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“Ask
not what your country can do for you ... ask what you can do
for your country." US President John F. Kennedy, inaugural
address, 1961
Needless to say, it isn’t Ted Sorenson,
JFK’s speechwriter,
that will be remembered for those infamous words. And yet it
seems likely that he was responsible for writing them.
Good speech writing is as indispensable to the executive
or sales person as it is to the politician. Ensuring that
your speeches and presentations are not
just well delivered, but well planned and written is, therefore,
crucial to making a lasting impact on your audience.
What’s
your message?
The key to
persuasive speeches is clarity.
Human beings are fickle
creatures, and an audience does not like to do the hard work – that’s
your job. The brain can only take in so much information
in a short space
of time,
so bombarding your listeners with point after
point, even if they are related, will make them confused,
frustrated and (arguably worse
still), inattentive.
Effective presentations
and informative speeches are built around a single key point – a
hook for your audience to hang its attention upon. Identifying
this central issue is the most important
part of crafting a good speech. But it can
also be the hardest. After all, pruning a key message from
reams of supporting
information is often an extremely demanding process.
Once
the main tenet of your speech or presentation
has been established, that point must be
driven home. The
trick here
is to repeat your point without sounding
repetitive. A paradox admittedly, but one that can be overcome
with intelligent writing
and careful
structuring.
Sounding
natural (and knowing when to speak)
The fact that speeches are delivered,
rather than read, actually goes a long way to helping this
process. Good business speeches should contain a series
of minor dramatic high points, building towards a final
crescendo. Knowing when to speak is, therefore, crucial
to any form of public speaking, from motivational keynote
speeches to business proposals and PowerPoint presentations.
Consequently, it
is vital when writing a speech to remember that
it is an
exercise in 'performance
writing' – what
works on paper does not necessarily
work in front of a crowd. Building
in subtle variations in drama
will go a long way in maintaining
your
listeners' interest and
will give your speech a natural,
authoritative rhythm.
Visual aids
Visual aids, such as presentation
slides, can certainly be a great
asset, particularly when
giving presentations. If used sparingly they can play an excellent
structural role for your audience, ensuring that they see the
big picture even when you are talking about an element of great
detail.
It
is equally true, however, that their overuse is becoming
an epidemic.
What is clear is that there is
a limit
to how much
information
the human
brain can soak
up in one sitting and
your speech must work
within
those parameters. So long
as visual aids are used to reinforce or clarify
issues raised in the main
body of the speech then they can work very well indeed. Too
often, however, visual aids serve only to bombard the audience
with superflous and confusing information. In such circumstances,
we believe slides should be regarded as dead wood which needs
to be cut.
The Writing
Machine approach
Writing Machine has extensive
experience of writing
speeches and presentations gained through working
with
companies such as
Microsoft, IBM and
BT. Working for such clients, we have proven our ability
to draw
out
the pertinent information,
and present it in the
most effective
manner.
Individual
speeches, such as a keynote
presentations,
need a far more
personal
touch than generic
presentations. Writing Machine’s
unique writing
methodology includes
in-depth client
interviews to
ensure that
the speech
carries with
it the
personality of
the speaker.
Furthermore,
our experience
as professional
writers
means we are
able
to craft intellectually
stimulating,
engaging speeches
that
will be also
be entertaining
enough
to
be interesting
and memorable.
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