Speeches Presentations
Is it hard to get face time with the speaker you support? If so, don't give up.
14/05/13 15:51
If you write speeches for a senior executive, you probably know what a challenge it can be to grab even a few minutes of his or her time to discuss upcoming assignments. The single biggest frustration voiced during my speechwriting workshops is: "I can never get enough time with the speaker to find out what he/she wants to say." Sadly, scribes often find themselves subject to a harsh truth. Many speakers simply don't view speech meetings as a high value use of their time.
So, what's the answer? Give up and accept the status quo? Or, work at changing the speaker's perceptions? If you choose the second option, here are three steps you can take to show that speech meetings are worthwhile.
1. Arrive up to speed. Don't come expecting the speaker to brief you. Conduct research and speak to subject matter experts and others in the know and bring informed ideas to the speaker for validation.
2. Even better, arrive with an outline for discussion. Rather than a linear outline, create an idea map or even an infographic to make it easy for the speaker to visualize and absorb the organization and content at a glance.
3. Listen carefully to what is said and inferred. Be sure to reflect the speaker's direction and more subtle requests in your drafts. You can still exercise creativity, but your first priority should be to satisfy your client's wishes.
The more you do to demonstrate to the speaker that a meeting with you is time well spent, the more likely you'll be invited back -- and maybe for more than a fleeting few minutes. Dream big.
Join me for Write Out Loud: Practical Speechwriting Skills May 30, 2013 and spend an activity-packed day learning the nuts and bolts of putting together great speeches. Plus, you'll take away a manual that contains lots of valuable checklists, templates, articles and resources.
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Thank you for arguing: your audience will love it
19/04/13 14:34
Speech and presentation writers who want to persuade often turn to stories, quotes, analogies, cleverly worded key messages and other devices. With so much choice it can be easy to overlook the value of the most basic persuasive tactic: constructing solid arguments.
Argument is the language of logic. (When people argue in this sense, they are not quarreling. Rather, they are stating reasons and conclusions that support their point of view.) Educated audiences are good at analyzing arguments and identifying their strengths and weaknesses. It follows then that well-stated arguments can add to a speaker's credibility and persuasiveness, while poorly constructed arguments can detract. Here are three tips for building arguments that will stand up to scrutiny.
• Define your terms - Are you in favour of justice, peace and equality? Such terms are "hooray words" says philosopher Jamie Whyte. (In contrast he calls words like murder and cruelty "boo words".) Clarify what you mean when you use concepts with overly broad definitions.
• Don't stop short at analysis - To provide insight you need to match analysis with synthesis. In other words, you need to tell your audience what you found and what it means.
• Cite experts with care - It's not enough to tell people that experts are in favour of (or against) a product, idea or course of action. You have an obligation to answer the question why? by describing the expert evidence.
Join me for Write Out Loud: Practical Speechwriting Skills on May 30, 2013 to learn even more tactics for developing strong arguments. You'll leave this workshop with a manual that contains an argument checklist as well as lots of other valuable checklists, templates, articles and resources.
Argument is the language of logic. (When people argue in this sense, they are not quarreling. Rather, they are stating reasons and conclusions that support their point of view.) Educated audiences are good at analyzing arguments and identifying their strengths and weaknesses. It follows then that well-stated arguments can add to a speaker's credibility and persuasiveness, while poorly constructed arguments can detract. Here are three tips for building arguments that will stand up to scrutiny.
• Define your terms - Are you in favour of justice, peace and equality? Such terms are "hooray words" says philosopher Jamie Whyte. (In contrast he calls words like murder and cruelty "boo words".) Clarify what you mean when you use concepts with overly broad definitions.
• Don't stop short at analysis - To provide insight you need to match analysis with synthesis. In other words, you need to tell your audience what you found and what it means.
• Cite experts with care - It's not enough to tell people that experts are in favour of (or against) a product, idea or course of action. You have an obligation to answer the question why? by describing the expert evidence.
Join me for Write Out Loud: Practical Speechwriting Skills on May 30, 2013 to learn even more tactics for developing strong arguments. You'll leave this workshop with a manual that contains an argument checklist as well as lots of other valuable checklists, templates, articles and resources.
Dealing with a long laundry list of topics
21/02/13 20:53
Check out any book on speech and presentation writing and the advice is consistently the same: focus your talk on one strong message and back it up with three to five supporting points. But real life speeches and presentations don't always fit the classic model, and, occasionally, you may find yourself trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear long list of topics.
U.S. President Barack Obama faced that dilemma when he delivered the State of the Union Speech February 12 (2013). He spoke for roughly an hour, which is a long time considering modern-day attention spans. By my count, he covered 26 different topics ranging from debt repayment to tax reform, extreme poverty, early education, infrastructure redevelopment, gun control and the right to vote. Yet, despite all that heavy duty material, his words held my attention as he spoke them, and again later when I read the transcript.
Here are five reasons why his speech worked even though it was built around a long laundry list of items.
• President Obama didn't talk at his audience; he spoke with them. His tone and simple vocabulary were conversational.
• He drew his audience in early with a reference to "our unfinished task" and empowered them by emphasizing and re-emphasizing the role they shared in determining the success or failure of his vision.
• He used strong transitions to link topics and create a smooth speech flow. From a discussion of the deficit, he moved on to health care "...the biggest driver of our long-term debt..."
• He told stories about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events.
• He went easy on the numbers. Instead of stating sterile statistics, he gave anecdotal examples: "We have doubled the distance our cars will go on a gallon of gas..."
Join me for Write Out Loud: Practical Speechwriting Skills on May 30, 2013 to learn even more ways to make your speeches stick in the minds of listeners. You'll leave this workshop with a manual that contains a wealth of checklists, templates, articles and resources.
U.S. President Barack Obama faced that dilemma when he delivered the State of the Union Speech February 12 (2013). He spoke for roughly an hour, which is a long time considering modern-day attention spans. By my count, he covered 26 different topics ranging from debt repayment to tax reform, extreme poverty, early education, infrastructure redevelopment, gun control and the right to vote. Yet, despite all that heavy duty material, his words held my attention as he spoke them, and again later when I read the transcript.
Here are five reasons why his speech worked even though it was built around a long laundry list of items.
• President Obama didn't talk at his audience; he spoke with them. His tone and simple vocabulary were conversational.
• He drew his audience in early with a reference to "our unfinished task" and empowered them by emphasizing and re-emphasizing the role they shared in determining the success or failure of his vision.
• He used strong transitions to link topics and create a smooth speech flow. From a discussion of the deficit, he moved on to health care "...the biggest driver of our long-term debt..."
• He told stories about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events.
• He went easy on the numbers. Instead of stating sterile statistics, he gave anecdotal examples: "We have doubled the distance our cars will go on a gallon of gas..."
Join me for Write Out Loud: Practical Speechwriting Skills on May 30, 2013 to learn even more ways to make your speeches stick in the minds of listeners. You'll leave this workshop with a manual that contains a wealth of checklists, templates, articles and resources.
Start the new year strong
24/01/13 13:56
The holiday celebrations are over and the summer slowdown is a long way off. So, what better time to fine tune your approach to speeches and presentations than right now. Start 2013 strong by resolving to:
• Put real elbow grease into planning. Structure matters. Outline your ideas and test the logical flow before you start writing drafts or creating slides.
• Take advantage of the theatre of the mind. Stimulate the imagination of your listeners with concrete examples and analogies. They can't imagine abstractions.
• Write the way people talk. Language that looks great on the page may come across as stilted when spoken. Write your speeches to sound conversational.
• Expand your repertoire. Use rhetorical devices. They add variety to your writing and encourage listeners to think.
• Stop using slides as handouts. Minimize text on your slides and distribute separate summary handouts. Better yet, put your handouts online. If people value them, they'll download them. If not, you might save a tree or two.
Boost your skill at putting together persuasive presentations. Join me for Make an Impact: Five Steps to Persuasive Presentations on March 14, 2013.
Download the video tutorial Write The Way People Talk and watch it as often as you'd like - only $19.95
Context counts for a lot in communication
10/01/13 09:06
In Canada, we associate the Christmas season with long, cold nights and lots of snow. But if you're lucky enough to escape to warmer climes, the atmosphere can be quite different. That certainly was the case when I visited Australia late this fall. To my eyes, the Christmas decorations in stores and along city streets seemed out of context in the blaze of the summer sun.
Establishing context is also an important part of putting together a solid speech or presentation. Without a broader framework to refer to, the audience may have difficulty recognizing your key points or realizing their importance.
Here are three ways to put your message in context:
1. Answer the question why? Why is what you propose important or urgent? It can be tempting to jump right into a discussion of the issue at stake and how to address it. Explaining 'why' is a big part of setting the scene.
2. Paint the big picture rather than looking at your subject in isolation. Tell people how what you propose fits into larger programs, goals or strategic directions.
3. Relate your topic to matters that are important or familiar to the audience such as past successes or failures, shared values and your listeners' own aspirations.
• Why do so many speeches sound dull to the ear? Because they’re written to be read on the page, not spoken. I’ve created an entertaining video tutorial filled with tips and techniques you can use to write in the easy flowing conversational style that engages audiences and holds their attention. Download Write The Way People Talk for only $19.95 CAD. Go to Store on the Menu Bar above, or press here to place your order.
• Be among the first to read articles and news of interest to speech and presentation writers. Subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter Pen & Podium. See a sample issue here. If you’d like a free subscription, send a message to me at words@echeloncomm.ca
Establishing context is also an important part of putting together a solid speech or presentation. Without a broader framework to refer to, the audience may have difficulty recognizing your key points or realizing their importance.
Here are three ways to put your message in context:
1. Answer the question why? Why is what you propose important or urgent? It can be tempting to jump right into a discussion of the issue at stake and how to address it. Explaining 'why' is a big part of setting the scene.
2. Paint the big picture rather than looking at your subject in isolation. Tell people how what you propose fits into larger programs, goals or strategic directions.
3. Relate your topic to matters that are important or familiar to the audience such as past successes or failures, shared values and your listeners' own aspirations.
• Why do so many speeches sound dull to the ear? Because they’re written to be read on the page, not spoken. I’ve created an entertaining video tutorial filled with tips and techniques you can use to write in the easy flowing conversational style that engages audiences and holds their attention. Download Write The Way People Talk for only $19.95 CAD. Go to Store on the Menu Bar above, or press here to place your order.
• Be among the first to read articles and news of interest to speech and presentation writers. Subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter Pen & Podium. See a sample issue here. If you’d like a free subscription, send a message to me at words@echeloncomm.ca
Tap into the power of metaphor
26/09/12 16:39
Winston Churchill warned of an iron curtain descending across Europe. Martin Luther King shared his dream. John F. Kennedy decreed that the torch has been passed to a new generation.
In all three cases, the speaker used the power of metaphor to paint a vivid picture to get listeners behind their ideas.
A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes a subject by comparing it to and calling it the same as an otherwise unrelated object. The word metaphor comes to English from the Greek term to carry between or transfer. In other words, a metaphor lets you carry meaning from one entity to another. So, a good use for metaphor in a speech or presentation is to help the audience see or understand a concept.
Aristotle said metaphor is a sign of genius. And, modern neuroscientists agree. They say that the part of the brain that deals with metaphor is associated with greater intelligence. So, play to the intellect: use metaphor to get people thinking.
Metaphors are also useful for helping your audience shift their perception and view an idea in a new way. Choose a metaphor to make a connection between something that is already familiar and accepted and the new concept.
Finding the right metaphor to fit the topic, occasion, speaker (if you write for someone else) and audience takes some thought. There was a time when writers could refer to great works of literature, Greek mythology, or the Bible. Today, not so much.
Much of the power of a metaphor depends on people recognizing the connection instantly. So, look for objects you know people will get in a flash. Here are some places to start your search.
• Popular culture: TV ads gave us "Where’s the Beef?" TV shows gave us “being voted off the island” and the pronouncements of Dr Gregory House. Movies gave us “The Perfect Storm”.
• History: 100 years after the good ship went down, we still talk about hitting an iceberg or re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
• Song lyrics: “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “Both Sides Now”, “Wild Horses”, practically anything by Leonard Cohen.
• Or, simply take John Lennon’s advice and “Imagine”.
In all three cases, the speaker used the power of metaphor to paint a vivid picture to get listeners behind their ideas.
A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes a subject by comparing it to and calling it the same as an otherwise unrelated object. The word metaphor comes to English from the Greek term to carry between or transfer. In other words, a metaphor lets you carry meaning from one entity to another. So, a good use for metaphor in a speech or presentation is to help the audience see or understand a concept.
Aristotle said metaphor is a sign of genius. And, modern neuroscientists agree. They say that the part of the brain that deals with metaphor is associated with greater intelligence. So, play to the intellect: use metaphor to get people thinking.
Metaphors are also useful for helping your audience shift their perception and view an idea in a new way. Choose a metaphor to make a connection between something that is already familiar and accepted and the new concept.
Finding the right metaphor to fit the topic, occasion, speaker (if you write for someone else) and audience takes some thought. There was a time when writers could refer to great works of literature, Greek mythology, or the Bible. Today, not so much.
Much of the power of a metaphor depends on people recognizing the connection instantly. So, look for objects you know people will get in a flash. Here are some places to start your search.
• Popular culture: TV ads gave us "Where’s the Beef?" TV shows gave us “being voted off the island” and the pronouncements of Dr Gregory House. Movies gave us “The Perfect Storm”.
• History: 100 years after the good ship went down, we still talk about hitting an iceberg or re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
• Song lyrics: “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “Both Sides Now”, “Wild Horses”, practically anything by Leonard Cohen.
• Or, simply take John Lennon’s advice and “Imagine”.
Make your key message stand out - Gangnam Style!
23/09/12 09:41
How do you get around a city when you can't speak the language or decipher most of the signs and public notices? With relative ease, if you're visiting Seoul, South Korea. Westerners can confidently navigate the city's ultra-modern subway system because key information is posted in Roman script as well as the elegant hangul lettering Koreans use. On a trip to Seoul recently, it occurred to me that speech givers and presenters could learn something from the city's subway planners about making key message STAND OUT.
People retain only a small percentage of what they hear. The retention rate rises when they both hear and see information, but not by a huge amount. To help the audience remember your key point takes some work. Here are three tactics you can use to highlight your most important message:
1. Come right out and say it. Don't be coy. Synthesize your most important point in a single sentence or phrase that's easy for listeners to digest.
2. Tell people more than once. State your key message early and come back to it throughout the speech or presentation (but, most importantly, at the end). Express the idea in a new way if repeating the same words sounds tired.
3. Make it memorable and repeatable. Give the audience an analogy, connect your message to an image, or frame it in a story. Any of those options will help people remember your point and provide a vehicle for them to share your idea with others.
For even more tips, tools, templates and tactics, join me for the workshop Write Out Loud: Practical Speechwriting Skills on October 18, 2012. For details go here.
Are you attuned to the needs of diverse audiences?
30/07/12 14:39
As people cross national boundaries to meet and collaborate, the demand continues for speeches and presentations aimed at international audiences. Are you attuned to the special needs of these listeners? The event might be scheduled to take place on the other side of the globe, or it could be happening close to home and attracting participants from different countries and cultural backgrounds. Whatever the case, such assignments call for extra awareness and sensitivity to avoid gaffes that could mar the message. After all, the last thing you want to hear is that the audience roared with laughter at a faux pas, or, worse, sat in stony silence because they were offended. Yet, either scenario can unfold in a heartbeat.
How you plan and edit your work can make a big difference. It can be a matter as small as choosing one word over another, or as large as structuring your speech or presentation to suit the listeners’ cultural expectations. No one can say for certain what will work in every situation. But, by following some guidelines and practices based on experience, you can raise the chances that your talk will get a warm reception.
Here are some suggestions:
• Limit your vocabulary - If people will be listening in their second or third language, stick to simple, common words. Also, edit your speech text or presentation script to remove idiomatic language and phrasal verbs (a verb plus preposition or adverb that creates a new meaning different from the original verb). I once heard a car ad on TV that began something like this: Whether you’re moving up, moving down, moving out or moving in, you’ll appreciate the roominess of the new XYZ … What a nightmare for a non-English speaker to decipher.
• Consider the meaning or multiple meanings of words - Even among English speaking nations, certain words are used in different ways. For example, in the United Kingdom, to be shattered commonly means to be exhausted, while in North America it means to be crushed or devastated. When a social worker I know was making a presentation to a group of new Canadians, she mentioned how parents often make sacrifices for their children. The group’s coordinator immediately asked her to define what she meant by sacrifice.
• Consider modifications to structure - North American audiences prefer to hear the main point followed by an explanation, while other cultures prefer to listen to a speaker build up to the main point.
• Remember, the audience will have different terms of reference - Be careful about making mention of events or figures that may not resonate, and using humour, which is culturally specific, and doesn’t translate well. If you need examples to illustrate your points, you can always turn to a more universal subject like nature.
• Do some research - Get a sense of the people you’re going to address, their country (or countries) and history. Search online, visit the library, and, if possible, talk to someone who is knowledgeable. That way you can avoid getting into hot water, as a couple of political figures have done recently after giving speeches that included faulty historical references.
Want to get your message across in a way that engages and energizes your listener? If so, write your speech or presentation script to be spoken rather than read. You’ll be well prepared to do that once you watch my video tutorial Write The Way People Talk: Turn Your Next Speech Into a Conversation With the Audience.
How you plan and edit your work can make a big difference. It can be a matter as small as choosing one word over another, or as large as structuring your speech or presentation to suit the listeners’ cultural expectations. No one can say for certain what will work in every situation. But, by following some guidelines and practices based on experience, you can raise the chances that your talk will get a warm reception.
Here are some suggestions:
• Limit your vocabulary - If people will be listening in their second or third language, stick to simple, common words. Also, edit your speech text or presentation script to remove idiomatic language and phrasal verbs (a verb plus preposition or adverb that creates a new meaning different from the original verb). I once heard a car ad on TV that began something like this: Whether you’re moving up, moving down, moving out or moving in, you’ll appreciate the roominess of the new XYZ … What a nightmare for a non-English speaker to decipher.
• Consider the meaning or multiple meanings of words - Even among English speaking nations, certain words are used in different ways. For example, in the United Kingdom, to be shattered commonly means to be exhausted, while in North America it means to be crushed or devastated. When a social worker I know was making a presentation to a group of new Canadians, she mentioned how parents often make sacrifices for their children. The group’s coordinator immediately asked her to define what she meant by sacrifice.
• Consider modifications to structure - North American audiences prefer to hear the main point followed by an explanation, while other cultures prefer to listen to a speaker build up to the main point.
• Remember, the audience will have different terms of reference - Be careful about making mention of events or figures that may not resonate, and using humour, which is culturally specific, and doesn’t translate well. If you need examples to illustrate your points, you can always turn to a more universal subject like nature.
• Do some research - Get a sense of the people you’re going to address, their country (or countries) and history. Search online, visit the library, and, if possible, talk to someone who is knowledgeable. That way you can avoid getting into hot water, as a couple of political figures have done recently after giving speeches that included faulty historical references.
Want to get your message across in a way that engages and energizes your listener? If so, write your speech or presentation script to be spoken rather than read. You’ll be well prepared to do that once you watch my video tutorial Write The Way People Talk: Turn Your Next Speech Into a Conversation With the Audience.
One last look just might pay off...
08/06/12 21:01
The fuse on speech assignments seems to be getting shorter. That’s my impression and other writers have told me they’re seeing the same the trend. With the pressure to research and write speeches under rush conditions how do you keep up standards? It’s not easy, especially when tight deadlines leave you with little choice but to cut corners.
No matter how fast you have to scramble to get a script into a speaker’s hands, here are three things you should always do.
Want to learn more tips and tactics for writing fast when the clock is ticking even faster? Join me for Write Out Loud: Practical Speechwriting Skills, a daylong workshop in Ottawa October 18. Details here.
No matter how fast you have to scramble to get a script into a speaker’s hands, here are three things you should always do.
- Put the finished speech away, even for 5 −10 minutes, while you drink a cup of coffee or look out the window. Your eyes probably need a rest anyway. Then, read over the speech one more time. It’s surprising how many typos, missed words and lumpy constructions jump out when you look at a draft with fresh eyes.
- Grab a highlighter and go hunting for the key messages. Mark them, then read them again. Does the opening include a clear main message? Could it be sharper? What about your secondary messages? Are they easy to pick out and do they support the main message? Tweak if necessary.
- Test drive the speech for the speaker. In other words, read it out loud. And, stand up to do it. Mark spots where you stumble, or need to take a deep breath to continue. Then, go back and make changes.
Want to learn more tips and tactics for writing fast when the clock is ticking even faster? Join me for Write Out Loud: Practical Speechwriting Skills, a daylong workshop in Ottawa October 18. Details here.