[removed]// [removed] [removed]// 0) { var s0 = ''; s0 += ' href" Ads by Google'; for(i = 0; i = google_ads.length) { break; } s0 += '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '
' + '' + google_ads[i].line2 + ' ' + google_ads[i].line3 + '
' + '' + google_ads[i].visible_url + ''; } s0 = '' + s0 + ''; if(document.getElementById('ad-3')) { document.getElementById('ad-3')[removed] = s0; } } if(google_ads.length > 3) { var s1 = ''; s1 += 'Ads by Google'; for(i = 3; i = google_ads.length) { break; } s1 += '' + '' + google_ads[i].line1 + '
' + '' + google_ads[i].line2 + ' ' + google_ads[i].line3 + '
' + '' + google_ads[i].visible_url + ''; } s1 = '' + s1 + ''; if(document.getElementById('ad-4')) { document.getElementById('ad-4')[removed] = s1; } } } // ]]>[removed] [removed]// [removed] [removed][removed] [removed]// [removed] [removed][removed]

PREPARATION HAS ITS PLACE
Rare indeed is the person who can make off-the-cuff remarks so ably that the audience prefers them to a prepared and rehearsed speech. If you are breathing in that rarefied stratum, you probably need read no father. If not, heed the C's that will help you write a winning speech. Be so prepared that you have notes but seldom need to refer to them. (When someone asked Winston Churchill why he had them if he didn't use them, he reported, "I also have fire insurance but I don't expect my house to burn down.")

THE 10 C'S OF SPEECH DESIGN
Depending on the circumstances surrounding your presentation, you may wish to omit one or two of the following recommendations. They will fit virtually every speaking situation.

• Compliment the audience
• Cite the occasion
• Comment on what's common
• Concretize examples
• Compare and Contrast
• Challenge
• Change mindsets
• Convey confidence
• Conclude
• Call for action.

THE CONCRETE EXAMPLE
The structure above is fairly easy to understand and to follow. Only one may warrant further explanation--the concrete example. Without images for your audience to imagine, without numbers for them to ingest, without real-life scenarios to which they can relate, your speech will not impact others as it should. The concrete examples could fall into categories, but especially valuable is the example that has happened to you or to someone else. Often referred to as anecdotes, they are essentially stories that will help your audience relate to both you and to your message.

Anecdotes go a long way as carriers of truth. In fact, there is a Yiddish maxim that asks, "What is truer than truth?" The answer: "The story." Use stories when you can to strengthen the import of your words.