Now that I have given my first speech, I feel fortunate to be held accountable only for what I know. Yes, the introduction and conclusion of a speech are very important, however, the body of the speech must be properly taken into account when preparing the speech. Once the introduction is complete, I believe the audience subconsciously demands that the body of the speech be well organized and informative. This is important to ensure that the audience remains engaged in the presentation. Even though I think I did a good job in my introductory speech, I now know which areas of the body I need to work on to make the presentation more complete. After reading Chapter 8 of The Art of Public Speaking, by Steven Lucas, I realized that it is very important to balance the amount of time spent on main points, ensure that the speech uses effective connectives, and use strategic ordering of points key effectively to deliver a successful presentation. Balancing the amount of time spent on the main points is very important. It reflects well on the speaker. Preparation is key to ensure your main points receive equal consideration. It is the speaker's responsibility to determine whether a point is actually a main point or not by determining whether there is sufficient information to be divided equally with the remaining points. If not, it is probably not a main point and should be omitted or included in one of the other points. The main points are, in essence, what the speech is about and you need to pay due attention to them to have maximum impact. Lucas makes this clear on page 175 when he writes, “Because your main points are so important, you want to make sure they all get enough emphasis… in the center of the paper… both speaker and listener Lucas writes on page 166 : “Listeners demand consistency. Unlike readers, they cannot return to the previous page if they have difficulty grasping the speaker's ideas" (Lucas,2009, p.166). There is no "reset" button when giving a speech, so it is important to be well organized to ensure the audience has undivided attention and, ultimately, a successful speaking experience Knowledge is power A speaker who is properly prepared and knows the methods used to deliver a successful speech will be successful in public speaking, not. there is no substitute for adequate preparation using their own organizational skills, they can determine which connective method is best suited to the situation, as well as ensuring continued audience interest by maintaining an equal balance between the main points they are talking about.