Lesson 4: Selecting, Researching, And Organizing Your Speech

The improvement of understanding is for two ends: first, our own increase of knowledge; secondly, to enable us to deliver that knowledge to others.

—John Locke

As you are reading this lesson, you should be thinking about your self-introductory speech. I am looking forward to hearing your taped speech and getting to know you better. This generally happens when you share a special event, moment, or funny experience that reveals something about yourself. Not only will you learn about the self-introductory speech in this lesson, but you will also be learning about the techniques of selecting, researching, and organizing your speech. The way that you select, research, and organize your speech can “make or break” your overall performance. It is very important that you keep these three steps in mind as you are putting together your presentation.