How to write a memorable speech, public speaking tips

How to Write a Memorable Speech – 8 Tips

Do you want to learn how to write a memorable speech which will stay in the heart of your audience for quite a long time?

Do you intend to address a large number of people, and leave a lasting and memorable impression?

Not sure if the words will capture the undivided attention of your audience? If that sounds like you, then look no more! You are in the right place.

Words are powerful, and they stay in our hearts long after the speaker has even gone.

There is an animated movie I watched when I was a kid; its called Mulan. There was this king, who was being forced to bow to the leader of the invaders in his castle, and despite having a sword pointed at him, he said: “No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it.” Twenty years later, and I still remember it.

The power of speech can never be overemphasized, that is why for you to write an evergreen speech, you need to be able to select your words and actions while speaking.

Giving a memorable speech has a lot to do with being logical, relating to your audience’s concerns, doubts, joys, pains, and frustrations. Do not be like those public speakers who put themselves on a high pedestal, bring yourself closer to your audience and speak as if you are one of their own.

If you can manage to achieve that, I mean connecting with your audience,  then you touch a spot in their heart that automatically make them glued to your voice, seating at the edge of their very set. When writing a memorable speech, always try to inculcate the following

Memorable Speech = relatable + authentic + interesting+ captivating + convincing + entertaining. (I will get back to this later on).

Everything you say must make sense; have a reason, and an end result in the long run.

So, do you want to write a speech which will stay in the heart of your audience for quite a long time? Then you have come to the right place.

Tips on how to write a memorable speech

Listed here are eight (8) ways to write a memorable speech .

  1. Be real
  2. Research on your audience
  3. Be a good storyteller
  4. Be conversational
  5. Make a simple 4 point speech – the shorter, the better
  6. Enrich your vocabulary or, at least, prepare some relevant quotes
  7. Rehearse
  8. Talk about them and not your self

1.    Be real

When giving a speech, your honesty and authenticity matter. Your audience is filled up with people from different backgrounds, so, you cannot just begin to cook up some stories and incidences that do not exist. It would not take time before you are figured out as a fake. Hence, strive for originality in your speech.

Speak with convictions and authenticity; only this will drive your argument home. When the audience see that you speak with a lot of passion and belief in yourself, it is only time before they begin to reason with you along your path of thought.

2.    Research on your audience

Your audience is made up of different people going through different challenges, so whenever you want to write a memorable speech, always think in such a way that you tap into their various struggle.

It would help if you never gave them the illusion that you are over and better than them. Hence, a foreknowledge of your audience will aid and guide you in the format to which to lead your speech and make it relatable.

Knowing your audience also enlarges your creative thinking, you immediately understand what is befitting for that particular audience and what is not. So, it is always imperative that you lead keen research on your audience before writing a speech which you want to be memorable.

3.    Be a good storyteller

Know when to insert stories into your speech: not just any story, but a good and captivating story.

Storytelling has a unique away of captivating the audience. When you have a great story to tell, you easily sell off whatever idea you want to preach to your audience.

To simply put, a story has the capacity to effective communication between the audience and a speaker. So, when you want to write a memorable speech, you should be sure to check out some stories which have elements of drama, climax, and outcome.

So be sure to include accounts, quotes, and easy to understand metaphors to your speech; it is a crucial element for a memorable speech, and one of the best ways to ensure that it is remembered long after your presentation.

4.    Be conversational

Engage your crowd. Write your speech as though you are speaking with just a single person. Have you ever gone out for function and you get this feeling that the speaking is directly talking to you? Yes, that is the effect of an excellent and memorable speech.

Decide what you want from your audience and act your way around it. This can only be done by engaging your audience. Utilize questions and answers in your speech writing, quizzes, humor, and any other interactive narrative which are available to you.

5.    Make a simple 4 point speech – the shorter, the better

A speech is sweeter when it is short. Long speeches bore the audience faster than you can imagine. I remember my boss always says “leave the stage when the ovation is loudest.” That way, the audience begs for more, but then you are done with your speech.

Whatever you have said in that short time remains forever in the heart of your audience. So, to do this, you should draft out your speech in a short four (4) major point writing. This written out points will guide your narrative on the right path.

6.    Enrich your Vocabulary

Your ability to convey your message in a way that sticks to the memory of your audience is critical when it comes to leaving a lasting impression on them.

I believe that developing a rich vocabulary, mastering how and when to use it properly, and adding in some inspirational quotes to your speech script, you can achieve that.

A little word of advice on this point is that you always need to remember point number 2 (researching your audience) because of the level of complexity that you will use when writing your memorable speech, and upon delivering the actual speech must be in line with their level.

Trust me, you don’t want to be caught in a situation where you need to deliver a speech to academics, or people in business, or high school students, and your address is either too complicated for them to understand, or too simple for their level of understanding.

7.    Talk about them and not yourself

It would help if you did not talk about yourself and how great of a person you have been. Talk about them. The narrative of your speech should be directed at the audience and not about your lifestyle and glory.

Just think about it like this: You want your audience to buy into your idea, right? Then, they have to understand why believing your idea is beneficial or in line with their personal values.

Ultimately you want them to be inspired to take action. So, to do that you’ve got to make it about them, to make them feel the need to buy into your idea.

8.    Rehearse

Rehearse. As a newbie, rehearsing is essential. When you have written ot your speech, do well to seat in front of a mirror and speak to yourself. From this, you can determine how engaging you are.

Sometimes, when faced with a task such as this, I recorded myself and watched my body language and voice projection to see how convincing I sound. I had also done it with the people I helped when they were struggling to put together their presentation plan. Try this it; it’s really helpful.

BONUS: My Father’s Memorable Speech on my Wedding Day

I remember the day I got married, six years ago, and I was happy and excited. I spoke to a whole lot of people, received lots of advice, but the one thing I can’t forget are my father’s words as he hugged me.

My son, today you got married. I am happy and proud of you, and I would like to remind you that amidst all the happiness that this very day brings to you, the responsibility you are taking is a serious one. From today onwards, you are responsible for providing, protecting, respecting, loving, and taking care of all the physical and emotional needs of someone else’s daughter.

After hearing those words, I froze, they had such an impact on me because I have dreamt of getting married and having kids for the longest time, and on that day I was the happiest man alive (seriously I couldn’t stop the smiling). Regrettably, I wasn’t thinking enough of the responsibility that came with taking her hand in marriage.

Before that moment, I never considered what would happen if I lost my job, or if I became invalid, or anything worse. Going to work, getting a steady income was business as usual. Right after our hug, within a few seconds, my brain processed the following information: I should start saving up, trying to open up a side business, and all other things that make you feel like you have some ‘insurance.’

Why am I telling you that, because his words were in-between congratulating and extreme realization, his voice tone was smooth and solemn yet, six years on, I still remember vividly the very place, the time, where he spoke those words.

In closing

Writing a memorable speech may look a lot complicated, but in truth, it is not as hard as most people picture it. Try out some of the listed tips above and trust me, you are well on your way in been an expert at writing memorable speeches.

How to write a Memorable Speech = By making it relatable + authentic + interesting + captivating + convincing+ entertaining.

Relatable – The person/people listening to you must care, or be affected by the idea you are transmitting.

Authentic – You must come across as genuine, and not try to cook up new ‘ideas’last minute, or discuss topics that you haven’t studied enough while posing as an expert. People notice a fake!

Interesting – The way you transmit the message, the research you did on your audience before the speech day, must be aligned so that whatever you say sounds interesting to them. Give them some numbers, real-life examples, and potential solutions to their problems. Try new perspectives, don’t just repeat what they’ve heard a million times before.

Captivating – By piquing their interest, and showing that it is in their best interest to listen to your ideas, the next step is to ensure you captivated their undivided attention and you retain it up until the last words of your speech.

Convincing – Show to your evidence that you genuinely care about the topic and about helping them. Show them (not just tell), show that you will be able to help and that by taking the chance with your ideas they will succeed at something.

Entertaining – This one is optional, and it depends a lot on the type of speech that you’re going to deliver. If, it is a long speech, more in line with training, or corporate programs, then, by all means, make it entertaining, add in some games, funny and exciting quizzes, and so forth.

You can check out this post on How to engage your Audience, or download our Free eBook with six proven tips on how to Deliver Engaging Speeches.

Thank you so much for reading this far, I appreciate it. Let me know in the comments section what other tips would you use, or suggestions about crafting memorable speeches and leaving a lasting memory in the minds of your audience.

REFERENCES & FURTHER READING

Brydon, S. R., & Scott, M. D. (2006). Between one and many: The art and science of public speaking, (5th ed). Boston: McGraw Hill.

I’d suggest you also check the following article by Harrison Monarth, Executive Coach, New York Times Bestselling Author, Leadership Development Consultant, where he quickly goes through some of his tips on how to write a memorable speech.

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