Thorough preparation and proper presentation are prime factors for success. First and foremost, there always should be a good reason for making a speech. Your talk must be timely. Too many speeches not only are poorly planned but also are lacking in purpose.

Know Your Audience and Location

Before preparing your speech, bear in mind the organ­ization and the type of audience to be addressed. There are many different types of audiences within every com­munity.

A popular speaker addresses highly intelligent gather­ings of professional people, literary groups, etc., one day; the next, a football banquet, Scout Rally, or a convention of salespeople. In each instance the audience must be taken into consideration both in the speech to be delivered and the manner in which it is to be presented.

Review the Publicity

Good publicity concerning your public appearances pays off. Cecil B. DeMille recognized the potency of publicity. When asked why he made so many biblical pictures he chuckled and said, "Why let two thousand years of publicity go to waste?"

It is well to remember that publicity not only develops your confidence, it increases your popularity.

Determine Your Delivery

 After these preliminaries, prepare your speech and allow space and time for interpolations. Although you speak from an outline, it is well to write it out as a guide for timing your talk.

 There are four possible ways for delivering a speech:
1         Write it out now and read it to the audience later.
2      Write it out, memorize it, and then deliver it.
3    Write out only an outline, and memorize the ideas.
4     Present a wholly impromptu speech.

 
Highly technical papers, elaborate theses, and papers of state, require profound study and should be read for accuracy's sake. Any other speech should not be read word for word. Writing it out is all right but reading it isn't. They want you to talk to them—and if you read your speech with your head bowed you automatically lose most of your personal appeal—your animated face and sparkling eyes, and all else that makes you a sought-after personality.
 
Speech Writing

A good speech, like a good book, should leave people wishing there was just a little more.

Some speakers feel that unless a speech is long and involved, the audience will feel they haven't received full value—yet few speakers have ever gotten in bad for brevity. A good speech writer must remember that the head can absorb no more than the seat can endure, for a listener made numb at one end grows dumb on the other.

The story of the beginning of the world was told in 400 words. The Ten Commandments used but 297; and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address but 256.
 

Upon Arrival

Upon arrival at the meeting place, it is important for you to contact the Program Chairman and ascertain whether local practices include a question and answer period follow­ing your talk. If they do, have a few pertinent lead-off questions prepared and adroitly planted if possible. Don't hesitate to interpolate a fitting incident, but otherwise don't deviate from your manuscript or outlines to avoid running overtime. And it's wise to confine your cocktails to water! Maybe martinis whet the wit of a veteran—but they can sure mix the metaphors of an inexperienced man.

 
You are now ready to deliver a successful speech. You have a good reason for making the speech and have considered the audience. Your speech will be planned and relevant and delivered with purpose.

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