How to Write a Speech: My Simple 6-Step Formula
Ed Darling
9 min read
What you’ll learn:
- Why great speechwriting requires a structure.
- My exact 6-step speech structure you can steal.
- How to start and end your speech strong.
How to write a speech, the easiest way possible.
How? By following a simple frame-work that’s powerful and versatile.
Whether you have a work presentation, keynote talk, or best man’s speech – by the end of this article, you’ll know exactly how to write a speech, and in what order.
I’m Ed, a public speaking coach and co-founder of Project Charisma. I help professionals, leaders and business owners to speak in public, and this is the #1 speech framework that I share with all of my clients.
I’ll walk you through the process of how to write a speech step-by-step, explaining each section as we go. I’ll also give you some examples of how this would look in different types of speech.
The first step is something 99% of people miss.
PS. Check out our specific speech guides on:
Step 1. Find your speech's "Golden Thread"
The first lesson in how to write a speech is setting a clear objective from the get-go — so that what you write doesn’t end up being vague or convoluted.
Afterall, If you don’t know exactly what your speech is about, neither will your audience.
To avoid this, we’re going to begin by defining our “Golden Thread”.
This is the key idea, insight or message that you want to get across. Like a thread, it will run throughout your speech, linking each section together in a way that’s clear and coherent.
To help you figure out your Golden Thread, try answering these two questions:
- If you had to summarise your speech into a single sentence, what would that be?
- If your audience could leave remembering only one thing, what would that be?
Golden Thread examples:
A work presentation: “Customer referrals can be our our super-power”
A motivational speech: “Don’t let circumstances define you”
For a wedding/event speech: “Enjoy the journey together”
Speech Writing Tip:
Your Golden Thread isn’t something you share with the audience. You don’t start your speech by saying it out loud. Rather, it’s something we define in the preparation phase to clarify your own thoughts and ensure everything that comes next makes sense.
That said, your Golden Thread may double-up as the perfect speech title, or memorable catch-phrase. In which case it’s fine to use it within your speech as a way to drive-home the overall message.
Think of MLKs famous “I have a dream” speech. The Golden Thread would be his dream of a future with equality — a core idea which ran throughout the speech. But the exact phrase “I have a dream” was also spoken and repeated for effect.
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Step 2. Start with your Hook
Now we get into the nitty-gritty of how to write a speech.
The Hook is the first thing you will actually say to the audience – usually within the first 10-30 seconds of your speech.
Most people start a speech by introducing themselves and their topic:
“Hello everyone, I’m John from accounting, today I’ll be talking about our quarterly figures”.
It’s predictable, it’s unimaginative, it’s starting with a yawn instead of a bang.
Instead, we’re going to open the speech with a hook that gets people sitting up and listening.
A hook can be anything that captures attention, including a:
- Relevant quote
- Interesting statistic
- Intriguing question
- Funny anecdote
- Powerful statement
Watch how Apollo Robbins opens his TED talk with a question-hook to engage the audience.
Whichever type of hook you use, it needs to be short, punchy and ideally something that builds intrigue in your audience’s mind. Depending on the type of speech, your hook might be humorous, dramatic, serious or thoughtful.
For an in-depth guide on how to write a speech with a great hook, I highly recommend our article on 9 Killer Speech Openers.
Hook examples:
A work presentation: “What if I told you we could increase revenue by 35%, without any additional ad-spend?”
A motivational speech: “At the age of 30, my life was turned upside down – I was jobless, directionless, and depressed”
For a wedding/event speech: “Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell! – so said Joan Crawford”
Speech Hook Tip:
Don’t rush into things. Hooks work infinitely better when you pause just before speaking, and again just after.
Step 3. The Speech Introduction
We’ve captured attention and have the whole room interested. The next step is to formally introduce ourselves, our speech, and what the audience can expect to hear.
Depending on the situation, you can use your introduction as an opportunity to build credibility with your audience. If they don’t know you, it’s worth explaining who you are, and why you’re qualified to be speaking on this topic.
The more credibility you build early on, the more engagement you’ll have throughout the speech. So consider mentioning expertise, credentials and relevant background.
In other situations where people already know you, there may be less need for this credibility-building. In which case, keep it short and sweet.
Intro examples:
A work presentation: “Good morning everyone, I’m Jenny from the Marketing department. For the past few months I’ve been tracking our referrals with a keen-eye. Today, I want to show you the numbers, and explain my plan double our referrals in the next 6 months”
A motivational speech: “Ladies and gentlemen, at the age of 40 I’m a speaker, an author and a teacher – but my life could have turned out very differently. Today, I want to share with you my story of overcoming adversity.”
For a wedding/event speech: “Good afternoon everyone, I’m Luke the Best Man. I can’t promise anything quite as poetic as that quote, but I’d like to say a few words for the Bride and Groom”.
Speech Intro Tip:
In certain situations, your introduction can also be a time to give thanks – to the event organisers, hosts, audience, etc. But always keep this brief, and keep focused on your message.
Step 4. The Speech Body
The body of the speech is where you share your main stories, ideas or points. The risk for many speakers here is that they start meandering.
One point leads to another, which segues into a story, then a tangents off to something else, and before we know it, everyone’s confused – definitely not how to write a speech.
Remember, clarity is key.
For this reason, wherever possible you should aim to split the body of your speech into three distinct sections.
Why three? Because humans tend to process information more effectively when it comes in triads. Making it easier for you to remember, and easier for your audience to follow.
The most obvious example of this is the classic beginning, middle and end structure in storytelling.
You can also use past, present and future as a way to take people on a journey from “where we used to be, what happens now, and what the vision is going forwards”.
Or even more simple, break things up into:
- Three stories
- Three challenges
- Three case-studies
- Three future goals
Of course, It’s not always possible to structure speeches into three sections. Sometimes there’s just more information that you need to cover – such as with a technical presentation or sales pitch.
In this case, I recommend thinking in terms of chapters, and aiming for a maximum of 5-7. Ensure that each “chapter” or section is clearly introduced and explained, before moving on to the next. The more content you cover, the greater the need for clarity.
Body examples:
A work presentation: “We’ve discovered that referrals happen when we get three things right: building the relationship, delighting the customer, and making the ask – let’s look at each of these stages.
A motivational speech: “I don’t believe our past has to dictate our future, but in order to tell my story, let me take you back to the very beginning.”
For a wedding/event speech: “Of all the most embarrassing, undignified, and downright outrageous stories I could think of involving the Groom, I’ve whittled it down to three, which I think sum up why this marriage is destined for a long and happy future. It starts back in high-school…”
Speech Body Tip:
I mention “chapters” because when reading a book, there’s a moment to reflect after each chapter as we turn the page. In the same way, when speaking, make sure to give your audience a moment to process what you’ve just said at the end of each section, before moving on to your next point.
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Step 5. The Conclusion
Now it’s time to bring everything together, guiding your audience to the key conclusions you want them to take away.
Depending on your speech, this could be an idea, an insight, a moral, or a message. But whatever it is, now is your time to say it in a clear and compelling way.
Watch David Eagleman use a thought-provoking metaphor and rhetorical question to wrap up his TED talk on senses.
This final conclusion should always link back to your Golden Thread, making sense of everything that’s come before it.
Answer the following questions as prompts (you could even say one of these out-loud to lead into your conclusion)
- What is the message I want to leave you with?
- What have we learned from all this?
- What is the key take-away?
Conclusion examples:
A work presentation: “So what have we learned? When we get each of these steps right, our customers are eager to give us referrals, and those referrals usually result in more happy clients.”
A motivational speech: “My journey has had many ups and downs, but if there’s one lesson I’ve learned – it’s that our circumstances don’t dictate our direction, that we can come back from failure, and find a way to win”
For a wedding/event speech: “So what can I say about the Bride and Groom? They’re clearly made for each other and if history is anything to go by, their future will be full of many more stories and adventures.”
Speech Conclusion Tip:
Never use your conclusion to apologise for yourself, explain a whole new idea, or be overly thankful to everyone for watching. Keep it professional, and keep it focused on hammering-home the main idea of the speech.
6. The Call To Action, or Call To Thought
You’ve concluded your message and summarised your main points. At this point, most people think the speech is done.
Not so fast — there’s one final key step we need to take, the Call to Action.
If you’ve followed the steps so far on how to write a speech, your audience should have been listening, learning, and hopefully now feel inspired by your words.
We’ve built up the potential for some kind of action, and now all that’s left is to direct that energy into a clear “next step” they can take.
Imagine your audience are thinking “what should I do with this information”?
Your CTA is the direct answer to that question.
It should be clear, simple and ideally – something they can act on quickly. For instance, you may request the audience to download an app you’ve discussed, connect with you online, sign up for a service, or come and speak with you afterwards.
Not every speech suits a CTA however, which is where the CTT comes in.
This is a great variation I picked up from Justin Welsh which stands for “Call to Thought”. It’s a more nuanced action – typically asking people to reflect on an idea, consider a specific issue, or think differently about something.
CTA/CTT examples:
A work presentation (CTA): “As an immediate next step to get us started, I’d like everyone to reach out to your current clients this week, and ask them to refer one new customer. We’ll be tracking the results, and rewarding the winning referral rain-maker!”
A motivational speech (CTC): “So ask yourself, where are you allowing circumstances to hold you back, and how could your life change if you took a new direction?”
For a wedding/event speech (CTA): “With that said, I’d like to raise a toast to the Bride and Groom. Now enjoy the day, and get yourself a drink at the bar!”
Speech CTA/CTT Tip:
Once you’ve stated your CTA/CTT, the only thing left to do is thank people and finish. Don’t be tempted to back-track and start repeating any of your points. It’s time to get off stage!
How to write a speech using this framework.
Without a framework to guide you, it’s easy to get lost in analysis-paralysis, or worse, create a speech which gets everyone ELSE lost.
Now that you’re armed with this foolproof formula and know exactly how to write a speech, you can approach the situation with confidence.
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- Define your speeches Golden Thread.
- Hook your audience in the first 10-30 seconds.
- Introduce yourself while building credibility.
- Divide your body into three clear sections.
- Conclude your main points and drive-home the message.
- Leave them with an inspiring CTA/CTT.
Even as an inexperienced speaker, by following this formula you’ll come across with the clarity and credibility of a professional.
Remember, public speaking is simply a skillset that requires practice. The more you use this speech framework, watch other speakers in action, and gain practical experience, the more your communication skills will naturally develop.
I hope learning how to write a speech using this frame-work makes the process of writing your next speech a breeze.
Need any further help with how to write a speech? Feel free to reach out.
Ed,
Head Coach and co-founder at Project Charisma.
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