How to Make a Speech (Digital)

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PAPERBACK | 168 PAGES

by Barrie Barton

Will you be making a business or academic presentation? Giving a speech at a family occasion? Maybe you’re considering sharing your passion or expertise at an event such as TEDx or Pecha Kucha. Whatever the occasion, you want your speech to be engaging and memorable.

In this easy-to-use book, renowned speech coach Barrie Barton shows you how to:

  • discover your message

  • organize your content

  • craft a compelling opening and an inspiring closing

  • use slides

  • connect with your audience

Barrie Barton’s insightful advice will guide you in making your speech clear and powerful, and in delivering it with calm, confident control—however nervous you may feel right now!

Table of Contents

Add To Cart

PAPERBACK | 168 PAGES

by Barrie Barton

Will you be making a business or academic presentation? Giving a speech at a family occasion? Maybe you’re considering sharing your passion or expertise at an event such as TEDx or Pecha Kucha. Whatever the occasion, you want your speech to be engaging and memorable.

In this easy-to-use book, renowned speech coach Barrie Barton shows you how to:

  • discover your message

  • organize your content

  • craft a compelling opening and an inspiring closing

  • use slides

  • connect with your audience

Barrie Barton’s insightful advice will guide you in making your speech clear and powerful, and in delivering it with calm, confident control—however nervous you may feel right now!

Table of Contents

PAPERBACK | 168 PAGES

by Barrie Barton

Will you be making a business or academic presentation? Giving a speech at a family occasion? Maybe you’re considering sharing your passion or expertise at an event such as TEDx or Pecha Kucha. Whatever the occasion, you want your speech to be engaging and memorable.

In this easy-to-use book, renowned speech coach Barrie Barton shows you how to:

  • discover your message

  • organize your content

  • craft a compelling opening and an inspiring closing

  • use slides

  • connect with your audience

Barrie Barton’s insightful advice will guide you in making your speech clear and powerful, and in delivering it with calm, confident control—however nervous you may feel right now!

Table of Contents

Barrie’s expertise in streamlining content, organizing my ideas, and aligning the slides was remarkably efficient and on point. Her coaching gave me the benefit of feeling confident in my content and relaxed in my delivery.
— Richard Fort, architect
Barrie helped me turn my speech from boring to brilliant! She taught me how to shine brightly when presenting my research. I am truly grateful for all that I learned from her.
— Aimee Williams, business owner
My conference speech was a massive hit. Over 1,300 people heard it, and probably 200 people came up to me and told me how much they enjoyed it. I couldn’t have done it without Barrie!”
— Brent Darnell, Emotional Intelligence coach

About the Author

Barrie Barton

Barrie Barton is dedicated to the art and strategy of personal and professional communication and presentation. She founded the speaking coaching and facilitation company Stand and Deliver in Asheville, NC, in 2015, and has helped hundreds of businesspeople, architects and engineers, artists, and thought leaders learn to communicate their ideas with clarity and passion. 

Barrie also teaches public speaking at UNC Asheville, and, through Next AVL, mentors local college students in pitch design and delivery. In 2019 she served as coaching coordinator for TEDx Asheville and is now the event’s Executive Director.

Table of Contents

Let’s Get Started

  • The Desire to Inspire

  • Overcoming the Fear

  • How to Use This Book

Chapter 1: Discover Your Message

  • The Lake of Your Ideas

  • The Seven Key Questions

    • Key Question 1: “What’s my motivation?”

    • Key Question 2: “Who are my listeners?”

    • Key Question 3: “What do I want my listeners to do, feel or believe"?”

    • Key Question 4: “What’s the one thing I want my listeners to remember?”

    • Key Question 5: “What do my listeners need to know?”

    • Key Question 6: “Why me?”

    • Key Question 7: “How much time do I have?”

Chapter 2: Compose Your Speech

  • Gather Your Treasures

  • Start Writing Your Speech

    • Splat it

    • Speak it

    • Map it

Chapter 3: Shape Your Speech

  • The Speechwriter’s Hourglass

  • The Basic Building Blocks of a Speech

    • Opening

    • Why me?

    • Core message

    • Why does it matter?

    • Key points

    • What’s possible?

    • Call to action

    • Closing

Chapter 4: Animate Your Speech

  • Quotes

  • Story

  • Data

  • Transitions

  • Audience Participation

  • Q & A

  • Slides

Chapter 5: Polish Your Speech

  • How to Time Your Speech

    • Techniques for cutting

  • Adding Flavor

    • Metaphor

    • Humor

    • Repetition

  • Assess Your Progress

    • The value of pauses

Chapter 6: Rehearse Your Speech

  • Create a Customized Speech Map

  • Memorization

    • Using notes

  • Polish Your Delivery

    • Establish a pre-performance routine

    • Practice your speech

    • Rehearsal techniques

Chapter 7: Deliver Your Speech

  • Preliminary Checklists

  • Prepare Your Introduction

  • What to Wear

  • Speak Like a Pro

Chapter 8: Speaking on a Virtual Platform

  • Let Us See You

    • Background

    • Lighting

    • Camera position

    • What to wear

  • Let Us Hear You

    • Tech

    • Tone

  • Additional Tips

Chapter 9: Honoring Someone You Love

  • Gather Your Treasures

  • Craft Your Toast

    • Choose the right story to tell

  • Shape Your Toast

  • Polish Your Toast

  • Prepare to Perform

    • Practice the toast

  • Deliver Your Toast

  • What to Avoid

  • Words of Love

Appendix: Sample Speech Shapes

  • The Basic Hourglass

  • Compare and Contrast

  • Chronological

  • Speech to Honor Someone