How to Make Your Speech Sound Conversational: Patricia Fripp

You need to remember that a speech is not a conversation, however, a good speech sounds conversational. A speech is not a conversation, but a good speech sounds conversational. If you usually write out your speech, chances are it will be a lot more difficult to remember and internalize. The written word is for the eye; the spoken word is for the rhythm. If you do write out your speech, you should write short phrases, bullet points, incomplete sentences.

Imagine you are having a conversation with a friend, and you make a statement. In a conversation, the friend would likely respond with a question. Your audience would recognize that as a conversation, even as you are delivering a speech to them. Important: The secret of making an emotional connection is to speak to the audience as if you were having a conversation with one person, 50 or 100 or 300 times. In other words, what if you said to your audience, “How often have you had the experience . . .” Or “If you had met me when . . .” Or “I don’t know what your experience is, but . . .” Everyone in the audience would feel that you were talking to them. No, a speech is not a conversation, but it needs to sound conversational. With a conversation, there is a back and forth, and you don’t usually think in advance about what you’re going to say. In a conversation, you might use less specific language and longer, even run-on, sentences, and you often change topics with no segue. That is not your plan for a speech.

The great philosopher, actress Raquel Welch, said, “Style is being yourself on purpose.” Patricia Fripp’s version of that is “A good speech is like a conversation on purpose.” The difference means you must think in advance. What is the message you want to get across? What is the best way to deliver it? And deliver it as if it were a conversation?
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