When preparing for a speech contest, you should write your presentation as a 7-minute keynote address instead of a 7-minute workshop. I started to win the day I really understood the difference between the two. Here's how you make the distinction.

Workshop
The goal of a workshop or training program is to educate people. You want to give them new facts and new skills.

Workshops can run anywhere from one hour to three days. Why so long? I believe the answer is best explained by the following quote from Confucius: "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."

You should take the time to demonstrate your new concepts thoroughly and then illustrate them properly. Lastly, you ask the audience to do some exercises so you can ascertain whether they really remember what you’ve talked about.

Keynote
Usually a keynote takes anywhere from a few minutes to an hour.

So what can be done in such a short time? You can make them laugh, touch their hearts, give them hope, remind them of principles they already agree with, and even give them some tips. But the goal is not to teach!

The next time you prepare for a contest speech, remember that you only have a few minutes and that your message will be best understood if you give a keynote, not a workshop. Resist the temptation to teach and you’ll have a better chance of winning!