How to Write a Short Speech (and Rehearse It)

Sooner or later someone hands you a microphone: a school presentation, a colleague's farewell, a wedding toast. The panic is optional. A short speech is a learnable document with a fixed structure, a word budget and a rehearsal method that removes the fear one rung at a time. This guide covers all three.

Write for the Ear, Not the Page

A speech is written for the ear, in short sentences, plain words and repetition, because listeners cannot re-read a paragraph they lost, and written register sounds distant when spoken. The written sentence containing however, furthermore and three subordinate clauses dies in the air within four seconds. The spoken version, three short sentences with the point repeated once, survives. Formal occasions still want spoken register, just respectful; a wedding toast and a valedictory differ in content, not in sentence length.

The Three-Part Structure

Every short speech runs three parts: an opening that hooks and states the one message, a body of two or three points each with an example, and a close that restates the message and ends memorably.

1. The opening: one hook, a question, a moment or a claim, then the message in one sentence.
2. The body: two or three points, each carried by a story or example, never by adjectives.
3. The close: restate the message and land one memorable line, then stop talking.

One message per speech; two messages means two speeches.

Timing: One Point per Minute

Speak at roughly one hundred and thirty words per minute, budget one main point per minute, and keep the close to five or ten per cent of the total time.

Cut the speech to fit the slot; overtime is the commonest sin.

The Rehearsal Ladder

Rehearse in rungs: read aloud alone to fix the words, then stand and deliver to a mirror, then to one friendly listener, and finally at full volume with a timer, because each rung removes one layer of surprise.

1. Rung 1 - read aloud alone: fix the sentences your mouth refuses.
2. Rung 2 - standing, to a mirror: add posture and eye contact practice.
3. Rung 3 - one listener: a family member who says honestly which point dragged.
4. Rung 4 - full volume, timed: the dress rehearsal at real volume against the clock.

Memorise the opening and closing lines only; the middle stays flexible.

The Occasions That Come Up

The recurring occasions, school presentations, farewell speeches, wedding toasts, team updates, all run the same three parts with different tones, so one structure serves a lifetime of them. The school presentation carries informative points; the farewell speech carries warmth and one specific memory; the wedding toast carries a story and a blessing. The structure never changes; only the load each part carries does. Toast and farewell speeches add warmth; informative speeches add structure clarity.

Practising With a Live Audience

The final rung needs real listeners, and small-group classes provide a live audience with feedback on clarity and delivery, which is the environment speeches are built for. Family listeners are rung three; strangers-in-a-room is the real test, and it is exactly what small-group classes simulate weekly with a teacher correcting clarity and pace. iWorld Learning's small-group classes give every speaker guaranteed speaking turns at real scale. Book one live-audience rehearsal before the real microphone arrives.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many words is a five-minute speech?

Roughly six hundred to seven hundred words at a natural pace, budgeted as an opening, two or three one-minute points and a short close.

Should I read my speech from notes?

Use keyword cards, never full text: the opening and closing can be memorised, and keywords keep the middle natural instead of recited.

How do I stop my voice shaking when speaking?

The rehearsal ladder is the fix: by the fourth rung the words have been said aloud three times, and familiarity, not courage, is what steadies the voice.