Speechwriting:

The Basics, and Fast

Michael Long

Georgetown University

Mike@MikeLongOnline.com

703.408.7570

Speechwriting: Philosophy

Nobody wants…

Speeches v. Presentation v. Oratory

Oratory: Mainly emotional

Speeches: Mix of information and emotion

Presentation: Information (Power Point)

Speechwriting

Six Steps 1. Assess the Event and the Speaker

2. Create a Spec Sheet

3. Identify the Big Ideas and Put Them in Order

(“Identify and Prioritize”)

4. Add Evidence

5. Write the Open and the End

6. Make it Better: Social Media, Sourcing &

Loose Ends

Speechwriting

Step 1 1. Assess the Event and the Speaker

2. Create a Spec Sheet

3. Identify the Big Ideas and Put Them in Order

(“Identify and Prioritize”)

4. Add Evidence

5. Write the Open and the End

6. Make it Better: Social Media, Sourcing &

Loose Ends

Collaborative

w/principal (rarely)

w/staff (usually)

Timetables

Iterations

Getting it down on paper

The rule: 1 minute = 100 words

Speechwriting:

Practicalities & Mechanics

Speechwriting

THE

KEY IS

ORGANIZATION

The Big Secret:

The Music Man and

The Custom Garment

Speechwriting Before you write a word, spend

time thinking.

How much time do I have to write it?

How long is the speech?

What form for delivery, cards or text

or other?

Who is the audience?

What is the speech supposed to be

about?

What do you want the speech to

achieve?

How to write

What to write

Speechwriting

Step 2 1. Assess the Event and the Speaker

2. Create a Spec Sheet

3. Identify the Big Ideas and Put Them in Order

(“Identify and Prioritize”)

4. Add Evidence

5. Write the Open and the End

6. Make it Better: Social Media, Sourcing &

Loose Ends

Speechwriting

Prepare Spec Sheet

Mechanics

Speaker

Date

Location

City, building, room

Duration

Text / Notes /

Outline

Audience

Personal connection

Last time there

Personal ties

People to acknowledge

Order

Speechwriting

Prepare Spec Sheet

Content Topic

from before

What do you want the speech to achieve?

also from before

Three main ideas

“The Meeting”

Speechwriting

Step 3 1. Assess the Event and the Speaker

2. Create a Spec Sheet

3. Identify the Big Ideas and Put Them in

Order (“Identify and Prioritize”)

4. Add Evidence

5. Write the Open and the End

6. Make it Better: Social Media, Sourcing &

Loose Ends

Speechwriting

Identify and Prioritize

Write the middle first: Outline the Structure

Nothin’ fancy

Make a list of the big points you need to make

3 or 4 max

No more than that, ever

These will be the tent poles, the tree branches, etc

Speechwriting

I. Opening – DON’T WRITE THIS YET

II. Middle

A. Big Point #1

B. Big Point #2 Main points

C. Big Point #3

III. Closing – DON’T WRITE THIS YET

Speechwriting I. Opening

A. Big Point #1

B. Big Point #2 Here’s what’s coming: bite-size

C. Big Point #3

II. Middle

A. Big Point #1

B. Big Point #2 Here’s what’s coming: bite-size

C. Big Point #3

III. Closing

A. Big Point #1

B. Big Point #2 Here’s what I told you: bite-size

C. Big Point #3

Speechwriting

Step 4 1. Assess the Event and the Speaker

2. Create a Spec Sheet

3. Identify the Big Ideas and Put Them in Order

(“Identify and Prioritize”)

4. Add Evidence

5. Write the Open and the End

6. Make it Better: Social Media, Sourcing &

Loose Ends

The Writing: Structure

II. Body

– Point 1: Subjective assertion • Support: Objective evidence = EVIDENCE

– Point 2 • support

– Point 3 • support

Kinds of Evidence Anecdotes

Personal experiences

Statistics

Facts

History

Jokes

use of humor

Step-by-step logic

Props

Case studies

Speechwriting

Step 5 1. Assess the Event and the Speaker

2. Create a Spec Sheet

3. Identify the Big Ideas and Put Them in Order

(“Identify and Prioritize”)

4. Add Evidence

5. Write the Open and the End

6. Make it Better: Social Media, Sourcing &

Loose Ends

Speechwriting

Write Opening and Ending

I. Opening

A. Acknowledgements (speech only)

B. Rapport/Attention-getting

C. Topic

D. Subtopics (depending on length)

1. Big Point #1

2. Big Point #2

3. Big Point #3

II. Middle

III. Closing

A

R

T

S

Speechwriting

Write Opening and Ending

I. Opening

II. Middle

III. Closing

A. Big Point #1

B. Big Point #2 Here’s what I told you: bite-size

C. Big Point #3

D. Personal remarks (if desired)

E. Call to Action (if necessary)

Speechwriting

Also at the end...

If you want to plant a single take-away message in the

mind of the audience, state it here—clearly!

Make it a simple, memorable sentence or phrase.

Repeat it throughout the talk.

Speechwriting

Step 6 1. Assess the Event and the Speaker

2. Create a Spec Sheet

3. Identify the Big Ideas and Put Them in Order

(“Identify and Prioritize”)

4. Add Evidence

5. Write the Open and the End

6. Make it Better: Social Media, Sourcing &

Loose Ends

Speechwriting Add Polish

Think like a fourth-grader/sound like a PhD:

“talk it out”

Speechwriting Add Polish

Convert to text or turn in an outline

Avoid “leading” interstitial language

Replace weak/placeholder anecdotes with stronger

ones

Add more color, detail and evidence

Revise recognitions/acknowledgements

Look for better rapport/personal connections

Wordsmith/clean up language

Keeping inspired...

Speechwriting Test it by reading out loud

Write for the ear, meaning...

Use

short, declarative sentences

Avoid

STAGE DIRECTION / PAUSES / “WAIT FOR

LAUGH”

“lost in the weeds” detail – consider what a listener can

easily hold in his head, not on paper

Speechwriting: Social Media

• BEFORE

Use Twitter hashtags to ask audience what

they want to hear (as appropriate)

Tweet/FB pithy quotes from the speech

In catchy language, identify

questions/issues you will address

Occasionally countdown to the date

• DURING

Encourage liveblogging, tweeting and FB-

ing as you speak

Offer hashtags to identify the speech and/or

topics

Have someone tweet/FB on your behalf

matching quotes/stories with links to further

information or documentation

Speechwriting: Social Media

Speechwriting: Social Media

• AFTER

Post a short video of the opening on FB; link

to text or video

Post grafs/quotes; link to text or video

Convert to multiple blog entries

Post distilled elements as “Note” on FB

Yes, it’s necessary

The great forgotten task of speechwriting

What if the speaker gets asked later?

Speaker just wants to know

Endnotes, not footnotes

Not mixed in with text

Separate page

Embedding sources in the spoken text

When and when not to / length of citation

“According to…”

Speechwriting: Sourcing

Speechwriting: Sourcing • The Rule:

– The more controversial the fact, the greater

the need to document its source

300 million

people live in

the US

50 million children

in the US go to

bed hungry every

night

“That sounds

right.” “Are you sure?”

The need for sourcing M O R E L E S S

Make Writing Easy on Yourself

The Printing-Proofing Trick (Font &

Size)

Give it a title

Use subheads and/or section marks

One sentence = one graf

White space

Your Questions

How can I write talking points that are

effective, and how can I do it more efficiently?

Talking Points are

phrases,

sentences and

very short paragraphs

that a speaker can use as a basis for an extemporaneous

talk.

Your Questions

Talking Points Keep them short.

Get to the point.

Write for the ear – when possible, use catchy phrases

Alliteration, consonance, assonance, imagery

Use this thinking for writing sound bites, too.

Use white space and labels so the speaker can sort

through the material at a glance.

Also okay: Jumping off points to jog the memory to

further comment

Your Questions

When given a broad topic, how do I narrow it down

to something manageable? (e.g., professionalism)

How do I write quotable, memorable lines – sound

bites?

How do I drive home a line – how do I get reporters

to pick up the line and how do I get audiences to

remember it?

Your Questions

How do I “break into” speechwriting inside the

office?

How do I capture the tone and voice of the speaker?

Your Questions

What are some source materials for commencements,

general remarks and other events that are oriented

more toward mood than toward fact?

“Condemned to Repeat It” by Wick Allison

“This Day in Business History” by Raymond Francis

“Tunesmith” by Jimmy Webb

“Theatre” by David Mamet

“Get some art in you…”

Speechwriting

Review: Six Steps 1. Assess the Event and the Speaker

2. Create a Spec Sheet

3. Identify the Big Ideas and Put Them in Order

(“Identify and Prioritize”)

4. Add Evidence

5. Write the Open and the End

6. Make it Better: Social Media, Sourcing &

Loose Ends