Review your resume and be able to summarize it in one minute. A concise demonstration of your qualifications is essential for you to convincingly convey your ideas. Show your audience that you possess the right and the legitimacy to make your points.
Identify the issue you want to resolve for the audience. Whether it is efficiency on the job, character building obstacles or a dispute over the placement of a new supermarket, you want your listeners to understand the parameters of the problem. Let them know how many people are affected, how long it has been a problem and how urgent an acceptable solution is. This keeps the audience attentive and the speaker from meandering.
Point out the roots of the matter in question. Depending on the context, this may be an occasion to point fingers and name names. In any case, an audience will not receive your prognosis if it believes you do not understand the genesis of the problem. Specificity is key to demonstrating your comprehension of the issue.
Make rational connections from the causes of the challenge to the steps required to overcome it. Support each connection with solid, empirical evidence that can be easily ascertained by your listeners. If you have identified political corruption as the cause of a poor zoning decision, for example, you must show when, how and upon whom the undue influence was exerted.
Inject emotion into your presentation. If the issue is akin to the above example of political chicanery, exhibit sincere outrage. If you are motivating a company toward superior performance, model excitement and enthusiasm. People are not robots, and connecting to their emotional and spiritual sides is a vital component to a credible oration.
Convey your message with visuals. Vocal inflections are blunted if you stand behind the podium stiffly. Stride around the lectern if your sound system permits. Utilize hands and arms to emphasize or underscore your assertions. Smile, grimace or frown if appropriate for the content of the speech. Also, maintain an erect but relaxed posture. Above all, maintain eye contact with your listeners. They may be many, but each will feel you are engaging in a private conversation and will tune in that much more intensely.