Developing a Speech
Developing a speech means building out its body — turning your main points into a clear, well-supported, logically ordered whole that the audience can follow and remember.
Questions you may have include:
- How do you develop the body of a speech?
- How should you order the points?
- How do you support them?
Choose a few main points
Pick a small number of main points — usually three or so — rather than overloading the audience. Listeners can hold only so much, so depth beats breadth.
Support each point
Back up every point with evidence the audience can grasp by ear: examples, facts, brief stories, or analogies. Concrete support makes abstract points stick.
Order and connect
Arrange the points in a logical order — by time, by problem and solution, or by importance — and use clear transitions so the audience always knows when you move from one idea to the next.
Summary
Develop a speech’s body by choosing a few main points, supporting each with examples, facts, stories, or analogies, and ordering them logically with clear transitions. Writing for the ear throughout keeps the content easy to follow and remember.