Speech writing is one of those subjects that send many people into a frenzy
of concern! It is something that most of us don't have to do on a daily basis,
and so for many of us it feels about as natural as trying to put your pants
on back to front! And yet, fortunately ot unfortunately (depending on whether
you like delivering speeches). It is something that many of us will have to
do on numerous occasions durring our lifetimes.
The truth is that speech writing is a talent,
and like playing basball well, it is a fact that some people will be more gifted
at it then others. However, exactly like playing baseball, or soccer or sports
of any sort, speech writing is also something that that you can get better
at by doing more of it. In this article I am going to explore several ways
that you can improve your speech writing abilities (and in the process look
at the whole machinations of producing a speech in a different way). Whether
you need to improve it in order to deliver a wedding speech or for a speech
at a business meeting or presentation I will attempt to reveal some of the
speech writinghow to secrets that you may have been missing (until now!)
The great news though that I would like to share with you immediately is that
you are already a 'speech writer'. You just don't know it yet! Ok.
What do I mean? Easy. The truth is that you have already spoken to people
before. That's the crux of speech writing. If you speak then you can write
a speech. Ok. Listen. Let me elaborate. You have already been constructing
dialogue long before the harrowing thought of having to write it down and deliver
it came into the equation. You speak to your family, colleagues and friendswithout
having to pre-plan everything you say. You just react. Well, the good news
is that writing a speech is not really any different from that. It simply takes
the process one step further along and has you writing it down.
Where the panic sometimes comes in is that to write a great speech there are
three further elements that are useful to consider. The first of these is empathy.
Speech writing is an empathetic medium. It is concerned both with connecting
with yourself, but also with your audience. In a sense it is all about building
bridges. And the best speeches are always going to be where the audience empathise
with you or your message. In a way it is a bit like being a surfer. As you
deliver a great speech it is as though you are riding a wave of emotions, both
internally, but also in the mind of your listeners. And the more engaged they
are with the message and sentiment of your speech, the more they will connect
with it and get benefit from it.
Empathy is something however that can be taught. The 'trick' is trigger points.
And no, I don't mean that you should shoot your audience to make them like
you! ;) No. What you have to realise is that every great speech has trigger
points. Moments where the speech builds to a crescendo, and a memorable line
or sentiment is delivered. What this means for your speech writing is that
you should tailor the speech so that every so often the speech has these points.
It could be a moment of great passion. Like in Martin Luther Kings 'I Have
a Dream' speech where he uttered those lines. Or moments of comedy perhaps
if you are delivering a best mans speech. Remember to write them in.
The second element of a great speech that you must have is momentum. Speeches
are defined by the momentum they create. In the same way that a good book has
a beginning, a middle and an end, a great speech is one where the tension is
building until the end before being released. The audience should never feel
this lapse, because it is in the building of this tension that you create the
momentum that drives the speech forward and keeps people interested. This is
one of the key failings with most speeches, namely that they lack direction.
They end up being a convoluted collection of anecdotes, but without a driving
momentum. Every speech must have a message.
The third key element is Practice. Never underestimate the value of repetition.
Drill that speech so far into your head that you could deliver it under any
pressure. It was said of the Romans - 'Their drills were like bloody wars.
And their wars were like bloody drills'. The point is that they practiced!
They didn't control an empire for over 1000 years for nothing. And the same
is true of your speech writing.
So, get busy. Get writing. Speak with Passion. Empathise with your audience.
Draw them in. Deliver trigger points throughout. Build to a crescendo, and
remember to practice. It makes perfect.
