The best speeches I've heard were given by men and women who sounded as if they were speaking extemporaneously, but who had in fact spent hours and days in careful preparation. The general rule is one hour of preparation and practice for each minute of speech.

The speech writing process is a nine-step process.

Step #1 - Audience Analysis
It seems obvious, but each audience is unique. Find out as much about them as possible. Aim your speech toward your audience.
Fill out the audience analysis form found in the workbook.

Step #2 - Topic Selection
Choose your topic/idea. Make it as specific and simple as possible. Select a topic you care about and/or you know a lot about. A person should never give a speech unless they know the subject extremely well. If you're not exactly sure what the exact topic is at this point, that's ok. In the process of researching and writing, the specific topic will come to you.

Select a topic you care about. Have you ever had something happen to you that was so exciting, you could hardly wait to tell your friends? That is the way your speech topic should be – something you care about and are eager to communicate to others.

Are you angry over the air pollution in your town? Speak on air pollution. Are you excited about the wizardry of your personal computer? Speak on computers. Are you having so much fun baking pastries that you try a new recipe every evening? Speak on how to bake pastries.

Enthusiasm is contagious; if you are excited, some of your excitement will infect your listeners.

If, on the other band, you are unexcited about your topic, you are apt to do a lackluster job in preparing the speech, and when you deliver it, you will probably come across as dull and unconvincing. Also, speak on something you are already thoroughly familiar with or can learn about through research. If your listeners realize they know more about the subject than you do, they lose confidence in you. This can be especially painful if your speech is followed by a question-and-answer period.

Step #3 - Research
Begin researching your speech weeks, even months ahead of time.
Start keeping notes about it. Take a notebook/tape recorder with you at all times. Clip out articles from the newspaper/magazines/video and audio tapes etc. Talk with family, friends, and experts in the field. Keep everything in a big file/box.

Many people think writing is mostly mood and emotion; that somehow ideas just come to the writer. Well, ideas sometimes do just come from nowhere, but the idea is only the start. The "mining" – the hard work – is the critical part of the process.

Clive Cussler is the author of “Raise the Titanic” and a dozen other books. How does he write? What is his ritual? He writes seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. He says research is the fun part of a book and takes about half the time. The other half is in actually writing the book.
Take the time to research your idea/topic.

Sleep on it – dream on it.

Step #4 - Record your speech in a regular, and dedicated manner.

Start "writing" your speech weeks ahead of time. I suggest using a tape recorder to record your thoughts instead of just sitting down at the computer and typing away. This will accomplish two things. First, it will give you practice at speaking, and second, it will put your words into a verbal format rather than a written format. When we "write" a speech, we are writing for the ear, not the eye.

Many people have great ideas on book topics, but few people have the persistence and discipline to work on the book in any sort of scheduled manner. I’ve written five books, but I almost never work on the book more than an hour a day.

Step #5 - Work on a memorable opening and closing.
These are two VERY important parts of your speech.
Read these sections in your manual very closely.

Step #6 - Type your speech out.
Put your thoughts on paper. Type out everything, word for word.
Use a computer to record everything.

Step #7 - Allow the Editor to take charge.
Now is the time to edit what you've got in black and white. Organize your ideas; simplify them; make them personal. Cut out whole sections that don't belong. Add new material; turn on your spell checker. This is where a computer really helps. Move sections around, see what fits best and feel free to change the order.

Have you ever taken a college course? What do you do when you have to write a term paper? You normally do what I call the "one-draft special." You wait about three days until the paper is due and rush to the library and/or search the Internet. You check out fourteen books on your subject, print out a hundred pages of text from 20 different web sites and then lay them all out on the desk, computer in front of you and then sentence by sentence, try to write the perfect "A" paper.
Think what you're trying to do.
1. Organize your thoughts.
2. Choose the right words, sentences, and paragraphs.
3. Punctuate, spell and proofread.
And you try to do it all in one, gigantic, perfect process. It doesn't work! It can't be done well.

Step # 8 - Fill out the Speech Planning guide
Make sure you have all the elements filled in.

Step # 9 - Start Speaking
Practice aloud, keep the tape recorder going, and revise again. Go through your speech as many times as it takes for you to know it, understand it, and be comfortable with it. However, don't try to memorize it. Professional speakers will practice a speech as many as 50 times. That's why they don't pause and use any crutch words. Video tape your speech if possible or get feedback from a trusted friend.

Remember – practice, practice, practice!

To improve your writing/speaking

6. Write/speak every day. Keep a journal. Keep a file of new ideas and topics which interest you.

7. Try “Free Writing.” It's the process of writing for a specific period of time – say ten minutes – even if it's just a bunch of gibberish. Start writing and don't stop. Write down all your ideas! Don't edit anything. Don't worry about typos, punctuation, grammar, etc. Your goal is to write down as many ideas as possible. Force yourself to keep writing no matter what.