Quora Answer: Why is Planning for a Speech an Important Step?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Why is planning for a speech an important step?”

A speech is an opportunity to put forward a cogent, coherent position arguing for something, or against something.  It is an opportunity to be heard.  It is an opportunity to influence, to inspire, to invite to something.  These opportunities should not be wasted on incoherent, indulgent rambling.  Doing so detracts from the intent.  It also diminishes the credibility of a poor communicator.  That is why a speech has to be planned. 

A speech should, ideally, begin with an opening statement.  The intent of the statement is to seize audience attention, and inflame their passions.  This is carefully thought out, appropriately provocative, and surgical.  It then goes into the substance of that argument.  It must but supported, it must be organised, and there must be examples.  If there is an opportunity to weave in a narrative, and make it personal, that would be better.  People love a story.  They want an antagonist and a protagonist.  They need their heroes and villains.  They need their triumphs and terrors.  Finally, that speech should end with an appropriate call to action, that is the crescendo of the audience passion, and the peak of their investment into the story. 

A good speech should never be too long.  It is important to keep to three points.  Anything more is superfluous, and dilutes the argument.  It is important to use a little words as possible to say as much.  It is most important to embrace the uncomfortable silence between points, the pauses for effect.  Finally, word fillers and pause fillers must be avoided, because they diminish the credibility of the argument.  This is the basics of a planned speech.