This structure, of present, past, future, is perhaps the most useful in all speechmaking. In business and politics, it neatly frames administrative and political change: Where are we now? How did we get to that situation? Where are we going? At weddings, on birthdays and at funerals it tells the story of the relationships we celebrate. Most short speeches need be no more complicated. Notice that the end of the speech is about the future, which is where nearly all speeches lead. The order of the early parts may change: to past, present, future. In 1963, for one of the most famous speeches ever, Martin Luther King used this format: ‘Five score years ago, a great American . . . signed the Emancipation Proclamation [past]. But 100 years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free [present] . . . I have a dream [future] . . .’
For most of us, and especially when we make an impromptu speech, three points – about present, past and future – will provide a framework for a pleasant speech that requires the minimum in preparation.
