Preparing a Speech at the Last Minute

When faced with the seemingly daunting task of preparing a speech at the last minute there is usually one of two scenarios which put us in this predicament:

1. You have been given the topic of your speech or presentation weeks ago, but you have put off preparing for it until the day before it is due

Or

2. You have been approached a day before (or maybe hours before) you need to give a speech and are left with the responsibility to come up with an award winning presentation in a matter of a few short moments.
Whether you were given plenty of notice or not, there is one thing for certain now: you have to give a speech that has not yet been prepared and you do not have much time. Take a deep breath and wipe your brow, because in this short article you will have all the tools needed to give a dynamic presentation. Here are a few simple steps that will help you prepare.

1. Determine your topic.

Hopefully you were given a topic on which to present, making this step much simpler. If you have an open field to play with and time is of the essence do not try fancy footwork here. Go into your mind and choose a topic you know inside out, backwards forwards, and one you could talk about for hours on end because you know everything there is to know. Do your best to get as close as possible to that description when it comes to a topic because that is about 50% of the work involved in preparing a last minute speech.

2. Outline an introduction, middle, and an ending.

Determine how long your speech needs to be and separate it into these three sections with that appropriate time frame. To make this step even clearer it is needful to memorize your very first line and your very last line. Knowing the first sentence by heart allows you to open up smoothly and gives you a moment to collect your thoughts before moving on. Memorizing the last line allows you to wrap up the speech professionally in case the dreaded “done” sign pops up indicating that it is your time to leave the stage.

3. Do a run through of the speech out loud at least once before you reach the podium.

Even if you are giving yourself this speech in the mirror, or as you are driving to your destination, it is always imperative that you hear yourself spouting off the words you will be delivering. If you have already heard the words out loud at least once before, by the time you reach the stage you will feel much more familiar with your message and therefore allowing you to be at ease with the task. This level of comfort will add to your confidence which dramatically increases your credibility instantly.
Of course if circumstances were perfect you would have prepared long and hard and would have spent many more hours practicing. After all we are human and whether it is the presenter or the person in charge of assigning speakers procrastination does creep in to each of our lives at times,. Remember to stay positive, take responsibility for the role you are about to portray, and lean on the feelings of excitement rather than anxiety. You will do great!