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Make Your Speech
Relatable
Jennifer Schmidt, EH2
After a speech I really enjoy it when someone find the situation interesting enough to still gain
will excitedly tell me, “Your speech reminds insights by listening.
me of the time I. . ." This instant feedback tells Typically, the more people who can picture
me the topic was relatable. I strive to be as themselves relating will be more engaged in
relatable as possible because if my audience is your subject and feel like you are talking to them
engaged, they’re listening. When I break down personally. As you refine your topic, if you choose
what makes a topic approachable, I think about a theme most families face, such as hosting
the following three areas to give my speech a Thanksgiving, the common themes of sharing a
more personal touch: meal will come to light. Describing in detail how
the pumpkin pie was burnt and became charcoal
Think about the majority pie will transport your audience to your table.
Audiences are diverse and have different There they can imagine these conflicts firsthand
life experiences. However, I’ve found that big and think about their own family dinners.
universal themes are usually the best place
to start to help the majority of the audience Kick boredom to the curb
relate in some way. These themes can include Unless someone is extremely sleep deprived,
topics such as family, friends, and challenges. I don’t want them to be yawning during my
Even if the individual audience member has speech. Usually, they don’t if I remember that
not gone through a similar journey, most often the topic I’m sharing needs to include them. If
if the theme has a wide scope, they will know the subject is only the mi-mi-mi opera, then how
someone who is going through it. Or they may can anyone relate to that type of speech? They
38 ONE COMMUNITY
