How to write a speech for a wedding, award or farewell

You learn how a speech marks an occasion, how it sits beside a keynote, and how to end by handing the room something.

A speech exists to move a particular room on an occasion, such as a wedding, an award, a commencement or a farewell. The occasion owns it. A speech gives the room a feeling about who they are together, so it is about the people and the occasion. Your work is to mark a moment that matters to the room and hand them a feeling to leave with.

The speech sits close to the keynote, so hold the difference clearly. A keynote gives the room a lens for the work ahead, and at heart it stays about the work. A speech is about the people in the room and the occasion that brought them together.

To cut a speech from your Source Talk, name your audience and speak directly to the occasion. End on a charge or a toast. Hand the people in front of you something tuned to the night. The speech ends by giving the room something to carry.

Key ideas.

A speech exists to move a particular room on an occasion, such as a wedding, an award, a commencement or a farewell.
A keynote gives a room a lens for the work ahead, and a speech gives a room a feeling about who they are together.
A speech names its audience and speaks directly to the occasion, so the talk belongs to that one room on that one night.
A speech ends on a charge or a toast, something handed to the people in the room and tuned to the night.

Questions.

How should you end a speech?

End a speech on a charge or a toast. Hand the people in front of you something tuned to the night and the occasion. A pitch ends on an ask for the speaker, and a TED-style talk ends on an idea released to travel. A speech ends by giving the room something, because the occasion and the people in it own the talk.

What is the difference between a speech and a keynote?

A keynote gives the room a lens for the work ahead, and a speech gives the room a feeling about who they are together. A keynote stays, at heart, about the work. A speech is about the people and the occasion, such as a wedding, an award or a farewell. It names the room and ends on a charge or a toast.

Lesson 6.5 of From Story to Stage, a free written course by Aaron C. Leaman, published by Brighter Future. The terms it uses are defined in the glossary.