Think “Word Pictures.” Instead of words, think of what is known as “word pictures.” How would you describe a trip to Disneyland, for example? Can you picture Main Street in your mind? How would you tell someone about it? Let’s say you were giving a speech about theme parks and instead of writing a word-for-word description of Disneyland, you simply wrote the words, “ Disneyland / Main Street / Stores / Parades / Fire truck ride / Mickey,” your description would be conversational and more interesting. A word pictures speech is usually a few brief words or sentences on a page that can be written in a few minutes, instead of the hours involved in a totally written speech. In rehearsing the speech you may not give it exactly the same each time but who cares as long as the message is communicated.
The 3-Part Speech. An effective speech is usually written in three parts, i.e. the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. In the introduction you want to acknowledge the group to whom you are speaking, perhaps say something humorous to break the ice, and briefly tell the audience what you are going to talk about. In the body (which is the longest part) you give the pertinent details. And in the conclusion, you briefly summarize the key points, thank the audience, and sit down. You would be surprised how many speakers don’t know how to conclude their remarks so as a result the audience is left hanging. When organizing your speech, simply start listing the items you wish to mention, in any particular order. Then you can later arrange things in their final order. The most important thing is at first to get things down on paper.