Summarize:

Try to write something that will hook your audience so that you immediately grab their attention. Try starting the speech writing process by free-writing. Write as much as you can about your subject as fast as you can. Don't worry about judgment or crafting perfect sentences. Once you have your points on paper, you can start refining them and putting them in order. Use an anecdote or a quote. Sometimes, someone else has already said it better than you ever will. A quote, provided it hasn't been overused, can help you get things started. Just be sure to look for a quote that is surprising or unique, and always credit your source. Be cautious about opening with a joke unless you know your audience well. You may think that a joke is funny, but your audience may find it humorless or even offensive. Make sure that your points are concise and direct. You can start by looking at generic sources like an encyclopedia or Wikipedia, but you need to fact check your ideas with more authoritative sources after you generally understand your subject. Draw on your own experience. If you have a long history with your topic, your experiences and personal stories can be great resources. Just keep these stories succinct so that you don't ramble and lose the audience's attention. Decide whether you want to write out your speech or to outline the speech on index cards. Consider your comfort level with the topic. If you know the topic well and can improvise easily, then use index cards. Use 1 card for the introduction. This card should include your opening statement. Use 1 or 2 cards for each supporting point. Then, create 1 card for the conclusion which ties back to the main idea of your speech. Write brief sentence fragments or even single words on your cards. These words or fragments should contain key phrases that remind you of what you want to say. If you feel insecure or don't know the subject well, write out the words of your speech exactly as you want to say them. The choice to use visual aids will depend on the size of your audience and the length of your speech. A long speech, for example, may be easier to sit through with some visuals to break it up. You may create a Prezi or a PowerPoint presentation to go along with your speech, or you may choose to use paper-based charts and graphs. Keep the visuals to a minimum. You want them to aid your speech, not to overshadow it. Always make sure your speech can stand on its own should technical problems occur. Make sure that the audience can read the content of your visuals. Too big is better than not big enough. Check the facilities of the room in which you will be speaking. If you need Internet or you need a projection screen, be sure that the facility has the equipment. Arrive to the room early to make sure everything is functional for your speech. Providing your credentials before your speech can help you set your tone, and give you the chance to list your credentials without bragging. Use this to let the audience get an assessment of who you are, and take the moment to introduce not only your background but your style of speaking.If someone will be introducing you before your speech, then providing this introduction beforehand will be helpful. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/2f\/Do-Research-Step-19.jpg\/v4-460px-Do-Research-Step-19.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/2f\/Do-Research-Step-19.jpg\/aid9476-v4-728px-Do-Research-Step-19.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"<div class="mw-parser-output"><p>License: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/">Creative Commons<\/a><br>
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Write a succinct, single-sentence statement about your subject. Choose 3 to 5 supporting points for your topic. Choose how to keep your speech on point. Decide whether you want to use visual aids. Write a brief biographical introduction about yourself.