10 tips for speechwriting prep

A few weeks ago, I was taking part in a conference. The keynote speaker sat down next to me, furiously scribbling notes in the white space between items in the event agenda. He turned to me and asked how many pages there are in the federal tax code (answer, per Google: 73,954). He was writing his speech, ten minutes before go-time.

Pulling off a great speech was easy for someone with a distinguished career in public service. He was used to giving speeches on the fly, and knew his audience well.

However, not everyone is so gifted.

If it’s your turn (or your boss’s) to give a speech, prepping is half the job, but an important one. How do you get started? Here are a few tips:

 1.     A speech is not a report. It’s meant to be read aloud. A speech should sound relaxed, like a conversation.

2.     The last thing you do is write the speech. A good speech reflects the preparation that went into it, including interviews and brainstorming sessions. Read. Do Google searches. Save quotes, anecdotes, jokes, and stories. Build your own information bank.

3.     Get involved early in the process. Ask questions–lots of them. Who is the audience? Why is your organization accepting the invitation? What’s the desired outcome of the speech? Who else is speaking? On what topics? 

4.     Know thy speaker. For the speechwriter, interviewing the speaker is a must. Substance matters, but so does rhythm. Does she speak quickly or slowly? Does he speak in paragraphs? Is your speaker physical, and comfortable moving around while giving a speech?

5.     Ask. What’s the speaker’s goal from this speech? What’s the desired audience takeaway?

6.     Dig. Make it personal. Find out in your pre-draft talk with the speaker if there are any personal stories that can become part of the speech. Candor is good. It makes the speaker “real” and builds credibility.

7.     One size never fits all. Tailor the speech to fit the audience and setting. Talk to as many people inside and outside about the host organization. What are their hot-button issues? Do they have any outstanding issues with your group? Are they advocating any administrative or legislative changes? 

8.   Connect with your audience. Who brought the speaker there and why? A personal greeting from the dais is nice; a genuine compliment even better.

9.     Beware the joke. The words speechwriters fear most: “I need a good opening joke.” Few people are naturally funny. Many…are not. With a flubbed joke, the speaker is in the recovery zone for the rest of the speech. An anecdote or personal story at the beginning can be just as effective.

10.  Length matters. No one wants to listen to a one-hour speech. No one. A 20-minute speech is a standard length of a keynote speech, and is about 4 ½ single-space pages, depending on the speaker’s cadence and how often he or she diverts from the speech. 

Incidentally: what do you do with a random factoid like how many pages there are in the tax code? One approach is to translate it into real world terms: if you laid every page of the tax code end-to-end, it would stretch for almost 13 miles. 

Keeping it simple, even when it isn’t

My best summer college job was canvassing door-to-door. And one of the most enduring aspects of it was a training lesson that continues to this day to be valuable.

I worked for a group that sought support for environmental legislation. As a canvasser, I knocked on doors asking for petition signatures and contributions. My manager determined my “turf” –the neighborhood I was canvassing. I might spend Tuesday in an upscale subdivision, and Wednesday in a trailer park. We had a nightly quota, so failure to raise a certain amount of money meant a quick end to a canvasser’s summer job.

Talking to strangers about policy issues and then asking for something is intimidating. Like all things challenging, however, there is a way to get started. And that approach works, not only in canvassing but also in fundamental business communications, whether it’s meeting a potential client or presenting an idea to a group.

The lesson is to start off with: I am, we are, we do, we want.

Sounds simple because it is: introduce yourself, your organization, explain concisely what your organization does, and ask for what you want.

It’s surprising how effective that simple “rap” can be. Your audience simply wants to know who you are and what you want. Once they understand, they’re often happy to help you. At the very least, they should know who you are and why you’re on their doorstep—or in their conference room.

The beauty part of this is its simplicity. Despite the complicated things we do, whether it’s in biotechnology or financial services, we ought to be able to introduce an organization and a concept simply, to the point that the listener understands what you’re talking about. In fact, Albert Einstein said, “If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”

Of course, I had a few doors slammed in my face. But for every resounding, “not interested,” a dozen more would follow who wanted to know more, to chat, and to act.

During three summers of canvassing, and beyond in my career as a communications professional, I’ve found that “rap” has been one of the most effective, fundamental approaches to get something done. 

How to write faster (and better)

You need to write something. Maybe it’s an article, or a letter, or a report. There’s a deadline. It’s number five on your to-do list of 43 items. Here are a few tips on writing faster and better.

1.     Read first. Your assignment is to write something. If your inclination is to start writing, stop. It will be much easier to write once you “get” the topic at hand. Even if you’re on a tight deadline, understanding what you’re going to write about will ultimately save you lots of time.

2.     Embrace “blessed” language. When writing for a company, an agency, or a non-profit, there’s a way to say certain things. These phrases were hammered out long before you came along. Someone else already sweated over every word. Find out what the “blessed language” is, and use it.

3.     Stuck on the first sentence? Write it like a news item: who, what, when, why, how. That will get you started, and it sets up a structure that forces you to focus on the topic at hand.

4.     Long sentences are not necessarily better sentences. Are you out of high school? Good. In the real world, you’re considered a good writer because your reader understands what you’re saying. No one will count how many words are in your sentences. No one will care how many sentences are in your paragraphs. They will care about it what you’re trying to say. Focus on that.

5.     Know your kryptonite. Mine is the word “while.” I know that when I start a sentence with the word “while,” nothing good will follow. By starting with “while,” I’m already messing up a perfectly good sentence. I do this because an idea is not clear enough in my mind to translate into a clear sentence. That’s just me. Know your own verbal weaknesses, and learn how to avoid them.

6.     Eyeball it. Does that paragraph look bigger than the others? You should probably break it down.

7.     Housekeeping! In the interest of graceful transitions, we lard up our clean prose with too many “indeeds,” “moreovers,” or “in other words.” Clean it up. The leaner the better.

8.     Think you’re done? Read it out loud. You’ll find typos and awkward phrases that you didn’t see before.

Still stuck? Drop me a line: joelle@jordandresden.com