Just imagine how great it would be if you could walk away from your ceremonial speech, knowing that you have done a great job and that people would love to hear you speak again. Well believe or not you can achieve it and no you don't need to be an experience speaker but you do need to have chosen your topic wisely. Making sure you get the right topic will certainly help you create a speech to be proud of.

In fact the best way to start any speech writing process is to write down what you want to achieve. It may be 'I want to create a speech to be proud of' or 'I want the audience to laugh so much their sides hurt'. Whatever your objective, write it down.

Why do I say write it and not just say it? Well it is a proven fact that if you write something down you are more likely to achieve it than if you just say it to yourself. So if you didn't write it, do it now.

Now lets work our way through the 6 points that you need to know before choosing your ceremonial speech topic.

1. Know your event - Oh goodness that sounds so obvious you might be tempted not to read any further. But stay with me. Some people really don't know what they are talking about, I have heard them and I'm sure you have too. You know the type, they start off well but then start waffling onto this and that subject, completely forgetting what they are meant to be talking about. Of course when they do, they have run out of time. Don't let it be you. I'm sure it won't. The fact that you are here doing some research makes me think you know what you are doing. You are not going to prove me wrong are you?

2. Protocol research - I don't know about you, but whenever I heard the word 'protocols' I start to panic. But you needn't panic because if you do your research you will ensure your speech meets any requirements. But the key is to do your research. You might get the information from the net, or a book or you might need to speak to someone with more authority. Whatever you do, make sure you get the correct information, double check it if necessary.

3. Check your timing - You need to work out how much speech time the protocols will take, then subtract this from your speech time allowance. For example, if you have been given a 5 minute speech slot (doesn't sound a lot but believe me when you are up there, it can feel like a life time) your protocols will take up 1 minute, you then have 4 minutes left to fill.

4. Be sincere - when looking at ceremonial speech topics make sure you choose ones that you can talk about honestly and with sincerity. Audiences are very good as seeing through people and any whiff of insincerity will lose you your credibility. Not only for this speech but for future ones as well.

5. Ceremonial speeches should encourage your listeners to increase their respect and admiration for the event being celebrated. Choose topics to complement the style and tone of the event.

6. Understand your audience - You might deliver what you consider a great speech but if it does not meet the needs of your audience it will be a failure. Speakers often make the mistake of turning a commemorative speech into an informative one.

Do you know the difference between a commemorative and informative speech, or why you should write your own introduction (and not let someone else do it)? These answers and many other helpful speech tips are found at , Lisa Russell's web site that is dedicated to providing speech writing help in an easy to understand format.