How to deliver a perfect speech

When Barack Obama used the slogan “Yes We can,” it catapulted his 2008 election campaign into another orbit. Similarly, Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” and Jawaharlal Nehru’s “Tryst with destiny” speeches rallied nations. These are examples of great speeches at different points in history that leaders used to great effect in rallying their followers.

For an entrepreneur and a successful leader‚ it is very important to communicate ideas and beliefs with conviction. Be it to your team member, investors or public at large, communicating orally and in an impressionable manner is vital. But how does someone become a good orator or deliver that perfect speech?

- Be confident, humble

A perfect speech is born out of confidence. For someone with a fire in his belly, giving a good speech should not be a problem. No one likes to listen to an individual who lacks self belief. It is very important to have the correct attitude and deliver a speech forcefully in a manner that demands credibility and respect.

One should not confuse confidence with arrogance. A good speech is one which does not look to put down anyone or belittle anyone. Humility is a sign of magnanimity and a good speech is one that does not rattle on and on about one’s achievements at the cost of overlooking someone else.

- Know your audience

It is very important to know about your target audience. Every speech has an intended audience and it is very important to speak the language they understand. For example, talking about topline, bottomline, PE ratios with workmen in the shop floor would mean little and serve even less.

Research you speech well, especially if it has facts and figures. Every technique of effective delivery of speech will fail if you mess up the data. A good speech will contain data that can create an impact and also something special to captivate the audience.

- Be real and funny

Audiences relate to real life imagery and anecdotes are a great way to drive home a point. Anecdotes create a sense of togetherness with your audience and helps people relate to a speech better. Metaphors and analogies also spice things up and are good additions to a speech. 
Business speeches‚ in particular‚ can be boring. If your audience is bored and loses attention, you might as well stop your speech. Humor is an important tool in public speaking and can make the mood livelier. It also serves as a good method to break barriers. However, make sure your humor is not out of place.

- Maintain eye contact

It is common to experience anxiety when speaking in front of crowds or a large gathering. However, it is important to curb such fears in order to be able to deliver an effective speech. Rehearsing a speech is therefore important as it helps you to familiarize with what you are going to speak and keep tabs on any error. It also helps in  building confidence when you make the speech in front of an audience. It allows the speaker to test what works and what does not.

Do not just read out of a piece of paper or a prompter in an effort to speed up your speech. It is very important to maintain eye contact with your audience. One has to address all sections of the audience and should not be selective looking at one section only, ignoring the others.  

The general norm is that eye contact should be between 3-5 seconds. Make sure you do not stare at an individual!

- Be engaging and correct

A speech becomes more effective when the audience is involved. One way to involve the audience is to ask questions or move around where they are seated. Make plenty of eye contact and bring an element of fun in your speech. Visual elements like a power point presentation, clips and videos also help.

Lastly, look the part. Sometimes, your appearance is everything and looking confident may do the trick.

Before delivering the speech, take a few long and deep breaths. Your voice should have the right volume, pitch and articulation. It should be delivered loud enough for everyone to hear and coherent enough for everyone to understand it.