Freelance speechwriter Mike Long was interviewed by Mark Ragan at the recent Ragan Speechwriters Conference. Mark asked Mike to share some ideas about the ways speechwriters should conduct research.

Mike shared his tips on:

• The value of mining existing speeches for content.
• Why you should connect with subject matter experts inside a client’s company.
• The best reason to use Google as a research tool.
• Some pitfalls to avoid when quotes and his technique for finding unique quotations.
• The secret of using statistics effectively in speeches.
• Why it’s important to put numbers in context.

A speech is more than a collection of dry facts. Stories make your talk come alive. Storytelling is a powerful way to drill your message into the listener’s mind. Stories are a great way of emotionally connecting with an audience. Stories engage the audience and raise their levels of motivation, acceptance, and approval. No matter how dry the topic, a personal story will build trust with the audience since you’ll come across as human. These 10 ideas will help you give a talk that connects with an audience, moves them to action and leaves a positive impression.

1. Power Opening. Start your story with a bang! Captivate and create an emotional bond with the audience. What is the one idea you want the audience to hear, remember, and act on? This one idea is the thesis of the speech. Introduce it early in a powerful opening.
2. Embrace Humor. But never tell jokes. Self-depreciating humor works best. The audience who smiles with you is more sympathetic to your argument. Make sure that you connect humor to the point you are making. Keep it short and sweet, not long and drawn-out. Avoid saying, “This is a funny” before you speak. Avoid offensive and off-color humor.
3. Learn theatrical techniques. Doug Stevenson (www.storytheater.net) shows speakers how to tell stories using powerful performance techniques. Doug teaches how to tell stories in present-time, stepping IN and OUT of your persona when on stage.
4. Make the audience the hero of the story. Turn the ‘I’ in your story into the ‘we’. Use metaphors and analogies to help explain new concepts. Analogies are best taken from common experiences that everyone shares.
5. Develop a compelling plot. Keep the story-line simple. Build a story arc. Consider starting the story in the middle – this is a real attention-grabber. Set the scene and introduce the characters. Stories with conflict are interesting. Create an obstacle, then describe and how it was overcome.
6. Develop Case Studies. A good case study is more than just a description. Discuss the issues involved. List the options – the range of possible solutions. Highlight the dilemma faced – make it interesting. Explain how a decision was arrived at. Summarize with a conclusion.
7. Be authentic. Authenticity is crucial. Your story must be congruent with your tongue, feet and wallet. Put yourself into the story. Tell compelling stories which are grounded in everyday reality. Make the story something you care about, something from your background.
8. Connect with the audience emotionally. The best way to engage an audience is to tap into their emotions. A story is the emotional fast lane to the brain allowing people to feel genuine emotion. Don’t just present dry facts. Deep learning takes place when the audience experiences stories that create triggers the listener feels emotionally, not just thinks about conceptually.
9. Ground the story in the context of the moment. Prepare your story to fit the climate, culture and mission of the audience without losing the spirit of your message. Show, don’t tell.
10. Use Specific details. The more specific, concrete, details you include, the clearer the situation will be to the audience. Leverage a known name or brand. Instead of a bar of soap say Irish Spring. Use the largest unit of measurement. Over a quarter century is a more compelling statement than saying 25 years.

Speakers who use some of these ideas in developing their next speech will connect with the audience in ways they would not dream possible. Don’t just read stories to your kids. Tell us a story.

Times are tough. As the world economy lurches from crisis to crisis many leaders – from the President of the United States and captains of industry to school principals and Scoutmasters – will have to give speeches which motivate the audience to overcome obstacles and achieve tough goals in challenging times. Such speeches are never easy, but done well they make a huge difference. These ten tips help you tell it like it is.

1. Tell it like it is. Authenticity is a rare commodity, especially when people speak to an audience. Avoid abstractions and keep it simple and concrete. Honest words win people over.
2. Find common ground. Meet the audience at the place they are, then take them to the place you want them to be. Say ‘we’ more often than ‘I’ and create a bond with your audience.
3. Deal with uncertainty and doubt. Admit to shared doubts and concerns. Identify challenges. Discuss the potential for failure if we don’t rise to the challenge.
4. Be realistic. Don’t sugar-coat the situation. But quickly bridge to a vision of a better alternative. Ground the vision in reality. Share your vision with energy and enthusiasm.
5. Put things in perspective. Both positive and negative stories can motivate. Tell how things are often much worse elsewhere. Show how others faced greater odds and came through. Set stretch goals and paint a picture of the rewards of achieving them.
6. Speak from the heart. The best way to engage an audience is to tap into their emotions. Make your case with passion and purpose. Avoid the passive voice and use of qualifiers.
7. Match your actions to the words of the speech. It is crucial that you are seen to ‘walk the walk’. Don’t fly in on a corporate jet to ask for a subsidy, and don’t award yourself a bonus when laying people off.
8. Be aware of non-verbal communication. People will judge you on how you look as much as what you say. Use open gestures. Consider every aspect of your dress and manner.
9. Keep your sense of humor. No matter how serious the situation, self-depreciating humor can break the ice. The audience who smiles with you is more sympathetic to your argument. Make sure that you connect humor to the point you are making. Keep it short and sweet, not long and drawn-out.
10. Conclude with a call to action. At the end of your pitch, ask for something concrete. Outline specific steps that must be taken.

Speakers who follow these tips will meet the challenge of presenting in challenging and dynamic times in ways the audience will feel is honorable and worthy of respect. Great challenges offer great opportunities. More than in easy times, speeches delivered in tough times make a difference.

In the third and final extract from my speech at the Ragan Speechwriters Conference I discuss the technical nits & nats of podcasting.

In this segment I discuss the three main types of podcasting.

My presentation at the 2009 Ragan Speechwriters Conference was delivered at the end of day one of the main event.

It was billed as follows:

Do you want to double or triple the size of your speaker’s audience without even leaving the office? These days you have the power to reach more people, any time of the day by turning your speeches into podcasts and Web postings. By simply putting an audio recording on a Web site and letting people subscribe to a feed, you’ll have a powerful way to extend your speaker’s voice to people not otherwise in the audience. Same with a blog. Unlike a scheduled speech, podcasts and blogs are always available. Drawing on his experiences as an executive communications manager at Hewlett-Packard, Ian Griffin will share best practices from the corporate world and tell you how to:

• Record, edit and post a podcast to the Web and iTunes
• Choose the best options for hosting and distributing podcasts
• Find technical help and information on audio equipment and sound editing software
• Know when it’s appropriate to repurpose a speech to a blog, Web site or podcast

I set up the trusty Flip Mino video camera on a tripod by the projector and let it run. There were only two problems with this. One – I did not realize a light behind me was too bright and my face was obscured when I stood at the podium. Two – I would occasionally wander off-camera, out of shot.

Despite these limitations, the video and sound was sufficient to capture the content. It’s a nice supplement to my audio resource Podcasting 101. I guess this is Podcasting, Upper Division.

In three parts.

in this extract I discuss the advantages of repurposing a speech, and why an inexpensive digital audio recorder is a speechwriters best friend.

Following Ted Sorenesen’s moving keynote address to the 2009 Ragan Speechwriters Conference, Laure Vincent of MasterCard Worldwide won the first Annual Theodore C. Sorensen Speechwriting Award for best organizational speech of the year. The text of her speech, written for Walt Macnee, President, Global Markets, MasterCard Worldwide is
available here.

It was delivered to an audience of 2,000 in Sao Paulo, Brazil on August 28, 2008.

I caught up with Laurie after the presentation and asked her how she felt about winning the award and something about the background to the speech.

To hear what she told me, click on the podcast icon below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:37 — 1.1MB)

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Ragan Speechwriters Conference Meeting Report

Mike Long works for The White House Writers Group. He was the first speechwriter who had not worked in the White House to be invited to join that group of Republican Presidential speechwriters. As a writer with experience as a stand-up comic they wanted his ability to write humorous speeches. He works from a home office for a wide variety of clients.

Introduction

• Freelancers must always be on the lookout for clients and money.
• To make your income this way requires a leap of faith.

Part I: Foundation of Freelancing

• ONE: Ask yourself: Are you ready? Don’t let fear undermine your answer. You’ll need the fortitude to rise above circumstance – look terror in the eye. Can you see though trouble? Can you deal with 1-2 months of no work when you start out? Have two months of income set aside before starting. Four months is better. Don’t expect to front-load more than two months work before you become a freelancer. A Home Equity Line of Credit is a good idea to bridge the gap. Is your family ready – especially if you are the main breadwinner? This could put a strain on your marriage. Divorce happens. [NOTE: Sorensen credits the strain of working with JFK for the break-up of his marriage; Schlesinger noted the stress-related illnesses White House speechwriters suffer from.]
• Can you legally and ethically take clients from your existing company? Don’t risk your reputation stealing clients. Word will get around.
• If you crave structure and someone else telling you what to do, don’t freelance.
• Marketing and networking is key to getting work!
• You know you’re ready if you are ready to ‘never say no’. Never turn down work. Accept every contract – you can never get it back if you decline. If you get more work than you can handle farm it out – partnerships (like the White House Writers) are born that way.
• TWO: Think about practicalities. If you have a stay-at-home partner it could be a problem – will they be comfortable with you around the home? Again, think of your marriage.
• You need a proper office to work from, not the kitchen table or a side-table in the bedroom.
• Don’t extend yourself financially. Avoid spending money on:
• – A second phone-line – your cell phone makes a great work number.
• – A website – most work comes from word-of-mouth.
• – Office space in town
• – A fancy logo for your business card or a fancy desk for your office. [I have a solid core door from the dumpster outside a commercial construction site as my desk – works great!]
• Know the “nut” you need to make each month (rent or mortgage; food; health insurance). Understand you need to add new expenses (30% of gross for taxes since you now pay higher Social Security). Consider Disability Insurance.
• You must genuinely enjoy the writing. Best freelancers see it as a passion, as play.

Part II: Money

• “Administrivia” is a bigger deal than you think. Have systems in place.
• Set aside money from each contract in separate accounts – 30% into one for taxes; the balance into savings. Pay yourself a regular ‘paycheck’ for the ‘nut’ and other expenses into your checking.
• Keep file of Invoices due by your desk so you know how much is owed you. Another one for receipts. Track all tax deductable expenses.
• Have formal systems for handling money.
• Retainers are king! Try and arrange a flat fee from clients for a certain number of hours. Make this less than your hourly rate. Worthwhile since you don’t have to prospect for the incomes. Some months you’ll work less, others more, for the same regular income.
• Best to charge by the piece if possible, not the hour. Clients don’t want the hourly count, they want product. Realize a good executive speechwriter working freelance brings in a minimum of $100-$150/hr. People who hire you (PR and comms staff at companies) may be earning considerably less; avoid potential resentment by charging by the piece instead of by the hour.
• How much to charge? Use this simple formula: consider how many hours the work will take, add a few for unforeseen extras, then multiply that number by the hourly wage you wish to charge.
• Don’t nickel and dime clients. Cover your own parking, phone etc. Pick up travel costs if you are on a fat retainer. True professionals absorb these costs. Even offer to pay hotel rooms if you travel to events. Depends.

Part III: Finding Work

• Everyone is the freelancer’s friend! Never know where work will come from. Mike’s neighbor mentioned he was a writer to a relative who asked for a bid.
• Let everyone know what you do and tell them that you rely on people like them for leads.
• Speaking at events like the Ragan Conference brings work. Fuels your confidence.
• Don’t limit yourself to speechwriting. Do any writing that pays the bills.
• Practice donor maintenance. Stay in touch with people. Forward articles. Keep your name in front of them.
• Get enthusiastic about the things you write about.

After videotaping the Sorensen keynote I took the opportunity to engage in some good old-fashioned audio interviewing. There was a line of well over 150 people – half the audience – waiting patiently for Mr. Sorensen to autograph copies of his latest book, Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History

I asked some of these speechwriters from around the country what they thought of the keynote speech they had just heard.

To hear what they had to say, click on the podcast icon below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:32 — 1.5MB)

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Following his prepared remarks Ted Sorensen took questions from the audience of speechwriters. He was asked what advice he would give to the new Obama speechwriting team. He also commented on the importance of leaders being effective communicators.