3 Elements of a Speech

The following chapter is from the Speaking Wizard ebook.

The 3 elements of a speech are the:

• Opener
• Middle
• End

Wow, so complex, right?

Haha, I’m just kidding.

But just knowing that there are 3 elements allows you to organize your data into unique segments.

It allows you to compartmentalize the ideas from the brainstorm session.

Let’s go thru each of the segments and talk about the purpose.

Opener

The main purpose of the opener is grabbing the audience’s attention & priming their minds for your speech.

A lot of bodies will physically be there, sure.

But are they mentally there?

Not quite.

They are mentally with their problems, bills, worries, etc.

The purpose of your opener is to wake them up & bring them into your kingdom.

The main parts of an opener are:

• Get their attention & let them know what your speech is about.

Let’s use the example of a speech where the main idea is regarding: why dogs are better than cats.

A Few Great Ways to Open Are:

-Providing a shocking statistic that relates to your speech

• “Are you guys aware that a staggering 87% of dog owners are happier than cat owners?”

-Raise your Hand if…

• “Raise your hand if you like dogs better than cats. Remind me to buy you a drink after the speech.”

-Joke

“I used to have a cat. Until I woke up one morning and realized that I don’t want to be crazy anymore…”

-Story

Surprisingly, your story doesn’t have to just be for the middle of the speech. If you can tell a mini tale that can capture the audience’s attention in the beginning, then go for it. A story mainly needs a character, conflict, and lesson.

• “For the longest time, I used to be a cat guy. Until one day after a breakup, I noticed how cold my cat was. I decided it was time to see what a dog being a ‘man’s best friend’ was all about. That night, I put my cat up for adoption and I picked up a dog. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to share 5 lessons that I learned from that…”

Those are a few elements of how to capture the audience’s attention.

Once you opened, captured their attention, now its up to you to let them know what to expect.

If your friend just tells you to get in the car without telling you where you’re going to go… then it will feel weird.

But if your friend says, “hey I’m going to Walmart, want to come with?”

Now you feel much better.

That’s because your friend got rid of the ambiguity.

So in a nutshell, the opener gets the attention + gives a preview of what the speech is about.

Middle

This is the portion of the speech that I like to call the patty to the buns.

This is what the main part of your speech is about.

And if you did your brainstorming in the last section, you will have a better idea of how to structure this part.

Truth be told, it seems overly complex, but it’s not that complex.

It comes down to some simplicity.

Middle Structuring:

Main point 1

-Supporting details 1

-Supporting details 2

Transition…

Main point 2

-Supporting details 1

-Supporting details 2

Transition…

Main point 3

-Supporting details 1

-Supporting details 2

Depending on your speech, you can add however main points you want to.

I normally try to stick to 2-3 to not overwhelm the audience.

You need 1 big idea & then you segment that idea.

So lets go back to the example of why dogs are better than cats.

Main idea 1: Cats aren’t as friendly

-Share story of yourself on your experience of cats and dogs.

-Share story of your family once you swapped a cat for a dog.

Transition: “now that you understand how my family has enjoyed our experience, what about we talk about the general public?”

Main Idea 2: Health statistics of pet owners.

– Men who have dogs over cats are __% healthier

– Women who have dogs over cats are __& healthier.

You get the point.

I am giving very surface-level examples just so you pick up the main concepts.

One way I want you to visualize the middle of the speech is via a tree.

‘A tree??’

Yep, a tree.

• A tree has one main trunk.
• And it is has a bunch of branches.
• Along those branches, there are leaves as well.

Well, the analogies go like:

• The main trunk is your BIG idea (what is your speech about).
• The branches are your main points to support the big idea.
• The leaves are your sub points to support the main points.

Ending

The ending is pretty much you summarizing everything that you have been talking about & a call to action (optional).

Refresh the audience’s mind.

Thus far, you have been talking them on a journey.

So let them know how far they have come so they appreciate the journey that you have taken them on.

This part shouldn’t be too difficult since you got the opener & middle out of the way.

Summarize your speech, and you can cap it off with a quote or call to action.

Call to action example: “Now that you understand why dogs are better than cats, I urge you to go home & look for a local dog to adopt.”

Overall, you’ll notice that these 3 frameworks allow for a lot of creativity.

A quick little recap.

Opener – Gets attention & gives a preview of what to expect.

Middle – Breaks down 1 big idea with main points and sub points.

End – Summarize the speech & give a call to action.

From this, you have the ability to experiment.

At this point, your speech may be very vague.

And that’s fine.

During the practice session, you are able to solidify your speech and make it REAL.

In the planning stage, you just want a high-level overview of what to expect.

Get generalized concepts of your beginning, middle & end.

Now it’s time to practice.

Get the Full Speaking Wizard Book here!

– ArmaniTalks