"Speechwriting 101"

Have you been assigned to write a speech for a corporate executive? Worried about it? That'ss natural. If you don't have time or the know-how to do it, see if a professional can be hired. Otherwise, if you already tried that or know it's not feasible, following are useful suggestions.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Way too many speeches are written and delivered without the speaker having a good clue as to whom he or she is speaking to. If you and the speaker don't know much about the audience, call the meeting organizer or another appropriate contact and find out: Where are they from? Will it be mainly women or men? What are their ages, backgrounds, and racial makeup? What are the three or four main "challenges" they face that they may want answers or solutions for? Is there anything particular about this group that I should be aware of? Are there any recent issues or news developments that have particularly impacted this audience or the city in which I am speaking in?

Yeah, this may sound like a lot of work, but if your audience knows that their presentation was written with them in mind, they will be much more attentive and appreciative. Don't worry about having the entire presentation tailored to them. Just try to fit in several subtle references to whatever characteristics that they have in common. So, if your audience is a group of nurses from Nebraska, you could check out what their major newspaper, the Omaha World Herald has reported about nurses in their news coverage over the past three months or so. You might make reference to the performance of their local professional sports team. You could make several "Nebraska nurses" mentions and/or references to their professional Association, etc.

PLAN IT WELL
Do an outline first, and include and Introduction, Purpose(s) for the speech, Discuss the points that represent the purposes, And wrap it up with a Conclusion.

The Purpose(s) or Objectives could be to "persuade the audience to take action on an issue," "inform them about a problem and what they can do to help solve it," etc., and there could be up to two or three main purposes or objectives. Don't try to cover too any different purposes in a speech, otherwise, you will likely overload the audience and yourself.

ADD SOME "COLOR"
Add some life and color to the presentation by going beyond just talking. Use Powerpoint slides of graphics, charts or illustrations to make your point. Use statistics and quotes from independent groups and authorities in your field. Give everyone a handout (have someone help you to distribute in advance or during the talk) that they can refer to and you speak. Tell them about personal examples and stories that you have that can help illustrate the points that you make.

KEEP IT BRIEF
The best speeches are typically under 12 minutes. That' s because people have a limited attention span and they may "zone out" completely once a speaker goes over 15 or 20 minutes or so. The shorter you can make the speech, the better.

GRAPHICS/ILLUSTRATIONS
Be sure that any slides, posters, or other a/v materials used can be seen throughout the presentation room. If in doubt, walk through the room several days in advance with a rough copy of your materials shown on the slide or video screen, and see if they can be seen from all seats. If there are typos in the materials, or, if the materials are illegible from a distance in the room, fix them, or see if there is another solution (i.e., handouts for everyone showing personal copies of the slides). One downside, however, of such handouts is that it can turn the audience's focus away from the speaker and toward their desk or table for much of the talk.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Do inform the audience that you will take Questions, but ask them to hold their questions until the end of the talk. This normally works best and avoids multiple interruptions. Also, when answering a question, it is important to repeat it, no matter how loudly the audience member asked it. This gives added assurance that everyone has heard the question, and, it gives the presenter added time to gather his thoughts for the answer.

ASSISTANT
It can be extremely helpful if you have a colleague serve as your assistant for the presentation. He/She/They can handle responsibilities including distributing handouts, turning on and off the lights for slides or video needs, running the video equipment, etc. And, especially if the speaker is using more than one a/v element (i.e., slides, video, posters), all the more important for there to be a "dry run" in advance so that you can test everything and be sure its all works properly.

PRACTICE
The best speeches require practice, but do not need to be memorized. Memorized speeches tend to be dull and the speaker gets wrapped up in remembering his or her next word, rather than truly understanding and conveying the comments. Try using a bulletpointed outline typed on about 2-5 pages, to help the presenter organize his/her thoughts. If possible, have the speaker practice in front of a video camera or web camera, so they they can see how they come across and possibly correct any weaknesses.

QUESTIONNAIRE
Use a brief questionnaire to learn what the audience thinks about the presentation. Keep the questionnaire to under 10 questions if possible and typed all on one side of one page. Give responders the option to fill out anonymously or to leave their name and they will likely be more candid with their comments. Encourage attendees to fill it out before they leave and plan their time accordingly so they have 2-3 minutes or so to complete it. If attendees leave before finishing the questionnaire, the chances that you will get finished questionnaires via mail or other means are pretty slim.

Okay, why are you still reading this? Get writing your speech. Good luck! -- Thank you to Pirages Communications, a leading Chicago PR firm (http://www.piragescom.com/) for its leadership with this Blog.