Types of Speeches

Have you ever tried to create a speech, but the ideas just didn't seem to gel? You know: they seem good enough, they support your message, but they just don't go together.

When preparing your speech, it helps if you know what type of speech you want to create. There are four types:

• Informational: this is the most prevalent type of speech. Your goal is to provide information to your audience. It is often presented with a series of numbers, statistics, and many PowerPoint slides... which tend to make it overdrawn and boring.
• Inspiring: in this type of speech, you seek to inspire your audience to change something in their lives. This is often called a "motivational speech". In fact, that is a misnomer. Motivation comes from within, nobody can give it to you. Inspiration seeks to draw that motivation from audience members in order to get them to act.
• Entertaining: the main goal of this speech is to make the audience laugh and to enjoy themselves. These ais the format of most after-dinner speeches. Notice that an entertaining speech is not the same as a standup routine. It is much smoother and logical in its flow. In an entertaining speech, the message comes second to the enjoyment of the audience.
• Persuasive: it aims to convince an audience of your point of view.Typically, this is a sales presentation. Your goal is to convince an audience of the benefits of your product or service, and your speech is constructed accordingly.

Although your speech focuses on one of these types, it helps if you can include aspects of each type in your final delivery. A sales speech will be much more effective if it contains information, is entertaining, and inspiring.