If you’re not sure which theme to choose, write down or summarize a few stories and statements you could include in your speech. Pick the ones you like best and see if there’s a unifying theme to tie them together. See What to Do and What Not to Do for more advice on themes.
Don’t interrupt one point with a clause, or section set aside by commas or parentheses. Instead of saying “Our tennis and basketball teams, which we all know won the regional championships two years ago, need increased funding to compete,” say “Our tennis and basketball teams both won the regional championships two years ago. Now we need to increase their funding to compete with other schools. " You can reference your school’s slang once or twice to get a laugh, but don’t overdo it, especially if there are parents in the audience.
Find a broad message that your whole audience can connect to their own life, but still deals with a specific idea. For instance: “Become an even better version of the hero who inspired you. " (But don’t steal your “original” idea from this website!) Your stories can be specific incidents in your life or from history, but you should connect them to a more general idea. For instance, you could tell a story about your sibling’s hospital visit, then go on to talk about overcoming fear and hardship in general. If you like what you’re writing but it doesn’t fit the theme you had planned, it’s fine to adjust your topic or switch it entirely. Switch back and forth between writing stories and brainstorming a theme if you keep getting stuck.
Surprise your audience by diving right into a tough story. “When I was ten years old, I lost my father. " Make your audience laugh by telling a joke, especially one that everyone in the room will get. “Hello everyone. Let’s have a round of applause for the guy who installed air conditioning. " Start with a grand, thought-provoking statement. “Our galaxy contains billions of earth-like planets, and we’re only just beginning to discover them. " Most likely, someone else will introduce you, and many of your classmates know you already. Unless you’re asked specifically to introduce yourself, you can get right to the good stuff.
To use an example from earlier, if your theme is “Become an even better version of the hero who inspired you,” you could begin your speech with two or three sentence about your hero, then say “You all have heroes who inspire you, but you don’t have to just follow them. You can become even greater than the people you look up to. "
Include phrases such as “Now I’d like to talk about. . . " and “But we should also remember. . . " when moving on to your next idea.
Build up to a big ending, then crack a joke to wrap up a funny speech. “And I know when you walk to the ballot box tomorrow, you’ll be ready to do the right thing. Protect the interests of yourself and your school by washing your hands afterward. Do you know how many people touch that thing?” If you’re giving a commencement speech, leave people feeling excited or awed about the future. This is a big moment and you have the power to help them realize it. “Years from now, you will be the father or mother your kid looks up to. The writer who changes the way we think. The inventor who creates new ways to live. Come up to the stage and start becoming heroes!”
Have a teacher, family member, or trusted friend check it over for grammar mistakes and offer feedback. Spelling isn’t as important, since you’ll be speaking out loud.
If your topic involves a lot of numbers, plan to write them on the board so your audience can remember them
Your notes are there to remind you what to say next and of important facts. “Move on to bear wrestling story (guy’s name is Paul Bunyan)” is the level of detail you need.
Practice giving your speech in as situation as similar to your actual speech as possible. In general, you should stay fairly still while giving a speech. Small hand gestures and occasionally moving to a new spot are fine, especially if they help you feel and appear confident
If you speech is too long, you absolutely need to cut some material out of it or shorten the longer stories or ideas. If you’re giving a commencement speech, aim for a 10 or 15 minute maximum. An election speech should be no more than a few minutes, and your teacher should be able to tell you the time limit for a class assignment speech.
If you can’t stop rushing, work out how long you should spend on each section and write the number of minutes at the top of each index card or paragraph. Practice near a clock so you can check whether you’re on pace.
Use slightly different words each time once you have the main ideas down. Try not to get caught up on exact memorization; using a new phrase to communicate the written idea makes your speech sound more natural.
Practice varying your facial expression if your face looks fixed and mechanical. Try to vary the tone of your voice as well. Don’t make it sound like you’re reciting every word from memory; pretend you’re speaking in ordinary conversation.
Try to make eye contact with different members of your audience throughout the speech. Don’t stare at any one person for too long. Resist the temptation to hide by standing near a corner or large object. Don’t fidget, tap your foot, or make other nervous gestures. Try slowly walking back and forth across the stage to get rid of your nervous energy.
Dressing nicely will increase your confidence and gain respect and attention from your audience.
Memories your class shares and personal memories that many people will connect to, such as your first day at the school. Overcoming obstacles. Talk about how your classmates overcame problems related to academics, finances, and health, and how proud everyone is that they’re standing here. The diversity of your classmates and celebrating the rich variety of experiences, personalities, and interests at your school. Describe some of the many ways people will go on to do good in the world.
Address your audience directly. Ask them questions to get them thinking, although you shouldn’t expect an answer. Use groups of three. The human brain loves repetition, and especially trios. Start three sentences with the same phrase, speaking louder each sentence. Use emotive language. Try to provoke a strong emotional response in your audience, not present a list of facts to them.
Don’t tell stories that only a few friends will understand. Even references that your whole class will get should be used sparingly if there are parents in the room as well.
Go change the world! Today is not the last day of your education, but the first. The future belongs to you. If elected, I will be the voice of the students. It’s time for change!
