1. Do not speak too fast – pauses are very hard to make if you are nervous, but you will be surprised how effective they can be in making people listen, as well as giving the speaker time to think.
2. Make sure you know how long the speech is supposed to last. It’s much better to speak for too short a time than for too long, so rehearse the speech to check the time it takes.
3. It ia a hundred times better to make a few points in several different ways than to try and make many separate points – this is probably the most important rule of all so far as political speeches are concerned. The skill is to choose the right points.
4. Check what happened on previous occasions and how it was received. If last year’s speech was good you can try to repeat the line; equally if it was bad you know what to try to avoid.
5. Try to refer to one or two key people by name – this always creates a good impression, but make sure you get the names right.
6. Use humour with great care – it can be a high – risk policy especially if you slightly misjudge your audience.
7. If a speech has been written for you, go through if first, reading out loud. Make whatever manuscript additions / changes are needed to adapt it to your own style. You will fail if you try to follow someone else’s style
Further Reading
Morgan, James (Const.) The Arthur Young: Councillor’s Handbook. London: Arthur Young, 1986. p 100 - 111
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