You have done a lot of research.

You have read books and listened to myriad of audio programs on your subject matter.

You have the relevant facts and figures.

Finally, the day has arrived.

The moment is here.

The big question on your mind is-”How do I start my speech?”

You realize that your introduction is very important.

The way you start your speech will determine whether you will captivate your audience and flood their minds with the insight you have or whether you will bore them to tears and leave  the bitter taste of regret in their mouths.

Not to worry.

I have the answer to your questions.

There are several ways to captivate your audience from your first minute on the platform but I want to share just seven of them with you today.

I’m sure you will be comfortable with one or two of them and you can begin to apply them immediately.

1.A CATCHY STATEMENT.

Say something profound to get listeners on the edge of their seats.

2.A THOUGHT-PROVOKING QUESTION

Ask a question that makes listeners say “Oh…I’ve never thought about that.”

3.A CAPTIVATING QUOTE

You could start by quoting an expert or a highly respected figure.

4.AN INTERESTING STORY

People love listening to stories.

You could talk about something that happened to you or someone you know.

5.AMAZING FACTS AND FIGURES

Consider starting a speech by saying something like this-”Do you realize that your body produces 100billion red blood cells every day?”

6.A (FUNNY) JOKE

Use humur.Most people are attracted to people who make them laugh.

One of the best ways to get your audience to connect with you is to say something funny especially at the beginning of your speech.

Please remember to keep it clean.

7.INTRIGUING DRAMA

Think outside the box.Break the boredom of convention.Do something theatrical if you are comfortable with it and you are sure your audience won’t find it offensive.

There are a few other ways for you to start your speech but what I have shared with you are time-tested and are guaranteed to help you get your speech started on a good note.

Be sure to leave your comments and questions in the box below.

“ The four ends of discourse are to enlighten the understanding, please the imagination, move the passion, and influence the will.”
George Campbell

I told you in lesson one, that every speech must have a clearly defined objective.

The cardinal objective of your speech is what you intend to achieve with your speech.

With that in mind, you must also realize that every speech you make should accomplish the following as well:

1.Enlighten the understanding…Your Speech should be INFORMATIONAL

Don’t fill your speech with fluff.

Let those who listen to you feel privileged.Give them vital and relevant information.There’s no point talking to a plumber about the magnetic forces in the galactic course ways…that’s to the astronaut.

The information you share should be relevant to your audience.

2.Please the imagination…Your Speech should be INSPIRATIONAL

Paint pictures on the hearts of your listeners.

Let your speech take their imagination to heights unknown.

Be inspirational.You could ask a question such as “What if you woke up one day and you realized you had the power to fly?”

That question will provoke their thoughts.While many people would think you are talking literally, you could flip the switch and use that as a metaphor.

You could pause for a while and then say”I have good news for you-the truth is you do have the power to fly and over the next 30 minutes, I will teach you how to spread the wings of your potential and soar to new heights in your business”

3.Move the passion…Your Speech should be MOTIVATIONAL

It is important for you to create the picture of a desirable future in their hearts.It is equally important to challenge them to take the necessary steps NOW!

Motivate them.

You could share a personal story of our you overcame inertia and did something you never believed you could do.

You may never realize how valuable your experiences are until you share them with other people.

4.Influence the will…Your speech should be TRANSFORMATIONAL

Most importantly, your speech must CHANGE A LIFE.

Change the way someone speaks.

IF YOUR SPEECH WOULD NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE, THEN YOU MIGHT AS WELL KEEP QUIET.

You could rearrange these four points to form T.I.I.M

Transformational

Informational

Inspirational

Motivational

I hope you are learning as much as you can.

I look forward to meeting you someday, perhaps at the airport on your way to a United Nations event  to make a presentation or at a conference where we’d be speaking.

It would be such a delight for me and the thousands of people you will empower if you will apply the simple secrets that I’m sharing with you today.

That’s why I consider it a privilege to make this investment in your speaking career.

Today, I want to tell you about the three key elements of every great speech.

Now this is different from the three parts of your speech.

These three elements are powerful ingredients that must use in every speech if you want your audience to keep listening long after you have finished speaking.

They take their roots in ancient Greece.

The ancient Greek orators studied the most effective speeches ever made in all of history and reached the conclusion that all those speeches had these three elements.

You can be sure that they will go a long way in making your speeches impactful and unforgettable.

1.ETHOS

This is the root word for “ethics”.

It refers to the your integrity as the speaker as well as the character of your message.In essence, it refers to your credibility, sincerity and believability.

The more credible you are as a speaker, the more receptive your listeners will be.

For instance, people would rather listen to a medical doctor deliver a speech on HIV/AIDS than they would a motor mechanic.Similarly, the average audience would rather listen to a motor mechanic deliver a speech on automobile repairs than a medical doctor.

“Ethos” is also demonstrated in your mannerisms, accent and intonation.

Your message will be better received if you are natural and authentic.

It is necessary to learn from others but you must always stay true to yourself.

2.LOGOS

This is the root word for “logic”.

Every speech must be logical.

Remember that in lesson one, I mentioned that public speaking is “…deliberate and structured…”You cannot affored to ramble or take your audience for granted.

Whenever you are privileged to speak in public, ensure that your presentation is logical, systematic, intelligent.

This boils down to two things-research and reflection.

Research will provide you with facts and figures.

Reflection will help you organize those facts and figures in a way that will reinforce your message.

Your arguments should be reasonable.

This can only happen if you reason.

3.PATHOS

This is the root word for “passion”

This refers to emotions, sympathy and imagination.

PATHOS deals with the emotional appeal of your presentation.

Every effective speech has an emotional component.

People buy things for emotional reasons not for logical reasons.

Think about the several women who have as many as 50 pairs of shoes in their closets.More often than not, they keep those shoes because of how they “feel” when they wear them.

If you watch the adverts on CNN or BBC and other global TV networks, you’d see how much emphasis advertisers place on the emotional component of their products.

In essence, people are emotional.

It’s important to take note of this because every speech is like a sales pitch.

You want your audience to buy into your message or mindset so you must have the right emotional appeal to match your objective.

You don’t smile when you ought to be sober neither do you frown when you are making an exciting point.

Moreso, avoid speaking in a monotone.

Infuse emotions-anger, joy, sobriety, fear, desperation, confidence, displeasure, satisfaction, serenity and other emotions when necessary.

Let’s go over the three key elements again:

1.Ethos-your integrity and the character of  your message.

2:Logos-reasoning, facts and figures.

3.Pathos-emotional appeal and imagination.

Watch out for lesson three.

Let’s talk about the three parts of every MEANINGFUL speech.

Please take note of the word “meaningful” because there’s no point making a speech if it’s not meaningful.

The first is THE INTRODUCTION.

Your introduction tells your audience what you are going to tell them.

It is inappropriate to dive into the heart of your message from the moment you mount the stage.

It is necessary to have an introduction.

I’d talk about several ways of starting a speech much later in this series.

The second part of YOUR SPEECH is THE BODY.

The body of your speech is the heart of your message.

Here you tell them what you promised to tell them.

The body of your speech is “the meat of the matter”.

The third part is THE CONCLUSION.

The conclusion is a recap of what you told them in the body of your speech.

It may seem simple but a lot of people who speak in public have no clue about how important this is.

I’m sure you’d find it useful someday.

Watch out for lesson three.

Did I hear you say “duh”?

Well,let’s have a more elaborate definition.

I define it as the PROCESS of Speaking to a GROUP of PEOPLE in a STRUCTURED and DELIBERATE manner intended to inform, influence or entertain the listeners.

Please notice that I wrote some words in uppercase.

That’s because I want you to pay attention to them.

PUBLIC SPEAKING IS A PROCESS.

It is different from rambling or gisting.

It starts with a central thought which is then followed by a careful deliberation before speech production.

An effective public speaker thinks before he talks.

Dionysius of ancient Rome said “make sure your speech is better than silence or be silent”

YOUR SPEECH MUST BE STRUCTURED.

Every speech should have an introduction, a body anda conclusion.

When you are having a personal conversation with a friend, you can afford to talk about different things at the same time but it’s not the same when you are addressing a group of people.

When you speak in public, each word you speak should express your central thought or message.

The third point you should note is that YOU SHOULD BE DELIBERATE WHEN YOU SPEAK IN PUBLIC.

What does that mean?

It means you should match your movements and medium should match your message.Prune your speech so that you don’t waste words.

Every expression-verbal, facial and otherwise should drive your message further into the hearts of your audience.

Finally, EVERY SPEECH YOU MAKE MUST HAVE A WELL DEFINED OBJECTIVE.

Before you make any speech, determine your objective.

Do you want to inform your audience?

Do you want to motivate them?

Do you want to entertain them?

Your objective will determine a lot of other things including your choice of words, style of dressing as well as mode of delivery.

So let’s go over the four points again:

1.PUBLIC SPEAKING IS A PROCESS.

2.YOUR SPEECH MUST BE STRUCTURED.

3.YOU SHOULD BE DELIBERATE WHEN YOU SPEAK IN PUBLIC.

4.EVERY SPEECH YOU MAKE MUST HAVE A WELL DEFINED OBJECTIVE.

That’s it for now.

Stay tuned for the next lesson.