how to write an instructional speech

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How to Write a Demonstrative Speech (An Instructional Process)

Depending on one’s life and activities, we all have tasks that should be completed every single day, no matter how mundane or difficult they may be. But what if there are tasks that you are required to carry out but have no clue how to? This is where demonstrative speeches come in.

These are basically “how to” speeches that outline and elaborate different ways to complete a particular task. These instructional speeches are very common, especially in high school and college and are also very necessary in environments that require training, such as the corporate world.

Demonstrative speeches usually give a step-by-step process on how to do a specific task, which is then followed up with explanations and any additional information that may be needed to carry out that task. Having some visual aids that help demonstrate the steps required to achieve the task also goes a long way in providing context to your audience.

Process for Writing a Demonstration Speech

First things first, before writing any speech, you need to draw up an outline . This will help you avoid having a jumbled up speech, and will allow you to organize your speech in a way that is easy to follow and understand.

1. Begin your outline by asking yourself "Why"

What new information will an individual gain from your speech? As we have seen above, a demonstrative speech teaches your audience how to carry out a certain task. 

People tend to learn easily and understand things better when they are motivated to do so. Therefore, you should tell your audience why they should listen and learn about what you will be teaching them.

People don't buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it."

Simon Sinek

By revealing to them how they will benefit from the information you provide, you motivate your audience to want to learn more about your topic of discussion.

2. Provide an overview

Once you have revealed to your audience your topic of discussion, it is important that you give them a general outline of your entire process. This is because when learning a new task, some people may fear that it will be too complex for them.

Providing an overview helps assure your audience that not only is the topic beneficial but it is also easy to follow.

Additionally, it provides your audience with context on how the steps you highlighted here will fit together as you delve deeper into your demo.

3. Explain the steps involved in your process

This is the most important part of a demonstrative speech.

First, you should ensure that you have arranged your steps in the correct order to avoid any confusion. After this, you will then need to explain each step down to the minute details in a language that is easy to understand .

Here, you will explain what exactly is required in each step, how it will be done and the reason why it must be done. The use of visual aids in this step is crucial as they will assist individuals in your audience to understand better.

Pro-Tip: Ensure that the number of steps you have in your speech are as few as possible, this will help avoid confusion.

Additionally, you should maintain eye contact with your audience as you demonstrate each step.

4 .Talk about variations, other options and instructions

Now that you have demonstrated to your audience how the task should be conducted from start to finish, you can now provide them with variations to the process or additional options.

For instance, if you were explaining how to cook a certain dish, now is the time to reveal to them alternative ingredients that can be used to make the dish.

5. Ensure you allot time for Q&A

Question and answer portions allow a session to be more interactive . Additionally, this time can be used to clarify some steps that had not been well understood by the audience, which in turn, clears up confusion.

Pro-Tip: Monitor your time as you give a demonstration, as this will ensure that you do not rush through the entire process and have to explain everything once more in the Q&A session.

6. Give a brief summary to your instructional speech

You should end your speech by giving a short summary of the whole process, after which you can go through the benefits once more and assure your audience that not only is the entire process easy but it’s also realizable.

You might also like: How to End Your Speech with a Bang

Now that we’re good to go on your speech outline , let’s focus on some extra tips.

How to choose the Best Demonstrative Speech Topic

Your topic is an extremely important part of your presentation, as it should reflect your process as well.

Here are a few tips to guide you on how to choose the best topic for your demonstrative speech.

• Take into consideration the amount of time you have to deliver your speech.

This will make it easy for you to determine how broad or lengthy your topic should be. If you have a significant amount of time, you have the luxury and room to incorporate more ideas into your discussion.

• Your audience

Before deciding on a topic of discussion, you should always ask yourself, “will my audience learn anything?” You should ensure that your topic is not only relevant to your audience but also helpful.

We can now move on to what makes a demonstrative speech good.

How to Improve the Quality of Your Demonstration Speech

I believe it’s common knowledge that everyone can write a speech but not everyone can write a good speech. As we have seen above, demonstrative speeches are all about teaching people, so you first need to be organized to ensure that the process is as easy to understand as it can be.

Here are a few things to bear in mind:

1.Speech Structure

Your speech needs to start with an introduction and end with a summary.

You should ensure that all the parts of your speech are cohesive as this will allow you to get your message across without confusing your audience.

2. Visual Aid

Using visuals such as diagrams and charts in your demonstrative speech will help your audience understand better.

Research has shown that an individual learns better through a visual aid. Scaled-down or real props can also be used during demonstrations.

Pro-Tip: Ensure your visuals can be seen clearly from all angles.

3. Follow-up Resources

Apart from using visuals, you can also provide your audience with follow-up resources that they can use after you have finished up with your demonstration.

This will improve the likelihood that the audience will successfully practice the process or task.

Follow up resources can include:

• Handouts, which summarize the steps in the demonstration and include diagrams that illustrate any important features
• Books, websites or pamphlets that can be used to learn more about a certain process

4. Audience Participation

You could also have a few members of the audience participate in the demonstration.

Actively engaging your audience by having them carry out the steps increases the probability that they will remember the steps and be able to conduct the process or task independently even after the presentation.

However, this is dependent on how much time you have to give your presentation. If you have limited time, then you will have to provide detailed handouts to your audience and if you can, get one or two volunteers from the audience to assist you in your presentation.

Pro-tip: Encouraging participation and engaging your audience allows you to have a healthy discussion where individuals are motivated to learn more.

There you have it! Go ahead and write a demonstrative speech making use of the recommendations above, and see how your audience will follow you all the way to the end!

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Public Speaking Tips & Speech Topics

130+ Demonstration Speech Topics

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

Begin your writing process by selecting some demonstration materials.

Choose a topic you are knowledgeable about, as this will help make your presentation much more effective.

If you cannot come up with good public speaking cases for a presentation, then use any of the subjects listed below for inspiration.

In this article:

How to Choose the Right Demonstration Speech Topic

Our list of good demonstration topics, process demonstration speech topics, health / fitness, technical how to ideas, demonstrate …, your central idea and purpose, how to introduce, your outline, the delivery of your demonstration speech topics.

You likely have plenty of processes and skills that you think would be valuable for others to know how to do, but that doesn’t mean that any topic you pick will be a good idea for your circumstance. You have to consider the complexity of the demo and whether your audience will be able to fully understand the process in the time given. Here are a few things to consider to help you choose a good demonstration speech topic:

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• Interests – Both you and your audience’s interests are an important factor when deciding on a demonstration speech topic. Your excitement and enthusiasm is needed to inspire the audience to care about what you are teaching. If your speech gains great audience attention, you’ll likely have questions to answer afterword. Make sure to choose a topic you are knowledgeable and confident in.
• Audience demographics – Consider what is appropriate for the group you are addressing. Aim to provide a skill that is of value to them, though be careful not to pick a topic that is either overly simple or complex.
• Setting – Consider what your presentation space is going to be like. Will you be indoors or outdoors? How much room do you have? These details will help you understand which topics will be better suited than others, given the conditions you’re delivering your speech in.
• Time limit – Think about what you can realistically teach in the time you’re given for your speech. While one topic may stand out to you, you may not be able to fully cover it if you’re only given five minutes.
• Visual aids – While your demonstration itself is a visual aid, many how-to speeches can benefit from videos, PowerPoint slideshows, and handouts. Consider what technology or props you’ll have available for your speech.

Speech topics can be broad. To give an effective demonstration speech, it’s a good idea to customize a topic to fit your unique situation. Take a speech topic that interests you and work to hone in on one central idea within that subject.

To discover the main point you want to make in your speech, determine what the specific purpose is of teaching your audience about this topic. What exactly do you want to demonstrate to your audience?

Form a clear thesis statement that answers this question in detail. Describe in one sentence what your demonstration is about and why it’s important that you share it.

Once you’ve determined the central idea of your speech, play with different action verbs to set up your main point. Here are a few phrases and verbs to frame your demonstrative speech topic:

• How to …
• Fix …
• Use …
• … Works
• … is done, produced, or made.
• Structure…
• X Steps to…

Try some of these other verbs too: deal with, draw, handle, execute, create, develop, incorporate, invent, operate, perform, or predict. Those words generate attention and they are in nature describing what your public speaking audience can expect .

These action verbs and phrases help describe to your audience what they can expect from your speech. Your headline will be more of an attention getter with these demonstration-specific words.

Below are lists of demonstration speech topics separated by category. In order to choose an effective demonstration speech topic, remember to consider your interests, audience, and what visual aids are available. Use action verbs to create an attractive headline and better target your audience.

• cook a pie (or anything else you like / know how to cook).
• fix a flat tire.
• create a Halloween mask.
• clean your car.
• play piano.
• change a bank check.
• dress like a princess.
• play a computer game.
• make a cocktail.
• taste wine.
• organize a surprise party.
• print a digital photo.
• eat oysters.
• register for voting.
• make Irish Coffee.
• read music notes.
• learn playing guitar.
• use your breath when you sing.
• open a bottle of wine.
• make your garden full of flowers year around.
• build a web site.
• clean your swimming pool.
• clean your golf clubs.
• make a fast summer salad.
• make a new candle of old ones.
• make your own wedding dress.
• organize your wedding.
• make a water-color.
• build a shed.
• prevent injury.
• knot a carpet.
• stop thinking.
• speak Italian.
• become a good actress.
• become a famous film star.
• write a film script.
• write a business-like letter.
• make honey.
• blow a glass.
• train your brain.
• dry your hair.
• greet Japanese people.
• use the cruise control.
• make a genealogical tree.
• climb a building.
• make a dancing show.
• snow board.
• board on sand.
• make a golf swing.
• draw a cartoon character.
• build a snowman.
• use the content of articles without violating their copyrights.
• put a weave in hair.
• sculpt your eyebrows properly.
• apply nail polish.
• apply makeup.
• find a roommate.
• choose the perfect pet.
• survive in the wilderness.
• make an emergency kit.
• perform a magic trick.
• organize your closet.
• change a baby’s diaper.
• find your ancestors.
• set up an aquarium.
• choose a digital camera.
• use the process of deduction.
• tie various knots.
• use the U.S. Postal Service.
• weave a basket.
• write a resume.
• knit a scarf.
• write a will.
• read a map.
• avoid ID theft.
• make bread crumbs.
• pick a bottle of wine.
• make banana pudding.
• make homemade salsa.
• decorate a cake.
• make pizza.
• make ice cream.
• brush your teeth properly.
• be healthy.
• choose the right running shoe.
• shoot a basketball.
• wax a surfboard.
• play chess.
• play poker.
• weight lift.
• program car keys and remotes.
• backup your DVDs.
• pack a suitcase that passes customs.
• find cheap airline tickets.
• find the best spring break deals.
• use a makeup if you a guy.
• fly an real RC plane (only show this outdoors and only if you are good).
• scribe a good poem.
• be an ninja (PS Joking sorry).
• pot a plant.
• bake a birdhouse.
• build a model.
• make jello Jigglers.
• arrange flowers.
• polish Shoes.
• design wedding cakes.
• stamp greeting cards.
• make ornaments.
• color eggs.
• make a pinata.
• fold napkins in a funny way.
• tie Die shirts.
• get your keys out of a locked car.
• fix a flat tire on a bicycle.
• saddle horse (I did this and tooka video of saddling my horse and narrated it to my audience).
• be a good student
• make jewelrey.
• text effective and clear messages.
• make a paper airplane.
• grow herbs – e.g. chamomile, parsley, catnip – in your own mini greenhouse.
• make the crunchiest marshmallows at a camp fire place.
• care for hamsters or other household pets.
• fold an origami crane.
• prepare invisible ink to write secret messages.
• construct a boomerang that comes back to you.
• prepare a banana chocolate shake to recover from a hangover.
• make twirling confetti eggs for parties and events.
• select the proper running shoes for recreational walks.
• use a sextant for navigation like two centuries ago.
• select and prepare a backpack for travel abroad.
• make up a first aid kit for simple treatment of minor injuries.
• learn break dance tricks and street moves.
• build a rabbit hutch or cages and runs.
• make a real Italian pizza with classic recipes.
• read a barometer and analyze the results.
• get energy from solar cells on your roof.
• identify if a Louis Vuitton bag is authentic.
• practice active listening communication techniques.
• learn fast reading.
• clean and polish golden rings, bracelets, and necklaces.
• pick a color scheme and palette.
• count the calories and make healthier choices.

And so on …

Another way of inventing demonstration speech topics is by association . Look at the general categories and themes below.

Food and Drink, Household Appliances, Sports Equipment, Outdoor Recreation Travel Trips, Health and Beauty Tips, Home Improvement, Home Decoration, Vintage Cars, Government Science, Nature Medicine, College Games, Culture, Tires and Suspension Trademarks, Travel Packing, Acne Curing, Building Treehouses, Vaccines, Vacuum Cleaners, Valentines Day Dating, Vanishing Tricks, Ventilation Systems, Video Game Consoles, Making Home Videos, Volleyball Techniques, Warm Ups and Stretching Training Methods, Water Polo Rules, Wind Turbines, Tasting Wine Vintages, Woodworking, How to Write a Testimonial About Yourself, Sales Elevator Pitches, Yoga for Starters Programs … Et cetera.

Process demonstration speech topics about deciding on an evening dress, roommates, and even personalized rubber stamps for public speaking and on how to do or fabricate something and the working of things and performing their functions.

Here are thirty example topics. You could show and explain how to:

• apply table manners.
• investigate a black box in an airplane.
• choose jewelry for an evening dress.
• choose tasty French champagne.
• deliver an effective speech.
• bake the best doughnuts.
• organize a prom night the whole nine yards.
• find a good dorm roommate.
• get a refund after you bought something you do not like.
• get a satellite tv for free.
• secure your home from burglars.
• lose weight safely and with a lasting effect.
• build a recycle compost bin in your garden.
• build a pyramid of a team cheerleaders.
• prepare for a job interview.
• register or establish a legal valued trademark or patent.
• overcome fear of public speaking before you stand behind a desk.
• get rid of roaches, mice and other pests in the backyard the natural way.

Unique Demonstration Speech Topics

• How asphalt cement is made.
• How batteries and accus work.
• How original Aboriginal boomerangs work.
• How bulletproof vests work.
• How an artificial pacemaker stimulates a heart.
• How perfumes and fragrances are designed.
• How thermometer instruments work.
• How antique barometers work.
• How personalized rubber stamps for hallmark imprinted impresssions are made.
• How topographic maps and globes are fabricated.
• How air bags open.
• How an espresso machine produces your cup of coffee.
• Fireworks and other explosive devices precaution regulation.
• Preparations for a tandem hang glider flight.
• Why hot air balloons fly after the sun is down.
• How lie detectors detect lies. This genre of topics for demonstration speech in education should be prepared with the help of professional officers of course.
• How a cardiac surgeon does a heart bypass operation to relieve pain on the chest and improve blood supply?
• Intelligent high IQ tests of the Mensa foundation for gifted and talented students.
• How metal detectors for treasure hunting work.
• The Academy Awards ceremony of the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Academy.
• The patent examining procedure of the Trademark Office.
• The organization of political election conventions.
• The ultimate method to remove chocolate stains from your clothes or carpet.
• The UN Security Council explained – start with positioning the permanent
• The smartest and impertinent money laundering conspiracy tricks revealed.
• The sun eclipse – the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sunview on Earth.
• How a radar detector, a speed countermeasure equipment, works.
• The four forms a rainbow can take – primary, secondary and supernumerary rainbows, and glory clouds.
• Why our red blood cell production is important.
• Satellite orbit types – polar, sun synchronous, and geosynchronous.
• Barometers, the instruments used to measure atmospheric pressure.
• The VoIP call process diagram demonstrated for teleconferencing.
• The route of your Short Message Service text from your mobile phone to its destination. Ideal to show the virtual road for passage with a huge map.
• Unique uses for duct tape.
• Catcher hand signals in baseball and how to recognize them.
• How the sun’s ultraviolet rays can damage your eyes.
• How to stake a rose bush to get more flowers.
• Making fake UFO photo’s is not difficult.
• Marinate jumbo-size shrimps for your barbecue.
• Tips for more privacy in a high school or college facebook.
• A step by step guide to write an ebook
• How to close a client
• How to create a business plan
• How to create an awesome finished product
• How to file taxes as a business owner
• How to network
• How to pitch your services
• How to prioritize your time
• How to research a potential product
• How to work from home
• How to ace a test
• How to balance your time as a college student
• How to create the perfect study space
• How to find cheap textbooks
• How to make any professor like you
• How to make friends on campus
• How to make money while going to school
• How to pick your schedule
• How to sign up for classes
• How to deliver an award-winning, persuasive speech
• How to perform well on standardized tests
• How to write a demonstration speech outline
• How to write an informative speech
• How to write in cursive
• How to avoid making eye contact with your ex
• How to breakdance
• How to dress like a princess
• How to prepare a presentation you forgot all about
• The best way to eat a deviled egg without being messy
• How meditation works
• How to check your blood sugar
• How to create a marathon training plan
• How to find the best health insurance
• How to perform an Olympic-style lift
• How to perform a yoga pose
• How to perform tai chi
• How to plan a vegetarian meal
• Incorporate veggies and fruits into your day
• The proper running technique
• The fundamentals of a weight-training routine
• How to bottle your own wine
• How to carve a pumpkin
• How to decorate a cake
• How to fly a kite
• How to grow a vegetable garden
• How to knit a sweater
• How to make peanut butter
• How to perform a simple magic trick
• How to swing a golf club
• Impress friends with an amazing card trick
• Best ways to pack a suitcase
• How to change a baby’s diaper
• How to change a flat tire
• How to organize closet space
• How to organize your email account
• How to save money
• How to tie a tie
• How to wash a car
• The proper way to fold a napkin
• 10 ways to use a curling iron
• How an STM image works
• How to choose the best pattern font for your website
• How to create an email account
• How to create an iPhone app
• How to insert an image placeholder in WordPress
• How to install WordPress
• How to print a digital photo
• Red/green/blue color mixing for website design
• How to apply make-up
• How to apply for college
• How to find a part-time job
• How to French braid hair

Technical how to speech topics to present information and instructional steps in a demo oral. To explain a techie or complicated issue to educate a public speaker must be concrete; do not only talk about abstract theories but describe it, make it vivid with visual aids, common metaphors and comparisons to ordinary live.

International fitting sizes; the different measurements for sizes in the United States and standards used in other countries, all about the yards, feet, inches, meters, centimeters and their history. You can limit these technical how to speech topics to clothing only.

Animation; show how to create a nice short animated movie or funny cartoon from a series of 2 D images. Give the full set of instructions while you are showing what you mean step by step. Start with a simple animated character, an avatar-like puppet that jumps over a wall.

Sunscreen; the working and the urgent need of using a topical product that absorbs and even reflects the ultraviolet sun beams. Everyone like to sit in the sun, although not everyone is aware that sun protection is important to prevent the damaging effects of sunlight on the long term.

Hard Disk Drives; how to recover data for a damaged hard drive, what does the police, government agencies, criminal investigation departments and internationally respected authorities do with modern technology to discover storages media on a computer.

April Fool’s Day; the best speech topics for a funny how to fool someone are from hoaxes and practical jokes on the First of April; give examples – your main points – in a top 3 on notoriety, absurdity and originality of the sense of humor that’s being used.

Tree Climbing Techniques; provide an adequate training in tree climbing for recreational climbers, discuss the gear, ropes and knots. And don’t forget the forest ethics!

Birth control pills; how does the Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill or C O C P, containing the estrogen and progestin hormones, stop an ovulation.

Mosaic Tile Projects; for decorating your kitchen, bedroom, living areas and even the garden wall. Tell your public step by step in this technical topic how to do it.

Room Air Conditioners; how are energy efficient and reliable systmes designed to meet your comfort needs, and which special technology is used?

One advice to help you with making things easier: Most audiences relate to technology issues in general, so again, don’t get to technical and avoid highly complex demonstratives when exploring these nine technic possibilities.

How To Draw

Draw a Bearded Collie dog, an Abyssinian cat, a Swallow Belied Mangalitza pig, a Dwarf Hotot bunny.

To make a picture frame, to do a magic card trick, to draw a cartoon animal, to kick a soccer ball, to do origami, to make flowers out of tissue, to make a ribbon necklace, to make a friendship bracelet, to play indian poker, to play basketball, to hit a volleyball, to make homemade gatorade, throw a baseball the right way, to knit a crochet, to braid hair.

How to Play Baseball You could talk about the rules – show how to swing a bat – also show how to feild – to run the base’s hit homerun’s.

Caps and Hats Describe in speaking instructions lessons how you can tailor made you school sports and collegiate caps and hats with logos in the latest styles and trends. And for affordable prices. Your speech topics could be about the steps you have to take in getting cool caps for your friends. And the call to action could be: let us get those for us all. If you succeed in convincing and persuading them it would be great. Further I will advice you to spice up your demonstration address with some persuasive arguments topics!

Dirt Pudding For the dirt pudding you will need: 4 cups of milk, 2 packages of instant chocolate pudding, 16 ounces of cool whip, You also need: 32 ounces of crushed oreos, 16-20 clear cups.

Horse Riding Saddle a horse, bridle a horse, clean and scrub a hore back, bath a hore tenderly, feed a horse water, feed a goat or sheep, bottle feed a baby goat nice and slow.

Wedding Planning a wedding: all the preps and the day itself.

• riding a unicycle.
• riding a bicycle.
• making a scarf.
• catching a fish.
• sewing something.
• making origami.
• feeding a chicken.
• cooking a meal.
• using a remote.
• eating really fast.
• making someone or yourself faint.
• using pressure points.
• doing self-defence.

Set a table, build a birdhouse, plant a garden, make a scrap book, make friendship bracelets, any type of food, make a duct tape wallet, make a piece of clothing, blow a bubble with gum, make play dough, make paper beads, write a letter, tie your shoe, make soap, any type of mathmatical method, make a snow globe.

These are just a few demos that I have done or thought about. Make sure when conducting your demonstration to make it fun, catchy, and full of personality. This will make the judges or audience. It can also make it memorable to take first place!

Also, it is important to describe why it is important to know how to do what you are demonstrating or how it can be useful. And also warnings or things to look out for as far as safety goes. This generally comes in the conclusion. Also, if there is something that is inexpensive, than include prices of the supplies.

For example: If you choose for a playdough. You could say that in comes in handy for a craft project while babysitting or it makes a great craft project and take home in vacation bible school. Be sure to not let the children eat the any of the supplies or finished product. Children may need parental supervision.

While it is not always necessary, judges often find it impressive if you list and discuss the nutrition facts in a food talk and point out a positive health benefit.

For example: ‘Peanut butter is a sweet treat the contains no cholesterol, but has a lot of protein in it.’

This shows your judges or audience you have complete knowledge of the subject.

Random Things You’ve Never Thought Of Act like a blind sea horse, bring animals back to life using facial hair, create a dinasour out of burnt pop tarts and ashes, use the three unforgivable spells in harry potter, flex a bust out of a steel box, tame a huge dragon after stealing it from its true master, win a cage match against a sea lion and a goat create a weird odd monster using black magic.

How to write a Demonstration Speech

Determine the specific purpose of your matter in hand. State it in one simple sentence. E.g. I want to demonstrate how to ___ .

Determine the central idea of the text. In other words: a clear factual statement. Construe representing features or delineate the stages by using ppt picture and figure slide sheets.

They see at once what your try on is about and why you want to share it. E.g. It is important to preserve family recipes and this project is the best way in which to do that..

Determine the central idea of the text. In other words, produce a clear factual statement. Explain representing features or delineate the stages by using Powerpoint picture and figure slide sheets.

E.g. It is important to preserve family recipes, and this project is the best way in which to do that. .

Once you have decided on a demonstration topic, write an attractive, effective, and interactive attention-getting introduction. Think about these sample elementary preliminary parts:

• Tell them what you are going to teach – (metaphor for “sell”) – them.
• Why you choose to demonstrate this topic.
• Why your listeners should know how to do it. Give them a sneak peek of a few benefits.
• Tell them that they are going to do it themselves in a couple of minutes and that the only thing your audience has to do is follow your instructions.

Lay out in clear terms the procedure – the particular course of actions. You could consider a series of tactical exercises to help them feel what you mean. Design some kind of an approach for acquiring and applying the knowledge you want to share in class.

Arrange the steps. Show the activities or moves you have to make in a logical chronological order. Describe the details. Be clear.

Do not think the audience will understand your demonstration speech topics immediately. Let them ask you questions after each step before you proceed.

Conclude each step in one uncomplicated phrase. Perform these action checks on the main points before you jump to the next step.

Just show them how to do it, step by step. Have you read my checklist? Okay, let’s move forward:

First and for all, remember this ground rule: think about the rules and time limit of the assignment. Plus apply these eight public speaking tips for delivering your demonstration speech topics:

• Visual aids, such as objects, actual items, models, and drawings all can help your presentation. Do bring them in. For a large object, ask your teacher how to incorporate it.
• Include personal stories and examples.
• Provide each audience member the proper materials and ingredients to practice with.
• Ensure everyone is participating – keep eye contact, laugh, and make some funny remarks in between the lines.
• Look around you and see if your audience is following you. If not, repeat some sections. There are always people who will not understand right away, but are too shy to admit it. Assist them to jump over the hump.
• Ask yourself if someone in the audience would assist you with your demonstration. Stay patient and polite, and help if needed. Do not make a fool of that volunteer: praise their efforts in loud and clear supporting terms. You can do it!
• Close with a memorable summary or with a sharply defined call to action.
• Ask if there are any questions. And leave a handout of the explored information for people who want to know more.

274 Speech Topics for Business [Persuasive, Informative]

78 Agriculture Speech Topics

15 thoughts on “130+ Demonstration Speech Topics”

How to be strong

How to put air in your tire

how to fall asleep in class

How to do an ab workout at home

How to get a really bad grade or a F on a speech

How to make teachers hate you.

how to put on a condom

How to gain self confidence

How to play APEX Legends rather than doing your Trigonometry homework…

How to groom a dog

how to draw a cartoon figure how to wash laundry how to decipher someone’s handwriting

how to be happy

how to fail a demonstration speech

How to get out of trouble.

How to bring someone back to life.

example of demonstrative speech about life

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279 Demonstration Speech Topics and Ideas: A Complete Guide

Before proceeding towards the demonstration speech topic, let us know what it actually does.

Demonstration speech clarifies how to do something or how something works. Here, the objects or physical activity by the presenter is displayed.

It is also considered as one of the basic types of presentation. They are usually assigned to high school and college students.

This type of speech is popular in commercial and other adult training surroundings. They are among the most widespread speech.

A demonstration speech is a kind of informative speech. The primary purpose of the presenter is to teach the audience about the task or the procedures in steps.

Due to its popularity, the presenter must present the demonstration speech decisively. The key purpose of Demonstration speech is to develop skills in expository speaking.

It also helps to present a process or steps using objects or physical activity.

• Argumentative Speech Topics and ideas: A Complete Guide
• Informative Speech Topics and Ideas: The Ultimate Guide
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Yet, most of you might not know the basics to deliver an effective demonstration speech. If you count on the one, this article is especially dedicated to you.

Through this article, I will present demonstration speech topics along with some effective tips.

When you have selected the demonstration speech topic, make an attractive and effective starting. It is better to start with an introduction.

Follow these steps for better consequence:

• Give short description about the topic you are going to present
• Why you decide to present on the topic
• Why your listeners should understand how to do it. Give them a sneak glance of a few paybacks.
• Tell them that they are going to do it themselves after sometimes. This is the only thing your audience have to do is pursue your directions.

Table of Contents

1. Start with why

4. give a brief summary of the complete process, 3. go through the steps, one-by-one, 4. talk about preferences, extras, or variation, 5. allocate time for queries, 6. summarize briefly, 1. try to get audience members doing it, 2. visuals lead a demonstration speech, 3. expand your demonstration with follow-up resources., some rules for presenting demonstration speech, informative demonstration speech topics:, specific demonstration speech topics:, tech-related demonstration speech topics:, hobby-related demonstration speech topics:, fashion-related demonstration speech topics:, household-related demonstration speech topics:, demonstration speech topics for students:, demonstration speech topics for business:, funny demonstration speech topics:, demonstration speech topics for health/fitness:, conclusions, outline of demonstration speech.

There are different methods to present a demonstration speech. Some of them are listed below:

A demonstration speech deals with training the audience to carry out a task or the whole process. Just as with any instructive task, it can become helpful when your audience is motivated to learn.

It is a must to tell your audience how they get to benefit from the knowledge you are about to present. When your audience knows the reason behind learning a new task, they desire to learn.

There are different ways to encourage your audience. Yet, one of the best ways is to start the speech with a why or some motivational stories. Draw an image of how their life improves with the new knowledge.  

Earlier than you dive into the information, give an overview of the general process. An advanced outline of the steps implicated makes audiences understand the benefit of speech.

While learning a new task, some of your audience will fear that it is difficult. An early outline ensures your audience that it is not too difficult.

When you do not provide a brief, it’s complicated for your audience to understand the steps. 

The audience won’t have the essential framework. An ideal way to show the outline is a figure explaining the steps of the task at a high level.

Together with the outline, you can list the basic needs of the task, and any assumptions you are making.

For an instance, for a speech on how to format the computer, explain with images. You can also use screenshots here to make them clear.

One of the finest things about a demonstration speech is the core of your overview that is set for you. Here, you only need to endure the steps of the task in order.

Better make the sequence of steps as easy as possible. Break down the process into important steps and make your audience understand clearly.

Now, your audience has noticed the task or procedure presented from start to end. Better provide some extra options or variations.

For an instance, you are presenting on how to cook chicken. Start with the necessary description at first. After that, discuss alternate ingredients, various flavors, and other ways to cook chicken. This makes your speech interesting.

Taking queries from the audience and answering them is compatible for a demonstration speech. This lets the audience look for an explanation on any of the steps which they do not understand. Relevant to the topic and circumstances, you can decide to take questions at the end.

At last, you should summarize the procedure in brief, and review the advantages. This lets your audience know the benefits of performing a similar task.

Best Ways to Elevate Your Demonstration Speech

Below is the list of best tips on how to elevate your demonstration speech:

Your preference for audience participation is often determined by how long your presentation is.

It also includes the setting in which the expression takes place. The accessibility of supplies can be shared by the audiences as well. It will be great if you get the audience to participate in the presentation.

Every demonstration speech gets better with appropriate visuals to follow your demonstration and procedures.

For an instance, for the speech on swimming, keep different relevant images. This gives audiences an idea to swim knowing the procedures.

Find here some options:

• Your body plays a significant role – For physical task speech like playing a football, your body plays a significant role. You can express each of the steps to enhance the demonstration.
• Physical support gives the real experience – There are two different types of support and they are real and models. Real support is the actual objects used while presenting the task. Models are the fake version of the real object and scaled-down version.
• Utilize images as much as possible – When your body and physical support are not enough, use images as much as possible. When you do this, it helps to engross yourself in the images to alive the action that would be implicated.

Any type of images you prefer, make sure your audience can see them with ease. If they cannot see your images they might not understand your speech as well.

A single presentation may not be enough to guarantee your audiences gained the knowledge. To get a better result, provide resources they can use after the demonstration is over.

This covers:

• Internet, books, pamphlets, or other specialist sources. They can ask for deeper information or high-quality training.
• Handout the steps, and diagrams or images to prove key details.
• Give contact information. So that your audience can contact in the future as they try to apply the knowledge you have presented.
• The speech you present should be original by the applicant.
• Objects or physical activity by the presenter should be displayed.
• Presentations will take place in a normal-sized room. A table or desk will be supplied. All visual aids, property, and tools are to be supplied by the presenter.
• This category excludes the use of property or tools. This comprises, but not imperfect too, weapon, sharp knives, unsafe chemicals, and animals.
• Only one person should be used to help out the presenter. They can help as the object of the demonstration. They can also set up or handle the equipment. It is permissible for the assistant to be both an object of expression and to assist with equipment.
• The highest time limit ion of the speech is 10 minutes, counting set up and strikes down. A 30 second is allowed, after which one point will be reduced from the assessment item coping with the rate.

Some Demonstration Speech Topics:

• How to Get the best airfare
• How to Work with a travel agent
• How to become the prime minister
• How to become a pilot
• How to Pack a suitcase
• How to Travel and Leisure
• How to landscape your front yard on a limited budget
• How to read a map
• How to print a digital photo
• How to use oven
• How to set and splint a broken leg (when medical help is not available)
• How to drive a car
• How to prevent injury
• How to calculate a mortgage payment
• How to register for voting
• How to tie a knot
• How to clean running shoes
• Give a baby a bath
• Change a diaper (think about baby safety too)
• Read and understand nutrition labels
• How to avoid identity theft
• How to play poker
• How to make beads
• How to make an ice sculpture
• How to make a bird feeder
• How to attract hummingbirds to your garden
• How to whistle
• How to make your garden full of flowers year round
• How to fix a flat tire
• How to create a Halloween mask
• How to clean your car
• How to cash a blank cheque
• How to Save electricity and save money
• How to Save auto fuel and money
• How to Buying a fuel-efficient car
• How to Save Money
• How to taste wine
• How to organize a surprise party
• How to clean your swimming pool
• How to clean your golf clubs
• How to make a new candle of old ones
• How to organize your wedding
• How to make a water-colour
• How to build a shed
• How to find a public speaking program that works
• How to become a good actress
• How to become a famous film star
• How to write a film script
• How to stop thinking
• How to write a business-like letter
• How to train your brains
• How to greet Japanese people
• How to become a policeman
• How to climb a building
• How to make a dancing show
• How to become the president
• How to be in the chair in a meeting
• How to start Green Commuting
• How to board in sand
• How to ride bicycle
• How to paint a room
• How to swim
• How to draw a house
• How to play chess
• How to clean golf clubs
• How to clean shoes
• How to wash and wax a car
• How to plan a party
• How to arrange flowers
• How to wrap a present
• How to build a sled
• How to Decorate a cake
• How to make a paper aeroplane
• How to juggle
• How to iron a shirt
• How to paint a table
• How to decorate a Christmas tree
• How to Install a dimmer switch for a light (not for fluorescent lights)
• How to Install a car stereo
• How to make garden stepping stones
• How to feed a snake
• How to make a fishing lure
• How to detect if someone is lying
• How to develop the best serve in a tennis game
• How to knot a carpet
• How to make honey
• How to blow a glass
• How to use the cruise control
• How to make a genealogical tree
• How to Make a hydrogen supplemental fuel cell
• How to calculate your golf handicap
• How to make a golf swing
• How to find the best health insurance
• How to find the best car insurance value
• How to calculate wallpaper
• How to build a go-cart
• How to clean silver
• How do bulletproof vests work?
• How do airbags work?
• What can duct tape be used for?
• How to create an animated character
• How to become an empath
• How to format computer
• How to Program your cell phone
• How to Download or upload files on the computer
• How to Build a good website
• How to Build a website
• How to Set up an e-mail account
• How to set up a blog
• How to install a WordPress theme
• How to create an iPhone application
• How to upgrade the memory in your computer
• How to remove scratches from DVD’s
• How to make a foxhole radio
• How to play a computer game
• How to send an email
• How to play an online games
• How to use linkedin
• How to live a more private online life
• How to play clash of clan
• How to use a cell phone
• How to text a message
• How to bottle your own wine
• How make a sweet lassi
• How to make an ice-cream
• How to pick a color and understand the color palette
• How to Grow a herbal garden
• How to dance
• How to do card tricks
• How to make sushi
• How to ride a unicycle
• How to do magic tricks
•      How to knit/crochet
• How to decorate a cake
• How to Grow and prune a bonsai tree
• How to throw a ball
• How to Play a video game to win
• How to make your own soap
• How to make candles
• How to play football
• How to use a DSLR camera
• How to create a worm farm
• How to do graffiti
• How to do poi spinning
• How to do origami
• How to take a picture with a digital camera
• How to paint an egg
• How to write a limerick
• How to line dance
• How to compose a photograph
• How to swim the backstroke
• How to pick locks
• How to edit a video
• How to dance a certain dance
• How to solve a Rubik’s cube
• How to make a pop-up card
• How to make animals out of balloons
• How to make paper Mache figures
• How to speak Italian
• How to make stained glass objects
• How to beatbox
• How to raise tadpoles
• How to read music notes
• How to learn playing guitar
• How to use your breath when you sing
• How to make beer
• How to play piano
• How to make a cocktail
• How to bowl
• How to read music
• How to lay a table
• How to waltz
• How to perform a card trick
• How to Apply acrylic fingernails
• How to Manicure your own fingernails
• How to Manicure someone’s fingernails
• How to Polish your shoes
• How to Accessorize with the clothes your wear
• How to Coordinate clothes for any occasion
• How to frost hair
• How to make your own jewellery
• How to apply hair dye to your hair
• How to apply a permanent to someone’s hair
• How to braid cornrows
• How to braid hair (had to do this in nursing school)
• How to dry your hair properly
• How to clean brush your teeth (back it up with scientific research)
• How to put on makeup
• How to trim a bonsai tree
• How to trim your moustache
• How to wrinkle a skirt
• How to do braids
• How to use scarves on your head, neck, body
• How to tie a tie
• How to make your own wedding dress
• How to dress like a princess
• How to become a princess
• How to fold a skirt
• How to apply face paint
• How to Set a formal dinner table
• How to Choose a bottle of wine for dinner
• How to open a can peaches
• How to carve a pumpkin
• How to Plan a vegetarian meal
• How to Frost and decorate a cake
• How to Make a fast summer salad
• How to Make Barbecue sauce
• How to Make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
• How to make a sweet dessert
• How to make ice
• How to Make a root beer float
• How to Make an omelette
• How to Make pancakes
• How to Make Ice cream
• How to Tenderize meat
• How to Make a subway sandwich
• How to Plan an eight course meal
• How to make peanut butter bars
• How to make chicken chilli
• How to Bake cookies
• How to Make devilled eggs
• How to Bake a cake
• How to Stuff a turkey
• How to Make fudge
• How to bake a pie (or anything else you like / know how to cook)
• How to be a vegetarian
• How to eat oysters
• How to Make your own jelly
• How to Eat with chopsticks
• How to make burgers
• How to make Irish Coffee
• How to make a fast summer salad
• How to Save water at home
• How to Recycle at home
• How to Build Green
• How to Save energy at home
• How to Grow your own garden
• How to change a plug
• How to mend a fuse
• How to Create a PowerPoint presentation
• How to write a resume
• How to be a model student
• How to do well on standardized tests
• How to deliver an informative speech
• How to do proper time management
• How to socialize with more people
• How to balance work and school
• How to find a part-time job
• How to write a college essay
• How to give a presentation
• How to organize an event
• How to start a bed & breakfast
• How to hire the right people
• How to sell yourself
• How to effectively close any client
• How to network well
• How to create a business plan that works
• How to make the most of working from home
• How to do nothing for a living
• How to live an anti-social life
• How to make your ex jealous
• How to get more presents on your birthday
• How to deliver a speech with a handover
• How to scramble together a last-minute presentation
• How to lose your belly fat
• How to do yoga
• How to stretch before working out
• How to kick box
• 5 minute workouts to keep you fit
• How to perform tai chi
• How to plan your diet
• How to snowboard
• How to manage stress
• How to check your blood pressure
• How to check your blood sugar
• How to train for a marathon

The demonstrative speech topics and ideas presented above should help you get started with your demonstrative speech and deliver a powerful speech. Let me know what you think about this article by commenting below.

Module 4: Organizing and Outlining

Elements of an excellent demonstration speech.

You will prepare a 4 to 5 minute speech showing the audience how to do something. The speech must include visual aids. Your topic must be appropriate for your audience. You topic must be approved.

I. Nature of a Demonstration Speech: In a demonstration speech, you inform your audience by showing them…

• How to make something (e.g., food; crafts; household decorations; technological gear);
• How to complete a process (e.g., playing a game or sport, or inspecting, maintaining, or repairingsomething); or
• How something works (e.g., part of a car; a machine; computer software)

II. Selecting a Topic: It’s best to choose something which…

• You know well
• Can be shown within reliable time boundaries
• Isn’t highly technical and doesn’t include too many steps
• Can easily be shown to a large group
• Will expand listeners’ knowledge

III. Organization:

• Organize the body of your speech into 2-5 main points which correspond to parts of your process- -rather than in a long series of steps
• Provide clear “signposts” for each main step in the process

IV. Preparation:

• Arrange and test any AV equipment beforehand
• Practice repeatedly so you can handle items easily
• Lay everything out ahead of time and make sure the entire audience can see your work area

V. Presentation:

• Be as clear as possible; use simple language; explain jargon; define acronyms
• Use easy-to-follow, step-by-step processes, and large, visible visuals
• Avoid obstructions; make sure everyone in the room can see you without having to strain
• Speak at a pace which your audience can easily follow, keeping in mind that you may beintroducing them to terms and concepts which are new to them
• Speak to your audience rather than to your objects, using the T-T-T method (touch/turn/talk); maintain eye contact

VI. Momentum

• Talk while you demonstrate; avoid “dead air time”
• Be prepared to add extra commentary if part of your process takes longer than expected (e.g., ifsomething you’re stirring doesn’t thicken quickly)
• If what you’re demonstrating normally takes more than 5 minutes, go through just enough steps togive the idea, then show the finished product
• Pass out handouts before or after your speech unless people really need to read or see somethingin writing during the presentation itself
• If you’ll be using a volunteer or needing a helper with equipment, identify that person up ahead oftime

VII. After your presentation:

• Be prepared to answer any questions
• Quickly clear your items away so the next speaker can get ready
• Elements of an Excellent Demonstration Speech. Authored by : Phil Venditti. Provided by : Clover Park Technical College, Lakewood WA. License : CC BY: Attribution

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Classroom Q&A

With larry ferlazzo.

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

Four Strategies for Effective Writing Instruction

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(This is the first post in a two-part series.)

The new question-of-the-week is:

What is the single most effective instructional strategy you have used to teach writing?

Teaching and learning good writing can be a challenge to educators and students alike.

The topic is no stranger to this column—you can see many previous related posts at Writing Instruction .

But I don’t think any of us can get too much good instructional advice in this area.

Today, Jenny Vo, Michele Morgan, and Joy Hamm share wisdom gained from their teaching experience.

Before I turn over the column to them, though, I’d like to share my favorite tool(s).

Graphic organizers, including writing frames (which are basically more expansive sentence starters) and writing structures (which function more as guides and less as “fill-in-the-blanks”) are critical elements of my writing instruction.

You can see an example of how I incorporate them in my seven-week story-writing unit and in the adaptations I made in it for concurrent teaching.

You might also be interested in The Best Scaffolded Writing Frames For Students .

Now, to today’s guests:

‘Shared Writing’

Jenny Vo earned her B.A. in English from Rice University and her M.Ed. in educational leadership from Lamar University. She has worked with English-learners during all of her 24 years in education and is currently an ESL ISST in Katy ISD in Katy, Texas. Jenny is the president-elect of TexTESOL IV and works to advocate for all ELs:

The single most effective instructional strategy that I have used to teach writing is shared writing. Shared writing is when the teacher and students write collaboratively. In shared writing, the teacher is the primary holder of the pen, even though the process is a collaborative one. The teacher serves as the scribe, while also questioning and prompting the students.

The students engage in discussions with the teacher and their peers on what should be included in the text. Shared writing can be done with the whole class or as a small-group activity.

There are two reasons why I love using shared writing. One, it is a great opportunity for the teacher to model the structures and functions of different types of writing while also weaving in lessons on spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

It is a perfect activity to do at the beginning of the unit for a new genre. Use shared writing to introduce the students to the purpose of the genre. Model the writing process from beginning to end, taking the students from idea generation to planning to drafting to revising to publishing. As you are writing, make sure you refrain from making errors, as you want your finished product to serve as a high-quality model for the students to refer back to as they write independently.

Another reason why I love using shared writing is that it connects the writing process with oral language. As the students co-construct the writing piece with the teacher, they are orally expressing their ideas and listening to the ideas of their classmates. It gives them the opportunity to practice rehearsing what they are going to say before it is written down on paper. Shared writing gives the teacher many opportunities to encourage their quieter or more reluctant students to engage in the discussion with the types of questions the teacher asks.

Writing well is a skill that is developed over time with much practice. Shared writing allows students to engage in the writing process while observing the construction of a high-quality sample. It is a very effective instructional strategy used to teach writing.

‘Four Square’

Michele Morgan has been writing IEPs and behavior plans to help students be more successful for 17 years. She is a national-board-certified teacher, Utah Teacher Fellow with Hope Street Group, and a special education elementary new-teacher specialist with the Granite school district. Follow her @MicheleTMorgan1:

For many students, writing is the most dreaded part of the school day. Writing involves many complex processes that students have to engage in before they produce a product—they must determine what they will write about, they must organize their thoughts into a logical sequence, and they must do the actual writing, whether on a computer or by hand. Still they are not done—they must edit their writing and revise mistakes. With all of that, it’s no wonder that students struggle with writing assignments.

In my years working with elementary special education students, I have found that writing is the most difficult subject to teach. Not only do my students struggle with the writing process, but they often have the added difficulties of not knowing how to spell words and not understanding how to use punctuation correctly. That is why the single most effective strategy I use when teaching writing is the Four Square graphic organizer.

The Four Square instructional strategy was developed in 1999 by Judith S. Gould and Evan Jay Gould. When I first started teaching, a colleague allowed me to borrow the Goulds’ book about using the Four Square method, and I have used it ever since. The Four Square is a graphic organizer that students can make themselves when given a blank sheet of paper. They fold it into four squares and draw a box in the middle of the page. The genius of this instructional strategy is that it can be used by any student, in any grade level, for any writing assignment. These are some of the ways I have used this strategy successfully with my students:

* Writing sentences: Students can write the topic for the sentence in the middle box, and in each square, they can draw pictures of details they want to add to their writing.

* Writing paragraphs: Students write the topic sentence in the middle box. They write a sentence containing a supporting detail in three of the squares and they write a concluding sentence in the last square.

* Writing short essays: Students write what information goes in the topic paragraph in the middle box, then list details to include in supporting paragraphs in the squares.

When I gave students writing assignments, the first thing I had them do was create a Four Square. We did this so often that it became automatic. After filling in the Four Square, they wrote rough drafts by copying their work off of the graphic organizer and into the correct format, either on lined paper or in a Word document. This worked for all of my special education students!

I was able to modify tasks using the Four Square so that all of my students could participate, regardless of their disabilities. Even if they did not know what to write about, they knew how to start the assignment (which is often the hardest part of getting it done!) and they grew to be more confident in their writing abilities.

In addition, when it was time to take the high-stakes state writing tests at the end of the year, this was a strategy my students could use to help them do well on the tests. I was able to give them a sheet of blank paper, and they knew what to do with it. I have used many different curriculum materials and programs to teach writing in the last 16 years, but the Four Square is the one strategy that I have used with every writing assignment, no matter the grade level, because it is so effective.

‘Swift Structures’

Joy Hamm has taught 11 years in a variety of English-language settings, ranging from kindergarten to adult learners. The last few years working with middle and high school Newcomers and completing her M.Ed in TESOL have fostered stronger advocacy in her district and beyond:

A majority of secondary content assessments include open-ended essay questions. Many students falter (not just ELs) because they are unaware of how to quickly organize their thoughts into a cohesive argument. In fact, the WIDA CAN DO Descriptors list level 5 writing proficiency as “organizing details logically and cohesively.” Thus, the most effective cross-curricular secondary writing strategy I use with my intermediate LTELs (long-term English-learners) is what I call “Swift Structures.” This term simply means reading a prompt across any content area and quickly jotting down an outline to organize a strong response.

To implement Swift Structures, begin by displaying a prompt and modeling how to swiftly create a bubble map or outline beginning with a thesis/opinion, then connecting the three main topics, which are each supported by at least three details. Emphasize this is NOT the time for complete sentences, just bulleted words or phrases.

Once the outline is completed, show your ELs how easy it is to plug in transitions, expand the bullets into detailed sentences, and add a brief introduction and conclusion. After modeling and guided practice, set a 5-10 minute timer and have students practice independently. Swift Structures is one of my weekly bell ringers, so students build confidence and skill over time. It is best to start with easy prompts where students have preformed opinions and knowledge in order to focus their attention on the thesis-topics-supporting-details outline, not struggling with the rigor of a content prompt.

Here is one easy prompt example: “Should students be allowed to use their cellphones in class?”

Swift Structure outline:

Thesis - Students should be allowed to use cellphones because (1) higher engagement (2) learning tools/apps (3) gain 21st-century skills

Topic 1. Cellphones create higher engagement in students...

Details A. interactive (Flipgrid, Kahoot)

B. less tempted by distractions

C. teaches responsibility

Topic 2. Furthermore,...access to learning tools...

A. Google Translate description

B. language practice (Duolingo)

C. content tutorials (Kahn Academy)

Topic 3. In addition,...practice 21st-century skills…

Details A. prep for workforce

B. access to information

C. time-management support

This bare-bones outline is like the frame of a house. Get the structure right, and it’s easier to fill in the interior decorating (style, grammar), roof (introduction) and driveway (conclusion). Without the frame, the roof and walls will fall apart, and the reader is left confused by circuitous rubble.

Once LTELs have mastered creating simple Swift Structures in less than 10 minutes, it is time to introduce complex questions similar to prompts found on content assessments or essays. Students need to gain assurance that they can quickly and logically explain and justify their opinions on multiple content essays without freezing under pressure.

Thanks to Jenny, Michele, and Joy for their contributions!

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

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How To Write A Speech Outline

Do you have a speech coming up soon, but don’t know where to start when it comes to writing it? 

Don’t worry. 

The best way to start writing your speech is to first write an outline.

While to some, an outline may seem like an unnecessary extra step — after giving hundreds of speeches in my own career, I can assure you that first creating a speech outline is truly the best way to design a strong presentation that your audience will remember.

Should I Write A Speech Outline?

You might be wondering if you should really bother with a preparation outline. Is a speaking outline worth your time, or can you get through by just keeping your supporting points in mind?

Again, I highly recommend that all speakers create an outline as part of their speechwriting process. This step is an extremely important way to organize your main ideas and all the various elements of your speech in a way that will command your audience’s attention.

Good public speaking teachers will agree that an outline—even if it’s a rough outline—is the easiest way to propel you forward to a final draft of an organized speech that audience members will love.

Here are a few of the biggest benefits of creating an outline before diving straight into your speech.

Gain More Focus

By writing an outline, you’ll be able to center the focus of your speech where it belongs—on your thesis statement and main idea.

Remember, every illustration, example, or piece of information you share in your speech should be relevant to the key message you’re trying to deliver. And by creating an outline, you can ensure that everything relates back to your main point.

Keep Things Organized

Your speech should have an overall organizational pattern so that listeners will be able to follow your thoughts. You want your ideas to be laid out in a logical order that’s easy to track, and for all of the speech elements to correspond.

An outline serves as a structure or foundation for your speech, allowing you to see all of your main points laid out so you can easily rearrange them into an order that makes sense for easy listening.

Create Smoother Transitions

A speaking outline helps you create smoother transitions between the different parts of your speech.

When you know what’s happening before and after a certain section, it will be easy to accurately deliver transitional statements that make sense in context. Instead of seeming like several disjointed ideas, the parts of your speech will naturally flow into each other.

Save Yourself Time

An outline is an organization tool that will save you time and effort when you get ready to write the final draft of your speech. When you’re working off of an outline to write your draft, you can overcome “blank page syndrome.”

It will be much easier to finish the entire speech because the main points and sub-points are already clearly laid out for you.

Your only job is to finish filling everything in.

Preparing to Write A Speech Outline

Now that you know how helpful even the most basic of speech outlines can be in helping you write the best speech, here’s how to write the best outline for your next public speaking project.

How Long Should A Speech Outline Be?

The length of your speech outline will depend on the length of your speech. Are you giving a quick two-minute talk or a longer thirty-minute presentation? The length of your outline will reflect the length of your final speech.

Another factor that will determine the length of your outline is how much information you actually want to include in the outline. For some speakers, bullet points of your main points might be enough. In other cases, you may feel more comfortable with a full-sentence outline that offers a more comprehensive view of your speech topic.

The length of your outline will also depend on the type of outline you’re using at any given moment.

Types of Outlines

Did you know there are several outline types? Each type of outline is intended for a different stage of the speechwriting process. Here, we’re going to walk through:

• Working outlines
• Full-sentence outlines
• Speaking outlines

Working Outline

Think of your working outline as the bare bones of your speech—the scaffolding you’re using as you just start to build your presentation. To create a working outline, you will need:

• A speech topic
• An idea for the “hook” in your introduction
• A thesis statement
• 3-5 main points (each one should make a primary claim that you support with references)
• A conclusion

Each of your main points will also have sub-points, but we’ll get to those in a later step.

The benefit of a working outline is that it’s easy to move things around. If you think your main points don’t make sense in a certain order—or that one point needs to be scrapped entirely—it’s no problem to make the needed changes. You won’t be deleting any of your prior hard work because you haven’t really done any work yet.

Once you are confident in this “skeleton outline,” you can move on to the next, where you’ll start filling in more detailed information.

Full-sentence outline

As the name implies, your full-sentence outline contains full sentences. No bullet points or scribbled, “talk about x, y, z here.” Instead, research everything you want to include and write out the information in full sentences.

Why is this important? A full-sentence outline helps ensure that you are:

• Including all of the information your audience needs to know
• Organizing the material well
• Staying within any time constraints you’ve been given

Don’t skip this important step as you plan your speech.

Speaking outline

The final type of outline you’ll need is a speaking outline. When it comes to the level of detail, this outline is somewhere in between your working outline and a full-sentence outline. 

You’ll include the main parts of your speech—the introduction, main points, and conclusion. But you’ll add a little extra detail about each one, too. This might be a quote that you don’t want to misremember or just a few words to jog your memory of an anecdote to share.

When you actually give your speech, this is the outline you will use. It might seem like it makes more sense to use your detailed full-sentence outline up on stage. However, if you use this outline, it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of reading your speech—which is not what you want to do. You’ll likely sound much more natural if you use your speaking outline.

How to Write A Speech Outline

We’ve covered the types of outlines you’ll work through as you write your speech. Now, let’s talk more about how you’ll come up with the information to add to each outline type.

Pick A Topic

Before you can begin writing an outline, you have to know what you’re going to be speaking about. In some situations, you may have a topic given to you—especially if you are in a public speaking class and must follow the instructor’s requirements. But in many cases, speakers must come up with their own topic for a speech.

Consider your audience and what kind of educational, humorous, or otherwise valuable information they need to hear. Your topic and message should of course be highly relevant to them. If you don’t know your audience well enough to choose a topic, that’s a problem.

Your audience is your first priority. If possible, however, it’s also helpful to choose a topic that appeals to you. What’s something you’re interested in and/or knowledgeable about? 

It will be much easier to write a speech on a topic you care about rather than one you don’t. If you can come up with a speech topic that appeals to your audience and is interesting to you, that’s the sweet spot for writing and delivering an unforgettable speech.

Write A Thesis Statement

The next step is to ask yourself two important questions:

• What do you want your audience to take away from your speech?
• How will you communicate this main message?

The key message of your speech can also be called your “thesis statement.”

Essentially, this is your main point—the most important thing you hope to get across.

You’ll most likely actually say your thesis statement verbatim during your speech. It should come at the end of your introduction. Then, you’ll spend the rest of your talk expanding on this statement, sharing more information that will prove the statement is true.

Consider writing your thesis statement right now—before you begin researching or outlining your speech. If you can refer back to this statement as you get to work, it will be much easier to make sure all of the elements correspond with each other throughout your speech.

An example of a good thesis statement might read like this:

• Going for a run every day is good for your health.
• It’s important to start saving for retirement early.
• The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on many small businesses.

The second part of this step is to know how you will communicate your main message . For example, if your key point is that running improves physical health, you might get this across by:

• Citing scientific studies that proved running is good for your health
• Sharing your personal experience of going for a run every day

Your goal is for all of your sub-points and supporting material to reflect and support your main point. At the end of the speech, your audience should be appropriately motivated, educated, or convinced that your thesis statement is true.

Once you have a topic for your presentation and a good thesis statement, you can move on to the bulk of the outline.

The first part of your speech is the introduction, which should include a strong “hook” to grab the attention of your audience. There are endless directions you can go to create this hook. Don’t be afraid to get creative! You might try:

• Telling a joke
• Sharing an anecdote
• Using a prop or visual aid
• Asking a question (rhetorical or otherwise)

These are just a few examples of hooks that can make your audience sit up and take notice.

The rest of your introduction shouldn’t be too long—as a general rule of thumb, you want your introduction to take up about 10% of your entire speech. But there are a few other things you need to say.

Briefly introduce yourself and who you are to communicate why the audience should trust you. Mention why you’re giving this speech. 

Explain that you’re going to cover X main points—you can quickly list them—and include your thesis statement. 

You could also mention how long your speech will be and say what your audience will take away from it (“At the end of our 15 minutes together today, you’ll understand how to write a resume”).

Then smoothly transition into the body of your speech.

Next, you’ll write the body of your speech. This is the bulk of your presentation. It will include your main points and their sub-points. Here’s how this should look:

Your subpoints might be anecdotes, visual aids, or studies. However you decide to support your main points, make them memorable and engaging. Nobody wants to sit and listen to you recite a dry list of facts.

Remember, the amount of detail you include right now will depend on which outline you’re on. Your first outline, or working outline, doesn’t have to include every last little detail. Your goal is to briefly encapsulate all of the most important elements in your speech. 

But beyond that, you don’t need to write down every last detail or example right now. You don’t even have to write full sentences at this point. That will come in your second outline and other future drafts.

Your conclusion should concisely summarize the main points of your speech. You could do this by saying, “To recap as I finish up, today we learned…” and reiterate those primary points.

It’s also good to leave the audience with something to think about and/or discuss. Consider asking them a question that expands on your speech—something they can turn over in their minds the rest of the day. 

Or share one final story or quote that will leave them with lasting inspiration. Bonus points if your conclusion circles back around to your introduction or hook.

In other cases, you may want to end with a call to action. Are you promoting something? Make sure your audience knows what it is, how it will benefit them, and where they can find it. Or, your CTA might be as simple as plugging your Twitter handle and asking listeners to follow you.

Finally, don’t forget to say thank you to your audience for taking the time to listen.

Additional Helpful Speechwriting Tips

Your speech outline is important, but it’s not the only thing that goes into preparing to give a presentation. Take a look at these additional tips I recommend to help your speech succeed.

Use Visual Aids

Visual aids are a good way to make sure your audience stays engaged—that they listen closely, and remember what you said. Visual aids serve as an attention-getter for people who may not be listening closely. These aids also ensure that your points are sufficiently supported.

You might choose to incorporate any of the following in your talk:

• A PowerPoint presentation
• A chart or graph
• A whiteboard or blackboard
• A flip chart
• A prop that you hold or interact with

Don’t overdo it. Remember, your speech is the main thing you’re presenting. Any visual aids are just that—aids. They’re a side dish, not the main entrée. Select one primary type of aid for your speech.

If you decide to include visual aids, use your speaking outline to make a note of which items you will incorporate where. You may want to place these items on your working outline. They should definitely be on your full-sentence outline.

Keep Your Audience Engaged

As you write and practice your speech, make sure you’re doing everything you can to keep your audience engaged the entire time. We’ve already talked about including stories and jokes, using visual aids, or asking questions to vary your talk and make it more interesting.

Your body language is another important component of audience engagement. Your posture should be straight yet relaxed, with shoulders back and feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your body open to the audience.

Make eye contact with different people in the audience. Incorporate hand gestures that emphasize certain points or draw attention to your visual aids.

Don’t be afraid to move around whatever space you have. Movement is especially helpful to indicate a clearer transition from one part of your speech to another. And smile! A simple smile goes a long way to help your audience relax.

Practice Your Speech

When you’re done with speechwriting, it’s time to get in front of the mirror and practice. Pay attention to your body language, gestures, and eye contact. 

Practice working with any visual aids or props you will be using. It’s also helpful to make a plan B—for instance, what will you do if the projector isn’t working and you can’t use your slides?

Ask a friend or family member if you can rehearse your speech for them. When you’re through, ask them questions about which parts held their attention and which ones didn’t.

You should also use your speaking outline and whatever other notes you’ll be using in your speech itself. Get used to referring to this outline as you go. But remember, don’t read anything verbatim (except maybe a quote). Your speaking outline is simply a guide to remind you where you’re going.

Learn to Speak Like A Leader

There’s a lot of work that goes into writing a speech outline. That’s undeniable. But an outline is the best way to organize and plan your presentation. When your speech outline is ready, it will be a breeze to write and then present your actual speech.

If you’re looking for more help learning how to become a strong public speaker, I recommend my free 5 Minute Speech Formula . This will help you start writing your speech and turn any idea into a powerful message.

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About Brian Tracy — Brian is recognized as the top sales training and personal success authority in the world today. He has authored more than 60 books and has produced more than 500 audio and video learning programs on sales, management, business success and personal development, including worldwide bestseller The Psychology of Achievement. Brian's goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier than you ever imagined. You can follow him on Twitter , Facebook , Pinterest , Linkedin and Youtube .

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How to write a speech that your audience remembers

Whether in a work meeting or at an investor panel, you might give a speech at some point. And no matter how excited you are about the opportunity, the experience can be nerve-wracking . 

But feeling butterflies doesn’t mean you can’t give a great speech. With the proper preparation and a clear outline, apprehensive public speakers and natural wordsmiths alike can write and present a compelling message. Here’s how to write a good speech you’ll be proud to deliver.

What is good speech writing?

Good speech writing is the art of crafting words and ideas into a compelling, coherent, and memorable message that resonates with the audience. Here are some key elements of great speech writing:

• It begins with clearly understanding the speech's purpose and the audience it seeks to engage. 
• A well-written speech clearly conveys its central message, ensuring that the audience understands and retains the key points. 
• It is structured thoughtfully, with a captivating opening, a well-organized body, and a conclusion that reinforces the main message. 
• Good speech writing embraces the power of engaging content, weaving in stories, examples, and relatable anecdotes to connect with the audience on both intellectual and emotional levels. 

Ultimately, it is the combination of these elements, along with the authenticity and delivery of the speaker , that transforms words on a page into a powerful and impactful spoken narrative.

What makes a good speech?

A great speech includes several key qualities, but three fundamental elements make a speech truly effective:

Clarity and purpose

Remembering the audience, cohesive structure.

While other important factors make a speech a home run, these three elements are essential for writing an effective speech.

The main elements of a good speech

The main elements of a speech typically include:

• Introduction: The introduction sets the stage for your speech and grabs the audience's attention. It should include a hook or attention-grabbing opening, introduce the topic, and provide an overview of what will be covered.
• Opening/captivating statement: This is a strong statement that immediately engages the audience and creates curiosity about the speech topics.
• Thesis statement/central idea: The thesis statement or central idea is a concise statement that summarizes the main point or argument of your speech. It serves as a roadmap for the audience to understand what your speech is about.
• Body: The body of the speech is where you elaborate on your main points or arguments. Each point is typically supported by evidence, examples, statistics, or anecdotes. The body should be organized logically and coherently, with smooth transitions between the main points.
• Supporting evidence: This includes facts, data, research findings, expert opinions, or personal stories that support and strengthen your main points. Well-chosen and credible evidence enhances the persuasive power of your speech.
• Transitions: Transitions are phrases or statements that connect different parts of your speech, guiding the audience from one idea to the next. Effective transitions signal the shifts in topics or ideas and help maintain a smooth flow throughout the speech.
• Counterarguments and rebuttals (if applicable): If your speech involves addressing opposing viewpoints or counterarguments, you should acknowledge and address them. Presenting counterarguments makes your speech more persuasive and demonstrates critical thinking.
• Conclusion: The conclusion is the final part of your speech and should bring your message to a satisfying close. Summarize your main points, restate your thesis statement, and leave the audience with a memorable closing thought or call to action.
• Closing statement: This is the final statement that leaves a lasting impression and reinforces the main message of your speech. It can be a call to action, a thought-provoking question, a powerful quote, or a memorable anecdote.
• Delivery and presentation: How you deliver your speech is also an essential element to consider. Pay attention to your tone, body language, eye contact , voice modulation, and timing. Practice and rehearse your speech, and try using the 7-38-55 rule to ensure confident and effective delivery.

While the order and emphasis of these elements may vary depending on the type of speech and audience, these elements provide a framework for organizing and delivering a successful speech.

How to structure a good speech

You know what message you want to transmit, who you’re delivering it to, and even how you want to say it. But you need to know how to start, develop, and close a speech before writing it. 

Think of a speech like an essay. It should have an introduction, conclusion, and body sections in between. This places ideas in a logical order that the audience can better understand and follow them. Learning how to make a speech with an outline gives your storytelling the scaffolding it needs to get its point across.

Here’s a general speech structure to guide your writing process:

• Explanation 1
• Explanation 2
• Explanation 3

How to write a compelling speech opener

Some research shows that engaged audiences pay attention for only 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Other estimates are even lower, citing that people stop listening intently in fewer than 10 minutes . If you make a good first impression at the beginning of your speech, you have a better chance of interesting your audience through the middle when attention spans fade. 

Implementing the INTRO model can help grab and keep your audience’s attention as soon as you start speaking. This acronym stands for interest, need, timing, roadmap, and objectives, and it represents the key points you should hit in an opening. 

Here’s what to include for each of these points: 

• Interest : Introduce yourself or your topic concisely and speak with confidence . Write a compelling opening statement using relevant data or an anecdote that the audience can relate to.
• Needs : The audience is listening to you because they have something to learn. If you’re pitching a new app idea to a panel of investors, those potential partners want to discover more about your product and what they can earn from it. Read the room and gently remind them of the purpose of your speech. 
• Timing : When appropriate, let your audience know how long you’ll speak. This lets listeners set expectations and keep tabs on their own attention span. If a weary audience member knows you’ll talk for 40 minutes, they can better manage their energy as that time goes on. 
• Routemap : Give a brief overview of the three main points you’ll cover in your speech. If an audience member’s attention starts to drop off and they miss a few sentences, they can more easily get their bearings if they know the general outline of the presentation.
• Objectives : Tell the audience what you hope to achieve, encouraging them to listen to the end for the payout. 

Writing the middle of a speech

The body of your speech is the most information-dense section. Facts, visual aids, PowerPoints — all this information meets an audience with a waning attention span. Sticking to the speech structure gives your message focus and keeps you from going off track, making everything you say as useful as possible.

Limit the middle of your speech to three points, and support them with no more than three explanations. Following this model organizes your thoughts and prevents you from offering more information than the audience can retain. 

Using this section of the speech to make your presentation interactive can add interest and engage your audience. Try including a video or demonstration to break the monotony. A quick poll or survey also keeps the audience on their toes. 

Wrapping the speech up

To you, restating your points at the end can feel repetitive and dull. You’ve practiced countless times and heard it all before. But repetition aids memory and learning , helping your audience retain what you’ve told them. Use your speech’s conclusion to summarize the main points with a few short sentences.

Try to end on a memorable note, like posing a motivational quote or a thoughtful question the audience can contemplate once they leave. In proposal or pitch-style speeches, consider landing on a call to action (CTA) that invites your audience to take the next step.

How to write a good speech

If public speaking gives you the jitters, you’re not alone. Roughly 80% of the population feels nervous before giving a speech, and another 10% percent experiences intense anxiety and sometimes even panic. 

The fear of failure can cause procrastination and can cause you to put off your speechwriting process until the last minute. Finding the right words takes time and preparation, and if you’re already feeling nervous, starting from a blank page might seem even harder.

But putting in the effort despite your stress is worth it. Presenting a speech you worked hard on fosters authenticity and connects you to the subject matter, which can help your audience understand your points better. Human connection is all about honesty and vulnerability, and if you want to connect to the people you’re speaking to, they should see that in you.

1. Identify your objectives and target audience

Before diving into the writing process, find healthy coping strategies to help you stop worrying . Then you can define your speech’s purpose, think about your target audience, and start identifying your objectives. Here are some questions to ask yourself and ground your thinking : 

• What purpose do I want my speech to achieve? 
• What would it mean to me if I achieved the speech’s purpose?
• What audience am I writing for? 
• What do I know about my audience? 
• What values do I want to transmit? 
• If the audience remembers one take-home message, what should it be? 
• What do I want my audience to feel, think, or do after I finish speaking? 
• What parts of my message could be confusing and require further explanation?

2. Know your audience

Understanding your audience is crucial for tailoring your speech effectively. Consider the demographics of your audience, their interests, and their expectations. For instance, if you're addressing a group of healthcare professionals, you'll want to use medical terminology and data that resonate with them. Conversely, if your audience is a group of young students, you'd adjust your content to be more relatable to their experiences and interests. 

3. Choose a clear message

Your message should be the central idea that you want your audience to take away from your speech. Let's say you're giving a speech on climate change. Your clear message might be something like, "Individual actions can make a significant impact on mitigating climate change." Throughout your speech, all your points and examples should support this central message, reinforcing it for your audience.

4. Structure your speech

Organizing your speech properly keeps your audience engaged and helps them follow your ideas. The introduction should grab your audience's attention and introduce the topic. For example, if you're discussing space exploration, you could start with a fascinating fact about a recent space mission. In the body, you'd present your main points logically, such as the history of space exploration, its scientific significance, and future prospects. Finally, in the conclusion, you'd summarize your key points and reiterate the importance of space exploration in advancing human knowledge.

5. Use engaging content for clarity

Engaging content includes stories, anecdotes, statistics, and examples that illustrate your main points. For instance, if you're giving a speech about the importance of reading, you might share a personal story about how a particular book changed your perspective. You could also include statistics on the benefits of reading, such as improved cognitive abilities and empathy.

6. Maintain clarity and simplicity

It's essential to communicate your ideas clearly. Avoid using overly technical jargon or complex language that might confuse your audience. For example, if you're discussing a medical breakthrough with a non-medical audience, explain complex terms in simple, understandable language.

7. Practice and rehearse

Practice is key to delivering a great speech. Rehearse multiple times to refine your delivery, timing, and tone. Consider using a mirror or recording yourself to observe your body language and gestures. For instance, if you're giving a motivational speech, practice your gestures and expressions to convey enthusiasm and confidence.

8. Consider nonverbal communication

Your body language, tone of voice, and gestures should align with your message . If you're delivering a speech on leadership, maintain strong eye contact to convey authority and connection with your audience. A steady pace and varied tone can also enhance your speech's impact.

9. Engage your audience

Engaging your audience keeps them interested and attentive. Encourage interaction by asking thought-provoking questions or sharing relatable anecdotes. If you're giving a speech on teamwork, ask the audience to recall a time when teamwork led to a successful outcome, fostering engagement and connection.

10. Prepare for Q&A

Anticipate potential questions or objections your audience might have and prepare concise, well-informed responses. If you're delivering a speech on a controversial topic, such as healthcare reform, be ready to address common concerns, like the impact on healthcare costs or access to services, during the Q&A session.

By following these steps and incorporating examples that align with your specific speech topic and purpose, you can craft and deliver a compelling and impactful speech that resonates with your audience.

Tools for writing a great speech

There are several helpful tools available for speechwriting, both technological and communication-related. Here are a few examples:

• Word processing software: Tools like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or other word processors provide a user-friendly environment for writing and editing speeches. They offer features like spell-checking, grammar correction, formatting options, and easy revision tracking.
• Presentation software: Software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides is useful when creating visual aids to accompany your speech. These tools allow you to create engaging slideshows with text, images, charts, and videos to enhance your presentation.
• Speechwriting Templates: Online platforms or software offer pre-designed templates specifically for speechwriting. These templates provide guidance on structuring your speech and may include prompts for different sections like introductions, main points, and conclusions.
• Rhetorical devices and figures of speech: Rhetorical tools such as metaphors, similes, alliteration, and parallelism can add impact and persuasion to your speech. Resources like books, websites, or academic papers detailing various rhetorical devices can help you incorporate them effectively.
• Speechwriting apps: Mobile apps designed specifically for speechwriting can be helpful in organizing your thoughts, creating outlines, and composing a speech. These apps often provide features like voice recording, note-taking, and virtual prompts to keep you on track.
• Grammar and style checkers: Online tools or plugins like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor help improve the clarity and readability of your speech by checking for grammar, spelling, and style errors. They provide suggestions for sentence structure, word choice, and overall tone.
• Thesaurus and dictionary: Online or offline resources such as thesauruses and dictionaries help expand your vocabulary and find alternative words or phrases to express your ideas more effectively. They can also clarify meanings or provide context for unfamiliar terms.
• Online speechwriting communities: Joining online forums or communities focused on speechwriting can be beneficial for getting feedback, sharing ideas, and learning from experienced speechwriters. It's an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and improve your public speaking skills through collaboration.

Remember, while these tools can assist in the speechwriting process, it's essential to use them thoughtfully and adapt them to your specific needs and style. The most important aspect of speechwriting remains the creativity, authenticity, and connection with your audience that you bring to your speech.

5 tips for writing a speech

Behind every great speech is an excellent idea and a speaker who refined it. But a successful speech is about more than the initial words on the page, and there are a few more things you can do to help it land.

Here are five more tips for writing and practicing your speech:

1. Structure first, write second

If you start the writing process before organizing your thoughts, you may have to re-order, cut, and scrap the sentences you worked hard on. Save yourself some time by using a speech structure, like the one above, to order your talking points first. This can also help you identify unclear points or moments that disrupt your flow.

2. Do your homework

Data strengthens your argument with a scientific edge. Research your topic with an eye for attention-grabbing statistics, or look for findings you can use to support each point. If you’re pitching a product or service, pull information from company metrics that demonstrate past or potential successes. 

Audience members will likely have questions, so learn all talking points inside and out. If you tell investors that your product will provide 12% returns, for example, come prepared with projections that support that statement.

3. Sound like yourself

Memorable speakers have distinct voices. Think of Martin Luther King Jr’s urgent, inspiring timbre or Oprah’s empathetic, personal tone . Establish your voice — one that aligns with your personality and values — and stick with it. If you’re a motivational speaker, keep your tone upbeat to inspire your audience . If you’re the CEO of a startup, try sounding assured but approachable. 

4. Practice

As you practice a speech, you become more confident , gain a better handle on the material, and learn the outline so well that unexpected questions are less likely to trip you up. Practice in front of a colleague or friend for honest feedback about what you could change, and speak in front of the mirror to tweak your nonverbal communication and body language .

5. Remember to breathe

When you’re stressed, you breathe more rapidly . It can be challenging to talk normally when you can’t regulate your breath. Before your presentation, try some mindful breathing exercises so that when the day comes, you already have strategies that will calm you down and remain present . This can also help you control your voice and avoid speaking too quickly.

How to ghostwrite a great speech for someone else

Ghostwriting a speech requires a unique set of skills, as you're essentially writing a piece that will be delivered by someone else. Here are some tips on how to effectively ghostwrite a speech:

• Understand the speaker's voice and style : Begin by thoroughly understanding the speaker's personality, speaking style, and preferences. This includes their tone, humor, and any personal anecdotes they may want to include.
• Interview the speaker : Have a detailed conversation with the speaker to gather information about their speech's purpose, target audience, key messages, and any specific points they want to emphasize. Ask for personal stories or examples they may want to include.
• Research thoroughly : Research the topic to ensure you have a strong foundation of knowledge. This helps you craft a well-informed and credible speech.
• Create an outline : Develop a clear outline that includes the introduction, main points, supporting evidence, and a conclusion. Share this outline with the speaker for their input and approval.
• Write in the speaker's voice : While crafting the speech, maintain the speaker's voice and style. Use language and phrasing that feel natural to them. If they have a particular way of expressing ideas, incorporate that into the speech.
• Craft a captivating opening : Begin the speech with a compelling opening that grabs the audience's attention. This could be a relevant quote, an interesting fact, a personal anecdote, or a thought-provoking question.
• Organize content logically : Ensure the speech flows logically, with each point building on the previous one. Use transitions to guide the audience from one idea to the next smoothly.
• Incorporate engaging stories and examples : Include anecdotes, stories, and real-life examples that illustrate key points and make the speech relatable and memorable.
• Edit and revise : Edit the speech carefully for clarity, grammar, and coherence. Ensure the speech is the right length and aligns with the speaker's time constraints.
• Seek feedback : Share drafts of the speech with the speaker for their feedback and revisions. They may have specific changes or additions they'd like to make.
• Practice delivery : If possible, work with the speaker on their delivery. Practice the speech together, allowing the speaker to become familiar with the content and your writing style.
• Maintain confidentiality : As a ghostwriter, it's essential to respect the confidentiality and anonymity of the work. Do not disclose that you wrote the speech unless you have the speaker's permission to do so.
• Be flexible : Be open to making changes and revisions as per the speaker's preferences. Your goal is to make them look good and effectively convey their message.
• Meet deadlines : Stick to agreed-upon deadlines for drafts and revisions. Punctuality and reliability are essential in ghostwriting.
• Provide support : Support the speaker during their preparation and rehearsal process. This can include helping with cue cards, speech notes, or any other materials they need.

Remember that successful ghostwriting is about capturing the essence of the speaker while delivering a well-structured and engaging speech. Collaboration, communication, and adaptability are key to achieving this.

Give your best speech yet

Learn how to make a speech that’ll hold an audience’s attention by structuring your thoughts and practicing frequently. Put the effort into writing and preparing your content, and aim to improve your breathing, eye contact , and body language as you practice. The more you work on your speech, the more confident you’ll become.

The energy you invest in writing an effective speech will help your audience remember and connect to every concept. Remember: some life-changing philosophies have come from good speeches, so give your words a chance to resonate with others. You might even change their thinking.

Elevate your communication skills

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Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

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How to Write an Instructional Outline

• Writing Essays
• Writing Research Papers
• English Grammar
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

Before writing a set of instructions or a process-analysis essay, you may find it helpful to draft a simple instructional outline . Here we'll look at the basic parts of an instructional outline and then examine a sample, "Breaking in a New Baseball Glove."

Basic Information in an Instructional Outline

For most topics, you'll need to provide the following information in your instructional outline.

• Skill to be taught:   Clearly identify your topic.
• Materials and/or equipment needed:   List all the materials (with proper sizes and measurements, if appropriate) and any tools that are needed to complete the task.
• Warnings:   Explain under what conditions the task should be carried out if it is to be done safely and successfully.
• Steps:   List the steps according to the order in which they are to be carried out. In your outline, jot down a key phrase to represent each step. Later, when you draft a paragraph or essay, you can expand and explain each of these steps.
• Tests:   Tell your readers how they will be able to know if they have carried out the task successfully.

A Sample Instructional Outline: Breaking In a New Baseball Glove

• Skill to be taught:  Breaking in a new baseball glove
• Materials and/or equipment needed:  a baseball glove; 2 clean rags; 4 ounces of neatsfoot oil, mink oil, or shaving cream; a baseball or softball (depending on your game); 3 feet of heavy string
• Warnings:  Be sure to work outside or in the garage: this process can be messy. Also, don't count on using the glove for about a week.
• Using a clean rag, gently apply a thin layer of oil or shaving cream to the external parts of the glove. Don't overdo it: too much oil will damage the leather.
• Let your glove dry overnight.
• The next day, pound the baseball or softball several times into the palm of the glove.
• Wedge the ball into the palm of the glove.
• Wrap the string around the glove with the ball inside and tie it tightly.
• Let the glove sit for at least three or four days.
• Wipe the glove with a clean rag and then head out to the ball field.
• How to Break in a New Baseball Glove
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• How to Write a Response Paper
• Conciseness for Better Composition
• Stop Procrastinating to Complete Your Dissertation
• The Whys and How-tos for Group Writing in All Content Areas
• Writing a Descriptive Essay
• Writing a Paper about an Environmental Issue
• Process Analysis in Composition

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• 50 soft skill 'how to' speech ideas

'How to' speech ideas

- 50 soft skills topics for demonstration speeches.

By:  Susan Dugdale   | Last modified: 09-16-2023

These how to speech ideas focus on soft skills, also known as people skills, which are often learned the hard way. Because, sadly, despite being vital for good interpersonal relationships, they are seldom constructively talked about and are frequently modeled badly.

Yet, every one of us benefits when we use them competently. Wherever we are in the world, doors open, and lives are changed for the better.

If you're not frightened of doing something a little different have a look at these suggestions.

What's on this page:

• Understanding soft skills: a definition
• The reasons for demonstrating a soft skill 

Five groups of ten soft skill how to speech ideas :

• How to say 'no' politely , plus nine more
• How to handle a temper tantrum from an adult, a child or a colleague , plus nine more
• How and when to give a compliment , plus another nine
• How to be gracious in defeat and learn from it , plus another nine
• How to read and use body language effectively , plus another nine

How to work with these topics : help to prepare your speech with links to useful resources, e.g., a printable demonstration speech outline and more

Let's talk about soft skills

We know soft skills are a necessary part of making and sustaining healthy interpersonal relationships. Despite that, how we learn good and useful interpersonal skills is frequently completely overlooked.

What are soft skills?

'Soft skills' is the name given to the complex bundle of behaviors that help us grow and maintain relationships. E.g. being courteous, accepting criticism well, learning to control our temper, knowing when and how to ask for help...   Check this  Wikipedia definition  for more. It gives an excellent overview and provides links for further information.

Return to Top

Getting to grips with soft skills

They can be tricky to get a handle on because unlike hard skills (eg. cooking, learning to drive a car, mending a puncture in a bike tire, or skiing) there are no fool proof step-by-step instructions to follow in order to get them right.

That makes using them as a subject for a speech even more valuable.

Make your 'how to' speech a gift

If you can put together a sincere, researched show and tell speech demonstrating how to use any of the soft skills listed in the topics below you'll be offering something of true worth to your audience.

The reasoning behind saying that is straightforward. If we want to do the best we can for ourselves and each other, we need confidence and competency in all the soft skills we can get!

Our present way of learning soft skills can be unreliable

In an ideal world we would all get great soft skills unconsciously, naturally, without effort. We would simply absorb them from those around us and use them without question, in the same way that we breathe without stopping to think whether we need to or not.

However life isn't ideal.

We are human. Our primary role models are not always perfect. Consequently, what we absorb, (learn), through observation and experience is often deeply flawed.

Learning from experience

As we become more aware we begin to understand how our behavior plays a significant role in shaping our lives. If we are open to it, the impact of what we do will teach us what we have to learn.

For instance: when, and how to apologize sincerely, how to listen well, how to let go of anger safely and appropriately...

Having these skills makes a vast difference 

These 'how to topics' list personal skills that collectively make the difference between being hired or not hired, liked or not liked, noticed or ignored, leader or follower...

Using any one of them for your demonstration speech could quite literally change someone's life for the better.

 10 soft skill 'how to' speech ideas

• How to motivate others
• How to say 'no' politely
• How to think creatively
• How to make a 'good' complaint - one that is taken seriously
• How to listen effectively
• How to apologize sincerely
• How to say thank you graciously
• How to acknowledge someone who has just been bereaved or suffered a major set back
• How to show appreciation or that you care
• How to work in a small group

Ten more vital soft skills topics

• How to think before you speak
• How to handle a temper tantrum from an adult, a child, a colleague...
• How to respond to bullying toward yourself, or another
• How to handle rudeness - being ignored, spoken to disrespectfully ...
• How to think on your feet or spontaneously
• How to be patient
• How to ask for a raise
• How to judge timing for opening a sensitive or difficult conversation
• How to settle a dispute
• How to respond to those who gossip or whine

Another 10 "how to" speech ideas

• How and when to give a compliment
• How to tell someone something you know will upset them hugely
• How to get your opinion valued and listened to
• How to stop unwanted thoughts
• How to let go of anger safely and appropriately
• How to stay calm in difficult situations
• How to genuinely feel pleased about someone else's good fortune
• How to focus or concentrate well
• How to promote cooperation and togetherness
• How to work harmoniously with someone you don't fully respect or like

 Yet another ten topic possibilities

• How to get, practice and keep a new skill
• How to use humor well
• How to keep your home life from impacting on your work life
• How to be grateful
• How to set and achieve new goals
• How to organize your time
• How to accept criticism positively
• How to be gracious in defeat and learn from it
• How to acknowledge your shortcomings without debasing yourself
• How to put yourself in another's shoes

And the remaining ten suggestions!

• How to read and use body language effectively
• How to problem solve effectively
• How to be 'up-beat' and open to new ideas
• How to encourage and support others to step outside the known
• How to welcome a new person into your work place
• How to break the ice with someone you don't know but want to
• How to talk to your manager, (boss), naturally and easily
• How to teach a new skill well
• How to disagree with someone's idea without offending or putting them down
• How to evaluate ideas and events

Working these speech topics

Choosing one as the topic of your demonstration speech could give just the growth opportunity your audience would deeply appreciate.

Don't be afraid to experiment and adapt them to suit. Use role plays to model non-effective and effective interactions and try getting your audience involved with practice and feedback opportunities.

With a light touch and a dash of self-deprecating humor, the speech will be fun to give and enjoyable to receive.

For more about the importance of soft skills, particularly in the work place, please see this excellent wikijob.co.uk article: 10 important soft skills for 2021 .

More demonstration speech info:

Get yourself a printable blank step by step demonstration speech outline. You'll find it on this page on preparing demonstration speeches  which if you're never given   

You'll find it on this page on preparing  demonstration speeches  which if you're never given  a 'show and tell' type presentation before is very worthwhile reading. You'll learn how to structure and work with your topic to meet the audience's needs.

There's also four more pages of demonstration speech topic suggestions to explore, if you've not found something suitable.

• 290 demonstration speech topics focusing on hard skills. These are the more traditional or typical 'how to' topics. For instance: how to choose a pet, how to read the stars, how to prune a rose bush...
• 6 themed lists of 'how to' topics : business, entertainment, frugal living...
• 100+ short (10 minute) demonstration speech topics
• 188 funny how to speech topics . These are a mix of hard and soft skills. They'll be fun for both you and your audience. 

And if reading a completed demonstration speech sample outline would help, check this page: demonstration speech sample outline .

I've used the same speech outline template that you can download for your own use from the link above. The speech itself is, like the topics on this page, a soft skill: how to leave a good voice mail message.

I've also made a video (audio + slides) so that you can hear as well as see the flow of information from one point to the next.

I hope they're both useful to you.☺

• Return to top of how to speech ideas

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How to Write an Informative Speech

Last Updated: April 30, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Lynn Kirkham . Lynn Kirkham is a Professional Public Speaker and Founder of Yes You Can Speak, a San Francisco Bay Area-based public speaking educational business empowering thousands of professionals to take command of whatever stage they've been given - from job interviews, boardroom talks to TEDx and large conference platforms. Lynn was chosen as the official TEDx Berkeley speaker coach for the last four years and has worked with executives at Google, Facebook, Intuit, Genentech, Intel, VMware, and others. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,391,550 times.

An informative speech tells an audience about a process, event, or concept. Whether you’re explaining how to grow a garden or describing a historical event, writing an informative speech is pretty straightforward. Knowing the topic inside and out is key, so start by conducting thorough research. Organize your speech logically so your audience can easily follow, and keep your language clear. Since speeches are recited out loud, be sure to set aside time after writing to perfect your delivery.

Researching the Topic

• Suppose your prompt instructs you to inform the audience about a hobby or activity. Make a list of your clubs, sports, and other activities, and choose the one that interests you most. Then zoom in on one particular aspect or process to focus on in your speech.
• For instance, if you like tennis, you can’t discuss every aspect of the sport in a single speech. Instead, you could focus on a specific technique, like serving the ball.

• For example, if your speech is about a historical event, find primary sources, like letters or newspaper articles published at the time of the event. Additionally, include secondary sources, such as scholarly articles written by experts on the event.
• If you’re informing the audience about a medical condition, find information in medical encyclopedias, scientific journals, and government health websites.

Tip: Organize your sources in a works cited page. Even if the assignment doesn’t require a works cited page, it’ll help you keep track of your sources. [3] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

• For instance, if your speech is on growing plants from seeds, explain the process step-by-step to a friend or relative. Ask them if any parts in your explanation seemed muddy or vague.
• Break down the material into simple terms, especially if you’re addressing a non-expert audience. Think about how you’d describe the topic to a grandparent or younger sibling. If you can’t avoid using jargon, be sure to define technical words in clear, simple terms.

• For example, if your speech is on the poet Charles Baudelaire, a strong thesis would be, “I am here to explain how city life and exotic travel shaped the key poetic themes of Charles Baudelaire’s work.”
• While the goal of an informative speech isn't to make a defensible claim, your thesis still needs to be specific. For instance, “I’m going to talk about carburetors” is vague. “My purpose today is to explain how to take apart a variable choke carburetor” is more specific.

• For instance, a speech meant to persuade an audience to support a political stance would most likely include examples of pathos, or persuasive devices that appeal to the audience's emotions.
• On the other hand, an informative speech on how to grow pitcher plants would present clear, objective steps. It wouldn't try to argue that growing pitcher plants is great or persuade listeners to grow pitcher plants.

Drafting Your Speech

• Delivering memorized remarks instead of reading verbatim is more engaging. A section of a speaking outline would look like this: III. YMCA’s Focus on Healthy Living  A. Commitment to overall health: both body and mind  B. Programs that support commitment   1. Annual Kid’s Day   2. Fitness facilities   3. Classes and group activities

• For example, you could begin with, “Have you ever wondered how a figure skater could possibly jump, twist, and land on the thin blade of an ice skate? From proper technique to the physical forces at play, I’ll explain how world-class skaters achieve jaw-dropping jumps and spins.”
• Once you've established your purpose, preview your speech: “After describing the basic technical aspects of jumping, I’ll discuss the physics behind jumps and spins. Finally, I’ll explain the 6 types of jumps and clarify why some are more difficult than others.”
• Some people prefer to write the speech's body before the introduction. For others, writing the intro first helps them figure out how to organize the rest of the speech.

• For instance, if your speech is about the causes of World War I, start by discussing nationalism in the years prior to the war. Next, describe the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, then explain how alliances pulled the major players into open warfare.
• Transition smoothly between ideas so your audience can follow your speech. For example, write, “Now that we’ve covered how nationalism set the stage for international conflict, we can examine the event that directly led to the outbreak of World War I: the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. [11] X Research source

• For instance, your conclusion could point out, “Examining the factors that set the stage for World War I shows how intense nationalism fueled the conflict. A century after the Great War, the struggle between nationalism and globalism continues to define international politics in the twenty-first century.”

• Typically, speeches aren’t read verbatim. Instead, you’ll memorize the speech and use a bare bones outline to stay on track.

Avoid information overload: When you compose your speech, read out loud as you write. Focus on keeping your sentence structures simple and clear. Your audience will have a hard time following along if your language is too complicated. [14] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source

Perfecting Your Delivery

• While it’s generally okay to use slightly different phrasing, try to stick to your complete outline as best you can. If you veer off too much or insert too many additional words, you could end up exceeding your time limit.
• Keep in mind your speaking outline will help you stay focused. As for quotes and statistics, feel free to write them on your notecards for quick reference.

Memorization tip: Break up the speech into smaller parts, and memorize it section by section. Memorize 1 sentence then, when you feel confident, add the next. Continue practicing with gradually longer passages until you know the speech like the back of your hand.

• Instead of slouching, stand up tall with your shoulders back. In addition to projecting confidence, good posture will help you breathe deeply to support your voice.

• Have them point out any spots that dragged or seemed disorganized. Ask if your tone was engaging, if you used body language effectively, and if your volume, pitch, and pacing need any tweaks.

• If you keep exceeding the time limit, review your complete sentence outline. Cut any fluff and simplify complicated phrases. If your speech isn’t long enough, look for areas that could use more detail or consider adding another section to the body.
• Just make sure any content you add is relevant. For instance, if your speech on nationalism and World War I is 2 minutes too short, you could add a section about how nationalism manifested in specific countries, including Britain, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Serbia.

Sample Informative Speeches

Expert Q&A

• You're probably much better at informative speeches than you think! If you have ever told your parents about your day at school or explained to a friend how to make chicken noodle soup, you already have experience giving an informative speech! Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• If you get nervous, try to relax, take deep breaths, and visualize calming scenery. Remember, there’s nothing to worry about. Just set yourself up for success by knowing the material and practicing. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
• When composing your speech, take your audience into consideration, and tailor your speech to the people you’re addressing. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-realworldcomm/chapter/11-1-informative-speeches/
• ↑ https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-on-communication-studies/s11-01-informative-speeches.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_page_basic_format.html
• ↑ https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/11-1-informative-speeches/
• ↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/informative-speaking
• ↑ https://rasmussen.libanswers.com/faq/337550
• ↑ Lynn Kirkham. Public Speaking Coach. Expert Interview. 20 November 2019.
• ↑ https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/oralcommunication/guides/how-to-outline-a-speech
• ↑ https://wac.colostate.edu/resources/writing/guides/informative-speaking/
• ↑ https://www.comm.pitt.edu/structuring-speech
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/speeches/
• ↑ https://www.speechanddebate.org/wp-content/uploads/High-School-Competition-Events-Guide.pdf
• ↑ https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/10-4-physical-delivery/

About This Article

To write an informative speech, start with an introduction that will grab your audience's attention and give them an idea of where the rest of your speech is headed. Next, choose 3 important points that you want to make to form the body of your speech. Then, organize the points in a logical order and write content to address each point. Finally, write a conclusion that summarizes the main points and ends with a message that you want your audience to take away from it. For tips on researching topics for an informative speech, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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