Start with ‘good morning/afternoon/evening, my name is …….’
Follow with a short outline of the talk. ‘And I would like to talk to you about…’
Give a brief overview in three bullet points:
- ‘The career of Barnes Wallis
- Why he was considered one of the most revolutionary British engineers ever
- What he achieved in his xx years in the aeronautics industry’
Groups of three are always good – Churchill did this all the time (Never, in the field of human conflict, was so much (1) owed by so many (2) to so few (3). Or This may not be the end(1). This is not even the beginning of the end(2). But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning(3) ). It makes things easy to remember and it helps to give structure.
Above all, prepare well and rehearse better. This will give you the chance to make the content of the speech second nature and you can concentrate on delivery and your audience.
Use notes or cue-cards – not a written speech. Use each bullet as a brief subject area you can talk about spontaneously. You could try memorising your introduction, and selected sections that you want to be particularly powerful.
Good luck!
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