Knowing your subject

You need to know your subject well in order to talk about it confidently. Although you should not pack too much material into a short speech, you need to speak knowledgeably to engage your audience. In preparing your speech, do some research to know what evidence—facts, statistics, visuals, expert testimony—will support your points. The more you know about your subject, the more comfortable you’ll be in speaking about it.

Developing a clear structure

A good presentation is easy to follow because it has a clear beginning, middle, and end. In your introduction, preview the purpose and structure of your presentation and the question or problem you are addressing so that your audience can anticipate where you are going. Start with an opening hook: a surprising fact, a brief but vivid story, or an engaging question. For an informative speech, organize the body in a way that helps your audience remember key points of information. For a persuasive speech, organize so that you build enthusiasm for your position. And conclude your presentation by giving listeners a sense of completion. Restate the key points, and borrow an image or phrasing from your opening to make the speech come full circle.

Using signposts and repetition

As you speak, use signposts to remind the audience of your purpose and key points. Signposts guide listeners (“The shift to online news has three important benefits for consumers.”) and help them to understand the transition from one point to the next (“The second benefit is . . .”). By repeating phrases, you emphasize the importance of key points and help listeners remember them. For more on transitions and repetition, see C5-d.

Writing for the ear, not the eye

Use an engaging, lively style so that the audience will enjoy listening to you. Be sure to use straightforward language that’s easy on the ear, not too complicated or too abstract. Occasionally remind listeners of your main point, and keep your sentences short and direct so that listeners can easily follow your presentation. In the following example, the writer adapts a single essay sentence for a speech by breaking it into smaller chunks, engaging the audience with a question, and using plainer language.

Integrating sources with signal phrases

If you are using sources, do so responsibly. As you speak, be sure to acknowledge your sources with signal phrases (“According to New York Times columnist David Brooks . . .”). If you have slides, you can include signal phrases or citations on the slides. For more on integrating and citing sources, see MLA-3 and MLA-4, APA-3 and APA-4, or CMS-3 and CMS-4, depending on the required style.

Using visuals and multimedia purposefully

Well-chosen visuals, video clips, or audio clips can enhance your presentation and add variety. For example, a photograph can highlight an environmental problem, a line graph can quickly show a trend over time, and a brief video clip can capture listeners’ attention.

Visuals and multimedia convey information powerfully, but you need to consider how they support your purpose and how your audience will respond. Too many visuals can be distracting, especially when they are difficult to read or don’t convey a clear message, so be sure each visual serves a specific purpose. Multimedia can overwhelm a presentation and leave you without sufficient time to achieve your goals.