A great speech starts with great research, even if you've been tapped to give a speech at the annual sales convention, or asked to prepare a talk for a class, community group or charity event.You will want to make sure that the points you make are backed up by solid evidence and that your research is easy to understand.You can leave your audience wanting to hear more with some thoughtful preparation, organization, and investigation.
Step 1: Clarify your topic.
It will make your research process a lot more focused and efficient if you have a clearly defined scope.You only need to do the research that supports your speech.If your presentation is relevant, consider setting historical/time-based and geographical/place based parameters.If you have been assigned a broad topic, like contemporary politics, be sure to narrow it down to address a particular trend that most interests you or that you think is most relevant, such as Immigration in 21st-century U.S. Politics.Your research will give you a good idea of where to start looking.Pick a point of view and then write a thesis.You can start looking for arguments that align with your point of view by having a steady base.
Step 2: Define your purpose.
You should consider the aims you have for the speech, that is, what you want the audience to take away from it.Is it your goal to help them learn about something or to be persuasive by making an argument you hope they'll agree with and/or act upon by the end?Will it be an intellectual or emotional appeal?The types of research and evidence you seek will be influenced by your aim and approach.You should focus on gathering related statistical data if you are doing a presentation about the hotel industry.If you are trying to make an emotional appeal for the audience to support your cancer research charity, you may want to look for personal stories of survivors whose lives were saved by new treatments.If you are making a particular argument, you should look for information that supports your angle rather than general data about the topic.
Step 3: The timing should be kept in mind.
If you know the length of your speech, you can figure out how much research you need to conduct.You will not be able to cover 10 case studies if you only have 15 minutes.
Step 4: Understand who your audience is.
Knowing where to pitch your speech and having a general idea of who you will be addressing can help guide your research.If you want to speak to people who are unfamiliar with your topic, you need to give them more background information.It is possible to include the latest studies and theories in the field if you are addressing fellow experts.It helps to know if they have something in common like they are all high school students or biologists.The type of research that will be most effective for your speech can be determined by this.If your audience members all work in the same field, look for examples and evidence that would speak to them the most.If they are high school kids, tie in a pop-culture reference they would know; if they're biologists, use biological examples to prove your point.
Step 5: Anticipate audience questions.
If you were listening to a speech about your subject, consider what you want to know.It can help narrow down your research, but it can also help fill in any gaps that you might have on your topic.If you don't know, an audience might ask questions like "How much plastic is recycled each year?" or "how much energy does it take to recycle a plastic bottle versus creating a new one."
Step 6: Understand your topic's context.
It is always a good idea to start by understanding the bigger picture of your subject matter, as you want to stick to a specific topic.It is a good idea to research the history or background of what you are discussing.If you want to frame your topic in terms of the entire app industry, you could look into the history of personal ads and other dating services.
Step 7: You should keep your research organized.
You can use a system that works for you.It will be easier for you to write a speech if you have the information organized and sources accounted for.You should keep your research in a single place.You should create a labeling system for your research.You can simply enter information under the relevant bullet points if you made an outline in advance.Make sure you have headings for your notes.It's possible to highlight everything that speaks to a specific point in a particular color at the end.It's important to record the information for all your sources.You want to know where you got the evidence, who wrote it, and when it was published so that you can acknowledge it in your speech.
Step 8: To find credible sources on your topic, go to a library.
These may include books, audio or video recordings, interviews, databases, periodicals, like newspapers and journals, and reference tools like dictionaries and encyclopedias.A library will give you access to a lot of credible sources, along with a database and reference librarians to help you find them.In each case, you will want to look at the credentials of the author and their biases in order to evaluate the source's credibility.An author with no professional expertise or first-hand knowledge of the topic is not the most authoritative source for your research.If the author has a political or personal agenda, it is important to acknowledge that the information they present may reflect that bias.In order to be persuasive, you will need to cite your sources within your speech, either by including them in a handout or digital presentation slides, or by saying them aloud.You don't want to detract from the credibility of your sources.
Step 9: It is advisable to be cautious with online research.
There are a lot of websites for research.Because the content of most sites is not regulated by established publishing houses with rigorous editorial standards or by peer-review systems, it's important to establish the credibility of a website before using any information from it in your speech.Consider its accountability when evaluating the credibility of an online source.Who is responsible for the content and what interests it is designed to serve are things that need to be determined.There will be a lot of information available about the organization and the author if the content is reliable.Government sites and educational sites are more credible than others because of the restrictions on their content.Use only the official websites of those organizations that are related to your topic.If you are giving a talk about emissions regulations, you should do research at the EPA website.Using a custom search engine like Google Scholar can help eliminate bad sources from your search results.
Step 10: Use both primary and secondary sources.
Primary sources are first-hand accounts of your subject, like interviews or original research papers by the people who conducted the research.Secondary sources, like encyclopedias or history books, are texts written by people who compiled the research for you.Primary sources give direct, authoritative information while secondary sources can give you the "big picture" of a particular topic.If you can, speak with an expert about the topic.You should quote them in your speech.
Step 11: Look for quotations from authoritative authors.
If you can find an expert who can back up your ideas, that will lend credibility to them.If you want to argue for a different take, you should use a quote that shows how different your ideas are from the experts.You should use your words and ideas in most of your speech.Mention the source and place the context from which the quote is drawn as you present it.If it is from a top scientist, you should note that the most recent journal article in which you spoke was published a few months ago.
Step 12: There are striking statistics.
The best stats are the ones that are clear, based on a credible study by a government or academic authority, and defy your audience's expectations.If you are presenting on gender and children's mental health, you could give the statistics that show how depression and anxiety are more common for girls than for boys.It is possible to connect your statistics to concrete ideas.If you want to help people visualize the distance between the Earth and the Moon, you can use a basketball and tennis ball.Don't overload your audience with numbers, you want them to walk away with a few memorable statistics.
Step 13: Take a look at striking and relevant visual aids.
Help show your points graphically with diagrams, charts, tables, or graphs.Doing so will help your audience remember and understand your speech.If you are giving a speech about a battle during WWII, you should give your audience photos that show your descriptions.There is a graph that shows world climate changes since they were recorded.
Step 14: The most compelling evidence should be decided.
Your research should be more extensive than what you can cover in your speech.You can decide which pieces of evidence prove your point the most.Pick the ones that are accessible and relevant to your audience.You should include a variety of types of evidence.