6 Tips for More Eloquent Speech

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idi-debate-practicing-speach

6 Tips for More Eloquent Speech

Easy to implement strategies for effective communication

Think back on a recent speech or presentation that really captured your attention and had you thinking about it days later. What magic did the speaker cast to make it so spellbinding? 

Fortunately, it’s nothing quite so arcane. Effective speakers rely on a few simple techniques – and sufficient practice – to leave their audiences enthralled and begging for more. Here are six tips to consider as you rehearse your way to more eloquent public speaking.

1. Prep for success

The easiest way to captivate an audience is to talk about things that interest them. While it’s unlikely you’ll know them personally, you can ask a few questions to get started. 

  • Why are they there? To be persuaded? Educated? Entertained? Develop your main ideas to address that motivation. 
  • What is the environment? Is it formal or casual? Intimate and interpersonal or on a stage in front of an auditorium? Match your demeanor and energy to the environment, with more dynamic presentation techniques as the audience becomes larger and more distant from you the speaker. 
  • Does the audience have anything in common? Do they come from a similar profession or field of study? What hobbies or personal interests do they share? Even if these have little to do with the presentation, tying them into the speech can help hook your audience’s attention.
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2. Outline, don’t script

When developing an important presentation or speech, it’s easy to overprepare and write out every word we want to say. This is a mistake! Even if it makes us feel comfortable, it creates two traps that undermine your confidence and eloquence. 

  1. It tempts us into reading our speech. No matter how interesting the topic, no one wants to hear the dry monotone of someone reading to them from a text. 
  2. It tempts us into memorizing our speech word-for-word. This may sound effective, but when we forget a passage, everything is likely to crumble as we fumble for that specific phrase that was so well planned.

Instead, write your speech in point format, with three to ten words to remind you of key ideas, stories, or analysis. This solves both issues: by using point format, you default to a more natural, conversational delivery, and if you forget the next point, you have a short reminder to kick start the next section of your speech. 

Once you have a full point format outline, rehearse it aloud two or three times to hear how the ideas flow and fit together. As you practice, remove points that are easy to remember and don’t need prompting. If something is missing or difficult to remember, add a point or two. Remember: your outline is only a reminder of the big picture things you want to discuss; anything else will just tempt you to read from a script.  

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3. Control your space

We rarely think about it, but the space around us can be just as important as what we say. No matter how interesting your topic, the audience won’t be able to focus on your content if they can’t see you behind the lectern or felt you were aloof because you were seated and leaning casually on your hands. 

To solve this, take control of your space! 

  • Stand up straight and move away from objects you’re likely to lean on during the speech. 
  • Check the floor for cords or other debris that could pose a tripping hazard.
  • Ensure the audience has a good view of at least your upper body so they can see gestures and other body language that might enhance your speech. 

In the era of online meetings, it’s also important to consider how your video technology frames your presentation. 

  • Turn on and face your camera with eyes looking forward as if making eye contact. 
  • Adjust the camera so the audience can see your full face and upper torso. It’s likely that any gestures in an online space will need to be a bit higher than in-person, so rehearse them so they look like a natural part of the speech. 

4. Speak with clarity

If the audience can’t understand you, it won’t be much of a speech. Thankfully, there are two things you can practice to make every word as clear as a bell. 

  • Speed: When nerves kick in during a speech, most people speed up and rush through important ideas, losing the audience’s attention along the way. Take a deep breath and slow down. Your audience will need time to digest new concepts, so speak slightly slower than a normal conversation and pause regularly to let the audience’s brains catch up, especially on important ideas.
  • Enunciation: Everyone speaks with an accent – even you! While this is a wonderful display of our human diversity, differences in how we say things can lead to misunderstandings or confusion. This is especially true in front of a large group, where words can jumble together and sounds get lost. Practice articulating every sound when you speak by opening your mouth wider than normal and enunciating every letter, especially those tricky vowels (which can sound like other vowels if we’re not careful) and hard sounds like “t” and “g” (which are often dropped entirely). 
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5. Speak with passion

Of course, it’s not enough that the audience understand your speech – you also want them to enjoy it. This is where volume and movement play a starring role. 

  • Volume: 
  • It’s absolutely critical that the audience can hear what we’re saying, which is why you’ll want to learn to project your voice. Practice building a strong, confident voice by slightly flexing your stomach as you speak. This will engage your diaphragm, the muscle just below your lungs, and help with airflow that’s necessary to build a stronger voice.
      • Once you’ve built a strong, confident voice, practice varying your volume to emphasize key points or ideas. In your outline, underline things you feel are most important for the audience to understand. Then, if you are naturally a quiet speaker, raise your volume – without yelling – to emphasize that idea’s importance. On the other hand, if you are a naturally loud speaker, consider softening your voice instead. It’s not the loudness of an idea that gives it emphasis, it’s the change in your volume. 
  • Gestures: Public speaking is a full contact sport, so add body language and hand movements that drive home your ideas. In a mirror, practice specific gestures that reflect actions or ideas in your speech. A few common ones you should be familiar with are holding up fingers for numbering your points (“First…second…third…”), weighing two ideas as if your hands are a scale (“on the one hand…but on the other…”), and using your fingers and hands to demonstrate scope (large vs. small). Most gestures should take place close to the body, although you can add the rare large gesture where your hands move away from your body for extra emphasis.

5. Practice makes perfect

As with most things in life, experience is the best teacher. Rehearse your speech until you feel comfortable with the content and flow of ideas. If there’s a particularly difficult section or one you want to perfect, practice it by itself to give it the polish it needs. 

Sufficient rehearsal is also the single most effective way to eliminate those pesky filler words like “uh” and “um”, but also practice simply pausing when you can’t think of the next thing to say. The audience will never notice the pause and likely appreciate the opportunity to consider what you just finished saying. 

By rehearsing these six steps, you’re well on your way to becoming a more eloquent speaker!