How to Practice for a Perfect Presentation

How to Practice for a Perfect Presentation

Dec 8, 2022 | Public Speaking

Does practice make perfect when it comes to giving presentations? No, it does not! The permanence of practice. Not just practicing, but practicing perfectly should be your aim. Whether something is right or bad, the more you do it, the more natural it feels.

Therefore, when we rehearse our presentations, we must do it correctly. Understanding a subject does not ensure success. What matters is your ability to clearly communicate your point and engage your audience, and excellent preparation can help you do this.

Practice Will Help You, too.

Presenting on the spot rarely yields the desired outcomes. Here is the strategy that, dare I say it, always produces positive results for me.

Pro Tip

Be aware of design techniques and trends.

I am going to assume that you have prepared:

  • Know your PALTM (Purpose, Audience & Logistics).
  • Gather information that is current, accurate, and pertinent.
  • When necessary, include examples, tales, emotive appeals, and some images to help illustrate the statistics.
  • Create a tale by arranging the resources in a way that the information flows logically and there are seamless transitions between the concepts.
  • Prepare a potent introduction and conclusion in advance.
  • Make the final draft user-friendly so that it is simple to refer to it without reading it.
  • Presenters frequently complete all the steps before visualizing their speech in their minds.

Action Item

Ensure to practice your speech from written notes.

Although visualizing is helpful, speaking-aloud exercises should still be done. Too often, practice is postponed until just before a presentation, by which time it is already too late. The purpose of practice sessions is to make presenters completely at ease with the material, the slides, and the timing so they can focus on engaging the audience during the actual presentation.

8 Recommendations for Effective Presentations

Here are my top eight suggestions for flawless practice:

  • Exercise aloud.
  • The presentation should be spoken aloud three to six times.
  • Use a range of exercises.
  • Keep your presentation personable; do not remember precise sentences; instead, vary how you say it each time.
  • Be mindful of the time.
  • Allow time during your practice session for questions from the audience, etc.
  • Practice in front of a live audience that resembles your intended market.
  • Practice in front of a group that is representative of your "actual audience." It is best to find out in front of this group rather than the "real audience" whether there is any terminology you are using or concepts you are trying to explain that they do not understand.
  • Include impromptu Q&A in your routine.
  • Make sure your practice audience is doing the same if you expect to get questions or interruptions during the presentation.
  • Give the speech's start and closing additional time.
  • The commute is a wonderful time to practice your opening and closing.
  • Develop your timing.
  • Depending on how much interaction or questions you anticipate, the rehearsal should not run more than 18 to 25 minutes if the entire presentation is 30 minutes long.
  • Try recording yourself to practice.
  • If the presentations are extremely important, record yourself on camera. It is simple to operate the brand-new Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera. You can instantly connect to a computer's USB port to do a self-analysis.
“The lavish presentation appeals to me, and I've got to convince the others.”
Freddie Mercury

Is this something I would want to sit through? is an excellent question to ask. What must you do to alter the presentation if the response is “No”?

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Breathing: The Seductive Key to Unlocking Your Vocal Variety

Breathing: The Seductive Key to Unlocking Your Vocal Variety

Dec 6, 2022 | Public Speaking

All people breathe. It is one of our most instinctual behaviors. However, if you poll singers, 90% of them will respond that breathing is the most crucial aspect of vocal technique. Is there a particular method to breathe that improves your voice? Yes!

We examine breathing in relation to vocal variation as a speaker in this essay. I will give you some simple instructions and advice on how to use air more effectively to enhance your voice. Applying these suggestions will give your speech greater Power, Better Pacing, Interesting Pitch, and Effective Pauses.

  • Article Series on Vocal Delivery
  • Speaking Breaks Filler Words (um, ah)
  • Speaking Tempo
  • Audio Volume
  • Projected vocals
  • Vocal Conditioning Exercises
  • Breathing\contents
  • Lose Your Voice, Lose Your Breath
  • A description of breathing
  • 101 Breathing
  • Variety in Breathing and Singing
  • Pace\pitch\Pause
  • Powerful, Useful Tips for Everyday Life
  • Lose Your Voice, Lose Your Breath

The narrator of the short story “Loss of Breath” by Edgar Allen Poe passes out just as he is going to yell at his wife. His voice likewise stops along with his breath, except for a few frog-like sounds. He is shocked by this and struggles to disguise his illness while wallowing in agony and philosophy. 

Pro Tip

Give the audience time to take it in.

When he eventually gets his breath, he also finds his voice. (Have I mentioned that it was taken? Since this is Poe, of course! The horrific nature of the story serves to emphasize the idea that losing your voice is equivalent to losing your breath. And berating your wife is never a clever idea.

A description of breathing

So how does one breathe to speak and sing more clearly? Watch a newborn breathe, then. Though she appears to breathe from her stomach, she is using her abdominal muscles, as you can see. Breathing 101 is so simple that even a baby can do it. Here is how to accomplish it.

101 Breathing

Try the following instructions after attentively reading them aloud. (You may hear an audio version of these instructions by clicking here.)

  • In a chair, lean forward and unwind your tummy muscles.
  • Imagine that you are a vessel filling with air like you would pour water into a vase when you take a deep breath in through your nose. Fill up your lower ribs first (you should feel them expand), then fill up to the top of your chin.
  • Hold your breath for ten counts.
  • Now slowly exhale. Keep your ribs open as you exhale and contract your abdominal muscles as if you were performing a "crunch"; specifically, your lower abdominal muscles should contract first as if you were rolling up a tube of toothpaste. (Keep your chest up when you exhale; you are not a tube of toothpaste.)
  • Repeat. After you are proficient with the exercise while seated, incorporate it into your speaking and singing. Until you can smoothly coordinate all the actions, you might need to start out slowly.
“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.”
Amit Ray

The most important thing to keep in mind is that your breathing should be slow and deep. If you perform the exercise properly, your chest will remain out and expand as your stomach moves in. There are numerous advantages to using this strategy, including:

Action Item

Take a few steps and start with a new burst of energy.

You will be able to breathe more efficiently if you are aware of your breathing.

An air of strength and confidence is created by good breathing posture. You feel stronger and more confident when you breathe deeply. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, you may utilize your voluntary nerves to make your breathing slow, deep, quiet, and regular, and the rest will take care of itself.

Deep breathing eases stress and aids in maintaining mental clarity. Charles Kirk explains how using the right breathing methods helps him stay composed on the trading floor.

Variety in Breathing and Singing

You were told to “use your voice to match your message” in a previous Six Minute post. This is what I mean when I talk about your “vocal image”—how other people hear you.

In a perfect world, your topic would match your delivery style, and both would complement your voice. Vocal variety is all about the voice’s sound, and in this case, your voice’s tempo, pitch, pause, and power all contribute to the creation of your vocal image.

Pace

Your delivery speed is referred to as pace. In general, you are advised to change your pace by moving quickly and slowly depending on the message you are presenting to add diversity to your voice. However, some individuals have difficulty pacing because of inadequate breathing. If you speak excessively rapidly, laboriously, or slowly, think about the following.

When suitable for the message you are giving, vary your pace by going faster and slower.

  • Speaking too quickly is frequently caused by infrequent breathing breaks.
  • Solution: Take a deliberate breath before you speak to slow down speaking with the breath. Remember to take a breather in between each thought. Take five deep breaths in and out before you begin speaking the next time you practice a presentation. Take one more deep breath, and then forcefully expel as you begin to speak.
  • Lack of air intake and usage might also contribute to sluggish speech.
  • Solution: A person may sound lifeless and boring if they do not breathe enough. Poor posture may also be to blame for this. Use the breathing exercise described above, paying close attention to your posture. As you speak, make sure to breathe through your stomach. When you practice, go overboard with the latter so you can hear the breath in the music. You can produce a more energizing sound and increase your level of energy by taking deeper breaths and utilizing all the air in your sound.
  • Pitch Our speech's pitch is governed by the notes we employ. Yes, much as with singing, we employ notes with speaking. Speaking notes, on the other hand, are haphazard, loosely arranged, and typically shorter than notes we sing. One employs various pitches to produce vocal variety to make their voice more intriguing. Poor breathing technique can occasionally make it difficult to vary the pitch. Here are two examples of these issues, their origins, and potential solutions:
  • Shallow breathing can cause a voice that is too thin and high-pitched (without abdominal expansion and support).
  • Solution: To stop shallow breathing, relax your stomach and breathe in lower. Additionally, the larynx is relaxed, causing it to ride less high. A higher, thinner sound can be produced by a high larynx.

You could not be using all the air you inhale if your voice sounds constricted, strained, or excessively low.

“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”
Thich Nhat Hanh

Speaking too low can harm your voice, as Lisa Braithwaite correctly points out.

Poe’s text also teaches us that it is possible to make sounds without breathing. I learned that if I had dropped to a deep guttural voice during that exciting crisis, I might have been able to continue. I have discovered that the guttural voice pitch depends on the spasmodic action of the throat muscles rather than the breath current.

It should be easy to breathe in your voice if you do not want to be restricted to a guttural growl. By first practicing a breathy sound and then progressively adding increasingly vocal sound to it, you can improve a strained voice. 

The voice is “energized” in my terminology. Because the voice is free to move and produce more pitches, it also has the effect of making pitch diversity much easier to obtain. You will notice the freedom in your voice if you do this correctly.

Pause

“Breathing awareness creates natural pauses.”

Pauses are the golden moments in speech when you can let your listeners process what you are saying. They are the “beats” an actor uses in between his or her words; they are that unique element that contributes to “comedic timing.” Pauses are crucial because they allow us to catch our breath.

How to employ breathing throughout your pauses is as follows:

  • Before starting to speak, take a deep breath.
  • You can synchronize everything physically, psychologically, and emotionally by taking that first breath. Additionally, it enables the relaxed yet aroused larynx. Finally, it increases your oxygen intake so that you can think more clearly and appear your finest.
  • Pay attention to your breathing.
  • It is astounding how many people, when speaking in front of an audience, just forget to breathe. You may have already discovered how much stress can contribute to forgetting to breathe and experiencing shortness of breath. Therefore, as blogger Denise Graveline points out, taking a moment to halt and breathe is the best short-term answer. The best long-term approach, though, is to constantly work on being mindful of your breathing. Natural pauses come from being aware of your breathing. The more you speak in front of an audience, the more probable it is that you will remember to breathe.
  • Power
  • It is a prevalent misperception that power and volume are interchangeable terms. The truth is that having strong vocals involves much more than simply being loud. The effect your sound has on other people is the essence of vocal power. Your unique vocal ability might be heard in the way you express a notion or in the tone of your voice. Many individuals are shocked to hear that how they breathe and how they use their breath can increase or decrease strength.

You need air to produce a loud sound since sound travels on air. Even if you speak loudly, you will be shouting if you do not include the air in your sound. You never know how your actions will affect other people! Additionally, maintaining air movement with the sound allows for superb voice control, enhancing the effectiveness of all vocal variation approaches.

A confident speaker is one who is at ease and at ease with themselves. A strong voice is at ease and at ease. Deep breathing helps to relax the larynx, which allows the voice to develop a pleasant, natural tone as opposed to one that is artificial or forced.

Practical Tips for Everyday Life

You should try to practice proper breathing technique numerous times each day so that it becomes second nature while you talk. Here are some pointers for improving your breathing:

  • Driving while breathing is a clever idea. Driving raises your hands, which makes it simpler to maintain a high chest. And breathing exercises can also greatly reduce driving rage!
  • Instead of slumping over in your chair at your desk, try to breathe while you are sitting there. Take ten practice breaths while perched on the edge of your chair three times per day.
  • When you are about to go to sleep or are resting on the floor after an exercise, practice breathing. It is simpler to focus on and strengthen the abdominal muscles for proper breathing while you are lying down. (For an even greater understanding of how to do this properly, you can even place a book on your belly to accentuate the way you engage those muscles. As you breathe in and out "with your tummy," watch the book rise and fall.
  • Of course, how successfully you incorporate proper breathing into your presentations will be the true test. Remember to deliberately practice using your breathing on the day of your big presentation. Prior to speaking, take five deep breaths in and out. Then, take one more deep breath and breathe into your first few words. When giving a speech in front of an audience, do not forget to take a moment to pause and breathe.
“Breathing is the greatest pleasure in life.”
Giovanni Papini

Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes. So, practice and it will not be long before you are able to make your learned breathing as natural as the breathing you are using now, and the benefits will be enormous.

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Being Average as A Speaker Sucks! Do Not Be Average!

Being Average as A Speaker Sucks! Do Not Be Average!

Dec 2, 2022 | Public Speaking

You are terrible if you are an average speaker. All your coworkers with mediocre presentation abilities do the same. See why this is the case.

The Cookie Police and Cookies

Consider that you are making cookies. You scoop some dough with your fingers, form it into a ball, and place it on the cookie sheet after thoroughly combining it. You can fill an entire oven with cookies by repeating this process fifty times. If you do these five hundred times, you will have enough cookies to fill a freezer or enough for a bake sale.

Imagine that the Homemade Cookie Police were looking into you. They gently lift each cookie after you place it on the baking sheet and weigh it. They note the weight for every one of the five hundred cookies. When they are done, they make a chart (for their PowerPoint presentation back at Headquarters).

Pro Tip

Do things no one else is willing to do.

With or without a few tenths of a gram, many of the cookies would weigh very the average amount.

Cookies in modest quantities would either be extremely small or extremely enormous.

Many of the cookies would be great, while the exceedingly small ones would burn in the oven and the very huge ones might be uncooked.

The Bell Curve and Humans

The cookie weight/frequency chart’s results surprised no one, so why? since you are a human!

The chart’s shape, which resembles the Bell Curve, could be familiar to you. (You may be familiar with it by another name, such as a normal distribution.) The most exciting aspect of it, though, may be that if you take any variable into account in a big population, the histogram (the chart of values versus the count) tends to follow the Bell Curve.

Because you are not a robot, the weight in the case of cookies is a variable.

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”
Alexander Graham Bell

Take adult heights yet another illustration. Men in North America are typically 69 12 inches tall. (The average female North American is 64 12 Professional golfers are extremely skilled, yet there are few of them.

Some individuals hardly ever hit it (they are too frail or just too clumsy to swing a club). These people are also scarce in number.

Most of us fall somewhere in the middle. We hardly have the skill to keep from hurting ourselves.

We would like to be able to hit the ball at a professional level when it comes to golf, but it is acceptable to be ordinary. Being mediocre is OK for golf; being average is mediocre. Given that most of us have never taken golf lessons, it makes sense. Your proficiency with a golf club is only occasionally (or never) employed, and your career performance is not influenced by it.

Action Item

Ensure to Take your speaking ability to the next level.

Speaking in public and the Bell Curve

Though measuring presentation skills is more difficult, imagine for a second that you could. (The maximum amount of time you can talk without making anybody bored. The percentage of listeners who are inspired to act by your call to action.

On the high end, you have Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King, and Winston Churchill.

Hermits and those who are completely incapable of communication make up the lower end.

The bulk of those in the center have mediocre presentation skills. Is this decent? Or is this bad? Male adults typically measure between 69 and 69 1/2 inches in height, sometimes slightly more or less.

Naturally, there are some extremely tall persons as well as extremely small people. But comparatively speaking, there are not as many of them.

Being average in height is preferable. It is preferred. All things are made for you, including vehicles, clothes, and airplane seats. Extreme shortness or extreme height might result in physical challenges throughout life.

Consider golf as another example and let us look at how well players can hit the golf ball.

You can be a terrible speaker and still be an average one, statistically speaking. All your coworkers are. This is the PowerPoint Death Pit. The zone for filler words is fifteen per minute. What is this speaker talking about? territory.

Presentation abilities require practice.

Chocolate chips will not make up for your ordinary speaking ability. Your audience sits through a lifetime of meetings, wishing they were someplace else as they listen to mediocre presenters.

Presentation abilities differ from height.

The world is not set up for mediocre speakers to do well. If your ability to communicate your thoughts is ordinary, people will not come to your defense.

Like golf, presentation skills are not a sport.

Being mediocre is not acceptable. Your communication abilities are crucial!

“Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident.”
Dale Carnegie

You Can't Be Average If You Want to Speak Well

Why are most speakers so awful? Like golf, most people worldwide never attend any formal communications instruction or pursue any informal training. 

Everybody pays the price. Consider the last fifty presentations you saw. How many captivated your attention throughout? Ten? Five? not more than five?

The small percentage of people who work hard to develop their skills—like you, if you are reading this—has a significant edge. Your communication abilities will improve if they are not already. Additionally, having exceptional communication skills will benefit you in life. 

Your views are heard and understood. You are a natural at interviews. People view you as a leader. The good news is that, with commitment, effort, and time, anyone can develop their skills. Check out Six Minutes. 

Read additional blogs about speaking. Consult books about communication. Attend a Toastmasters meeting. Whenever you can, offer to talk. Practice. Practice. Practice.

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Are Your Speech Gestures Too Small, Too Big, or Just Right?

Are Your Speech Gestures Too Small, Too Big, or Just Right?

Dec 1, 2022 | Public Speaking

You are aware by this point that gestures should be used to enhance your discourse.

Do you know how large these gestures ought to be, though?

This post will teach you how to adjust the size of your gestures for the audience and the setting.

What does "gesture size" mean?

Your motions might be big or small, just like your voice can be loud or subtle. 

Think about the range of hand and arm gestures, for instance.

  • Small gestures are those that you make with just your fingers.
  • The size of gestures that hinge at your wrist varies.
  • Even greater gestures involve turning at your elbow.
  • Finally, there are enormous motions that pivot at your shoulder.
  • So, how do you pick the appropriate size?
  • "Gestures that work well with one audience may be useless with another audience."

Pro Tip

Find a neutral place for your hands to rest comfortably.

It varies. A gesture that works well with one audience could be useless with another.

Factors to consider include:

  • Cultural and environmental aspects, as well as the distance and sight lines between you and your audience
  • We can extract some fundamental rules for good body language from these aspects.

Distance

In general, your motions need to be bigger and more noticeable the further away your audience is from you. Little audience, little gestures big gestures go with big audiences.

For instance, you might make a little hand motion while seated at a boardroom table. You must use full arm movements when you talk in front of an audience.

“What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Seeing Lines

You can perform smaller and more complex movements if your sight lines are unobstructed. You require bigger (and higher) motions if your line of sight is partially obscured.

Contextual and Cultural Aspects

“Your movements need to be bigger and more prominent the more away your audience is from you.”

The ideal size for your gestures may vary depending on cultural and social considerations. Several instances are:

Action Item

Ensure to Use your gestures to create pictures.
  • More restrained movements might be required based on the audience's culture. (In general, if you are unfamiliar with the culture of your audience, avoid using huge motions.)
  • Your gestures should be restrained when giving a eulogy or breaking news about layoffs.
  • Your gestures can be seen more clearly when chatting to children.
  • In every situation, it is best to conduct this research as part of your audience analysis, especially if you are addressing a brand-new audience.

Examples of Speech Gestures Scenarios

To demonstrate how the size of your audience (and, by implication, the size of the space) affects which gestures are most effective, let us look at a few hypothetical scenarios.

1. Small Group Speech Gestures (2-6 people)

Example Situation: You are chatting with a coworker in an office or seated at a table with clients.

For this small group situation, follow these rules:

  • Because everyone is near to you, your gestures can be little and still have an impact.
  • Wrist-pivoting hand gestures and finger movements can be useful.
  • Think about the man's finger gestures in photo A on the right, for instance.
  • Face expressions and eye movements naturally make little gestures. In a close-knit small-group situation, where everyone can see every subtlety—conscious and unconscious—they are crucial.
  • For instance, the woman in photo B is merely using her eyes and demeanor to convey nonverbal messages.
  • Your chances of capturing their whole attention increase with the size of your audience. They will usually be casting a focused gaze toward your eyes. As a result, raising your hands up toward your eyes may be the ideal way to make modest hand movements.
  • Look at the individual in shot C, who is making a gesture with his hands lifted.
  • Watch out for tense hand motions that can be seen more clearly in this environment, such as tapping your fingers on the table or clicking your pen frequently.

2. Medium Group Speech Gestures (7-40 people)

Example Scenario: You are giving a presentation to a group of people who are gathered around a boardroom table or in a small conference room. Either you are standing or seated, depending on your preference.

For this medium-sized group, follow these rules:

  • As the average distance between you and the audience members grows, you should scale up your motions a bit.
  • Still crucial are your facial expressions and eye movements. Every subtlety, conscious and unconscious, may still be visible to spectators in the front rows.
  • Gesturing with your hands or arms should start at least at your elbows.
  • Consider President Obama's action in photo D, where his arm swings from his elbow.
  • Keep your sight lines clear! It is possible that wrist-pivoting hand motions are too small for others to see, especially if you are speaking from a podium or if they cannot see your face (e.g., by computer screens).
  • For instance, because the computer screen is blocking the man's motion in photo E, his audience may not see it (making it ineffective).
  • You might be able to use your upper body to make some greater movements depending on how the place is set up.

3. Large Group Speech Gestures (40-100 people)

An example scenario might be that you are giving a conference break-out session in a sizable meeting room or a lunchtime presentation at a business. There is not a large stage or elevated seating (i.e., you are standing at the same level as your audience).

For this large group situation, use these rules:

  • Increase the size of your gestures by extending your arms away from your torso.
  • For instance, the woman in photo F is making a gesture with her swinging arm from her shoulder.
  • Eye and facial expressions lose their significance since, unless you significantly exaggerate them, most of the audience cannot see them.
  • This can be the most difficult crowd size because they can only see you from the chest and higher due to the obstructed sight lines for much of your audience behind the first few seats. Most of the audience cannot see any gestures you make at a lower level.
  • Take note of the motion the man is making in photo G by raising both of his arms to his sides. The audience can see him over the head of the person in front of them thanks to this.
  • Smaller motions can be emphasized by holding them for a longer time and turning your body slightly as you make them. The possibility that more people will observe the gesture rises as a result.

4. Huge Group Speech Gestures (100+ People)

Example Scenario: You are giving the conference’s keynote speech. As you move from the front to the back of the audience, the seating is elevated, and you are speaking from a stage that is usually placed back from the front row.

Rules for this large group environment:

  • You should scale up your gestures once again. There must be gestures with the entire body. Do not be reluctant.
  • Like small objects, tiny gestures are imperceptible. Finger gestures are not visible, such as raising three fingers to signify your third point. Your viewers will be able to see your arm raised, but not your fingers.
  • Take Steve Jobs' introduction of the MacBook Air in photo H as an illustration. He is aware that most of his audience cannot see what he is carrying in its entirety. (And his face and hands are much more diminutive!) To make up for this, a picture of a manila envelope emerges on the screen behind him.
  • Eye and facial expressions are imperceptible. This does not imply that you should appear lifeless. On the contrary, you should continue to make expressive eye and facial motions because doing so will help to maintain an elevated level of vocal variety.
  • You can employ "low" hand/arm gestures that are concentrated around your waist and abdomen due to enhanced sight lines.
  • Additionally, your legs are now clearly visible, and you can take full use of this by strolling or kicking.
  • In certain rare instances, such as with the woman presenting in photo I, a video system may be employed to enlarge you for your audience. Smaller gestures can once again be seen if this is the case. The effectiveness of large motions remains higher.
“The human body is the best picture of the human soul.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein

To sum up

Always be conscious of your audience’s distance from you as well as the room’s sightlines. Scale your gestures in accordance with this understanding to be efficient.

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8 Speechwriting Lessons You Can Learn from Songwriters

8 Speechwriting Lessons You Can Learn from Songwriters

Nov 24, 2022 | Public Speaking

You can use the advice of songwriters to make your speeches sing. You can practically get your audiences to tap their feet, nod their heads, and even hum along to your message by using these eight songwriting approaches.

Triad from Cadence Harmony Rhythm Rhyme Echo Sound Effects #1

Have you ever attempted to waltz to music? (Or at least watched famous people attempt on ABC’s popular competition Dancing with the Stars?) One, two, three… one, two, three was the count performed for you. Your clumsy steps soon became more fluid. You were in the lead. You were in rhythm. Flow was with you.

The three-beat pattern energized you. The three-beat pattern inspired you. And the three-beat pattern made you feel energized. The three-beat pattern is engrained in our daily speech, flowing rhythmically into other people’s ears:

  • Wine, songs, and women
  • Baker, candle maker, and butcher
  • Imposing, dark, and appealing
  • Completely and utterly
  • Jump and skip to my beat
  • Request, Obtain, and Steal
  • Delivered, sealed, and signed
  • Liberty, happiness, and the pursuit of life.

Pro Tip

Develop your theme.

A triad is a chord in music made up of three notes. A triad is a group of three words or three phrases that are used collectively to boost impact and memorability with a rhythmic 1-2-3 beat, to apply the same idea to speechwriting. Alliteration, where each of the three words starts with the same letter, can increase the effect.

Think about these instances:

  • Effective presenters convey concepts with force, intelligence, and vigor. With bravery, conviction, and confidence, they captivate the audience.
  • Effective presenters present their viewpoint with conviction, acuity, and persuasion. They stitch their ideas together using the threads of creativity, ingenuity, and imagination.
  • Audiences are enriched, educated, and entertained by effective speakers. They pursue credibility, competence, and compatibility.
  • How to Use the Rule of Three in Your Speeches has more information on this strategy.

#2: Conclusion

A refrain in music is a line or stanza that is repeated repeatedly. In speechwriting, too. 

A refrain is a brief sentence that is repeated throughout (at least) three other sentences. Repetition is less smart for the message and less memorable for the audience than this brief repetitive sentence.

Take this example, which was delivered at the 2004 Republican Convention by the then-First Lady Laura Bush, to consider the messaging strategy and memorability:

Although Abraham Lincoln did not want to go to war, he understood it was necessary to keep the country together. Although Franklin Roosevelt did not want to go to war, he understood that it was necessary to end tyranny. And although my husband did not want to go to war, he was aware that it was necessary for the safety and security of both America and the rest of the globe.

“What we say is important… for in most cases the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
Jim Beggs

The refrain can also be developed using just two words, as Arnold Schwarzenegger did at the 2004 Republican Convention:

  • It is America again.
  • Returning from the invasion of our country.
  • Returning from the economic attack.
  • From the assault on our way of life, back.

Finally, think about former President Ronald Reagan’s 1984 D-Day speech:

The troops of Normandy believed that what they were doing was right, that they were fighting for all of humanity, and that a just God would show them mercy on this beachhead or the one after it.

Third: Cadence

A cadence is a repeated phrase that starts at least six sentences in a row. The words are hammered into the ear by the increased repetition, which increases the rhythmic impact and memorability.

Action Item

Ensure to ask yourself questions about the title/hook.

Think about the following line from Martin Luther King Jr.’s well-known “I Have a Dream” speech:

  • So let freedom resound from New Hampshire's magnificent hilltops.
  • Let freedom resound from New York's towering heights.
  • Let the Pennsylvanian Alleghenies, which are growing higher, ring with freedom.
  • Let the Colorado Rockies, which are covered in snow, ring with freedom.
  • Let freedom resound from California's sweeping mountains. that, though.
  • Let the bell of liberty ring from Georgia's Stone Mountain.
  • From Tennessee's Lookout Mountain, let freedom ring.
  • Let Mississippi's freedom bells resound from every mountain and molehill.
  • Freedom should resound from every mountaintop.

Feel the struggle in Winston Churchill’s June 1940 speech to the British Parliament:

  • On the seas and the oceans, we will battle.
  • We will fight with increasing assurance and vigor in the air.
  • We will fight to protect our country at all costs.
  • We are going to battle on the beaches.
  • We will battle in the streets and the farms.
  • We will battle in the hills. Never will we give up!

In August 1964, after accepting a nomination for president of the United States, Lyndon Johnson spoke in this cadence:

  • Most Americans support providing older people with medical care. And I concur.
  • Most Americans support steady and fair prices for our farmers. And I concur.
  • Most Americans want everyone to live in a decent house in a decent area. And I concur.
  • Most Americans favor giving every child the best education possible. And I concur.
  • Most Americans favor providing employment for all men who desire it. And I concur.
  • Most Americans favor winning the fight against poverty. And I concur.
  • Most Americans want to continue prospering, growing, and expanding. And I concur.

#4: Coherence

Harmony in music is a harmonious combination of sounds that is visually appealing. A harmonizing sentence structure can be used in speeches to balance the beginning and the finish of a run of (at least) three sentences.

Put your words on a teeter-totter and remember that any weight you place on one side must be counterbalanced by weight on the other. Parallel structure is the more official name for this method.

Shakespeare employed the following teeter-totter, harmonic approach in Shylock’s words in Act III, Scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice:

  • We bleed if you pierce us, right?
  • Do we not laugh when you make us laugh?
  • Do we not perish if you poison us?
  • If you mistreat us, should we not seek retribution?

Here is another illustration of harmony taken from 2006 Super Bowl champion Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts.

  • Talent comes from God. Be useful.
  • Praise is a gift from man. Give thanks.
  • Conceit comes from inside. Be careful.

Finally, here is another illustration of harmony from one of my own presentations about setting deadlines.

  • Inmates serve it. Time.
  • Musicians note it. Time
  • Also, historians document it. Time

#5: Tempo

Depending on your intended message, you can alter the tempo of your speech much like a songwriter alters the tempo of a song from a smooth four beats per measure (waltz) to a brassy eight beats per measure or more (jazz). To create a recurrent beat that resonates with your audience, use at least five verbs in a repetitive sentence pattern.

“If you can’t write your message in a sentence, you can’t say it in an hour.”
Dianna Booher

Look at the verb-driven, rhythmic speechwriting samples below. First, let us look at another instance of Shakespeare’s Shylock from Act III, Scene I of The Merchant of Venice:

A Jew is just as likely to be fed with the same things, injured with the same things, afflicted with the same diseases, treated with the same things, and warmed and cooled by the same summers and winters as a Christian is.

On January 20, 1961, President John F. Kennedy employed this rhythmic device in his inaugural speech:

To ensure the continuation and triumph of liberty, we are prepared to pay any price, carry any weight, endure any adversity, stand with any ally, and confront any adversary.

Finally, remember what the Rev. Billy Graham said:

Humor assists us in ignoring the inappropriate, comprehending the unusual, tolerating the uncomfortable, overcoming the unexpected, and enduring the intolerable.

#6: Rhyme

Every cheerleader, poet, and singer are aware that rhyme is a tested technique for developing rhythm.

Look at the poetry “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley’s opening lines:

  • From pole to pole, the Night that surrounds me is as dark as a hole.
  • I give thanks to whatever gods there may be for my invincible soul.

To create a rhythmic flow that pushes greater emphasis and significance to the desired message, effective speechwriters use rhyme in a specific order.

Look at this 13-sentence rhyming example:

  • Architects cannot renovate it.
  • It cannot be incorporated by businesses.
  • It cannot be taught in churches.
  • Developers cannot innovate it.
  • It is not calculable by engineers.
  • It cannot be regulated by legislation.
  • Judges are unable to decide it.
  • Attorneys cannot litigate it.
  • Manufacturers are unable to produce it.
  • Politicians are not permitted to use it.
  • Scientists are unable to define it.
  • Technicians cannot generate it.
  • It can only be planned by you.

The following is an example of how rhyme can help you create movement, meaning, and memorability: 

  • The legal division is concerned with liability.
  • Visibility is a priority for the financial division.
  • The manufacturing division emphasizes capabilities.
  • The marketing division emphasizes accessibility.
  • The advertising division prioritizes visibility.
  • Additionally, the public relations division emphasizes credibility.

#7: Echo

You can use the crowd to your advantage to add additional rhythm to your speech and get them to repeat a crucial part of your message.

Take this illustration, used by the late Senator Ted Kennedy at the 1988 Democratic Convention to criticize Vice President George Bush for separating himself from then President Ronald Reagan’s decisions on contentious matters. Take note of how the audience response is sparked by the rhythmic sentence structure. Where Was George? is echoed by the audience after the third or fourth rendition.

The vice president claims he was not present, cannot remember, or was never informed of the administration’s covert plan to sell Iran guns. Therefore, it is reasonable to ask: Where was George when that enormous error was being made?

Pro Tip

Use technology and don’t get discouraged.

The vice president claims that the intelligence report on General Noriega’s role in the cocaine cartel was never shown to him, he cannot recall seeing it, or he does not understand it. So, it is reasonable to ask: Where was George during the preparation and discussion of that report?

The vice president says he cares about seniors, but it is clear he was either unaware of or absent when the administration repeatedly pushed to cut Social Security and Medicare. So, it is reasonable to ask: Where was George at the time those judgments were being made?

The vice president, who today speaks passionately about civil rights, was either not present or did not fully understand when the administration planned to restrict voting rights, provide tax incentives to segregated schools, and reject the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988. So, it is reasonable to ask: Where was George during all those assaults?

Eighth: Sound Effects

To convey more emotion and give inanimate objects alive, such as “squealing” tires, “groaning” gates, “whining” sirens, “whistling” trains, “gurgling” creeks, or “screaming” winds, use a term for the sound effect, such as “crash,” “boom,” or “crunch.”

The formal name for this technique is onomatopoeia, and it concentrates on words like “slap,” “slash,” and “growl” where the sound of the word implies the meaning. Search for verbs in your speech and try to replace at least one of them with an onomatopoeic phrase. Say “the carpenter’s hammer thumped out a steady rat-a-tat-tat” rather than “the carpenter pounded the nail.”

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