I get asked all the time about the best ways to structure a speech.  The answer is that it depends on what you’re talking about.  Here are 5 quick ways to structure a speech that will get you from blank computer screen to presentation in no time.

1.  When you’re persuading an audience . . . use the Problem-Solution Structure.  Since I believe that the opportunity to persuade an audience is just about the only good reason to go to all the trouble to give a speech, the Problem-Solution structure is my favorite.  Begin by framing the problem at a high level, in 1 -3 minutes.  Then go into the problem in depth, making both intellectual and emotional arguments for the severity of the problem.  Assuming an hour-long speech, you should spend 15-20 minutes in the problem.  Then, give the solution, including the benefits of it to the audience.  Finally, give the audience something to do at the end – an action step, something simple and relevant to the solution. 

2.  When you’re debating a particularly contentious subject . . . use the Residues Method.   If the subject has strong partisans on both – or more – sides of the issue, then use this method, which is a variant of the Problem-Solution structure.  Here, you frame the problem quickly and then explore it in more depth.  Then, you tackle the possible solutions of your opponents.  You do this in a real, thoughtful way, first presenting the pro side of the solution, and then giving one or 2 reasons why you think it won’t work.  Do this for each of the other established positions.  Don’t play ‘straw man’ games; give these positions real credit, as if you believed them.  Then, once you’ve discussed all the other alternatives, and the problems with them, give your own.  It’s the residue, or the one that’s left when all the others have been shot down. 

3.  When you’ve got a story to tell . . . use the Classic Story Structure.   Let’s say you’re talking about your new company, or a new product, and you want to enliven the description with some narrative.  Begin by describing the basic situation giving only the relevant detail, and introducing the hero (if there is one) in quick brush strokes.  Next, introduce a complication – a rival, a new marketplace entrant, and so on.  Finally, resolve the crisis that follows from the complication. 

4.  When you’ve got a history to relate . . . use the Chronological Structure.  What happens next? Is the natural response of someone listening to an interesting history.  The key word is ‘interesting’; I’m not a big fan of chronological storytelling unless it’s compelling because it’s inherently interesting.  Otherwise, you want to use the Classic Story Structure.  A variant of this method is to begin at the end of something, with a startling result, and then circle back to tell the beginning – how we got to where we are.  That’s interesting if the stakes are high and everyone’s fascinated by the end result.  If you were telling the story of Facebook, for example, you might start with the end – billionaires, fabulous success, and a lawsuit – and then go back to the beginning to see how everyone ended up there.  You’d have the plot of The Social Network

5.  When you’ve got a product to demonstrate . . . use the Demonstration Structure.   This is what Steve Jobs does better than almost anyone else.  First talk about the why – why the product is amazing, why it’s needed, what problems it solves for people, and so on, and then demo the actual product in all its glory.  The exact form the demo takes will of course depend on the product, but make sure it works and don’t get bogged down in the details.  Just show it doing something really cool for the audience, and then hint at all the other things it could do.  Leave ‘em wanting more. 

These 5 structures should cover most of the situations in which you find yourself speaking.   Each of these structures can be enlivened with brief examples, stories, and factoids along the way.  Specificity is the stuff of life in public speaking – but only when used sparingly.  Too much detail and any good structure immediately becomes deadly.  A speech is not a good way to convey information.  It is a good way to persuade, to move your audience to action, and to change the world.