SPEAK THE SPEECH, I PRAY YOU
But Only If It’s What You Want To Say

             If you’ve never done it before, nothing presents the frightening blank page like having to write a speech.

             It’s different from writing a press release, or a brochure, or even a letter home for more money. As a genre, speech writing is in a class by itself, and professional speechwriters a breed unto themselves. (There’s even an informal organization of former White House speech writers, with members from both parties.) Speeches that work get anthologized, quoted, reprinted, dissected, and lionized. Cicero, Caesar and Brutus, Abe Lincoln, William Jennings Bryan, Roosevelt, Churchill, Kennedy – all spoke words that burned themselves into the hearts and minds of people. Nobody writes anthologies of press releases to sing the praises of ideas in the releases.

             What makes a workable and memorable speech? Well, certainly not the words, which is what most people who haven’t written a speech don’t seem to realize. Phrases are sometimes remembered, but only when the ideas behind them are memorable.

             A speech is a presentation of ideas. The words used are just the vehicle of the ideas, which is why, for your own safety, never call a good speechwriter a “wordsmith”. If the ideas aren’t there, if there’s nothing of value imparted, then all the poetry in the world won’t help.

             And because the effective presentation of ideas can be complex and difficult, speeches are usually not the work of a single person. It may be the principle who speaks the speech and contributes to writing it, or a professional speech writer, or a specialist in the subject of the speech. With rare exceptions, great speeches are put together by several people.

             At the same time, the measure of a great speech isn’t always the speech itself, or the speaker. It’s the audience. If there’s no impact, no reaction, even a delayed one (The Gettysburg Address, for example, which wasn’t appreciated until much after it was given), then the speech is a failure.

             How do you get past the terror of that first blank page? Different ways for different people.

             My approach, which I’ve used for speeches for both politicians and corporate leaders, begins with the question, What do you want the audience to know, think or feel after hearing the speech? The value of this approach is that it focuses on the central theme of the speech. It also helps eliminate irrelevant ideas that might otherwise dilute a speech.

             The main thoughts – the answers to that question -- may come from the principal. After all it’s his or her speech. Or it may come from the organization whose ideas are being presented. But before word one is written, the answers must be set down. The rest of the speech is simply a diagram of how to make the answers to the question a reality.

 There are no rules of speech writing that are set in stone or inviolable, particularly if the speechwriter or speaker are experienced. But as a starting point, here are some specific pointers that have been proven to work… 

• Always think in terms of your audience. Not to pander to them, but to consider who they are, what you want of them, how receptive or hostile they may be to your ideas If you are trying to persuade or move them from one position or point of view to another, consider how responsive or intractable they may be. A speech is really in two parts – the speaker and the audience. Without both parts the speech is nothing but a jumble of words.
• The classic idea of an opening joke is irrelevant, and a cliché. Yes, in a friendly environment an opening pleasantry helps. But unless the speaker is a professional comedian, the joke won’t work. And if it’s a speech before a hostile audience, thank everybody you have to for allowing you to speak, and get on with it.
• In outlining a speech, start with the central theme, and then organize the points needed to support that theme. Be spare, and don’t overload, even for emphasis.
• Speeches have a beginning (usually a premise), a middle (usually the facts or foundation for supporting that premise), and an end (usually a strong summary or appeal).
• Don’t try to cover every base on the field. Even if you’re listing things that are relevant to the main theme, don’t stray from the single message.
• Call in as many opinions or experts as you need, but satisfy the speech, its message and its audience, not the experts. You have to distil contributed ideas, even good ones.
• Keep the language simple. In today’s world, where there are so many ideas and words floating about from all media, don’t try to play with the words. Don’t try to make phrases or sound bites unless you’ve done it professionally. It’s the ideas that will be remembered first, and the words that most simply express the ideas, not the language, and great language won’t dress up sparse ideas.
• The hardest part of speech writing is understanding the difference between the written word, meant to be read, and the spoken word, meant to be heard. This is why even the most experienced speech writers will read drafts aloud, even if it’s to themselves.
• Unless you have the experience and a profound reason to think you can do it, don’t expect to easily capture the language patterns or speaking rhythms or cadences of the speaker. Let the speaker do that in the final draft. Maybe when you’ve written a dozen speeches for the same person you can approximate it, but don’t even try until you’ve had that experience.
• The final arbiter on the words of the speech are the speaker. He or she has to read it aloud, to be sure that the language is personalized, and consistent with the speaker’s way of speaking. The speaker has to be comfortable with the language.
• Have the speaker read the speech to others, if possible, for objective reaction. Have the speaker listen to reactions, and then make his or her own decisions.
• Keep your ego out of this. If your byline is on it, you have a few rights, maybe. But a speech writer is a ghost, whose hand should be invisible, and whose ego should be submerged.
• Don’t forget the opening greetings, and the closing thank you for listening.

         If you’re really new at speech writing, it can’t hurt to get hold of a bunch of good speeches and read them. Get a sense of pattern and organization, and the different approaches. Try to fathom what the speaker was after, and how the speech is structured to get there. See the difference between the formal and the colloquial speech, and understand why each was used.

 There are, of course, different kinds of speeches and different audiences. A speech to persuade a body to take an action is stronger than a speech awarding a watch to a retiree. A speech can begin with a strong statement of the premise, or it can begin with some drama and suspense (very dangerous for non-professional speech writers). But the principles are the same. It’s the ideas, and the passion they inspire, that are different from one speech to another.

 Words, they say, inspire people. They say wrong. Ideas inspire people. Words are just the carriers of ideas.

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