I get asked all the time about the best ways to structure a speech. The answer is that it depends on what you’re talking about. Here are 5 quick ways to structure a speech that will get you from blank computer screen to presentation in no time.
1. When you’re persuading an audience . . . use the Problem-Solution Structure. Since I believe that the opportunity to persuade an audience is just about the only good reason to go to all the trouble to give a speech, the Problem-Solution structure is my favorite. Begin by framing the problem at a high level, in 1 -3 minutes. Then go into the problem in depth, making both intellectual and emotional arguments for the severity of the problem. Assuming an hour-long speech, you should spend 15-20 minutes in the problem. Then, give the solution, including the benefits of it to the audience. Finally, give the audience something to do at the end – an action step, something simple and relevant to the solution.
2. When you’re debating a particularly contentious subject . . . use the Residues Method. If the subject has strong partisans on both – or more – sides of the issue, then use this method, which is a variant of the Problem-Solution structure. Here, you frame the problem quickly and then explore it in more depth. Then, you tackle the possible solutions of your opponents. You do this in a real, thoughtful way, first presenting the pro side of the solution, and then giving one or 2 reasons why you think it won’t work. Do this for each of the other established positions. Don’t play ‘straw man’ games; give these positions real credit, as if you believed them. Then, once you’ve discussed all the other alternatives, and the problems with them, give your own. It’s the residue, or the one that’s left when all the others have been shot down.
3. When you’ve got a story to tell . . . use the Classic Story Structure. Let’s say you’re talking about your new company, or a new product, and you want to enliven the description with some narrative. Begin by describing the basic situation giving only the relevant detail, and introducing the hero (if there is one) in quick brush strokes. Next, introduce a complication – a rival, a new marketplace entrant, and so on. Finally, resolve the crisis that follows from the complication.
4. When you’ve got a history to relate . . . use the Chronological Structure. What happens next? Is the natural response of someone listening to an interesting history. The key word is ‘interesting’; I’m not a big fan of chronological storytelling unless it’s compelling because it’s inherently interesting. Otherwise, you want to use the Classic Story Structure. A variant of this method is to begin at the end of something, with a startling result, and then circle back to tell the beginning – how we got to where we are. That’s interesting if the stakes are high and everyone’s fascinated by the end result. If you were telling the story of Facebook, for example, you might start with the end – billionaires, fabulous success, and a lawsuit – and then go back to the beginning to see how everyone ended up there. You’d have the plot of The Social Network.
5. When you’ve got a product to demonstrate . . . use the Demonstration Structure. This is what Steve Jobs does better than almost anyone else. First talk about the why – why the product is amazing, why it’s needed, what problems it solves for people, and so on, and then demo the actual product in all its glory. The exact form the demo takes will of course depend on the product, but make sure it works and don’t get bogged down in the details. Just show it doing something really cool for the audience, and then hint at all the other things it could do. Leave ‘em wanting more.
These 5 structures should cover most of the situations in which you find yourself speaking. Each of these structures can be enlivened with brief examples, stories, and factoids along the way. Specificity is the stuff of life in public speaking – but only when used sparingly. Too much detail and any good structure immediately becomes deadly. A speech is not a good way to convey information. It is a good way to persuade, to move your audience to action, and to change the world.
Dr. Morgan – thanks for the timely article for me. I will be demoing a product using your Demonstration Structure. Should I make any changes if I only have 15 minutes to present?
Thanks, Drew
(@drewcarls)
If you’ve only got 15 minutes, then start with the “why” — what’s the need that this product solves:
“There’s a terrible emptiness in America today…We’re all suffering from a lack of civic unrest. Everywhere else in the world has it — Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Burma — but not us. Hence, after years of work, study, and navel-gazing, I’ve come up with the answer – the Cyclotronic Crowd Agitator. Start this baby up in any crowd, and watch the civic unrest begin!”
You get the idea.
Then demo the product, with an emphasis on how it solves the big need you’ve identified. All the more important to just hit the highlights — keep ’em wanting more, because you don’t have time to do anything else. Good luck!
Nick,
“First time, long time,” as the callers say on the sports radio shows. First time commenting, but a long time admirer of your work.
I have drawn on the work of Barbara Minto, Robert McKee, and others to land most often on the problem/solution model. It seems to me that problem definition creates credibility for the speaker, and engages the audience emotionally as well as intellectually. After all, what keeps us up at night are open questions and unresolved problems.
I found it interesting in the blizzard of commentary after the State of the Union that many of us found fault with the speech for what it failed to discuss–the debt and global warming most prominently.
However, while I believe in the power of the problem/solution model, I am also aware of research suggesting that an audienc that is already anxious and stressed does not respond well to more bad news.
I’m tempted to guess that the President was careful not to overwhelm us with the metastasizing problems we see erupting all over the world.
So again we come back to the audience. If they’re already hanging on by their fingernails, maybe we should go easy on the problems.
There’s FUD and GOG. Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD) and Greed, Opportunity, and Glory (GOG). The President went GOG on us.
Hi, Sims —
Thanks for the comment and useful insights. Can you overwhelm an audience with problems is a really interesting question. My experience is that if the speaker talks about a real problem the audience (already) has, then what you get is a strong emotional connection with that audience. Now, on the other hand, if you lay a huge new problem on the audience, or new problems (of which they are not aware), then you sometimes get resistance. And, if you talk about a host of problems without acknowledging what’s actually on your listeners’ minds, that’s another way to alienate them. So you have to do your homework, understand the audience, and figure out what’s possible.
Hey thanks Thomas! I’ll have to use this for my public speaking. Great stuff indeed.
Thanks a lot for the post. Your tips will help me to make my speech more structured and comprehensible. I will definetly put it in my public speech!
[…] 5 Ways to Structure a Speech […]
Do you have any examples of speeches that use each of these structures?
Yes, my book Give Your Speech, Change the World has a number of examples.
Thanks Thomas ! , I will utilize all the points mentioned above in my upcoming speeches .Great information indeed.