A speech with a purpose can be as short as three minutes and still be extremely effective. A speech with no purpose can go on for eons, as the speaker feels compelled to fill time with sloppy thoughts, poor jokes and vain attempts at flattery. All he or she will succeed in doing is annoying everyone.
Don't waste people's time. Never feel tempted to full minutes, as though that were somehow important. A good can be only a few minutes long, yet still be remembered for years. Why? Because it had a clear purpose, was well developed and, when its point had been msfe, it ended. Exactness is the mark of well-written speech.
Use a simple but surprisingly effective tool for clarifying the purpose of your speech-an ordinary business card. Write the purpose of your speech on the back of the card, in normal-sized handwriting. If you can't do it, then you don't know why you are speaking. And that us sure sign of impending disaster.
Here are some examples of a speech's purpose:
• To inform the audience of the difficulties faced by single parents.
• To teach the audience three new techniques to improve their sales quotas.
• To raise awareness of the plight of the homeless.
• To entertain a group after dinner.
Once you have written down the purpose of your speech in one to three simple sentences (I used only single sentences in the examples above), you can then start writing it out.
The advantage is that everything you write will now be subconsciously aligned to that single, simple purpose.And here's another revolutionary suggestion: If what you thought of saying doesn't fit the purpose if the speech, cut it out.
Don't be tempted to tell a joke or make a point that dies not relate to the purpose of your speech.
Every good speech has a clearly defined aim. Find it, understand it, meet the objective, and you will have a winning script on your hands.
Speak with a purpose. Anything else is extraneous. This applies even to an entertaining presentation. Your purpose simply becomes to entertain. Anything that does not fit the bill does not belong in your speech.