You may even be able to redirect or add points to your speech with a smaller audience if you notice a number of them are interested in a particular subject or niche.

Try starting the speech writing process by free-writing. Write as much as you can about your subject as fast as you can. Don’t worry about judgment or crafting perfect sentences. Once you have your points on paper, you can start refining them and putting them in order. Use an anecdote or a quote. Sometimes, someone else has already said it better than you ever will. A quote, provided it hasn’t been overused, can help you get things started. Just be sure to look for a quote that is surprising or unique, and always credit your source. [5] X Research source Be cautious about opening with a joke unless you know your audience well. You may think that a joke is funny, but your audience may find it humorless or even offensive.

You can start by looking at generic sources like an encyclopedia or Wikipedia, but you need to fact check your ideas with more authoritative sources after you generally understand your subject. Draw on your own experience. If you have a long history with your topic, your experiences and personal stories can be great resources. Just keep these stories succinct so that you don’t ramble and lose the audience’s attention.

Consider your comfort level with the topic. If you know the topic well and can improvise easily, then use index cards. Use 1 card for the introduction. This card should include your opening statement. Use 1 or 2 cards for each supporting point. Then, create 1 card for the conclusion which ties back to the main idea of your speech. Write brief sentence fragments or even single words on your cards. These words or fragments should contain key phrases that remind you of what you want to say. If you feel insecure or don’t know the subject well, write out the words of your speech exactly as you want to say them.

Keep the visuals to a minimum. You want them to aid your speech, not to overshadow it. Always make sure your speech can stand on its own should technical problems occur. Make sure that the audience can read the content of your visuals. Too big is better than not big enough. Check the facilities of the room in which you will be speaking. If you need Internet or you need a projection screen, be sure that the facility has the equipment. Arrive to the room early to make sure everything is functional for your speech.

If someone will be introducing you before your speech, then providing this introduction beforehand will be helpful. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/2/2f/Do-Research-Step-19. jpg/v4-460px-Do-Research-Step-19. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/2/2f/Do-Research-Step-19. jpg/aid9476-v4-728px-Do-Research-Step-19. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

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If you drive a regular commute, you can also practice a memorized speech while driving. Don’t look off of notecards while on the road, though.

Make sure that your gestures are natural and not too frenetic. Alternatively, don’t fix your arms at your sides or keep your hands latched to the podium. If you make the speech to a friend or colleague and they offer constructive criticism, try to be open to what they have to say. Make sure they are familiar with your topic or industry, though, or their criticism may do more harm than good.

Try to arrive at your presentation well before your audience. Take the time to make sure the sound is good and run through your visual aids. If you’re at a conference, you may have 15-20 minutes to prep. If you’re the sole speaker, you could get there an hour in advance.

Make eye contact with members of your audience. If eye contact is too intense for you, look just above their heads at a point such as a clock or a painting. Remember to look to both sides of the room. Don’t favor just the right or left. Move your eyes around your audience so that everyone feels included in the presentation.

Never leave the stage if something goes wrong, even if you feel embarrassed. Make a joke if you can, shake it off, and move forward.

Be sure to build time for any Q and A into your allotted presentation time. That way, you can control the flow of the Q and A. Then, after the last question, let your audience know, “I’d like to share one final thought with you,” and deliver a powerful closer.