Tip 8: Start sharply, end fiery
Plan the beginning and end of your speech particularly carefully. How carefully the audience listens to you largely depends on the introduction. Anecdotes are good places to start. Structure your speech dramaturgically. Everything should lead to a finale that ensures that your speech stays in the audience’s mind – like fireworks.
Tip 9: Short and meaningful sentences
A speech should consist of sentences that are as short as possible. With nested sentences there is a risk that the speaker will get tangled up. Then inexperienced speakers often become nervous and get confused more and more often. And at some point the audience is just waiting for slips of the tongue.
Tip 10: Active, figurative language
Active language is important. For example, “We are planning…” instead of “Our planning provides for…” Search your manuscript for substantive verbs such as “implementation” and “reorientation”. If such a word appears, you can usually formulate the statement more clearly.
Tip 11: Practice the speech out loud
You gain security through good preparation. This includes practicing loudly. You should especially practice the beginning, the end and the transitions between the speech passages until you know them by heart, so to speak. When practicing, time the length of the speech so that you don’t exceed the allotted time.
Tip 12: Stay calm in the event of a breakdown
Don’t panic if, despite good preparation, you miss the mark or lose track of your speech. Because giving speeches is not your main job. That’s why small mistakes tend to make you appear authentic.
