1. Set your principal objective
An objective is not what you intend to say, it is what you intend to achieve.
2. Know your audience
Relevance generates interest and attention; irrelevance generates apathy and boredom.
3. Get what you want out of your speech.
How can you achieve this outcome with this audience? The answer is to be outcome-centered as you plan your speech and audience-centered as you deliver it.
4. Find a captivating opening.
The first three sentences of a speech set the course for success or failure: a good start points towards plain sailing, a bad one makes you sail against the wind.
5. Choose your words carefully.
Break down the barriers which prevent you from sharing the thoughts and language and style of other professions. Speak in English, not jargon.
6. Remember your rhythm.
A good speech, like a good song, needs a regular beat. It should have rhythm of its own; peaks, troughs, crescendos and a climax. It should have a lyrical quality that is music to an audience’s ears.
7. Being heard.
You must be audible. If you are not, all else is lost.
8. Getting the most out of questioning time.
Have a positive attitude as arguments can be developed. Treat questioners with respect.
9. Dealing with the difficult questions and difficult questioners.
But don’t get paranoid. Questions will usually flow from the start and most will be honest and straightforward.
10. Ending on the right note.
Powerful speakers conserve a lot of energy and concern for the audience until the end and make the conclusion their desert, something delicious with a memorable aftertaste.