No one likes a saggy middle. It’s the speech-giving equivalent of a “soggy bottom” (this was for my fellow Great British Bake Off fans).
In this series, we’ve talked about how to pick a topic for your speech and how to open and close a talk, now it’s time to address the body of your speech.
It’s not enough to grab your audience’s attention. You have to keep it too. That’s where propping up the middle of your speech comes into play.
A lot of speeches start or end strong, but way too many wander in the middle , losing people along the way. But you don’t have to do that. This blog offers tip to help support the body of your talk.
The first step is to avoid the biggest culprit: a weak or nonexistent structure.
If your speech feels like a list instead of a progression, you have a problem.
Every Speech Needs a Spine
There are two structures I like for speeches and stories.
The first is the Story Spine, invented by Kenn Adams in 1991, and adapted by Pixar in 1997.
The structure works because of its simplicity. It uses a causal relationship to propel the story forward.
- Once upon a time…
- Every day…
- But, one day…
- Because of that…
- Because of that…
- Because of that…
- Until, finally…
- And, ever since then…
You can use this same formula to create a compelling speech that moves forward in an intentional (and logical) progression.
- You want to write a speech
- You create an opening that grabs the audience
- You acknowledge where the audience is in relation to your topic
- Then you present a problem that is holding the audience back
- You lay out the steps to take to fix that issue
- You sketch out the first step that leads directly to the second step and the third
- Until, finally, you reach the conclusion of all those steps
- Then you reveal the possibilities
- Then you wrap up by adding a call to action or returning to the beginning or asking a question to move your audience forward
It’s that easy.
The second method uses a throughline to hold the core of the speech together.
If you were around the Internet the past few days, you likely saw something about Eric Church’s epic commencement address to UNC. In it, he used his guitar to symbolize life, and assigned each aspect of a beautiful life to a string. Then he used the metaphor of making music as his unifying element. It was beautifully done.
It had a strong throughline that held the message together, which made moving from string to string feel natural and meaningful. He built from one to the next, letting each shine, but showing how they work together.
That’s structure. It’s the key element of writing a speech that doesn’t sag halfway through.
The Throughline
The throughline acts as a single thread that holds your message together. In a speech, it is the idea that eery section must serve.
In Eric Church’s case, it was the idea of life being a chord made up of six strings and that to create beautiful music, you need to keep the strings from drifting out of tune.
With a throughline, everything in the speech has a reason to be there. Without one, you risk presenting a collection of anecdotes, facts, ideas, and advice. There’s no overarching message behind the parts. No unifying element. And, as a result, no meaning.
When you are writing your talk, ask:
- Does this section connect to the main idea?
- Does this story move the speech forward?
- Does this example clarify the point?
- Does this detail belong in this speech?
Limit the Body to a Few Main Points
Don’t try to get too fancy. Pick one idea and one throughline. Then limit what you include to only those items that fit within that framework.
If you try to do too much, you will accomplish nothing.
You may lose your audience if you try to pack in too much. Remember, they are listening and might miss things if you go too fast or cram in too much.
Your structure needs to be easy to follow (six strings) and make immediate sense.
This is not the place for high-concept ideas.
It isn’t the time to show how much you know. Rather, it’s the time to reveal what matters most.
The best speeches spell it out simply and let the audience follow along without fear of losing track.
Make the Middle Move
In stories, complications and obstacles keep the action moving. They reveal character, raise stakes, or force an action or reaction.
A speech needs a similar sense of movement. That doesn’t mean you should manufacture drama, but it does mean you can’t spew facts at your audience. They deserve better than that.
Here are some ways to create movement in the body of your speech:
- Move from problem to insight
- Move from misconception to truth
- Move from story to lesson
- Move from question to answer
- Move from familiar idea to a deeper understanding
- Move from tension to resolution
- Create a framework to move through that holds your idea together
- Illustrate a concept by dividing it into separate but connected parts
Support Each Point with a Story, Example, or Concrete Detail
It’s not enough to share your ideas and offer no examples.
We are built for stories. We crave examples. This means using story language (if not actual stories), sensory language (to bring those stories and settings to life), and story logic (to move the talk through a progression that works).
Whether or not you are telling stories, using story structures helps keep the speech moving. Those stories or strong examples help your audience visualize your points, which helps them stick.
- Make the point
- Show it through a story, example, or image
- Explain why it matters
- Transition to the next idea
Use Transitions as the Connective Tissue
Transitions are those small moments where you help your audience move from one idea to the next or from one part to the one that follows.
Think of them as tiny opportunities to keep your audience on the path with you as their guide.
Good transitions keep your audience from getting lost by letting them know:
- Where you are
- Why the next section matters
- How one idea connects to another
- What they should listen for next
In writing, transitions keep the reader moving. In speeches, they prevent mental drift, which can happen when people are listening without signposts.
Speeches that don’t include transitions often leave the listener behind or come off as abrupt or jumbled.
Use Signposts Without Sounding Mechanical
A signpost acts as mental wake up. It nudges the audience to stay focused.
Signposts could include phrases like:
- ”Here’s where this gets interesting…”
- ”That brings us to the real problem…”
- ”But there’s another problem we need to address…”
- ”This is why the ____ matters…”
- ”You won’t believe what happens next…”
- ”This is my favorite bit…”
- ”Now we come to…”
These shouldn’t sound stiff or performative. It’s best if they feel like conversation. A little nod to audience to let them know to pay attention to what comes next.
They are not transitions, but a callout.
Comedians use singposts all the time to hold attention, especially when they are in unfamiliar settings, like on a talk show. They will say something to tell the audience to pay attention.
Write with Voice While You Add Structure
Voice isn’t a choice. It’s not structure or voice. One or the other. It’s always both working together.
Voice isn’t something your sprinkle on after the fact.
It shows up in:
- Word choice
- Sequences
- Sentence rhythm
- Sentence cadence
- The examples chosen
- Asides
- Perspective
- The way the speaker explains things
The body of the speech should sound like the person delivering it, not like a generic formal essay or a bot. And it should move too.
Speeches need modulation, pitch, tone, rhythm, volume dynamics, speed changes, and momentum to work.
Voice helps you achieve that.
Avoid Common Saggy Middle Mistakes
Saggy middles happen, but they can be prevented.
Here are a few things to avoid when writing your speech. Don’t:
- Try to do too much
- Offer too much information
- Include too many points
- Use weak transitions
- Include bloated sections
- Use jargon
- Forget to match your audience in tone, content, and style
- Use complex language
- Skip building connections between your points
- Use repetition without moving the speech forward
- Smooth out your language and presentation until it no longer sounds like a person anymore
The Wrap Up
The middle doesn’t sag because it’s too long. It sags because it loses direction, tension, connection, or rhythm.
The body of your talk needs to do more than simply fill the space between your opening and ending. It needs to help your audience make the journey and learn something along the way, or be motivated to change, or act, or be entertained.
The middle delivers the promise of the opening. It gives weight to the ending. It needs to stand on its own and deliver value.
Don’t let it sag.
Next week, we will wrap this series with a blog about writing and delivering a speech with voice, style, and story.