How to Write How-To Speeches for Speech Class
As an assignment for a high school or college speech class, you may have to give a talk on how to do something. In the business world, managers often must perform similar tasks in front of employees. So make the most of your speech and learn from your mistakes. Make sure you have a speech outline and clear visual aids to help you explain your topic. Seek audience participation to keep everyone engaged.
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Instructions
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Pick an interesting how-to topic. Find something that people would want to learn to do or can identify with. "How to fry an egg" or "How to brush your teeth" are not good choices since most people know how to them. Gauge your audience; if you are speaking to older people, you probably won't want to teach them how to upload a picture to their Facebook pages. But if you are speaking to a high school audience, that could be a good topic. Remember your time limit, and pick a topic that would be feasible to explain in that amount of time. See Resources for more ideas.
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Write an outline and then an introduction. Consider using a short anecdote about how you learned to do this particular task, or a reason why it's important that others should learn how to do this. For the body of your speech, write out the various steps you need to make to complete the task. Also, be sure to end with a conclusion. Restate what you were trying to do and why it would be helpful for others to learn how to do it.
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Prepare a visual. You don't just want to tell someone how to do something; you want to show them. Bring all your materials into class on speech day. If your speech requires some kind of equipment, make sure it works. Test and retest your props to ensure you do not have an on-stage malfunction.
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Get the audience involved. Ask someone from the audience to be your assistant. Or, if you are preparing some kind of food, allow the audience to taste the final outcome. If you do not have the time to prepare enough for the whole class during the segment, bring something already made from home.
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Practice your speech. Recite it to yourself in the mirror, to your family or to your friends over and over. Use note cards as a guide, if necessary, but do not read straight from the note cards.
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Review the guidelines and master them. Your teacher should have supplied you with a list of guidelines on how she will be grading you. Stick to those guidelines. Stay within your time frame and always look prepared.
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Remember to open up the floor to questions once you conclude your speech if time permits.
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References
Resources
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