Rachna Srivastava is a passionate speaker. Her goal is to inspire and empower girls, women and other underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and math. Her vision is of a global program that nurtures and encourages technical and mathematical skills in women and other minority groups. Rachna is a software developer with 15 years experience in software analysis, design, development and implementation. Her educational background includes a Masters in Business Administration in Finance (MBA), Masters in Science in Statistics (MS) and Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. She is currently a Software Engineer at HP working with development teams in a complex, globally-dispersed environment. Before joining HP in 2010 she worked as a Software Engineer at IBM for nearly nine years.
Women in Information Technology
Rachna asks, “Did you know that in the next decade, the national demand for scientists and engineers is expected to increase four times that of all other occupations? But where are women? The population of women in information technology has dropped from 40% of the workforce in 1986 to only 20% now and the number is still dropping.”
The importance of inclusion and diversity
Rachna lists three reasons why we should care about having women leaders in technology:
A recent study done at MIT shows that a well-managed diverse group produces more innovative solution to problems than homogeneous groups. Why is so? We know that to create innovation we have to have diversity of thoughts and in order to have diverse thoughts we need to have diverse set of people bringing these ideas.
Women tend to be emphatic and empathy creates a more complete picture of issues, which contributes to changing consumer behavior. This understanding is critical to both product development and product marketing.
Women are good collaborators, they are more likely to ask for advice and consider other peoples opinion. They encourage employees participation, and when employees participate they feel powerful and important and get them excited about their work. This is good not only for employees but also for the organization.
I met with Rachna and asked her about her background and the initial steps she is taking on her journey to get the word out about her important message. To hear what she told me, and her impressions of the National Speakers Association Pro-Track class that she is part of, click on the podcast icon below.
I help edit SPEAKER Magazine for the National Speakers Association (NSA). Each month I curate the Relevant Resources column – a list of time-saving tools and technologies.
The May 2012 edition suggests resources to stimulate your creative juices. Creativity and fresh ideas are essential to the success of any professional speaker, and even naturally creative people lose their edge occasionally. Whether you’re struggling to write a book, revamp your business model, or just having a dull, uninspired day, turn to one of these resources to reignite your creative spark.
While You Were Sleeping
You already know that sleep is good for you, but did you know that we are at our most creative when we are dreaming? Listening to information while you are drifting into la-la land stimulates creativity and enables the unconscious mind to absorb information more effectively. Plug in the SoftSpeaker Pillow from NPR’s online store for the perfect combination of comfort, quality and reliable sound. The speaker is padded in soft foam and its cover is washable. $19.95. www.Shop.NPR.org
Drink Yourself Smart
A lot of “smart drinks” on the market claim to clear brain fog and stimulate creativity. Whether this one actually works or not, it packs an undeniable punch of herbs, natural compounds and organic agave syrup. The world’s first kosher drink of its kind, Brain Toniq from TrueToniqs is said to increase mental focus and help you conquer your day without all that caffeine. Order online or find it at your local health food store. $2.99/can. For a full list of ingredients, visit www.BrainToniq.com.
Add a Pop of Kuler
Want to add pizazz to your PowerPoint®? Brighten up your branding? Kuler by Adobe is a unique website that generates color themes to compliment your marketing materials and inspire a myriad of new projects. No matter what you’re creating, Kuler lets you experiment quickly with color variations and browse thousands of themes from the Kuler community. You can also upload your own images and select matching or contrasting pallets. The best part? It’s free. www.Kuler.Adobe.com.
Stumble Through It
Discover new and interesting content on the Web via StumbleUpon.com. The site, which boasts over 20 million members, lets you browse random websites with the click of a button and indicate whether you “like” or “dislike” recommendations. As you provide feedback, StumbleUpon learns what best suits your tastes. You can also sign up for email updates that further assist you in uncovering hidden gems from across the Web that are sure to get your creative juices flowing. Join for free. www.StumbleUpon.com.
Sleep on the Job
Napping is highly underrated, and these days innovative companies like Google are encouraging it to help employees get the much-needed rest they need to regenerate ideas and maintain a healthy lifestyle. The EnergyPod from MetroNaps combines stylish design with ergonomic functionality to create the ideal environment for energy enhancement. It features a contoured shape to elevate the feet, semi-private sphere, and a built-in adjustable timer. Visit www.MetroNaps.com for more details.
Start Stacking
Stuck in a rut? Start stacking, that is, compiling a list of online bookmarks that showcase your passions. Delicious.com lets you take a look at what other people find interesting on the Web, create your own “stacks” – videos, pictures, tweets, blog posts – and personalize them with your own commentary to share with the community! Drop the Delicious bookmarklet in your browser to get started. Free. www.Delicious.com.
Tune in to TED
If you haven’t heard of TED by now, do yourself a favor and click on www.TED.com to find free videos on technology, design, business, and global issues. TED Talks are invitation-only events where creative powerhouses like Bono and Bill Clinton come together to swap ideas. For a live experience designed to stimulate dialogue on a local level, you’ll want to check out TEDx events, inspired by TED’s mission – “ideas worth spreading”. Visit www.ted.com/tedx to learn more.
Mind Over Matter
Group collaboration can be challenging. XMind makes it easy with a powerful and intuitive design, simple ways to express ideas and share information to your audience, and user-friendly project tracking and task management features. With this mind-mapping software, you can create and edit topics, drag and drop to reorganize, take “mapshots,” and add attachments. Free or $49/year for XMind Pro. www.XMind.net.
Turn to Toons
Brighten up your inbox with a daily cartoon illustrated by Hugh MacLeod, bestselling author and CEO of Stormhoek USA, which markets South African wine in the States. Drawn on the backs of business cards, these delightful messages are motivational and thought-provoking. When you subscribe on his website, you’ll get access to hundreds of limited edition prints and access to special offers. Sign up for free, and be sure to follow Hugh on Twitter @gapingvoid. www.GapingVoid.com.
I was recently interviewed by Vancouver-based social media and organizational strategy expert Rob Cottingham. Rob’s Social Signal blog is a rich source of information on social media and public speaking and speechwriting. He’s added a podcast series and you can click through and hear our conversation on the ways speechwriters can take advantage of social media.
Joanne Westley is a senior manager in the supply chain of the UK’s Jansen Display. In her spare time Joanne likes to go mountain biking as well as hiking in the Lake District.
Presentations are stressful, and PowerPoint can make them even more so. Will the computer read your USB stick? Will the version of PowerPoint be different? Are your pictures and video going to show up right?
And, even if all that works out, will you hear a groan from the audience when they see the first slide from yet another cookie cutter slideshow?
Break the cycle and move beyond PowerPoint. There are new and exciting tools available that will let you add some spice to your talk, as well as open new avenues for collaboration.
Prezi is the darling child of next-gen presentations. While the user interface can be daunting to a novice user, once mastered Prezi can produce murmurs of approval from your audience. While you can recreate the sterile slideshow feel within Prezi, it also has the ability to zoom in and out, rotate, and create visual experiences that are not possible from PowerPoint. Prezi can also integrate YouTube and other content seamlessly.
Sliderocket will look much more familiar to PowerPoint users. It’s slide based, but offers a snazzier selection of tools and ingredients out of the box than PowerPoint. You can add charts, tables, video, and audio, and the interface is very intuitive. Be careful though, both SlideRocket and Prezi will have issues if running on a slow computer or an out of date browser.
The Presentations feature of Google Documents is a simple, no-nonsense slide creator. It offers the majority of the same features as PowerPoint, although it lacks the ability to insert audio and has less presentation customization. However, given the growing popularity of the Google Documents suite, this is a safe choice for group presentations since it’s likely they already have a Google account.
One thing these digital formats lack is the ability to make adjustments to your presentation on the fly. Instead of PowerPoint or another online show, consider using a simple whiteboard for your presentation. This allows you to more closely tie your visual content to your talk by creating it as you go, as well as making your presentation more interactive by having the ability to answer questions on the whiteboard. Just make sure you and your audience will be comfortable with your handwriting and diagramming.
Another online alternative, Zoho Show is as close to an online clone of PowerPoint as it gets. The menus and options have the same look and feel as the traditional Microsoft product, and so Zoho would be a good choice for a less technically savvy group who still wants to use an online digital platform for their presentation.
No matter which tool you choose, take the time to learn it and your material well, and your presentation will be a success. Based on my research, Prezi has the most potential for creating a Wow! experience, while Google Presentations is number one for ease of use. If you have an artistic streak, though, go for the whiteboard. Good luck!
Since 1994, Cynthia Klein has been guiding parents to creating happy and healthy families. As a speaker to over three hundred groups, Cynthia has given parents the tools and confidence to improve their family dynamics. Her presentations are interactive, highly visual and easy for parents to apply to their own family situations. Parents leave encouraged that they are able to make positive changes. Cynthia’s clients have included the parents at Stanford University, Kaiser Permanente, The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, The Children’s Health Council and Hewlett-Packard.
Cynthia works privately with parents who want to make permanent improvements in their families. The wisdom she has gained from successfully raising her strong-willed young adult daughter is invaluable in understanding each parent’s struggle and prescribing the correct solutions. Her success lies in her amazing ability to first accurately assess family dynamics. Then Cynthia creates unique and individualized strategies during her interviews with the parents. This fine-tuned approach fixes the foundation of family problems. Parents gain wisdom of how to apply their newly learned beliefs and actions to other family situations.
Cynthia authors the Middle School Mom column for the Parenting on the Peninsula magazine. Her education background includes a B.A. in Psychology from Berkeley and a Training and Human Resources Certificate from U.C. Santa Cruz along with certificates from four parent education institutions. She has also been credentialed in California and New Mexico where she taught elementary school. Her greatest pride, though, is that her 23 year-old-college graduated daughter is self-sufficient, calls her for guidance and considers Cynthia her mentor.
I met Cynthia at a recent National Speakers Association Northern California Chapter Pro-Track class and asked her about her professional focus and what attracted her to Pro-Track. To hear what she had to tell me, click on the podcast icon below.
Kate Peters has taught voice and communication impact for over 30 years, and is the author of the book, Can You Hear Me Now? In addition, she has been the communications trainer for many successful business clients, a featured speaker with many organizations, and a guest on the KNX Business Hour, as well as on the Wayne and Jane show in Canada, and others.
Kate stays active as an a performing artist, with several recordings , and her blog, Kate’s Voice is among the top 100 public speaking blogs in the US.
The Power of Intention: The secrets your voice reveals
by Kate Peters
I am often surprised by the lack of research in the area of voice as a barometer for the psyche, but we all know it is. I got a voice mail from my daughter the other day. All she said was, “Hi, Mom. Call me,” but I knew something was wrong. Fortunately, it was not a big problem, but how did I know there was a problem at all? It wasn’t what she said; it was how she said it. Politicians can deliver eloquent, powerful phrases in response to accusations, and we think we know they are lying, no matter what they actually say.
An Ohio State University study has shown that emotions can be “heard” in the voice. An emotion is what happens when many interconnected processes of interpretation, bodily reaction and expression happen in response to a situation, either external or internal. Emotion is physical. Therefore, since the voice IS also physical, it is no wonder that we can “hear” emotions in the voice. It happens through changes in the muscles, the breath and the brain which in turn affect the pitch, cadence, and inflection of the voice. Coupled with the ability for the voice to show emotion is the ability for the ear to pick up minute differences in the sound the voice produces. The ear can perceive 1400 different pitches and 280 different levels of volume for each pitch it can hear! So if you feel an emotion, you can be assured that no matter how hard you try to disguise it, someone will pick it up!
But what about intention? Can we pick up intentions in a person’s voice or because of their relation to emotions, or is there something else going on? Intention is what one has in mind to do or bring about, and I mean literally “in mind,” as was shown by two studies of intention. In the first, it was revealed by New York researchers that infants as young as six months old can understand our intentions, and respond to them. Another study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to show that the mirror neuron system tracks not only the actions, but also the intentions, of others. This mirror neuron system has been identified as being very important in guiding our social interactions, especially in survival and keeping us safe. Therefore, intention is a component of “trustworthiness” in social interaction and it is definitely picked up by others, which is why you need to be clear about your intention as a speaker.
Aligning your intention with others’
Public speaking often feels like a solo act. Conversation can feel that way too! In personal expression, you will almost always communicate the representation of your personal perspective. You seek to persuade others, to inform others, or to entertain others. However, if you truly need or want to communicate something, you need to consider the perspective of others. You can think of intention in public speaking as something akin to good marketing: you need to know who you are, what you do and why anyone should care. In an article called “The Power of the Ask,”Market Like a Chick blogger, Coree Silvera, says “You build your solutions based on their needs and demonstrate how your unique product or service can help them achieve their goals.” Likewise, when speaking with others, you do the same. You are not looking for their intention to be the same as yours, but you must understand how their intention for being there intersects with or conflicts with yours.
Let’s look at some obvious examples.
A political comedian may be hysterically funny to the Democrats and offensive to the Republicans, or vice versa.
No matter how persuasive, a pharmaceutical rep may have a hard time convincing a convention of naturopaths that his product is viable.
The most eloquent teacher in the world will not necessarily persuade a group of restless teenagers to sit and listen to him for hours.
If you know that you have a solution to sell and they need your solution, that doesn’t mean that their intention is to buy from you.
Speech coach, Lisa Braithwaite has an article on her blog, Speak Schmeak, which addresses intentions in a broader picture. She stresses that your words have to align with your actions, and in her examples, the actions have intentionalitiy behind them. Though not in these words, she asks you to consider this: what is the intention behind your actions?
It is safe to say that there are those who have persuaded others to listen when it was against the odds. One fine example is that of a ten-year-old boy, Dalton Sherman, who has captured the hearts of over 500,000 viewers on YouTube. Dalton is a passionate speaker who makes us believe in him because he obviously believes in himself. Dalton’s voice is strong. His words are strong, and he intends that we move together to make a strong difference in education.
Discovering Intention
How can you be more like Dalton? How can you better align your intention with your voice and your content? The first step is often to get very honest with yourself and to take inventory of what’s going on in your mind and the minds of your listeners. Make it a part of what you do in preparation for a talk or a conversation. And consider that circumstances may interfere with your intention. A sound system fails, a heckler interrupts your talk, an unexpected emotional response affects you deeply, and changes your mind. Still, an awareness of intention in yourself and others is key to more clear communication. Here are some ways to discover yours and use it well.
Ask yourself why you are there? Are you there to convince the audience to do something? Are you there to entertain? Are you speaking to educate? Are you giving something away in order to get them to buy something else? Are you speaking on behalf of a cause? Are you using this as an opportunity to do something you weren’t actually asked to do? Did you agree to have lunch with someone because you would then be able to corner them with a topic they are not expecting? Are you apologizing? Are you wanting them to hear a grievance? There are many possibilities. Write them down and be aware of them as you craft your speech or conversation.
It may be more difficult to clarify intention when you are asked to speak on the spur of the moment. In that situation, take a moment to consider the audience and who and why they are there. Your intention is the intersection of why YOU are there, what you have been asked to do, and why the audience should care.
Create a personal statement of intention for each project or product you need to represent. Let that statement shape your intention in your communication with others.
Research the purpose of the organizations and businesses for whom you speak. Find ways in which their purpose and your intention intersect and use that as a filter in your communication with them.
You have a unique perspective and personality to bring to whatever you do. You have a voice that is unlike any other, both a physical one and a “voice” as an authentic presence in the world. Your intention is always to bring that voice to the table so you can be heard. And even though Dalton impresses us because he isn’t like most ten-year-olds, just like Dalton, you can bring your unique self to us and do so with confidence and clarity if you honestly believe in who you are what you have to say.
Fletcher Dean is a working speechwriter at the Dow Chemical Company where he is Director of Leadership Communications. He’s also a regular presenter at the Ragan Speechwriters Conference and delivered a half-day workshop at the 2012 event on How to make an audience listen: rewriting with the audience in mind. Dean mentions fellow Ragan presenters Mike Long and Pete Weissman in his book and the forward is by Vital Speeches of the Day editor David Murray, who is also the books’ publisher.
In this book, Dean shares his insight on how to be a successful speechwriter, quoting Ron Kirpatrick, a veteran executive communications pro at Toyota: “Most writers and PR people would rather do anything than write a speech. It frightens them.” If you are new to speechwriting, this book will go a long way to removing any fears you might have about the challenges involved.
It’s a quick read at just over 100 pages and is filled with nuggets of condensed wisdom, told in an unassuming, practical manner by a speechwriter who has been there and done that.
The 10 steps to writing a speech, according the Dean:
Know the audience
Target the words
Find the right material
Tell a story
How to say it: show or tell?
Structure the speech
Write the material
Rewrite for clarity
Using PowerPoint
Coaching the speaker
Some of the most enjoyable, and insightful, parts of the book are the analysis of icons of American rhetoric including General Douglas McArthur’s 1962 speech to West Point cadets and Robert Kennedy’s 1968 speech in Indianapolis on the night Martin Luther King was assassinated.
Each chapter lists “Insider Tips”. These are nuggets of wisdom such as:
Always write a second close to your talk, one that comes after any Question/Answer period if there is one. When the questions are over, hit the audience again with a second close of about one minute. It should include three items: a thank you for the opportunity to speak, a thank you for their interest, a quick summary of the key message.
An added bonus are the Last Word and the Appendix which list practical tips that are worth the price of the book.
Dean claims that
Speechwriters have to be so much more than just good tacticians and excellent writers. In fact, you might do best to avoid being called a speechwriter altogether.
He advises taking a more holistic view of the executive communications function, using your skills as a communicator to achieve the organizations’ goals.
This book is a good overall introduction to the craft of speechwriting. Recommended.
I caught up with Fletcher at the Speechwriters Conference and asked him about the background to the book and what future plans he has to author more books. As you can see from the picture, Fletcher makes sure he color-coordinates his tie with the cover of his book!
To hear what he said, click on the podcast icon below.
This is one of the longest blog postings I’ve done on a single presentation. I believe that there was sufficient content in Justina Chen’s keynote to justify the cost of attending the entire 2012 Ragan Speechwriters Conference.
In a spectacular closing keynote at the 2012 Ragan Speechwriters Conference, Justina Chen celebrated The Heart of Storytelling. A former speechwriter for the head of the Entertainment division at Microsoft, Chen is now an award-winning author of young adult fiction books such as North of Beautiful which has been praised for “lively, artful prose.”
Her command of language and the stage was on display throughout the hour-long talk that celebrated the many ways to effectively bring the essence and power of the story into the corporation – to empower the spokespeople of the organization with the ability to change hearts and minds through storytelling.
“… direct descendants of an immense and ancient community of holy people, troubadours, bards, griots, cantadoras, cantors, traveling poets, bums, hags, and crazy people.”
Chen noted that something about stories lift our spirit. This is something all children are in tune with. The question is, how to convince hard-bitten executives and harassed middle-managers that their speech should be built around stories when all they want is the facts and nothing but?
As you no doubt have noticed if you’ve ever sat through a typical PowerPoint presentation, people don’t pay attention to boring things (Brain Rule #4). You’ve got seconds to grab someone’s attention, and only 10 minutes to keep it. At 9 minutes and 59 seconds, something must be done quickly—something emotional and relevant. Also, the brain needs a break. That’s why I use stories in this book to make many of my points.
Given this evidence, Chen proves to her clients that corporate stories matter. The right story told in right way can inspire change people’s minds and hearts.
A Story is not a Vignette
A story is not a vignette. A vignette is defined as a short descriptive literary sketch or a brief incident or scene. A story, on the other hand, involves conflict and transformation, a call to adventure, crossing a threshold, succeeding in tests, surviving a crisis and reaping a reward.
The core of Chen’s presentation detailed three types of stories she has used in her speechwriting. There are stories of corporate mythology, of personal narrative, and product stories. These three powerful templates will connect with the audience.
(I would add that writers can explore a wider variety of stories by reading The Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker. This tome outlines multiple frameworks for stories embedded in an audience’s unconscious, using archetypes such as Rags to Riches, Rebirth, Overcoming the Monster, the Voyage and Return and so on.)
Stories of Corporate Mythology
Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth talks about the eternal truth of myth. One that is celebrated in Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and other classic stories where good overcomes evil.
As in Middle Earth … so in middle management.
The corporate world needs to recognize the importance of mythology. To figure out:
What is our corporate mythology?
What are the stories that encapsulate our organization truth, our values, our DNA?
Who are we?
What do we stand for?
If the company were a hero, what has been its quest?
Where have we failed?
What have we learned?
How have we overcome?
What our strengths?
What are our weaknesses?
Why is it important for us to be here right now?
Don’t be afraid of discussing failures, the crucible moments in the company history is where we see character emerge. Speechwriters can research the times the company has failed and show the lessons, the backbone, and the spine of the organization:
Only then do triumphs feel well earned, only then does success become so much more meaningful, only then so our hero’s, our leaders, our companies, become that much more beloved.
There’s a crack in everything / That’s how the light comes in.
(She omitted the preceding line which speechwriters on a tight deadline might pin above their desks:
Forget your perfect offering.)
Personal Stories
Today’s leaders must understand the power of telling their own story. It’s important that a leader be a good storyteller, but equally important that the leader embody that story.
Harvard’s Dr Howard Garnder writes in Leading Minds: An Anatomy Of Leadership that “the artful creation and articulation of stories constitutes a fundamental part of the leader’s vocation”, and these well-crafted stories constitute “the single most powerful weapon in the leader’s literary arsenal.” Whether consciously or unconsciously, inspirational leaders always fashion and tell stories of identity. Gardner goes on to state that a political leader, when dealing with a diverse group, must tell stories that are sufficiently elemental to be understood by the “unschooled” mind.
Leaders actively craft and tell authentic personal stories of identity that bring their values to life. And, they use their stories to teach their followers, their teams, and their organizations. It is through their personal stories that leaders reveal who they are, and it is by revealing their true nature that they inspire others to action.)
Leaders need to develop a communications platform that explains
What makes them the right leader for this time in the corporations history?
What are the three major elements of their leadership that will bring them to success?
What are the stories they can tell, strategically deployed at the right time, to demonstrate that they are the right leaders?
Creating Executive Platforms for Effective Storytelling
Here’s where Chen delivered the goods, big time.
She spoke of her personal experience, at Microsoft, researching story content and weaving it into presentations. Her tips are a recipe for success for any speechwriter in a corporate environment who wants to put storytelling into practice.
Her tips include:
Work with your HR counterpoint. Ask for their assessment of the executives’ strengths and weaknesses. How do people perceive that leader? What would HR want that leader to change to make them more effective?
Contact a PR agency or your internal PR team and get their assessment of everyone in industry at the same level as your leader. How are they perceived? What are they good at and what are their weaknesses and how does my leader stack up? What kind of messaging are they using?
Then ask for at least 90 minutes with leader. Meet offsite over lunch where they are relaxed. Dig into their personal narrative. Ask: Who are you? Why are you at this company? What have been some of your successes and, more importantly, what have been some of your most devastating failures? How did you overcome challenges in both your personal life, then in business? What do you wish you’d known as you started out your career? Where do you want to go?
With this background you can build a foundation of trusted communication with your leader. Establish an agreement that every week you can email three questions, one of which will be personal. Ask: Who have you met this week? What’s your favorite book? What kind of music do you like to listen to? What do you like to eat?
All of this detail infuses speeches. If you learn they are reading about Harry Truman, include a quote from Harry Truman in a speech.
The biggest compliment you’ll get from a speaker is for them to look at the speech and say “This sounds like me, this feels like me.”
And when they can own the content they can own the stage.
Product Stories
Marketing and PR can give you background that allows you to tell the story in manner of a “Director’s Cut” version of how a product was made. Tell the story of the individuals.
(I totally agree. I’m a big fan of NPR Planet Money and the way they use stories to explain some of the most complex and abstract financial concepts. Host Chana Joffe-Walt has described in detail the ways they take dry content and make it come alive with magic of stories:
When I am beginning to research an Idea Story I try to lay out the mechanics in my mind. “OK so we buy Chinese stuff. Dollars go from here to China. Then they pile up there in the banks. Then they get used to buy US treasury bonds.” At some point early on I always ask who is the guy who does that? Someone has to put that money into the Chinese bank, someone at the bank manages it and sees it piling up, someone sits at a computer and buys US treasury bonds … who is that guy?)
Weaving the Story Together
Weave story content together so the speech is as rich, as interesting and as evocative as possible.
As well as telling stories in an individual speech you can weave stories into longer events. Volunteer to be the storyteller for your next big company meeting. Figure out the emotional arc of the day. Play with the full eight hours and see where individual speakers fit. What do you want audience to feel? When do you want them to feel inspired, refreshed, challenged? The three types of stories listed can come alive over the whole day.
The Creative Process
Whether writing a book or a speech, Chan employs the same step-by-step creative process.
Determining the intention
Researching the data
Collecting the information
Collaborating with other creative’s on slides and videos
Creating the content
Rehearsing the speaker
Delivering on the podium
Repurposing and sharing with others in organization
Improving for future use
While this process seems very logical, it is actually a deliciously messy affair. She urged us to lean into the process and enjoy the anti-corporate nature of discovery that is involved. Read books and magazines. Find ideas to incorporate into your speeches. Get out into world and play. Keep your creative energy fresh.
The Search for the Story
Your search for a story involves meeting the right people. Ask executives for time to “conduct an interview” and they’ll clear a busy calendar. Just “asking for a meeting” won’t have same effect.
It’s essential to have executive air cover since you need free range in your organization to go up, down and across. Your single purpose is to find the story.
Talk to the company super-stars, those who are making things happen. Your list of interview candidates should include the person who embodies the soul of the company. Talk to the IP Lawyers – they know everything that is going on. HR is a treasure trove of information and know who are the up and comers.
Use the first twenty minutes of your interview for personal chit-chat about their lives. This is where you’ll get the color. Look around their office for items to talk about. Have an eye for the visual. Always ask “who else should I talk to?” Then meet with these new people and expand your story sources. As your reputation as the corporate story-teller expands, people will call you.
Reward your sources by ghosting a nice email from your executive to everyone you contact who helps with a keynote or project and cc: their managers. Also, share presentation tips with people from your list of sources that will help them when they present.
Story Sourcing
The narrative tools of speechwriting include not only the basic story, but company history, product demos, industry white papers, and customer testimonials. Think of creative ways to highlight and profile a wide range of material to showcase the fruits of your research in creative ways.
Each speech should have tweet-worthy sound bites. Better than saying “We have researchers in our company” say “We sent the Neil Armstong’s of our company ten years out into the future to explore new horizons.”
Know your audience and look into social media tools like blogs and tweets for source material. Paraphrase comments from social media – especially anything you find from members of the audience – and feed these back in the speech. This pays homage to people in the audience.
Use lyrical tools. Writers need to play with supple language. Rather than telling an internal audience “We want to be seen as a creative company” say “We need to evolve from being credible to being creative. We need to go from being believable to being beloved. We need to more than trusted, we need to be treasured.”
In Conclusion
Speeches are not merely to inform, but to captivate an audience for as long as you have their attention.
No passion in the speechwriter, no passion in the speech giver. Find the soul of your organization. Put heart into your words and share those stories with the world. The world, more than ever, needs heartwarming, soul sustaining stories, needs your stories.
References
A Ragan Review on Justina’s presentation 7 ways to become a masterful storyteller from Ragan’s Role of Communications in Creating Best Places to Work Conference held at the SAS headquarters. The seven topics covered:
The annual Ragan Speechwriters Conference was held March 14 – 16, 2012 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington DC.
Over 200 professional speechwriters met for two days and attended a series of main stage keynotes and break out sessions.
Unlike other Ragan Conferences I’ve attended, where I had to select a small number of “top tweets” from thousands, this list represents pretty much everything that was said on Twitter about #ragancisco.
What does it say about speechwriters that, while over half of the audience claimed to have a Twitter account, only a small handful were active? Why is this? Are people who are paid to deliver content for others are inhibited about expressing their own opinions? Are they so used to writing long-winded speeches that they can’t express themselves in 140 characters? Was the audience just too darn OLD to be into Twitter? What do you think?
Whatever the reason, I believe the tweets that were posted are a great source of information to anyone who wants to know about the things speechwriters are interested in. We owe a special debt of gratitude to anyone who tweeted, and especially to the four most active people:
The list, like Twitter, is in reverse chronological order, with the most recent tweets at the top.
@jayrobb Speakers who opened and closed #raganspeech conference were the best in class. Kudos to Mark Schumman and Justina Chen. Told great stories.
@akowen I attended this keynote today #Raganspeech – great advice. 7 ways to become a masterful storyteller | Articles bit.ly/w9wp7s
@TheGregoryBell The Speechwriters Conference just ended. @JustinaYChen was spectacular as a closing speaker.
@howielb “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.” @JustinaYChen
@howielb “Our responsibility is to captivate you for as long as we asked for your attention.” – Aaron Sorkin quoted by @JustinaYChen
@jayrobb Every speech should have 3 soundbites @JustinaYChen
@jayrobb Get free range to find the story in your org. Get exec air cover. Start with your superstars. Ask for interview, not a meeting @JustinaYChen
@howielb Lean into the messiness. @JustinaYChen
@jayrobb @JustinaYChen sends 3 questions a week to her leaders (business and personal). Answers worked into speeches so leaders own it.
@howielb when they own content, they can own the stage. @JustinaYChen
@howielb Biggest compliment from your speaker is: this sounds like me. @JustinaYChen
@jayrobb Your leader’s personal narrative needs to embody the story of your organization @JustinaYChen
@howielb “There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” – Leonard Cohen, Anthem, quoted by @JustinaYChen
@howielb True character is shown when we fail. @JustinaYChen on “yes, be out there” w ur org or leaders failures.
@jayrobb @JustinaYChen asks what is your organization’s mythology? Your eternal truths, values? What do you stand for? That’s your story .
@howielb Yes! @JustinaYChen has #harrypotter #StarWars #LoTR reference all in one.
@howielb What can your words do? What did you do? Not me, it was will smith my kids n the story @JustinaYChen
@jayrobb Right story told in the right way inspires change @JustinaYChen
@jayrobb Our attention wanders after 8 mins so re-engage by telling a story @JustinaYChen
@jayrobb Stories that evoke the biggest emotions are the stories we remember @JustinaYChen
@howielb Channel your inner adolescent @JustinaYChen
@howielb Modern storytellers descend from hags bards bums & crazy people @JustinaYChen
@jayrobb Questions to ask about op-ed – is it of general interest, timely, saying something unique, said in 750 words, ends with an ask says John Barnes.
@jayrobb Make your op-ed exclusive to one newspaper. Do not shop it around or send to anyone and everyone – John Barnes.
@howielb Writing opeds means writing for two people. Your principal. And the oped editor. – John Barnes.
@howielb This is the West, Sir. When the fact becomes legend, print the legend. #LibertyValance quoted by John Barnes.
@jayrobb Bad op-es have too many points, no personal voice, passive voice, jargon, pt by pt rebuttals and ignore the other side says John Barnes.
@howielb Ha! John Barnes on lawyers: it’s a newspaper article. It’s not going in front of judge n jury.
@jayrobb Good op-eds have timeliness, opinion, new facts, trustworthiness, acknowledge opposition and have call to action says John Barnes.
@howielb Humans are visual species. Show always beats tell. – John Barnes on #anecdotes
@LBGunter One takeaway & must-read from Women of Words panel: What I Saw at the Revolution by Peggy Noonan (Reagan speechwriter)
@howielb Tidbit: George Will reaches 50 million readers. Newspaper biz may be in trouble but opeds are doing fine. John Barnes.
@jayrobb Mastering the art and craft of op-eds with John Barnes. Readership of op-eds is not broad but it’s deep with influential’s.
@howielb Awesome! John Barnes begins #raganspeech session on opeds w Yes, #PrimeMinister video clip.
@LBGunter Always have pen and hunt for interesting quotes, errant thoughts, neat observations. Great for color. @meganrooney
@LBGunter @meganrooney says strive to figure out how speaker thinks — not talks — to craft effective speeches.
@LBGunter Terry Edmonds: It took a lot of speechwriters to keep up with Pres. Clinton’s 8-yr love affair w/the microphone.
@jayrobb Freelance speechwriters should charge flat fee not hourly rate of by word. High-stakes speeches run from $5,000 to $12,000.
@howielb A story is life with the dull parts out. – Alfred Hitchcock quote.
@jayrobb What headline do you want your speech to generate? What’s your audience’s biggest problem? What’s your unique point of view? @PeteWeissman
@BethOliver13 Consider rebranding as its relevant to your client or audience.
@BethOliver13 “shut up and listen”.
@BethOliver13 “Be more than just the speechwriter… Be the content strategist” – Caryn Alagno.
@jayrobb Michael Long says write for content 1st (what needs to be said and understood) then focus on style and voice (how to say it).
@BethOliver13 “on your second day of unemployment…” go to a board of trade and say you’re a “speechwriter” It will strike up conversation says Colin Moorehouse.
@howielb Focus on content. Style will take care of itself – Mike Long.
@BethOliver13 “stop writing for voice and start writing for content” – Mike Long.
@BethOliver13 Use technology to your advantage- have your computer read your speech to you so you can hear the errors @PeteWeissman
@BethOliver13 “be known for something” be different than everyone else, do something to separate yourself from the pack.
@BethOliver13 New Speechwriters: join like minded associations, volunteer for EVERYTHING and meet everyone you can says Colin Moorehouse.
@jayrobb Greatest motivator for writing a speech is a deadline says Terry Edmonds. “Works every time.”
@alaskaegan1 Language and leadership are inseparable. #terryedmonds #gerstner
@cheshirelad Presidential Speechwriters call for more discipline by candidates at #raganspeech ow.ly/9GLoy
@jayrobb Curiosity, mobility key traits for speechwriters. Should be heard not seen. Don’t expect your words to be carved in granite says Terry Edmonds.
@jayrobb Great start to day two with Terry Edmonds, first African American presidential speechwriter .
@BethOliver13 Getting set-up for the last day at the #raganspeech conference! (@ The Mayflower Renaissance Hotel) [pic]: 4sq.com/AqWomw
@RonCulberson Panel of presidential speechwriters analyzing speeches of current candidates and Pres Obama. Amazing!
@musicbaum Heard this twice today: “You can’t boil the ocean.” Is that an American thing or is it just me?”
@williamloving Best speechwriters suggestion for Obama slogan for 2012: “bin Laden is dead, GM is alive.”
@howielb Chriss Winston: President is great communicator. But I say this as speechwriter. Ideas…Content matters. It’s not all style.
@howielb Jeff Shesol: the #Obama speech wasn’t #populist, but president firmly on #center ground.
@howielb Not enough [for #GOP] to offer referendum. Need to offer alternative vision. – Chriss Winston.
@howielb Giving a speech doesn’t mean ur inauthentic. It means u thought about ur message & respect your voters. – @JonathanDHorn
@howielb Senators are least disciplined speakers in public office.
@howielb Suggested Pres. GW Bush start speech 1 way. POTUS said “It was suggested…that’s not a good idea” @JonathanDHorn
@LBGunter Simple but true: Spoken sentences should be shorter than written sentences. Write for the ear. @JonathanDHorn
@LBGunter CEO = Chief Explaining Officer. President = Explainer in Chief. Need 2 B able 2 explain complex issues in & out of Oval Office.
@jayrobb You can’t communicate big picture with Powerpoint. Wean your leaders off the slides to sound presidential.
@jayrobb Use small words to communicate big ideas. Everyday words connect with everyone.
@howielb @EdelmanPR says thought leadership not talking but changing world. @Walmart used trucks, logistics & grocery to fight hunger.
@jayrobb Your CEO needs to become Chief Explainer Officer.
@jayrobb When you control the narrative of the past, you can set the agenda for the future.
@jayrobb Former Bush W speechwriter Jonathan Horn calls on CEOs to not hide behind the podium but to step up to it.
@howielb What’s thought leadership? #GE on Green; @Starbucks on #fairtrade, @Walmart on womens issues says @EdelmanPR
@LBGunter Michael Field shares lesson on public presentation: Pull from ‘power of the pulpit,’ aka speech writing strategies from sermons.
@LBGunter Consume all news/info thru lens of “is this a good story for my org”? If yes, could be candidate for speech @benhawkins
@jayrobb As a leader, think like a preacher and don’t shy away from power of your bully pulpit to persuasively advocate for your agenda.
@jayrobb Sermon template is state, relate and substantiate.
@jayrobb Good talk by Michael Field on harnessing the power of the pulpit. Bible stories deeply embedded in our cultural DNA.
@howielb Movie ET has a #christ parable. Who knew! #raganspeech via Michael Field.
@howielb At #raganspeech session “harnessing power of pulpit” I’m reminded of Rabbi Lookstein’s pt “there is no sermon like no sermon.”
@howielb Little known fact. President James Garfield was a preacher.
@marcelmont Mike Long says what audiences want are little puzzles to solve. A reason to be engaged. And satisfaction when they “get it.”
@BethOliver13 What is the PURPOSE of the sermon- the 7 E’s of preaching… Use these in speech writing.
@williamloving Country music lyrics imagery as speech writing technique. Who knew?
@BethOliver13 I suppose my critics will call that preaching but to me I have a “bully pulpit”- Teddy Roosevelt.
@BethOliver13 Imagine your speaker is a pastor preaching to a church (think: foundation, cultures, scriptures, traditions).
@howielb I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But it doesn’t matter to me now. – MLK, the day before he’s shot.
@BethOliver13 You don’t have to be religious to learn from the power of preaching.
@BethOliver13 Preaching is an important and time honored tradition. There is a rich heritage of tips and techniques we can learn from.
@howielb Feelings are mentionable & manageable. – Mr Rogers to #USSen. I’m host but I also do all the puppets, write the songs.
@jayrobb Having lunch and watching President Carter’s Oval Office address where he badly lectured Americans’ crisis of confidence.
@jayrobb 70 percent of us want videos under 5 mins. 18-34 year olds will give you 50 sec to make your point. 35 sec for 35-49 group.
@KerryMalone AV trouble (rightly) scares people away from using video and audio in presentations. Terrifying. Not intended as key msg.
@jayrobb Kelly Guenther says video is reshaping our world. Most spoken language in the world.
@jayrobb Session on video underscores the risk of embedding in speeches — technical snafus will distract from content.
Rachna Srivastava is a passionate speaker. Her goal is to inspire and empower girls, women and other underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and math. Her vision is of a global program that nurtures and encourages technical and mathematical skills in women and other minority groups. Rachna is a software developer with 15 years experience in software analysis, design, development and implementation. Her educational background includes a Masters in Business Administration in Finance (MBA), Masters in Science in Statistics (MS) and Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. She is currently a Software Engineer at HP working with development teams in a complex, globally-dispersed environment. Before joining HP in 2010 she worked as a Software Engineer at IBM for nearly nine years.
You already know that sleep is good for you, but did you know that we are at our most creative when we are dreaming? Listening to information while you are drifting into la-la land stimulates creativity and enables the unconscious mind to absorb information more effectively. Plug in the SoftSpeaker Pillow from NPR’s online store for the perfect combination of comfort, quality and reliable sound. The speaker is padded in soft foam and its cover is washable. $19.95. 
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I was recently interviewed by Vancouver-based social media and organizational strategy expert Rob Cottingham. Rob’s 
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I caught up with Fletcher at the Speechwriters Conference and asked him about the background to the book and what future plans he has to author more books. As you can see from the picture, Fletcher makes sure he color-coordinates his tie with the cover of his book!
In a spectacular closing keynote at the 2012 Ragan Speechwriters Conference, Justina Chen celebrated The Heart of Storytelling. A former speechwriter for the head of the Entertainment division at Microsoft, Chen is now an award-winning author of young adult fiction books such as 
