This is only suitable for those who are comfortable speaking in public, and who know the subject matter well enough to talk about it without knowing in advance exactly what they are going to say.
When preparing a long speech, try to make a condensed version of the same speech, for use at another time, or in case of problems at the event itself.
ADDITIONAL PREPARATION
Prepare Visual Aids And Materials
Particularly in the field of Israel advocacy it is important to use any possible avenue to get one's point across. Use overheads, slides, pictures, flyers, and handouts to reinforce the message conveyed in a speech.
If pictures speak a thousand words then it makes sense to use some pictures to strengthen an argument.
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Skills for Israel Advocacy
Rather than just saying that the Palestinian Authority has used children for political means, and put them at risk by doing so, why not show a picture of Palestinian children 'playing' at being terrorists, and so on. Distribute pictures on leaflets, show a video, or use an overhead projector.
Statistics, graphs, and raw facts can lend an air of immense authority to a pro-Israel speech.
However, it is difficult to read a list of statistics to an audience whilst keeping their attention.
Instead, use visual aids to convey this information.
For more on this point see ‘A Picture is Worth 1000 Words’ in Media Bias and Israel – p. 17
Handouts and flyers can allow members of an audience to remember what they have learnt, suggest ideas for where they can look for more information, and even allow them to share what they have heard with others. Preparing handouts is relatively quick once a speech has been written, and can increase its effectiveness.
For more on this point see Making and Distributing Leaflets – p. 64
Prepare For Questions And Hostile Points
In most forums, the audience will be given the opportunity to ask questions. Proper preparation involves anticipating some of the questions that are likely to be asked, and thinking about the answers that should be given. Prepare factual material in advance for three or four areas where questioning can reasonably be anticipated. Having facts at one's fingertips is the first part of dealing with questions and a hostile audience.
Practicing
If there is time, make sure to practice delivering a speech. Pay particular attention to time. A good speech will be ruined if all the audience remember was that the speaker got upset and flustered when they ran out of time. Ask friends to listen and give feedback, or use a tape recorder or camcorder. Feedback can be particularly useful in pointing out to a speaker what words they subconsciously repeat when pausing ("like", "ummm", "kind of" and so on).
Confirm Practical Details
Eliminate the possibility of embarrassing problems by checking practical details in advance. Make sure that the location and time are set, that technical arrangements are as expected (is there a microphone? An overhead projector or video?), and that there aren't going to be any surprises with the speaker line-up or timings.
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Hasbara Handbook: Promoting Israel on Campus
SPEAKING IN PUBLIC
Once a speech is prepared, it still needs to be delivered. A well prepared speech can make it a lot easier to speak well in public, and a lot harder to speak terribly, but it is still important for Israel activists to learn and practice how to speak in public before doing so.
Nerves
Mark Twain has words of encouragement for all those who fear that they are the only people who get nervous about speaking in public - 'there are two types of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars'. It is normal to get nervous before speaking in public. This is made even worse when talking about an emotional topic, in front of some hostile audience members, as is the case with Israel advocacy.
Proper preparation prevents most nerves. By making sure that a speech is well written for the right audience, that it has been practiced, and that questions have been anticipated, speakers can generally start to relax a bit.
For more on this point see Preparing a Speech – p. 46