Giving a how-to speech can seem daunting. Unlike an informative speech where you just need to relay facts, a how-to speech requires you to teach a process and impart practical skills.
But mastering this speech format has immense value for your audience. You can empower people and equip them with knowledge that positively impacts their lives.
In this comprehensive guide I’ll walk through proven techniques to deliver a compelling, useful how-to speech.
Choose a Relevant Topic and Scope
First select a how-to topic that interests you and fits the event. Think about what skills you have that you can teach others.
Some examples:
- How to use Excel formulas and shortcuts
- How to write a cover letter that gets noticed
- How to ace a job interview
- How to cook pasta carbonara
- How to start a blog and make money blogging
To narrow down your topic, ask:
- What does my audience want to learn?
- What useful skills do I have to share?
- What process can I break down into clear steps?
Define a tight scope. Don’t take on too much that leaves the audience overwhelmed. Target 15-20 minutes so you can explain the steps thoroughly.
Focus on essential information the audience can absorb. For a larger topic, break it into a series of speeches.
Like any good speech, how-tos should have:
Introduction
-
Attention-getter: Start with an interesting fact, story, or question to capture interest upfront.
-
Relevance statement: Explain why this topic is important and useful for the audience.
-
Thesis and preview: Summarize what you will cover in the speech.
Body
-
State the prerequisites: Define any requirements to follow along with the steps. List supplies or prior knowledge needed.
-
Explain each step: Break down the process into sequential steps. Use clear, direct language.
-
Use transitions: Guide the audience from one point to the next with phrases like “first,” “next,” and “finally.”
Conclusion
-
Summary: Restate the most crucial steps needed to achieve the result.
-
Call to action: Motivate the audience to take what they learned and apply it.
-
Questions: Ask if there are any questions and address them.
This structure prevents the speech from rambling aimlessly. Your audience can follow along each phase.
Use Examples and Illustrations
A how-to speech focuses primarily on skills transfer. But you still need to amplify the message with examples, stories, analogies and visuals. This adds color and keeps the speech dynamic.
Ways to inject examples:
-
Stories from your experience where this process proved useful
-
Quotes and data that reinforce your points
-
News or pop culture references the audience relates to
-
Analogies comparing the process to something familiar
-
Charts, photos, or diagrams illustrating the steps
-
Short video clips demonstrating the techniques
Weave these illustrative elements throughout to back up your main how-to content.
Write Transitions That Connect Each Step
Transition words are critical to guiding the audience fluidly through each point. Here are some examples:
- First, second, third
- Next
- Then
- After that
- Finally
- Consequently
You can also transition with phrases like:
- The next step is…
- Now we move on to…
- Here’s how to…
Or orient the audience with time cues:
- Once you have X ready…
- After you finish step 3…
- Halfway through…
Plan 1-2 transitions between each major step. Listen to how experts on YouTube transition in their tutorials to get ideas.
Speak Slowly and Allow Time for Examples
It takes audiences longer to absorb how-to information. Build in ample time for them to follow along.
-
Speak deliberately at 75% your normal pace.
-
Don’t rush through examples. Slow down and let people take notes.
-
Repeat and rephrase complex instructions using different words.
-
Pause for 1-2 seconds after presenting each step.
If needed, invite volunteers to walk through samples of the process in front of the group. Guide them through slowly.
Make it Memorable with Mnemonic Devices
Mnemonic devices help the audience remember key steps after the fact. For example:
- Acronyms (“DIY” for Do It Yourself)
- Rhymes (“Righty tighty, lefty loosey” for opening jars)
- Alliteration (Peter Piper picked peppers)
- Associating steps with numbers or letters (Step A, Step B, Step C)
Come up with a fun mnemonic for the sequence of your how-to steps. It will act like mental sticky notes for learners.
Close with a Call to Action
Wrap up your speech by recapping the 2-3 most vital steps needed to achieve success. Then issue a call to action:
- Encourage the audience to apply what they learned.
- Challenge them to teach someone else the new skill.
- Direct them to resources to learn more.
- Prompt them to sign up for updates as you create more advanced tutorials.
This gives people direction after your speech concludes and amplifies your impact.
Workshopping Your How-To Outline
Develop your how-to speech outline using the following process:
1. Brainstorm steps. List every step needed, from start to finish. Get granular. You can consolidate later.
2. Organize and group steps. Look for duplication. Order steps sequentially. Move general tasks before specific sub-steps.
3. Cut where needed. Determine the most crucial steps to include. Cut fluff where possible.
4. Refine wording. Use clear “how-to” phrasing for each step.
5. Time transitions. Practice moving evenly from step to step. Add segues.
6. Write introduction and conclusion. Based on your refined outline.
Drafting an outline first makes structuring the full speech much easier. Share it with peers for feedback.
Practice With Peers
Before delivering your how-to speech:
-
Time yourself rehearsing out loud to polish pacing and transitions.
-
Recruit friends to listen and provide feedback. Incorporate their suggestions.
-
Test any visual aids to ensure they work properly. Refine as needed.
-
If possible, practice on the actual presentation equipment or venue space.
Thorough rehearsals boost your confidence and conversational delivery. The more reps, the better.
Connect With the Audience
Some key tips for engaging your listeners:
Establish credibility. Share your experience and qualifications related to the topic.
Make eye contact. Scan the room as you speak. Avoid reading straight from notes.
Use conversational tone and language. Talk to the audience informally, not in a lecture style.
Invite participation. Ask listeners to share experiences with the process or demo a step.
Gauge understanding. Pause to ask if people are following along and if you need to re-explain.
Bring energy and passion. This activates the audience and makes the steps more memorable.
Helpful Visual Aids
Visuals make your steps easier to grasp. Consider using:
-
Slideshow: Show each step, with graphics and minimal text. Gives the audience a template to follow.
-
Photos/videos: Demonstrate complex steps with media everyone can see.
-
Live demo: Walk through the full process or parts of it live. Performs the how-to visibly.
-
Handouts: Give supplemental notes and resources for people to take away.
-
Whiteboard: Draw diagrams mapping out the workflow. Lets you highlight each phase.
-
Screensharing: Display your computer screen for software how-tos.
How-To Speech Samples and Inspiration
Watching sample how-to speeches can spark new presentation ideas. Observe how the speakers structure their advice, transition between steps, and leverage visuals.
Helpful examples to view:
-
“How to Order at a Restaurant” tutorial for English language learners: https://youtu.be/2CLwCnfBSlo
-
“How to Change a Tire” with step-by-step narrated demonstration: https://youtu.be/vEVJ_48YgTg
-
“How to Get Started Vlogging” by YouTube creator Amy Landino: https://youtu.be/VwbNASHpfI4
-
“How to Give a Great Presentation” by communications expert Akash Karia: https://youtu.be/i68a6M5FFBc
Look for how-to speeches on skills related to your profession or hobbies. Analyze what engages you as an audience member.
Helpful Resources for Creating How-To Speeches
Here are additional tips and guides if you need more support:
- Toastmasters: Giving
Whether you are a communications pro or a human resources executive, the time will come when you will need to write a speech for yourself or someone else. When that time comes, your career may depend on your success.
J. Lyman MacInnis, a corporate coach, Toronto Star columnist, accounting executive and author of “The Elements of Great Public Speaking,” has seen careers stalled – even damaged – by a failure to communicate messages effectively before groups of people. On the flip side, solid speechwriting skills can help launch and sustain a successful career. What you need are forethought and methodical preparation.
Know Your Audience
Learn as much as possible about the audience and the event. This will help you target the insights, experience or knowledge you have that this group wants or needs:
- Why has the audience been brought together?
- What do the members of the audience have in common?
- How big an audience will it be?
- What do they know, and what do they need to know?
- Do they expect discussion about a specific subject and, if so, what?
- What is the audience’s attitude and knowledge about the subject of your talk?
- What is their attitude toward you as the speaker?
- Why are they interested in your topic?
Choose Your Core Message
If the core message is on target, you can do other things wrong. But if the message is wrong, it doesn’t matter what you put around it. To write the most effective speech, you should have significant knowledge about your topic, sincerely care about it and be eager to talk about it. Focus on a message that is relevant to the target audience, and remember: an audience wants opinion. If you offer too little substance, your audience will label you a lightweight. If you offer too many ideas, you make it difficult for them to know what’s important to you.
Research and Organize
Research until you drop. This is where you pick up the information, connect the ideas and arrive at the insights that make your talk fresh. You’ll have an easier time if you gather far more information than you need. Arrange your research and notes into general categories and leave space between them. Then go back and rearrange. Fit related pieces together like a puzzle.
Develop Structure to Deliver Your Message
First, consider whether your goal is to inform, persuade, motivate or entertain. Then outline your speech and fill in the details:
- Introduction – The early minutes of a talk are important to establish your credibility and likeability. Personal anecdotes often work well to get things started. This is also where you’ll outline your main points.
- Body – Get to the issues you’re there to address, limiting them to five points at most. Then bolster those few points with illustrations, evidence and anecdotes. Be passionate: your conviction can be as persuasive as the appeal of your ideas.
- Conclusion – Wrap up with feeling as well as fact. End with something upbeat that will inspire your listeners.
You want to leave the audience exhilarated, not drained. In our fast-paced age, 20-25 minutes is about as long as anyone will listen attentively to a speech. As you write and edit your speech, the general rule is to allow about 90 seconds for every double-spaced page of copy.
Spice it Up
Once you have the basic structure of your speech, it’s time to add variety and interest. Giving an audience exactly what it expects is like passing out sleeping pills. Remember that a speech is more like conversation than formal writing. Its phrasing is loose – but without the extremes of slang, the incomplete thoughts, the interruptions that flavor everyday speech.
- Give it rhythm. A good speech has pacing.
- Vary the sentence structure. Use short sentences. Use occasional long ones to keep the audience alert. Fragments are fine if used sparingly and for emphasis.
- Use the active voice and avoid passive sentences. Active forms of speech make your sentences more powerful.
- Repeat key words and points. Besides helping your audience remember something, repetition builds greater awareness of central points or the main theme.
- Ask rhetorical questions in a way that attracts your listeners’ attention.
- Personal experiences and anecdotes help bolster your points and help you connect with the audience.
- Use quotes. Good quotes work on several levels, forcing the audience to think. Make sure quotes are clearly attributed and said by someone your audience will probably recognize.
Be sure to use all of these devices sparingly in your speeches. If overused, the speech becomes exaggerated. Used with care, they will work well to move the speech along and help you deliver your message in an interesting, compelling way.
