How to Write a Successful Speech — Simple Guide with Examples

Writing a successful speech has a lot to do with your audience. The mistake many speechwriters make is believing that a speech is about them. It’s not. Your ability to grab your listener’s attention from start to finish — is what determines how successful your speech is.

Think about it. How many times have you zoned out of a speech because it was boring? Did it matter that the speaker was prominent and respected? Probably not.

The point is, if the speech is boring, it doesn’t matter who you are. Once you lose your audience, your speech has lost effectiveness. It’s about listeners!

So, how can you write a speech that guarantees successful results?

The trick is in the details.

Here’s what you should do in your next speech to ensure it’s memorable and effective.

Make It Memorable

This is easier said than done. In most cases, you’ll have to write a long oration that takes up to 30 minutes to read. Therefore, it’s no surprise that most people won’t remember what you said.

However, this isn’t a problem. You can make your oration successful by focusing on one theme.

Here’s how to do it:

• Summarize the entire speech into a 15 to 20-words statement.
• Now, focus on this one sentence, broadening the ideas as you go.
• It doesn’t hurt to repeat the phrase a couple of times.

If people remember one thing about your speech, it will be the summarizing statement. The result? They will remember what your oration was about, making it successful.

Structure Is Everything

If your goal is to write a successful oration, you should also strive to have an excellent structure. Your speech should be written in an organized manner to not to lose the readers.

Many speechwriters start well and then jump into boring or out-of-place facts that immediately makes the speech boring.

Don’t do this.

A successful oration has 3 important components:

• A message
• A path
• And a destination

Therefore, as you write, take some time to think about what you’re adding.

Does it take you off the path?

Can you get the point across without using too many words and descriptions?

Can you do it without unnecessary facts?

If the answer is “yes,” simplifying your oration will make it more successful.

Humor Goes a Long Way

A successful writer knows how to make the audience laugh. Now, you need to be careful about this. What you think is funny may not be as funny to your audience. Therefore, go this route only if you’re confident about presenting jokes to different groups of people from all walks of life.

Test the jokes you write on different people before you decide to include them in your speech.

Does it take them a long time to grasp what the joke is?

Do your jokes need an explanation?

If the answer is “yes,” don’t include jokes.

The Opening Is the Make or Break

How you write your introduction will determine how successful it is. If you can’t grab your audience’s attention with your opening statement, you’ve killed the success.

The people have the most attention at the beginning.

There are several ways to write a successful introduction of your oration. You can begin with a shocking revelation about the subject of your speech.

Alternatively, get the audience engaged by asking a question and requesting them to raise their hand. It’s also a good idea to start with a relevant joke. Doing so makes you figure engaging and interesting, and your speech — successful.

Some examples of these include:

• “By a show of hands, how many of you have…” (something related to the context)
• “Statistics show that… “ (a shocking revelation)

Understand Your Audience

As we’ve mentioned, the oration is not about you. It’s about your listeners. Ultimately, your goal is to write about what they need.

So, before you begin to write, ask yourself who these people are.

• How old are they?
• What do they want to hear?
• Where are they from?

The more you know about your audience, the likely you are to write a successful speech.

Consider Expert Help

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can’t write a successful speech. This mostly happens if you have little experience or don’t know how to write an oration.

Don’t fret. We have a team of experts who can write and ensure your speech is not only successful but memorable.

Contact us today!