Using Public Speaking Quotes

There is a lot that writers and speakers share in common, from articulating their ideas through structured language, to having the self confidence to communicate what they believe, to the need to establish credibility with their readers or audience.

Once a writer or speaker has achieved a good reputation, their credibility will be established.  Until that point, and even afterwards, they can improve their credibility by aligning themselves with successful, knowledgeable and respected people. Both can do this in a number of different ways, from endorsing what these people have done or said, to using famous written or public speaking quotes. Alternatively they can simply find relevant quotes from people who know the subject matter and are themselves well respected.

In public speaking assignments in particular, using quotes from other people can add impact and verve to the delivery. The person being quoted does not necessarily need to be well-known. It is what they have to say that is important.

Using humorous quotes can also add entertainment value and put smiles on the faces of your audience. This helps to relax both the speaker and make those being spoken to feel more at home. Quoting a funny story, either yours or somebody else’s, can be a successful way of opening a speech. But it does depend on circumstance, and you need to think carefully before going ahead with this line of thought.

In general, the way you use quotes in a speech, and the type of quotes you choose for a speech, will depend partly on the topic of discussion as well as the audience you are addressing. They need to be relevant both to the topic and to the people listening. This is absolutely vital.

If the speech is a serious one, quoting proven facts or statistics can help to establish you as an expert. But again, they must be relevant.

So where do you start looking for quotes that will suit your speech and add to your credibility?

First of all remember that you are choosing quotes to back up your speech — not to bulk it up. So you are looking for quotes that are reasonably short and either:

  • clever,
  • funny,
  • fact specific, or
  • plain interesting

Once you have decided on the subject of your speech, you can search the Internet for relevant information where you might find some quotes, or you can delve into books on the subject. Alternatively you could page through old copies of Reader’s Digest to see what funny quotes and comments they have used.

But don’t use a quote just for the sake of using a quote. If you can’t find anything that fits, go back to basics and draw on your own personal experiences. This is often the best approach of all.