How do you keep your speech flowing smoothly?

In my experience, I focus on what my audience relates with. That’s my first purpose and this drives my goal to ensure they receive value in this respect. I then research the topic and come out with salient insights that impacts especially in the first 5 minutes of my speech. Every group within the meeting must be impacted hence my focus is delivering a speech that resonates with common examples of real world scenarios and stories.

Keep the purpose of your speech in VIEW. ?? First, Pre-View it. What is the #1 message I want to get across to my audience? ?? Next, you want to View it. Take a look at your opening, main points, and conclusion. Make sure your content matches your core conviction. Am I focused on the main thrust of this message? ?? Finally, you want to Re-View it. Reverse engineer your speech. Have I designed a talk that leads up to this powerful conclusion? There is an old adage for speakers. And it's a good one: "Tell them what you are going to tell them. Tell them. And then, tell them what you told them." By pre-Viewing, Viewing, and Re-Viewing your speech you will feel empowered to craft and deliver a compelling presentation!

Identifying what your MAIN points are before your speech is incredibly beneficial... but how do we do it? After writing out my speech, I will summarise the paragraphs into smaller sentences, then summarise those further into bullet points. This allows me to narrow down what the most important points are & allows me to cut out the fluff. When delivering the speech, those are my refence points on what to say next.

Begin crafting your presentation by identifying the singular key takeaway you wish your audience to glean. Remember, it's the depth, not the breadth, that holds significance. Avoid the pitfall of divulging your entire reservoir of knowledge and inundating your narrative with a deluge of supporting data. Often, the goal is to guide your audience toward contemplating fresh perspectives. So, adhering to a clear and uncomplicated approach is pivotal to ensure a seamless and impactful progression.

When it comes to the content (body) of the speech, we can also take advantage of a vey useful and simple structure known as PEEL. P - Point E - Evidence / Example E - Elaborate L - Link This is especially useful even when doing impromptu speeches as it makes our delivery organised, flowing and coherent. In PEEL, you first start with the thought/idea (point) you’d like to highlight. You continue by substantiating your point with examples or facts/stats to back up your point. After which you’ll elaborate on your examples or facts and how it supports your point. You then end with linking how all that is significant to your point or to the topic of your speech.

Practicing and rehearsing your speech is key to improvement: *Content Memorization* Practice helps you remember your speech content thoroughly. Look up techniques like “The Memory Palace” (and others). *Language Refinement* It allows you to fine-tune your language for clarity and impact. *Delivery Polish* Rehearsing helps you perfect your timing, volume, pace, and overcome nervousness. *Diverse Methods* Use recording, mirror practice, or seek feedback from peers or coaches for varied perspectives. The more you practice and rehearse, the more confident and fluent your speech will become, ensuring a smoother delivery.

The key to a smooth speech is try & rehearse without a script. Use the bullet points from the system I explained above to direct your mind & trust that you intuition will take care of you. It is also ideal to try practice under some pressure: in front of a group of friends, some family or your coach/ mentor. Practicing by yourself can give you a false sense of security as there is no pressure (unlike in the real scenario)

Connecting with the audience enhances speech flow: Rapport Building - Establish a connection by engaging the audience and adapting to their feedback. Techniques - Use questions, stories, humor, and eye contact to connect effectively. Feedback Awareness - Observe facial expressions, body language, and responses to gauge audience engagement. Interactivity - Connecting with the audience makes your speech more dynamic and enjoyable. Audience connection transforms your speech into an interactive and engaging experience, ensuring smoother delivery and a more receptive audience.

What’s more important here is that HOW you’re saying it is even more important than WHAT you’re saying. And that’s why I can’t stress enough the importance of the non verbal communication aspect of any speech. You’ve got to say it like you mean it and you’ve got to show that you mean what you say, when you say it. And this is where speaking with conviction and confidence really plays a part.

Practice but do not script it 100%. Be clear about the purpose of your talk - providing information, motivation, influencing, etc.. Once your are clear and specific about the purpose, scope your talking points. Give yourself the permission to modify the flow, modulate your tone, etc based on how your audience react. Be authentic and the speech will feel like a conversation! Good luck.. let me know if it worked..

Your speech cannot flow if you are overthinking. A big part of effective communication is reducing our overthinking system and tapping into our intuitive "computer" system. My suggestion would be to give yourself evidence that you can do it, by practicing a number of times in different environments. This will help reduce overthinking and create a better flow when delivering the speech.

Perhaps one of the simplest structure and framework in delivering a speech would be these three steps: 1. Tell them what you’re going to tell them. 2. Tell them. 3. Tell them what you’ve just told them. Give it a shot.