what should they know?

These thoughts are the key to a compelling, effective speech that captivates your audience from beginning to end. This leads to applause and success.

2. The common thread holds everything together.

"I have so much to say and far too little time! How many speakers lament this predicament?

I often feel the same way. Trying to cram all my knowledge and experience into just 7, 10, or 20 minutes—wow, that's a real challenge and requires a lot of planning.

But, as I said, many fail precisely at the planning stage.

Many speakers string together a lot of sentences and words—and at the end of the day, they haven't said anything at all because they don't give the audience anything to hold onto.

The root cause of this tragedy is that the presenters lack a plan for their presentation as a whole. They lack the so-called "common thread." This is like a leitmotif that holds the individual parts of a speech together. Everything you include in your speech fits and connects. Every good presentation should have something like this. Instead of saying far too much, as a speaker, I reduce the number of ideas and string them together on this thread. Everything, yes everything—the points, quotes, images—fits together like a jigsaw puzzle.

What effect does a common thread have?
1. He helps you filter out a lot of things you want to say.

2. It gives you support that allows you to appear more confident.
3. The audience knows where the journey is headed and can follow you.

What thoughts should you, as a speaker, ask yourself to ensure your main point is clear?

How do you find your common thread?
1. Try to summarize your main idea in fewer than fifteen words.
2. Convey an interesting perspective that sparks curiosity

3. The central theme is your message. What should your audience take away or understand at the end of your presentation?

My Speak Like Music presentations are based on the principle: "Speak Like Music – Present as effectively, memorably, and engagingly as a good song, and you and your speech will be successful."

To develop your main theme, it's important to learn as much as possible about your audience.  

To ensure you consider everything for your speech preparation, download the speech preparation guide.

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