Guest posting: A Speechwriters Wish List, by Boe Workman

Wish List ImageAt a recent conference for senior speechwriters, Boe Workman the Director of CEO Communications at the AARP shared a one page ‘wish list’ for speechwriters to use when developing a presentation for their client. Boe said he keeps this list pinned to his notice board and refers to it whenever he starts a new project. Click here to download the one-page version for your own notice baord. Boe can be reached at bworkman@aarp.org. This list is posted here with Boe’s express permission. Photo Credit: ladydanio via Compfight cc

A Speechwriters’ Wish List: (Questions Every Speechwriter Should Ask)

Situational Variables

  1. Why was the speaker asked to speak to this group at this time?
  2. What does the speaker/organization hope to achieve by this speech?
  3. What does the organization being addressed hope to achieve by this speech?
  4. What is the relationship between the speaker and the organization being addressed?
  5. What is the relationship between our organization and the organization being addressed?
  6. What is the organization’s interest in the topic?
  7. What is the occasion for the speech?
  8. What is the physical layout of the room and podium?
  9. If the occasion is a dinner or banquet, will the speaker speak from a head table, a separate lectern, or neither?
  10. If the occasion is a conference or a panel, where is the speaker positioned? Who else is on the panel? What other topics, issues, organizations, or viewpoints will be represented?
  11. If the occasion is an internal speech, will other members of the organization be on the program?
  12. Are all visual (or audio) materials in proper working order?

Audience Variables

  1. Who is the primary audience? Is it the people in the room? The news media? The television or satellite audience? People who will read about the speech in the newspaper or another publication? Social Media? A third party?
  2. What is the size and composition of the audience?
  3. What is the audience’s attitude toward the topic?
  4. Is the audience well-informed about the topic?
  5. What is the audience’s attitude toward the organization and speaker?
  6. What do the speaker and our organization have in common with the audience?
  7. Do you know enough about the audience to adapt your approach to the topic to fit their attitudes and frame of reference?
  8. Do you know enough about the audience to adapt the language of the speech to their educational and knowledge level?
  9. Do you know enough about the audience to guide your choice of supporting materials?
  10. Will audience members be live tweeting from the event?

Message Variables

  1. Is the purpose of the message clearly defined and understood by the speaker and the audience?
  2. Does the message have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion?
  3. Is the message designed for the audience?
  4. Does the message promote identification between the audience and the topic?
  5. Does the message promote identification between the audience and the speaker?
  6. Do the ideas and evidence in the message withstand the scrutiny of reasonable individuals?
  7. Does the message employ an appropriate style and use of language?
  8. Does the message follow an organizational pattern suitable to the audience, occasion, topic, and speaker?
  9. Is the message reinforced with appropriate visual material and/or handouts (if applicable)?
  10. Is the message organized to meet the time and programmatic constraints of the event?
  11. Does the message incorporate the appropriate blend of logical, emotional, and ethical appeals?

Speaker Variables

  1. What do I know about the speaker’s delivery style including: phrasing, tempo, words or phrases the speaker likes to use or avoid?
  2. Is the speaker comfortable with appropriate technical jargon?
  3. Does the speaker favor some rhetorical devices over others (i.e., metaphors, oxymorons, rhetorical questions)?
  4. Does the speaker prefer some types of evidence over others (i.e., statistics, analogies, expert opinion, examples)?
  5. Does the speaker’s style lend itself to humor? If so, what type — jokes, humorous story or anecdote, one-liners, etc.?
  6. Is the speaker comfortable using gestures and visual aids?
  7. Does the speaker have favorite authors, stories, or subjects he or she likes to use for quotations or for relating ideas?
  8. Is the message one the speaker feels strongly about personally?
  9. Is the speaker an acknowledged expert on the topic, and what is the depth of that knowledge?
  10. Will the speaker be responsible for a question and answer session after the speech?

Do you have any additional ‘wish list’ items you check before you start work on a speech? Share them in the comments section below.

1 Comment so far
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Here’s straightforward advice and a simple check-list for every speaker to keep in mind:

PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE

Planning and preparing to give a presentation is hard work. You need to find out as much as you can about the audience, the topic, the venue and the arrangements on the day. If you arrive feeling well prepared, you will deliver a better speech.

Here’s my checklist to help you prepare –

Before you go

  • Establish named contact details
  • Provide them with your contact details
  • Confirm your attendance the day before
  • Check audience details
  • Confirm the venue/time
  • Take a copy of any slides/materials required
  • Re-check that you have everything you need

Assess the Venue

  • Visit beforehand (even if on the day)
  • Rehearse your opening/closing and moves
  • Check audio-visual system with technicians
  • Check audibility/visibility – can everyone see/hear you?
  • Check start time

Failsafe Measures

  • Allow for travel delays
  • Ensure that you can be contacted by phone, messenger, Skype…
  • Take two electronic copies of your presentation
  • Put a copy of your presentation in the cloud
  • Take a printed copy of your presentation
  • Plan “keynote” short version of presentation
  • Include optional elements to allow you to lengthen your speech

This information was written by Alan Stevens, and originally appeared in “The MediaCoach”, his free weekly ezine, available at http://www.mediacoach.co.uk.



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