by Joseph Wardy

Created on: March 17, 2009

As a business presentation skills consultant and trainer, the key to delivering a dynamite speech is ironically dependent on what is effectively planned and developed prior to delivery. I will use the example of the steps necessary for success for a dynamite speech. Here are the suggested steps:

* Step 1- Don't begin my writing the speech. How do you know what to write? if I were tapped on the shoulder and asked to deliver a speech, I would exercise the 3 W's: They are as follows:

* Who- Who is the audience? What are their needs? What are the political issues? What would be their objectives in a excellent return of their time? How do get this information? Seek the feedback of other managers and people in the organization who have knowledge of the audience. Most importantly, go to your manager as a resource as their reputation is at stake.

* Why- Who must be answered in order to address why. The why is best served by an agenda of topics related to why the audience is there. An agenda also changes the environment from a formal speech to a meeting where the speaker is standing up rather than sitting.

* What- What do you want the audience to leave with? Is your speech informational, educational or motivational? The following is key: Start with the conclusion to draw in the interest and attention of the audience. Most speakers take the dreadful path of a lawyer coming to a conclusion in their last paragraph when there is no longer any interest. The 3 W's satisfy the planning piece. Now you can write the content of the speech.

* Step 2- You can develop or write the speech. Here you tighten the content so that each participant can follow logically. When using power point, use the agenda slide as a guideline for consistency of each slide. The language used on the agenda slide is again used as the title of each slide to keep the audience involved logically. With slides, less is better as participants tune our when the information is cluttered. Consider feedback from your manager and ask if the slide is too busy.

* Step 3- Delivery. Know your speech well enough to glance at a bullet point on the slide. A dynamite speech has eye contact at least 90 percent of the time. The more we separate from 90 the less we connect with the audience. Practice the content and get feedback on the pace. You must want to be there for the audience. If not, you will wither go to fast to finish or too slow because you are ill prepared.

In conclusion, if you pay the price of planning and developing and you leave the ego home by concentrating on the needs of the audience, you will deliver a dynamite speech!

Learn more about this author, Joseph Wardy.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.