Before you start sweating at the thought of trying to achieve the perfect speech, let’s take a couple of steps back.
Let’s be real, being an entrepreneur is hard with a capital H. We have invested hours upon hours into our businesses and getting recognition feels great. View your upcoming speech as a way to engage with a new audience, or reconnect with a familiar one. Your speech could create a spark of inspiration for someone else, or showcase a path to entrepreneurship that may be possible for them too.
We know what you have to say is impactful, but how do you make your speech worth listening to?
Here are a few steps to get you started in writing the best speech that is meaningful for your audience, and your business!
1. Don’t start with the intro
If you’re sitting down to write your speech, chances are you will get stuck in the first couple of sentences. Do. Not. Start. With. The. Intro. You will get stuck looking at the white blank page of a document for several days and may give into defeat and decide to wing it instead.
Before you set yourself up for failure, write down the points you want to cover in your speech. Are you wanting to talk about your journey as an entrepreneur? Write down five points you want to cover in the timeline of that journey. Are you introducing a new product to your audience? Share educational content or include a live demo in your speech. When you write down the main points you want to cover, the intro and the conclusion of your speech will come easier.
2. Know the purpose
Knowing the purpose of your speech starts with understanding the audience you are talking to.
Ask these questions before writing your ideas down:
What is the purpose of this speech?
Who is my audience?
What do I want people to learn from this?
Answering those initial questions can save a lot of time and help direct what you want the speech to be about.
3. Bring your unique perspective
Much like Emikeni’s mission statement poem, only you can bring your unique perspective to the table. Your experience may be similar to some degree, but ultimately it is only you who can share your story. Your brand is unique to you so don’t be afraid of showing up authentically and sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly of the road to entrepreneurship.
4. Keep your ego in check
Don’t speak beyond your professional reach, this can cause an absolute face plant (literally or metaphorically speaking). Speak from a place of knowledge that you know for your industry. If you are tempted to speak outside your authority, make sure to double check your information and keep your speech on track with the main purpose.
5. Be fun to listen to
Being fun to listen to means being an active participant in your own speech. Change your pitch, crescendo your volume at critical points, and change your speed when it can help convey a point. If your tone sounds repetitive or monotonous, your audience may tune out after a few minutes. It doesn’t hurt to throw a few puns and jokes in there too!
6. Don’t rely on slides
If you’re using slides during your speech, be careful not to rely on them. Reading off your slides is not the most interesting to watch and it may take away from the value you are trying to convey. Make slides that add to your speech. Whether its including something funny in them, and insightful quote or piece of information, create slides that add value for your audience.
7. Begin and end well
Audiences usually remember the beginning and the end of a speech, but not always the main points in the middle. You can blame it on attention span or general human memory, but it is important to summarize your points towards the end and leave your audience with a takeaway message, even if they zoned out during the middle.
8. Build trust and grow your community
A good speech has the ability to feel more like a conversation for an audience. When you are able to read the room and adapt your speaking points to fit the room, you have the ability to build trust with the audience. Sharing about your expertise, product, or company can help grow your brand loyalty and develop even more connections beyond the room.
With a good speech, you could turn a small audience into a whole community that understands the purpose of your company's mission and wants to share it with peers, families, and colleagues.
Let’s be real, being an entrepreneur is hard with a capital H. We have invested hours upon hours into our businesses and getting recognition feels great. View your upcoming speech as a way to engage with a new audience, or reconnect with a familiar one. Your speech could create a spark of inspiration for someone else, or showcase a path to entrepreneurship that may be possible for them too.
We know what you have to say is impactful, but how do you make your speech worth listening to?
Here are a few steps to get you started in writing the best speech that is meaningful for your audience, and your business!
1. Don’t start with the intro
If you’re sitting down to write your speech, chances are you will get stuck in the first couple of sentences. Do. Not. Start. With. The. Intro. You will get stuck looking at the white blank page of a document for several days and may give into defeat and decide to wing it instead.
Before you set yourself up for failure, write down the points you want to cover in your speech. Are you wanting to talk about your journey as an entrepreneur? Write down five points you want to cover in the timeline of that journey. Are you introducing a new product to your audience? Share educational content or include a live demo in your speech. When you write down the main points you want to cover, the intro and the conclusion of your speech will come easier.
2. Know the purpose
Knowing the purpose of your speech starts with understanding the audience you are talking to.
Ask these questions before writing your ideas down:
What is the purpose of this speech?
Who is my audience?
What do I want people to learn from this?
Answering those initial questions can save a lot of time and help direct what you want the speech to be about.
3. Bring your unique perspective
Much like Emikeni’s mission statement poem, only you can bring your unique perspective to the table. Your experience may be similar to some degree, but ultimately it is only you who can share your story. Your brand is unique to you so don’t be afraid of showing up authentically and sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly of the road to entrepreneurship.
4. Keep your ego in check
Don’t speak beyond your professional reach, this can cause an absolute face plant (literally or metaphorically speaking). Speak from a place of knowledge that you know for your industry. If you are tempted to speak outside your authority, make sure to double check your information and keep your speech on track with the main purpose.
5. Be fun to listen to
Being fun to listen to means being an active participant in your own speech. Change your pitch, crescendo your volume at critical points, and change your speed when it can help convey a point. If your tone sounds repetitive or monotonous, your audience may tune out after a few minutes. It doesn’t hurt to throw a few puns and jokes in there too!
6. Don’t rely on slides
If you’re using slides during your speech, be careful not to rely on them. Reading off your slides is not the most interesting to watch and it may take away from the value you are trying to convey. Make slides that add to your speech. Whether its including something funny in them, and insightful quote or piece of information, create slides that add value for your audience.
7. Begin and end well
Audiences usually remember the beginning and the end of a speech, but not always the main points in the middle. You can blame it on attention span or general human memory, but it is important to summarize your points towards the end and leave your audience with a takeaway message, even if they zoned out during the middle.
8. Build trust and grow your community
A good speech has the ability to feel more like a conversation for an audience. When you are able to read the room and adapt your speaking points to fit the room, you have the ability to build trust with the audience. Sharing about your expertise, product, or company can help grow your brand loyalty and develop even more connections beyond the room.
With a good speech, you could turn a small audience into a whole community that understands the purpose of your company's mission and wants to share it with peers, families, and colleagues.