Welcome to the July Issue of Speaking-Out-Loud write-out-loud.com's monthly E-zine filled with information to help you 'talk your walk' more effectively.

If you like this E-zine and find it speaks to you, then quite likely it will talk sense to your friends, family or work mates too. Please pass it along.

You might even suggest that they sign up! The page to send them to is here Speaking-Out-Loud

Remember, if you have any questions you're most welcome to ask them through my contact form. I enjoy hearing from my readers and will respond as soon as I am able.

Happy speaking,

Susan

In this Issue

If you don't have time to read the whole ezine, click on the topic that interests you. This month you will find:

• Susan's Spiel

• Article Funny Ha Ha

• They Said It

• Declamation Speeches

• How to write a eulogy

• What's New

Susan's Spiel

Are your speeches funny ha ha or funny ho hum? Do you want a fail-safe recipe for a laugh out loud speech?
July's edition of Speaking-Out-Loud addresses that and more.

Read my Article on Funny Ha Ha speech making to find out if a recipe can be used.

Who are the most influential people besides parents? I found the answer at a 21st birthday party. You can find it in They Said It

Declamation Speeches; that practice of delivering a speech already famous for its oratorical power is one that can teach us a lot. If you are aspiring to a life in the public arena then this article is for you. Prepare yourself to learn from the best persuaders of hearts and minds.

One of life's toughest speeches to give is a eulogy and too often we have too little time to prepare for them. Having step by step guide, samples and other resources can help immeasurably.
You'll find them here.How to write a eulogy

Finally the offer of a unique personalised retirement speech I made in my June issue is still open and there's a reminder that you can always keep in touch through checking out What's New

I am always looking for ways to improve the site. If you see any errors or would like to contribute in any way, please accept this invitation to contact me through my About Me page.

Thanks for reading and enjoy this month's Speaking-Out-Loud!

Till our next issue,

Kind regards

Susan

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Article Funny Ha Ha

If you had a recipe for a 100% guaranteed never to fail funny speech what would be in it?

I mean the sort of speech that has everyone laughing, and wiping away tears with the backs of their hands. When it ends you look out into the audience and see looking back at you faces alive and beaming with delight.
That's the sort of speech lots of people want to deliver and they want a recipe that tells them how to achieve it.
Something along the lines of for an average 4 minute speech you'll need:

• 3 jokes
• 2 double entendres
• 1 or more examples of alliteration...

But will a step by step prescribed approach to writing and delivering a sure-fire funny speech work?

No. There are elements to writing and delivering humor in speeches that we can learn and practice but sadly there's not a never-fail-sure-to-get-them-laughing recipe that you can use whatever the occasion.

The reason the one size fits all solution to funny fails is that we aren't all one size. What one audience will find hilarious will make another sit in stony silence. Similarly what is suitable for one occasion can be woefully wrong in another. And behind the consideration of audience and occasion is the purpose of the speech itself and who is delivering it.

Are you a stand-up comic? Or are you a speaker who wants to use humor to get your message across more effectively?
The difference? A comedian's primary purpose is to make us laugh. A speech maker's primary purpose is to successfully deliver their speech. The techniques used to do that may include humor.
For the comic humor is the main course. For the speaker humor is a side dish.

You can learn how to a get giggle or two or three into your presentations through any of the following pages:

• How to use humor effectively
  Find out what the keys to integrating 'funny' into your speech are. Know pitfalls are and how to avoid them.



• Understand verbal humor
  How do puns work? What is a double entendre? What 'sounds' are funny? Find out here on this page on types of verbal humor with examples.



• Personal storytelling
  Personal anecdotes or stories told with humor powerfully reinforce your message. You'll find tips and techniques here.



• Interview with Steve Barancik -comedic storyteller
  In this exclusive interview for write-out-loud.com Steve answers questions about how he prepares material, tests the funny factor and more. There's links to examples too.

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They Said It

Teacher Appreciation. They're 21 years old and they love their teachers.
I was recently at a 21st birthday party where 4 young adults (including the birthday boy), stood to speak. The uniting theme was gratitude for the most positively influential people in their lives after their parents; teachers. They were remembered for going above and beyond the four walls of the classroom, the curriculum and the constraints of the daily timetable.
These were the people who took the time to personally connect. Their enthusiasm and genuine dedication was inspirational providing a role model and direction for these fledgling adults.

Their thank yous were eloquent reminders of the power of a positive example and their public acknowledgment was equally potent. Those thank you speeches will live on in the minds of their hearers for a long time.
Whose thank you speeches have inspired you? Have you made one of your own?

Submit your comments on our Tips and Speeches page.

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Declamation Speeches

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.

The quotes above are the openings of two very famous speeches. The first is from Martin Luther King Jnr's 1963 'I have a Dream' speech and the second is from Ronald Reagen's 1986 'Space Shuttle "Challenger" Tragedy Address'. They are two of many famous speeches that are studied, learnt and delivered afresh by speakers all over the world. This practice is often called declamation.

You'll find declamation studies and competitions part of the curriculum in many highschools and universities. The principal purpose or goal behind setting the exercise is to have the speaker directly experience the power of finely crafted language. Even though the words are not their own and the original context of speech can never be replicated, the lessons learned are hugely valuable.

In re-delivering a famous speech you will learn about oratory - the ancient art of public speaking which skillfully combines content or composition with delivery.

Let's itemize those skills. They are:

• the use of elevated or ennobling language structures. For example, the biblical turns of phrase in King's 'I have a Dream' speech.
• the use of figurative or poetic language devices:- metaphor, simile, repetition, triple constructions...
• the power inherent in appealing to the hearts and minds of speakers
• the use of empathy
• how to use the voice effectively: when to pause, when to slow down or pick up pace, what to stress, how to use vocal variety
• the use of gesture or body language to reinforce the message of your speech.

You don't have to be a school student to learn from delivering a declamation speech! Anybody who works in the public arena, or intends to, can benefit from studying the best of speeches from history.
If your purpose is to persuade, to change, to reform, then studying public speaking excellence through a declamation speech will give you a head start.

Why not begin now? Find out more, read examples of famous speeches. Everything you need to get started is here on this declamation speech page.

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How to write a eulogy

It's one of life's unavoidable truths that some time, sooner or later, you are going to experience the passing of someone close to you.

It's also true that frequently this happens without adequate time to prepare yourself. Therefore in the midst of total turmoil you can be asked or expected to prepare and deliver a eulogy or funeral speech.

Understandably it is often the very last thing a bereaved person wants to do. Ironically however, it may be the very thing they need to do to help themselves and others.

Because I've experienced this scenario intimately several times I decided to put together a collection eulogy help pages. It's my hope they ease the burden a little. There's a step by step guide to writing the eulogy, samples of eulogies, several pages of funeral poems, and a large selection of inspirational quotations.
Here they are:

• How to write a eulogy
• Eulogy samples
• Inspirational quotations
• Funeral poems

I get many people visiting the site for funeral speech tips so if you have any you would like to share please submit them through my Sample eulogies page. Your tip or suggestion could be just the thing that helps someone through.

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What's New

"I've had so many inquiries it prompted me to work with a friend to produce a retirement speech template with a BIG difference.
Ours is automated. Respond to the onscreen prompts, answer a question or two, make a choice of quotes, then push a button and there's your unique, personalized speech!
We're trialling the process and have 50 retirement speeches to give away. Send all would be receivers to the form on my About Me Page. All they need do is write 'free retirement speech' in the form, add their contact details and I'll send them the url to our retirement speech generator."

To keep up with what's new on the write-out-loud.com go to our What's New Page, Blogging Aloud. There you can subscribe to the site and add it to your RSS feed, Google, Yahoo, MSN, Newsgator or Bloglines site.

Thank you for reading the July Issue of Speaking-Out-Loud. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please feel free to contact me with any questions through the form on my About Me Page.

If you enjoyed this issue of Speaking-Out-Loud, please feel free to send it on to any friends or family. The site url to forward so they can subscribe is Speaking-Out-Loud.

Happy speaking,

Susan

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