Make It Memorable and Enhance Audience Understanding

1. Making It Memorable

Remember that the goal of an informative speech is to inform the audience. Ideally, not only are they informed while you are speaking, but they actually retain that information after you have left the podium. In order for this to happen, you have to make your speech memorable.

There are multiple ways to make your speech memorable.

1. Repeat key information that you want the audience to remember. This means reiterating important information, within reason, throughout the speech. Lay out the important keys in the introduction of the speech, reiterate them in the body of the speech, and then repeat them again in the conclusion. This repetition will help your audience remember what you’ve discussed.
2. Be engaged in the presentation of the speech. Demonstrating your own excitement about the speech's topic has the possibility of drawing in the audience. If the speaker seems uninterested in the speech, then why should the audience be engaged? Therefore, let yourself be absorbed and excited by the speech, which might lure in the audience and make the speech more memorable.
3. Open and close with strength. A well-written introduction and conclusion that echo each other’s points can help your audience remember your main idea. Your conclusion is the last thing your audience hears before your speech ends, so leave them with some words that resonate.
4. Vary the tone of your voice. A monotonous tone that never changes in pitch or volume can become boring to the listener. If you vary your tone, you can catch your audience’s attention at key moments.
5. Be sincere. Your sincerity will be obvious to your audience if you make earnest eye contact and speak to the group as if you are addressing each person individually. A memorable speaker connects emotionally with the audience and is responsive to their feedback.
6. Be succinct. A speech that drones on and on or uses up more than the speaker’s allotted time becomes boring and anxiety-inducing for your audience. Anything you say after your time is up will likely be forgotten and make your audience frustrated.

term to know

Memorable

Worthy to be remembered; very important or remarkable.

2. Utilizing Devices to Enhance Audience Understanding

In addition to the tips discussed in the previous section, ensuring your audience understands your message is key to making your speech memorable. This section discusses methods for enhancing your audience’s understanding of your speech.

With the addition of visual aids, podiums, microphones, and video screens, a presenter can ensure that the audience is able to see, hear, and understand the material properly. When determining the type of visual aids needed for a speech, the speaker needs to consider the subject matter, audience, and venue so that the right materials are used to enhance audience understanding.

2a. Visual Aids

Another way to make your speech memorable is to use visual aids. Visual aids have the advantage of providing the information of your speech in an easily digestible form. In addition, visualizations have the ability to be uniquely captivating. Having an attractive visual can get the attention of the audience and improve the chances that they will remember the information contained in the visualization.

Many people need the assistance of visual material to understand complicated topics. Visual aids help the speaker reinforce the information provided in the speech to increase absorption and retention of the material.

Visual aids can include:

• Objects
• Models
• Handouts
• Graphs
• Charts
• Photos
• Slideshow presentations

big idea

A speaker needs to make sure visual aids adequately enhance the presentation without causing a distraction for the audience.

2b. Amplification

Amplification is important to make sure that the entire audience can hear the speech properly. Some large auditoriums and amphitheaters are designed to assist acoustics.

Still, a microphone is a beneficial addition to a speaker's toolkit. With the advancements in wireless technology, a headset can also be used, enabling the speaker to move about during the presentation, go over visual aids, or enter the audience during the question and answer session.

2c. Video Screens

Video screens are beneficial for an audience, especially those who are seated in a large venue. The screens can help the audience see the speaker and the visual aids better, especially if they are in the back of the room or off to the far right or far left of the stage.

Video screens that can be synced with presentation devices are often available at modern conference centers and auditoriums.