The Lost Art of the Great Speech: How to Write It * How to Deliver It

Research: the first step

Writing a speech begins with research. The type and amount of research you need to do depends on the occasion, the nature of the speech, the subject, and how much you and the audience already know about it. Basically, research means reading up on the subject, especially recent books and articles, to be certain your information is up-to-date. It might also entail interviewing experts in the field to get varying points of view. Before you begin to write, you must have a working knowledge of your subject, whether it comes from your experience, from interviews, or from reading. Most often, the knowledge will come from a combination of these sources.

Depending on the subject, you might need to spend some time in the library ...