"How Should I Tell Them..."           

Page 1 - Page 2


        At this point, you should know what you're going to say - you've got the message of the speech pinned, and you've got a nice outline of ideas, items (research or quotes, for example), and views that you want to include.  But the speech isn't written yet, oh no!  It's amazing how little the actual content of the speech does to keep an audience's attention.  In that light, there are quite a few devices that can be used to intrigue the audience, shock and amuse them, keep them thinking about you and your speech, but most of all just keep them interested!  


  • Unconventional Treatment - An audience usually thinks it knows what it's getting into.  If they're going to hear a speech about some charitable cause, they expect to be persuaded that the cause is grand and its effects far-reaching.  If it's a reunion speech, they expect fond memories & humorous happenings of times past.  If the speech is at all educational, they expect to be presented with a straight-forward declaration of facts, causes, and effects.  Borrrrr-ing!  Do something they aren't expecting.  Satire works very well here - if anyone's read Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, you know what I mean.  Convince people of some idea by (for example) speaking straight-faced about the obviously ridiculous opposite!  Use stories and fantasy to tell about scientific facts, thus improving educational speeches.  Conversely, use "scientific facts" to tell about stories - especially useful for reunion speeches and the like.  Why all these bizarre recommendations?  Because by definition, my dear readers, "conventional" treatments have been worn out already!


  • Characterization - Too often, hearing one person talk for any significant amount of time is not a lot of fun.  One person has one voice, on mannerism, one style of prose; it just gets dull, even a bit lonely!  The obvious solution: characters!  If you have extra "people" in the performance, the variety of and interaction between them creates a more dynamic (and as a bonus, more entertaining and memorable) presentation than a mere soliloquy.  Be careful not to cross the line into a disturbing simulated schizophrenia; make effective but discrete use of the characters.  Having them recur in the speech can also be a nice touch - people become familiar with them and their particular viewpoints, which enables the efficient presentation of a greater variety of views on your subject.  All that said, it's a good thing to try - and I, for one, think it's a lotta fun!