If you want to improve public speaking the easy way, it means you're going to need to be willing to commit yourself to making several small changes. Make changes that last - changes that lead you closer to your ultimate goal. So, dive in with us as we teach you simple solutions that will show you how to improve your public speaking performances large or small.

Some Simple Dos and Don'ts

• DO choose a topic that will be interesting for both you and your audience. Neither one of you should be bored out of your minds during a speech or presentation. Captivate both the group and yourself.
• DON'T forget to stay focused on your ultimate goal, whether it's to inform, persuade or instruct. It's no good if you're supposed to be offering an instructional speech on how to change your oil, and instead get into a persuasive argument about the virtues of changing your own oil versus allowing a mechanic to do it. Your audience came to learn how to change their own oil, not to learn why they should want to change their own oil.
• DO your audience a favor by always keeping their wants, needs and interests in mind as you draft your content.
• DON'T loose site of your main objective. Are you there to sell a product or service? Are you there to secure an investor? Are you there to simply educate the audience? To get them to join your mailing list? Whatever your objective is, don't stray too far from it in your message.
• DO try to incorporate detailed, pertinent, appropriate and sufficient supporting materials and resources. Keep them up to date, from credible sources, and ideally, from both primary and secondary sources. Additionally, consider including a resource list of websites, books, magazines, etc. that offer free information about your topic at hand.
• DON'T forget to start out with an outline that will help you remain focused during research and composition. This outline will serve as your road-map through the research composition and will prevent you from wasting valuable time and effort during these phases.
• DO stay on the lookout for emerging or popular communication styles. Listen to other speakers and go "people watching." Also, don't let yourself be above a little polite, unobtrusive public eavesdropping, paying attention to emphasis, gestures and body language.
• DON'T overlook opportunities to use your audience as a part of your speech or presentation. Whether you ask for someone to demonstrate of method, decide to walk amongst the crowd, do as much as you can to really involve your audience in your performance.
• DO smile with your mouth and your eyes. Do the same with any other emotional response, too. This helps your audience feel what you say, instead of simply hearing what you say. And, believe it or not, that can be a big difference.
• DON'T neglect question and answer sessions. Any time your speaking schedule will allow, offer a Q & A session at the end. This will allow you to make sure that your audience's needs and questions have been met.
• DO make sure that you're prepared if you'll be offering a Q & A session. If you'll be offering a Q & A, make sure that you're prepared with standard (and of course some not-so-standard) answers you'll likely have to offer. While it's always great to give an honest, "I don't know." If it's said too many times, you risk loosing credibility with your audience.
• DON'T forget to write things down! Whenever you come across a phrase, expression, fact, or other public speaking tool or technique of "working the crowd", jot it down in a notebook that's wholly dedicated to speech tips and ideas. You never know when this little resource just might save the day.

None of these Dos or Don'ts requires you to set aside astronomical amounts of time, or to undergo any intensive study or behavior modification. Each of them is simple, practical and within the reach of any public speaker, whether a novice, lightly seasoned or a full-time pro.

Always remember that Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will supreme excellence or confidence in your public speaking ability. All of these things take time and effort. But if you stay persistent, and you're truly dedicated to making sure that you're audience is completely satisfied with your performance and information, you're bound to make leaps and bounds in your speaking success.

One of the most powerful, effective ways to get your message across is to do it in such a way that you motivate and empower your audience to take control over a wayward aspect of their life and then wrestle it into compliance. These are the speeches that rivet you. That make you cry. That leave you with a burning desire to do something, anything. When you've encountered a powerful motivational speaker, the sky is the limit. That's why we're going to clue you in on some powerful motivational speech topics and ideas that can take the impact of your message to a whole new level.

But what exactly is motivation? Well, to sum it up, motivation is incentive, drive, inducement, desire, force or stimulation - take your pick. A speech topic can be obviously motivational, or the effect can be little more subtle. But, as a general rule, here are some criteria you can look for if you're considering a motivational speech topic.

Hopefully, the dozens of ideas we've included here for you are either interesting enough that you'd like to pursue, or have inspired you to think of new topics, new ideas, and new options. Here are a few extra ideas if you need a little help brainstorming your own, unique motivational speech topics.

Creative Ways to Come Up With Your Own Unique Ideas…

Start with an emotion. If you know that you're going to be trying to convey a certain emotion to your audience, build from that. If you're hoping for someone to leave your speech with a drive to go out and donate to charities, your primary emotion to focus upon would be charity or cheerful giving. Come up with some words, ideas, images, etc. that convey the idea of charity. See if that gets the wheels turning.

Try collaging. As strange as it may seem, the act of creative collaging can be very helpful in giving you topic ideas or content ideas. Grab a stack of old magazines, newspapers, ads, etc. that contain graphics and large print words. Get a glue stick and a piece of white (or colored) cardboard (in either full or half or quarter sized sheets.) Look throughout the collection in search of pictures and words that both inspire and motivate you. They don't have to relate to one another, but each of them has to relate to you personally. Once you've found and cut out several (enough to liberally cover your poster board), begin designing a layout that seems right to you. Glue them down and look at the final piece. What does it say to you? Can you think of how you might turn this collection of images into speech content or excerpts?

Play the association game. Start out with a single word or idea that has a spark of interest or captivity, but not quite enough to really move you. Now, without editing or critiquing yourself, begin a free association session. Start with one word or idea, and write down what immediately comes to mind right below it, so on and so on until you've been at it for a minimum of 5 minutes. There is no need to be logical. There is no need to be practical. Imagination is fine. Just go with your instincts. For this game to be most effective, go for speed, trying to get down as many different associations as you can in the five minutes allotted. Once you've completed it, tuck it away without looking at it again for a minimum of one hour. When you look at it next, some fantastic, powerful ideas are likely to leap out at you!

Build your child's confidence and communication skills early and they'll never have to stand shaking at the podium in high school or later in life. Fortunately, you can start today. Start early. Help children learn public speaking skills that will last them a lifetime!

The Benefits of Starting Early…

There are innumerable benefits to helping your children learn the art of public speaking early on in life. First of all, children have minds like sponges, and have a much easier time learning new things than adults do. They're also un-jaded by life and its failures and challenges, so their skins are a bit thicker than ours are. Additionally, by starting early in childhood, your child will have the benefit of extensive practice, training and learning that most adults would envy.

Children also have the benefit of NOT knowing that public speaking is probably the single-most greatest fear in the world. And if we can get the children to accept their speech and presentation skills early on, they'll never have to experience this fear for themselves. Perhaps in a decade or two, the overwhelming fear of public speaking will be, if not eradicated, lessened in its impact.

In the next segment of this article, we're going to cover several different tips, tricks and techniques that will help you raise children that are confident, gifted public speakers.

What Should I Do?

Parents and teachers often wonder how in the world they're supposed to be able to train their children or students to be effective public speakers. This is especially true for adults that have struggled with their own public speaking skills. There's no need to have your children poring over Cicero's speeches, or rehearsing Shakespearean verse. All you really need to be able to do is show them that they can communicate with others through words - whether one on one or in group settings.

Here are a few practical, easy to integrate tips that you should try to work on with your kids:

• Take advantage of "Show & Tell." Elementary school aged children are often presented with public speaking opportunities early on in life. One instance includes Show & Tell time. This is an excellent chance to help your child gain confidence in their communication and public speaking skills. Not only will they have a chance to share something that's very special to them with their classmates, it's also an opportunity for them to stand up in front of a group and learn to keep them interested in the subject at hand.
• Don't neglect science fairs. Science fairs are an awesome chance for you to teach children of all ages how to be a better public speaker. Most students spend weeks, even months, working on their science fair project. By the time the fair arrives, though they may be nervous about the competition involved, the chances are that they're fairly confident in their background and knowledge. This may prove to be a little bit scarier for your child, simply because the audience will be formal adults as opposed to an informal classroom situation. Take time to work with your child about what they'll say to the judges, how they'll show their hypothesis and results, etc.
• Do some drama. Most schools or communities have a drama program for children to participate in. Check out what's available in your town or city. Enrolling your child in a dramatic arts course or guild is a great way for them to learn simple things like voice projection, memorization, managing stage fright and using things like props and visuals to strengthen the force of their words. It's a great opportunity to develop their natural talents and build a sense of accomplishment and confidence.
• Encourage your children. When we say "encourage your children," we're not just talking about when it comes to public speaking. Confidence is an important key to powerful presentation skills, and can be built around just about anything. Any time your child makes an accomplishment, meets a goal, overcomes an obstacle, succeeds or fails, be there to offer your support and encouragement. It'll make a bigger difference than you could ever imagine!

Of course, the few ideas we've listed here have more than likely prompted you to think of other unique and creative ways that you can help your children become better public speakers long before they're called upon to actually give a formal speech or presentation. And in addition to your own ideas, don't forget to ask your kids for a few of their own. Working together, you can help your child learn the fundamentals of effective public speaking long before they ever learn to fear it!

Public Speaking Skills…

There are skills, both inherent and acquired, that once mastered, can greatly enhance your public speaking ability. However, the breakdown of skills is wholly unique with every individual. Some seem to be born with an abundance of natural talent. Others have gained their skill and confidence thanks to years of diligent, dedicated practice. Regardless of which category you may fall under, here are a few skills that will vastly improve your public speaking performance.

• Clear communication. Not only does this mean you should aim to speak clearly, as in enunciation and pronunciation - it also means you pay attention to the speed at which you talk, the words you choose and the grammar you employ.
• Great research skills. If you plan to fulfill the role of a public speaker, it's important that you have solid, focused study and research skills. They'll enable you to save a great deal of time and use relevant, recent and accurate source materials.
• Planning and organizational skills. Brilliance simply isn't enough. Neither is creativity. Both are great to have, but if you're lacking in the planning and organizational departments, you're more than likely just setting yourself up for failure. If you can't plan your time, you'll fall behind your research, composition and rehearsal goals. Without organization, you may say brilliant words but in a baffling manner that causes you to loose respect and face.
• Good listening skills. Even though most of your time on the stage will be spent speaking, good listening skills are also vital to successful public speaking. Why? Because in the composition phase, you need to be ready to write for the ear, and not just for the eye. You have to listen for that perfect rhythm and cadence that make your speech smooth and engaging. You need to develop a skill in tools like alliteration, rhyme, puns and poetic prose. It's a skill that, if overlooked, can prevent you from taking your performances to the next level.

Public Speaking Tasks…

• Brainstorming. It's essential that you have at least a basic ability to brainstorm and come up with creative ideas. There are many different methods of brainstorming out there. You can make lists, idea trees, creative visualization, random associations, mixing and matching different ideas and countless other forms of brainstorming.
• Drafting and revision. Unless you hire someone else to craft your speech for you, you're going to have to draft and revise the content you create. This means you should have a good grasp of the written word, grammar, editing, and last minute touch ups and revisions.
• Rehearsal. It takes a little effort and discipline to make sure that you schedule (and actually perform) practice runs and rehearsals. This part of the process is absolutely essential to delivering a clear and confident speech. There is no set answer as to how long you should spend rehearsing. You should just keep at it until you have a firm grasp on your content and confidence in your delivery.
• Polishing. Another important task in the speech preparation process is polishing the final product. It means the content, the delivery, visual aids, and supplemental materials - everything that is a part of your speech. It requires attention to detail and a firm commitment to strive for excellence as opposed to mediocrity.

Public Speaking Techniques…

• Creativity. Effective and successful public speakers realize that creativity is a must for excellence. You must be able to look at old things through new eyes, new things through the eyes of experience and an innate ability to take yourself from impossible to reality both confidently and consistently.
• Excellence. We've already mentioned excellence quite a few times, but that's only because it's so very important. You must not grow complacent. You must constantly strive to achieve more, do it smarter or do it on demand. There is always room for improvement. Excellence recognizes this truth and aspires accordingly.
• Dedication. No matter what challenges or obstacles you face, to succeed as a public speaker you mustn't ever give up. You need tenacity, faithfulness, patience and a thick skin. You have to remember that nothing is impossible and for every low there's an equal and opposite high. Don't loose faith! You will master this.
• Integrity. Integrity means you strive to remain honest and true to your morals and principles. It means you check the facts, site your sources and resist the temptation to engage in a "little plagiarism". It means your audience can trust you to deliver the truth, and that they can safely rely on the information that you provide them with.

If you consider the facts available regarding public speaking and fear, you may be lead many to believe that these two things are joined at the hip. However, the real truth of the matter is that public speaking doesn't necessarily have to lead to an overwhelming level of dread. Fortunately, with the information you'll find within this article, you'll be better prepared to meet your public speaking goals without having to stress about, well, stressing about it! Getting over fears of public speaking is within the grasp of everyone, as long as you're willing to give it all you've got.

But before we can really give you the keys to help you successfully manage panic and anxiety when it's time to engage in public speaking, it's first necessary to figure out what level of fear speaking in public inspires in you.

The Fear of Public Speaking: A Broad Definition

Many people equate fear with panic attacks, and while that is a condition suffered by some public speakers, most of us will likely suffer from a much milder problem. What's the difference?

Well, a panic attack is an intense and sudden feeling of fear and anxiety that is often associated with physical symptoms such as rapid heart beat, trembling, shortness of breaths, feeling pins and needles as well as the possibility of feeling faint. The on-set of a panic attack may leave you in fear that you'll suffer to the point of collapse or even death. The worst of panic attacks lasts from around twenty to thirty minutes and are often linked in a series of recurrent, unexpected episodes of severe anxiety and distress.

Of course, not everything we call a "panic attack" is a real panic attack, and anxiety of public speaking can come in multiple forms. Indeed, when it comes to the fear of public speaking, there are many different names you might hear connected with anxiety.

Some call it performance anxiety, stage fright, panic, phobia of public speaking, speech anxiety, speech phobia, or, of course, just plain shyness. However, it should come as no surprise that there are so many different names for the fear of public speaking when you take into consideration the fact that in the US and the UK, the fear of public speaking surpasses even the fear of dying!

So, What Exactly Is The Big Deal?

Statistics like that can leave you questioning why the fear of public speaking is so crushing all across the board. At the root of the problem is the fact that there are increased trends for even ordinary, everyday citizens to find themselves in positions of having to offer speeches, reports, and presentations in front of groups at work, school and other arenas of life. And most ordinary people feel woefully incompetent when it comes time to inform a crowd, even if they happen to be highly qualified and successful members of their particular industry or organization.

Where does this fear come from? The fear of public speaking stems from our natural ingrained flight and fight instinct. And while speaking in front of an audience isn't quite a threat to our survival, it IS a very real imagined threat to our egos, confidence and capability.

When suddenly called upon to confront a crowd, you may find yourself experiencing some (or any combination) of the following symptoms:

By learning to recognize your own symptoms, you'll be better able to measure your level of angst when it comes to public speaking. You'll also be able to identify key areas of physical or emotional response that call for notice or change.

Tips for Separating Public Speaking and Fear…

There are many techniques that you can utilize to your advantage as you set out to eliminate fear from public speaking.

The first of these is to really learn and acknowledge the fact that public speaking is NOT inherently stressful. But how can you do that? Simply study other public speakers that you admire or wish to emulate. Seek out those who enjoy public speaking and learn from their personal tips and ideas. It just might be what the doctor ordered to help you get your own anxiety under control. And of course, never forget that old adage, "Practice makes perfect…"

Another essential step for managing your anxiety is to come to terms with the reality that you don't have to be brilliant or perfect in order to be a success. All you have to do is have a message that's intended to occupy and profit your audience in some way, and success is virtually guaranteed!

Additionally, you may want to insure that you're not overdoing things. Your speech shouldn't be a lecture or a dissertation. Instead, limit yourself to a max of two or three main points, with no more than three supporting points for each. Structure your speech according to these principles and you'll find it much easier to keep your wits on track, your audience focused and your anxiety levels low.

Also, be sure that you don't over-exaggerate your role as a public speaker. Try to find various ways of thinking about what you're actually doing. Consider yourself an informer, an educator, a powerful example, or a sharer of enlightenment. Find new focuses of your role as a public speaker and highlight those that leave you more comfortable and secure in your own ability.

Learn to loosen up. And I don't mean just while you're on stage, do it all of the time. Practice methods of meditation, tranquility therapy, relaxation or creative visualization techniques that are able to help you reduce stress and enlarge the strength and power of both your mind and your performance as a public speaker. Then, once you've mastered these techniques away from the stage, you can start to integrate them into your speaking performances to help moderate any symptoms of anxiety that may still plague you.

Finally, never forget that when it comes to public speaking, your audience WANTS you to succeed! They want you to give a darn good speech, full of useful, practical information that they can take home with them and use to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others.

No one came there to have their time wasted, or even to waste your time. They want to be entertained, and believe it or not, they want to like you. So, when you're standing up there, fearing the approach of a non-existent panic attack, remember that the audience is on your side.

As with any good thing you can hope to have, time and practice and continued effort are the most surefire ways to succeed in any endeavor, and this applies to public speaking as much as it does to anything else. All you have to do is know from the start that public speaking and panic attacks don't have to go hand in hand!

What Kind of Goodbye Is It?

Before you can really begin to craft your goodbye speech, it's important that you identify what kind of goodbye you'll be giving. Is a boss or colleague retiring? Is a neighbor or friend moving away? Are you changing companies and the one saying goodbye? Is your company dissolving leaving everyone to go their own separate ways? Is it a graduation speech, where you wish your friends farewell and good luck as you get ready to embark upon your bright new future? Or will you be tearfully saying goodbye to a close friend or relative who's passed away?

As you can see, while all of these situations will involve goodbye speeches, each of them will need to be treated with unique care and planning. A eulogy is quite a bit different than a graduation speech. And the speech given by someone leaving is going to vary from one given to someone who's moving on. However, there are some similarities to be found between them all.

Common Ground in Goodbye Speeches…

Regardless of the degree of emotion displayed or felt, any kind of goodbye can be hard, emotional and/or uncomfortable. It's hard to deliver a speech of any kind if you're choked up or weeping - and that's to be expected. Saying goodbye is never easy, and there's a good chance that your listeners are feeling a bit of emotion themselves. It's important to be prepared for powerful sadness or sobbing from yourself or audience members, so that if you're swept by a wave of strong emotion it doesn't catch you by surprise.

Saying goodbye in any way, shape, or form also usually includes plenty of opportunities to share special memories that can make people smile or laugh. Laughter is a natural stress reliever, and at times of sorrow, high expectation or grief, laughter really can be the best medicine. Share quotes, jokes, anecdotes about the person leaving (or if you're leaving, about the people you're leaving behind.) Use this time to share the good times. That's one of the most important elements of all goodbye speeches.

Coming Up With Content for Memorable Goodbye Speeches…

No good speech is complete without a few quotes, anecdotes, interesting facts or personal stories. The same thing applies to goodbye speeches. There are plenty of places on the web that you can find quotes, jokes and anecdotes from famous people (or just talented people with great quotes!) that can be tied into the central theme of your message. However, regardless of the number of impersonal quotes or anecdotes you sprinkle into your speech, you'll never be able to deliver a memorable goodbye speech if you aren't able to somehow personalize your message to the person leaving or being left.

This means that you've got to know the person or people being honored AND you've got to know your audience. It's a pretty tall order, but it's certainly not impossible. If you are delivered the task of speaking in honor of someone that you don't know too terribly well (at least not on a personal level) this is the perfect time to go to his or her friends, relatives and co-workers for some insider help and information. Not only will this enable you to write a great goodbye speech, it will also help you better know and understand the person who'll be moving on to new or greener pastures.

What If You're The One Leaving?

Sometimes, goodbye speeches mean that you have to stand in front of the audience and bid them farewell. This can be especially hard if you're retiring or moving away from lifetime friends, relatives or co-workers. However, there are some set guidelines that you can keep in mind as you create your speech to help give it structure and flow, and answer the questions and concerns that those who'll be left behind may share.

If you're the one who's leaving, you might want to keep these five simple steps in mind, and craft your goodbye speeches accordingly:

1. Officially announce to everyone that you're leaving. If there's been any doubt or rumors (and believe me, the chances are high that there has been!), this is your chance to confirm any suspicions and elaborate on future plans or what's coming next.
2. Take the time to express thanks and gratitude to all of those who've supported you and will not move on with you to your new position, home, life or school.
3. Include a few fond memories you've shared with the audience, and try to get them to at least crack a smile.
4. Offer some final thoughts on friendship, hard work, moving on, etc.
5. Close with a powerful quote or proverb (but not a clich??!) that really seems to speak to you about this particular situation.

Saying so long is never easy, and saying it in front of a crowd may seem impossible. But with a little planning and a few walks down memory lane, you can share your memories, your good times, lessons learned, and stories that have been shared with you with everyone around you. For parting truly is a sweet kind of sorrow.

But, despite this fact, people are always asking themselves and others, "Why is public speaking important? Why do I need it? What's the use? What's the purpose?"

This article is designed to answer those questions and help you to put the importance of public speaking in the right perspective!

Understanding Why Public Speaking Is So Important…

There are a multitude of reasons that public speaking is important. Take a good look at the handful of them we've collected for you and then ask yourself why you think public speaking is so vital to society.

• By learning how to effectively speak in public, you'll be able to increase your own self-confidence. Since public speaking is one of the most prevalent fears in the western world, by enabling yourself to master this difficult skill you'll have the confidence that you need to meet and greet future challenges.
• Public speaking regularly (and well) helps to make you more comfortable around other people, including strangers. Once you're capable of greeting and instructing an entire room full of strangers (or at least most of them strangers), it'll be nothing to smile and shake hands and meet new individuals in more personal and less threatening circumstances.
• Public speaking will help fine-tine your everyday verbal and non-verbal communication skills. This is especially true for people who spend a great deal of time working with the written word, and have forgotten how to properly vocalize their messages to get their points across best.
• It's important because at some point in life, just about everyone will be required to involve themselves in one type of public speaking or another. Accepting this fact quickly and preparing for it accordingly will help you wind up a step ahead of your competition at work, home and around town!
• For obvious reasons, the ability to dive into public speaking and related communication skills are a big winner among prospective employers, and are also a great way to snag that promotion you've been awaiting for such a long time. Public speaking ability is a true career booster. In fact, both undergraduate and graduate Business school alumni who attended the University of Minnesota placed oral communication at the top of a list of skills that were relevant to overall job success.
• Using public speaking effectively will allow you to make a difference in your business, community and perhaps even the world. By sharing your information with others, you're better able to increase the impact of your hopes, dreams, desires and goals for your life and the world around you.
• Because by the time you've learned to embody the importance of public speaking, you'll have learned another key principle. We can better persuade people when we are able to appeal to them as human beings that have emotions, desires and thoughts just like we do. This is the difference between distinguishing between simple an audience of bosses, employees or clients and transforming them in your mind into people with real problems, hopes, fears, dreams and desires.
• Using public speaking to get your message across is a great way to humanize it, regardless of what that message may be!
• Public speaking is often a powerful way to make a good impression on others and to help bridge gaps in understanding, cooperation and set goals and objectives.
• The skills you'll glean by learning the art of public speaking can boost your performance and value in just about any arena - home, office or life at large.
• Learning to master public speaking early is a great way for students to perform better in college, as well as offer them greater opportunities to be accepted into their top choice schools.
• Public speaking is by nature important because it's a primary and powerful avenue to give of your self and to share with others in a profitable way. Whether you're truly offering free advice, or trying to convince your audience that you do really know what they're talking about, public speaking is a perfect avenue for compelling give and take that is hard to match any other way.

And these are hardly all of the reasons that public speaking is important. Given enough time and effort, you could probably make a list that spans across several typed pages. The point remains, though, that public speaking IS an essential ingredient to a successful, empowered life. If you can master the finer points of public speaking, there's a fairly good chance you'll be able to tackle and master other opportunities and obstacles that come your way. So, do whatever you can to prepare yourself to be a better public speaker. Don't let yourself be like the majority of Americans and Brits who are more afraid of giving a public address than they are of dying!

Embrace the opportunity to share your message with the world, and to, through your audience, make a real impact on a local, state, national or global level!

Trying to settle down and find a good persuasive speech topic is no easy task. As a matter of fact, simply deciding upon a topic can be nearly as difficult as actually writing the speech. But far too frequently, greenhorn public speakers fail to take advantage of easy tactics that could make their jobs much, much simpler. With a little insight into who your audience is and a lot of homework, you shouldn't have any trouble narrowing your topic ideas down to the very best one.

However, it's vital to remember that when it comes to persuasive speeches, it's a pretty good idea to make your principal goal getting the positive attention and admiration of your audience. If you can manage to do that, regardless of what your topic is, you're well on your way to successful persuasion.

Be Sure That You Know Your Audience…

To really get to the heart of the matter, it's important that you understand that your audience will play the single most important role when it comes to choosing a topic for your persuasive speech.

That's because it's always a good idea to choose a topic that will keep them interested and involved in your speech. If there are some basic similarities between the attendees, capitalize on them! While this hardly sounds like original advice, you'd be absolutely amazed to discover how many speakers (even experienced speakers!) fail to take this into account.

Also, be sure to remember that most audiences are taking the time of their busy schedules and going to seminars and attending functions where persuasive speeches prevail in an effort to discover more about themselves. If you can also make this one of the underlying benefits of your persuasive speech, you're light-years ahead of most public speakers!

Start out by asking yourself what you can do to in some way, shape or form to show your audience something that will enhance the quality of their lives. Topics that qualify for this category might include:

• Amplified joy
• Deeper, truer love
• More wealth
• Satisfying relationships
• Strengthened power, or
• Superior health

However, not every public speaker can have total freedom when it comes to picking out a topic. If you're speaking at an event that caters to dentists, you're probably not going to be welcomed if your topic is "How to Never Have to Visit a Dentist Again…"

On the other hand, you can still increase the impact of your persuasive speech if you keep in mind certain trends that nearly all audiences share, even if you're working with a seemingly dry topic. Audiences want you to sell them the benefits of your topic or idea, and not simply the features. If you can answer the question, "What's in it for me?" for the majority of your audience members, you're much more likely to influence them that you're way of thinking, acting or behaving is the best.

Still searching for possibilities? Here's a little tip: the two supreme sources of interest for ANY audience are

1. Financial prosperity and
2. Self-development.

Can you include either (or both) of these aspects into your own persuasive speech?

Are You Still Finding Yourself Stumped?

If you're still a little stumped, pay mind to current values, thoughts, events and ambitions that may be shared by your audience members.

Are they all in the same industry?

Are they all the same sex?

Do many of them fall under the same income bracket?

What demographics do your audience members share?

While trying to persuade your audience, don't overlook opportunities to inform and educate, motivate and arouse or offer new solutions or new behaviors to help out with old, burning problems. Whatever you decide to say, make sure that the information is clear-cut and easy to understand for everyone sitting in the audience.

And, if you're still completely bewildered, here are a few popular persuasive topics you might want to think about:

Remember to Consider the Dissenters in the Ranks…

In addition to all of this, since you will be giving a persuasive speech, it's a pretty good idea to work hard to establish both good will and credibility with your audience members. Offer qualifications and be as friendly and as likeable as possible. Why? Because if you're called to persuade, the chances are that there will be dissenters in the ranks, sometimes even to the point that you'd call them rude hecklers! What can a girl or guy do? Kill 'em with kindness!

However, you don't want to make the blunder of being too careful to avoid controversy, or you may risk coming off as wishy-washy or unresolved. Before you can ever expect to persuade your audience one way or another, you must first make certain that you've thoroughly convinced yourself!

And, as with any speech, be sure that you close with a powerful, poignant ending that leaves the listener mulling over questions such as, "What if?" or "Maybe I could…" long after they've left the event and gone back to their lives.

Finding good persuasive speech topics doesn't have to be brutal! Just know your audience, learn what they want to learn and then teach it to them!

It's a surefire way to sway their opinions and get the response you're after!

From as far back as the Olympics to the advent of the Super Bowl, sporting events have inspired a following and fanaticism unparalleled by just about anything else short of religious fervor. We see evidence of this each and every day in the salaries paid to professional athletes, high attendance at various sporting events and the sheer amount of serialized merchandise and memorabilia that abounds. It should come as no surprise, then, to know that sports speeches are on the rise and more and more people are looking for insider information and clues to help make sure that their own sports speeches are a rousing success.

If you fit that bill, don't despair. In this article, we'll be providing you with plenty of tips, tricks and source materials to help you write and deliver great sports speeches!

Various Types of Sports Speeches…

There is no shortage when it comes to types of sports speeches you can deliver. There are acceptance speeches, speeches delivered in honor of a player, and introductory speeches for new coaches and/or teammates. There are speeches delivered to audiences that share a common sporting interest and there are speeches delivered debating or persuading opinions one way or another. You might need to welcome a new team of Pee-Wee baseball players and their parents or give a speech in honor of a famous MVP on national television. And while the audiences, venues or topics may change, there are some similarities between all sports speeches that you should pay careful attention to.

The Basics of Creating a Great Sports Speech…

The two most important aspects of any great speech are content and structure. Your content is important because it's what keeps your audience interested in what you have to say. Structure is vital because it helps you deliver the content of your speech in the most powerful, effective and efficient way possible. Therefore, in order to have a killer sports speech, you've got to follow some general guidelines that help ensure success.

When choosing the content that will go into the creation of your speech, make sure that you find ways to actively involve not only any honorees you'll address, but also your audience. Regardless of how famous someone is, or how many touchdowns they scored, if you can't offer your audience useful information that satisfies a need for deeper understanding or personal knowledge, they're going to get bored. And a bored audience is a surefire way to limit the impact and power of your message, no matter how important that message may be.

You can find useful, compelling content in the form of quotations, anecdotes, surprising facts and statistics or obscure, insightful information into a person they thought they already knew everything about.

Some great sites that can help you find this useful content include:

• http://www.amstat.org/setions/sis/
• http://www.didyouknow.cd/sport/sport.htm
• http://www.famous-quotes-and-quotations.com/sports-quote.html
• http://www.sentex.net/~ajy/facts/sportsgame.html

Each of these sites offers different sources of quotes, facts and statistics that you can incorporate into your sports speech to keep your audience riveted.

You can further involve the audience, and also help them stay interested by offering any personal experiences or stories that can help bring your point home. However, keep in mind that, while it's great to highlight achievements and accomplishments of honorees or teams, you should try not to overdo it. No one likes a brownnoser and the people attending are likely already very aware of how successful and accomplished the individual or team is.

Instead, try to tie your whole speech into an overall theme or mood that allows you to keep your audience interested while keeping your message coherent and connected. Also, while creating the content of your speech, make sure that you restrict yourself to no more than three main points, with a total of about three supporting points for each one.

When structuring your speech, make sure that you include room for important pauses or moments of emphasis, such as after jokes or startling statements or statistics. Look for additional ways that you can incorporate movement, gestures, eye-contact, audience involvement and visual aids to further interest your listeners.

Of course, not all great sports speeches are given in honor of teams or individuals. A great many of them are just ordinary speeches with a centralized sporting them or a persuasive argument for or against issues related to the sporting industry.

Other Sport Speech Related Topics…

If you fall under this category of public speaking, and can't simply expound upon the highlights and achievements and stories of a notable figure or team, don't despair. There are plenty of fabulous sports topics that you can deliver a fantastic speech on.

Some of these include:

Whatever sporting topic you may wind up addressing, just remember to keep your audience involved while additionally keeping yourself animated throughout the speech.

With a little careful planning when it comes to things like content, structure and topics and themes, you can make a name for yourself as a regular deliverer of great sports speeches!

To begin with, you need to feel the confidence in yourself that's required in order for a joke or punch-line to deliver the desired affect. Confidence is probably the biggest key for success when it comes to writing and delivering great funny speeches.

But once you've nailed your confidence, there are many more tips and tricks that you can use to insure that your humor is well received.

Preparing a Great Funny Speech

When you're setting out to prepare a great funny speech, it's important to pay close attention to two things: content and structure.

Content

When it comes to content, there are some slightly different rules for humorous speeches than for others. First off, remember that though you may be aiming for a funny speech, you're not a stand-up comedian. The primary reason your audience is listening to you isn't simply to laugh, but also to learn. This means that you need to feed humor to your audience in small doses, mixed in with a generous helping on facts, knowledge, tips and key points for them to take home with them. And the great part of this is that even when only sewing humor through your speech a little here and a little there, you can still manage to inspire a laugh every fifteen or twenty seconds while still offering your audience all that they came here expecting to get!

Of course, humor is an even greater benefit to your audience if you're dealing with highly technical (or incredibly mundane) topics. If you've got a lot of men and women in the audience in three piece suits and packing laptops and cell phones and probably a handful of ulcers, giving them a chance to laugh is a great way to help them naturally relieve stress and recruit them to your way of thinking.

When you're crafting your speech, it is important, however, to keep it simple enough and easy enough for everyone in your audience to "get" your humor. Not everyone "gets" sarcasm or dry humor, so plan your content accordingly.

Also (and this should go without saying) keep all of your jokes and humorous lines and quotes clean and inoffensive. This isn't a great time for vulgar jokes, profanity, or other types of uncomfortable humor. If you're having trouble finding humorous quotes or one-liners, the World Wide Web is full of free resources that can help you locate the perfect joke or quote for your particular speech.

Structure

Structure also plays an important role when it comes to creating great funny speeches. If you're aiming for humor throughout your speech, make sure that you get a laugh out of your audience within the first half to one minute.

Also, when drafting your speech, remind yourself when and where you should pause in order to give your audience an appropriate amount of time to laugh before moving on the additional points or quips. Also try to incorporate reminders for yourself to keep you moving around and having fun throughout the delivery of your speech.

It's also important to keep in mind the three primary elements necessary in order for you and your audience to understand and structure humor. The three main elements are surprise, tension and relationships. Just about anything in the world can be funny if you can give it all three of these elements.

To enhance surprise, make sure that you keep it a surprise! Save punch-lines until the end of the joke, with the actual punch phrase at the very end. The next part is to release tension. This is exemplified by the pause (which is a tension builder) followed by the punch-line (which prompts laughter which relieves tension.) The third aspect, relationships are equally important. Humor is based on things that are both related and not related. You can increase the humor of a situation by playing these relationships up. Polarities and similes are a great way to do this.

Creating Humor Via Lists…

As we just mentioned, polarities and similes are a great way to increase humor and the impact that it has. Here's a simple exercise that will help you to milk as much humor as you can from a particular situation.

Let's start out with a humorous situation or comparison. Our premise is, "Our post office is like a war zone."

Now, you'd make two lists. One list is headed with a heading like "Post Office Things," while the other list is headed "Military things."

Go through and make your lists as long as you possibly can, all the time looking for connections that can be made between them. Now, set these aside for a little while and come back again later with a fresh perspective.

Glean your best possibilities and milk them to maximize the impact your humor has on the crowd!

Humor can be learned and perfected, you just have to dedicate yourself to mastering the secrets and techniques that actually makes humor funny. If you'd like some more help on mastering great funny speeches, check out www.humorpower.com for more great tips and examples!