How to write a speech, step by step

A speech is not an essay read aloud. An essay is for the eye; a reader can go back and read a line again. A speech is for the ear; the listener hears each sentence once. That single difference decides everything about how a speech should be written. This method works for a two minute assembly talk and for a ten minute address.

Step 1: Answer three questions before you write

Who is listening? Small children, classmates, parents, colleagues, elders? Their age and mood decide your words and your examples.
How long do I have? Ask the organiser. Then plan for a little less. A speech that ends early is forgiven; one that runs over is not.
What is the occasion? A farewell needs warmth, a national day needs dignity, a wedding needs affection and gentle humour.

Step 2: Decide your one message

Complete this sentence: "When I finish, I want the audience to remember that ______." If you cannot fill the blank in one line, you are not ready to write. A speech with one clear message is remembered. A speech with six is forgotten by the time the tea arrives.

Step 3: Use the three-part shape

Part	Share of time	What it does
Opening	about a tenth	Greets the audience, wins attention, says what you will speak about.
Body	about four fifths	Two or three points, each with a story, an example or a fact.
Closing	about a tenth	Repeats the message in one line, thanks the audience, ends cleanly.

For the body, three points is the natural number. The ear likes threes: "to study, to serve and to smile". Give each point its own short paragraph.

Step 4: Open well

After the greeting, the first twenty seconds decide whether people listen. Good ways to begin: a question ("When did you last read a book that was not in your syllabus?"), a small story from your own life, a surprising fact, or a picture in words ("Think of a potter at the wheel"). Weak ways to begin: an apology ("I am not a good speaker"), a dictionary definition, or a long list of thanks.

Step 5: Write for the ear

Short sentences. If you run out of breath reading a sentence aloud, cut it in two.
Plain words. Say "use", not "utilise"; "help", not "facilitate".
Repeat on purpose. In writing, repetition is a fault. In speech, repeating your key line helps the listener hold on to it.
Speak to people. Use "you" and "we". "We all know that feeling" pulls an audience in.
One story beats ten adjectives. Do not say a teacher was "kind, caring and dedicated". Say what she did one rainy afternoon.

Step 6: Close strongly

Signal the end ("Let me end with..."), give the message once more, and finish with a line that lands: a wish, a promise, a call to do one small thing. Then say thank you and stop. Never end with "That is all" or "I have nothing more to say".

Step 7: Edit by reading aloud

Read the draft aloud with a timer. Mark every place where you stumble; rewrite that sentence. Cut anything the audience would not miss. Check every name, date and fact. Then make a small card with six key words, one for each paragraph, and practise from the card, not from the full page.

A checklist before you step up

Can I say my one message in a single sentence?
Is the speech inside the time limit when spoken slowly?
Are all names, titles and dates checked?
Have I removed anything that could embarrass or hurt someone?
Have I practised it aloud at least three times?

To check your timing, paste your draft into the speech timer. For ready examples, see the speeches. For the day itself, read how to handle stage fear.