I once had a Vice-President of Human Resources take a look at a speech of mine. This was after the company president had actually delivered it. She'd not been present at the speech but on reading it through, felt that it didn't work. She commented that had a group of senior management heard the speech, they would not have approved it. I stressed that the audience consisted of the company's sales team, and was designed to motivate them for the new sales year that had just begun. The president told me that he received a standing ovation. I pointed out to the VP Human Resources that had I been writing for an audience of senior management, the content, language and tone would all have been different.

I've rarely had a better example of writing for a particular audience. If you can, be there when a speech you've written is presented to an audience. It's a first-hand opportunity for you to see whether the speech works or not. I sometimes cringe when I hear something I've written and it doesn't work the way I intended. Or the audience doesn't get it, or the idea goes right over their heads.

Knowing the audience tells you what kind of content is going to work for that audience. A group of scientists is going to be different from a group of marketers. An audience of booksellers will have things in common with and things different from a group of publishers. Are you able to identify exactly who that audience is and the mood they're in? A sales team coming off a banner year will be in a very different space than a team struggling to keep things together in a recession.

Then you have to ask yourself what the audience is expecting of you? Are you catering to their interests? Have you got an announcement that's going to affect them directly? Are they expecting good news, or something that's not particularly pleasant? Are they celebrating something and what you have to say is the icing on the cake?

If you are called upon to write a speech, here's what I'd like you to do. I'd like you to find out as much about your audience as possible. Who are they? What's their background? What's their educational level? What position do they hold in an organization? What issues are they confronted with? What kind of tone is going to work for them? You have to do some research here. It needn't be a lot but it must be enough for you to be able to paint a picture of your audience. Once that's in place, you can begin to put together what you intend to say, and the tone in which it should be said.

Neil Sawers develops books and e-books on business writing to help you grow your business. He is a strong supporter of entrepreneurs, small business and students in business and entrepreneurial programs. To discover how you can write more effective and compelling speeches for your business, begin by downloading the free chapter on The Discovery Process available at:=> http://www.how-to-write-proposals.com. This chapter contains key tools and concepts that will help any speech writer, as well as anyone dealing with proposals and sales letters. Check it out.