12 Tips for Writing Superb Speeches

You’ve probably heard many speakers give a long list of accomplishments, praise practically everyone they knew, and talk far too long. No doubt, you went into a day dream and forgot everything the speaker said, even if you had listened.

The responsibility to write speeches that win the audience’s attention and deliver key messages often falls to the PR or communications staff. Speechwriting is a learned skill – honed over many drafts of numerous speeches. Knowing and applying the methods of successful speechwriters can ease the learning curve.

Here’s a compilation of tips from some of the leading speechwriters, including writers who have composed speeches for top political leaders, on how to compose superb speeches that accomplish their objectives.

Set objectives. Have a very clear idea of what you want the speech to accomplish before picking up a pencil or opening the word processor. Answer a simple question: what is the key idea you want the audience to carry away from the speech? All parts of the speech should build toward that objective.

Write like people talk. A speech written with the rhythm of how people actually talk is more likely to keep listeners engaged. Short sentences, contractions, and ordinary, non-academic words, can help achieve a conversational tone. There’s no need to obsess over grammar rules like using complete sentences since people don’t always speak in complete sentences in conversations. Reading lines out loud helps ensure that you’re writing like you (or the speaker) normally talks.

Provide structure. Providing the audience a path and destination at the start of the speech helps keep their attention. Telling listeners at the outset what you’ll be covering provides that structure and tells them what to watch for. The standard practice is to “Tell them what you’re going to tell them, then tell them; then tell them what you told them.” One typical structure is to present a problem, then present a solution.

Keep it short and simple. Audiences have shorter attention spans today. Longer speeches are more likely to stray from the topic – and tell the audience more than they want or need to know.  One of the most famous speeches ever, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, is 272 words long. The orator preceding Lincoln gave a 13,607-word speech lasting two hours. Nobody remembered what he said.

Start strong. The audience is most receptive at the opening. Regaining attention is difficult once you lose it. Start with a shocking fact or statistic or humorous anecdote, or ask listeners to respond to a question by raising their hands. Thanking and acknowledging everyone in the room tends to send people into a daze. Limiting the opening formalities stands the best chance of winning audience’s attention.

Focus. Speakers who veer off on tangents or who get bogged down in details lose the audience. Limit the speech to one or two main ideas. Listeners have difficulty remembering much more. A valuable technique to attain focus is to distill your main point down to a single short, straightforward sentence or phrase. Then build the speech around it, supporting it with facts and anecdotes. Stay on point throughout the presentation.

Leave an impression. Repetition can drive home your message and leave an impression. One technique is litany – repeating the same words, typically at the start of each sentence. Prime Minister Winston Churchill employed the technique effectively when he said: “We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.”

Use images and concrete examples. Abstractions make eyes turn glossy. Words that leave pictures in listeners’ minds are memorable. For instance, Ronald Reagan referred to America as “a shining city on the hill” in speeches. The images, naturally, should support your main theme. Concrete examples and precise numbers can effectively support your argument.

Tap emotions. Citing facts can support arguments, but long lists of numbers can bore. People typically remember how they felt after the speech, rather than what the speaker said.

Revise. After you write the speech, revise it. Then revise it again. Eliminating unnecessary words can improve clarity and sharpen your point. If it doesn’t support the main message, remove it.

End Strong. Along with the opening, the conclusion is the most important part of a speech. People are most likely to remember your final line. Some speakers trail off and thank everyone. The best speakers conclude speeches with a memorable line, a line that summarizes the main point they want people to remember. The line may also include a call to action.

And one more thing …

Rehearse. Stage presence and delivery are as important as great writing. The best corporate presenters like Steve Jobs rehearse conscientiously – correcting sentences, phrases, intonation and body language during multiple rehearsals. Allow a trusted associate to attend and critique the rehearsals. (If you’re writing for the boss, insist that s/he rehearse aloud with the visuals with you, the speechwriter, serving as the gentle critic. That gives you a final opportunity to revise phrases.)

Recording the presentation on audio and/or video makes it possible to distribute the speech more widely to interested individuals on podcasting and video-sharing websites such as YouTube. If you can’t record the live presentation because of conference restrictions, consider recording the rehearsal(s) or record another, somewhat different, presentation after the original speech for editing and distribution on digital networks.

Bottom Line: A great presentation starts with a bang, retains the audience’s attention and induces listeners to remember its main message. It doesn’t burden listeners with a laundry list of accomplishments or objectives. Writing a riveting speech is not an easy task, but using these tips from speechwriting experts can help you compose presentations that engage and persuade the audience.

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