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The Art of Speechwriting

The Art of Speechwriting. Presented by: Des Crofton Polytechnic University of Hong Kong 12 March 2013. Learn the basics of speechwriting: Introduction How to Prepare a Speech How to Structure a Speech Powerful Openings Maintaining Momentum Memorable Closings Helpful Tips.

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The Art of Speechwriting

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  1. The Art of Speechwriting Presented by: DesCrofton Polytechnic University of Hong Kong 12 March 2013

  2. Learn the basics of speechwriting: • Introduction • How to Prepare a Speech • How to Structure a Speech • Powerful Openings • Maintaining Momentum • Memorable Closings • Helpful Tips

  3. Top 10 Greatest Fears • Fear of Flying • Fear of Public Speaking • Fear of Heights • Fear of the Dark • Fear of Intimacy • Fear of Death • Fear of Failure • Fear of Rejection • Fear of Spiders • Fear of Commitment

  4. What kinds of speeches do you write? • Ceremonial Speeches • Keynote Addresses • PowerPoint Presentations • Inspirational • Educational

  5. Who do you write speeches for? • Professors? • University Officials? • Visiting VIPs? • Yourself?

  6. Great speeches don’t just happen

  7. 2. How to Prepare a Speech “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ― Benjamin Franklin

  8. 2. How to Prepare a Speech • Know the purpose of the speech. • Inform? • Entertain? • Inspire? • Motivate? • Advocate?

  9. Know the speaker • Experienced, or first-time? • Fast talker, or slow speaker? • Serious, or sense of humour? • How do they think? • Do you have access?

  10. Know the audience • Students, the general public, academics? Media present? • Values, beliefs, goals, aspirations? • Well educated, or general audience? • Receptive, or need persuading?

  11. Research the topic • Interview the speaker • Look in the library • Use the Internet • Read books, magazines and newspapers • Ask experts, become an expert

  12. Building your speech

  13. Now that you have your research … • Narrow it down to 2–4 key points • Less is more! Too much informationwill not be remembered • Write out supporting details • Dig deeper if you must

  14. Create an outline • An opening, a middle, and an end • Start by saying what you will tell them • Tell them • Close by summarising what you just told them

  15. Develop a unifying theme • A big idea that ties the whole speech together • At HSBC, the global co-head of Commercial Banking, Margaret Leung, was in Sri Lanka a few year ago addressing bankers and politicians.

  16. A Tale of Two Economies Let me begin by paraphrasing Dickens’s opening from A Tale of Two Cities: For Hong Kong, the past nine years have been the best of times and the worst of times. The worst of times because of the Asian financial crisis, the meltdown in our property and stock markets and, just as we were beginning to recover from these setbacks, the SARS outbreak in 2003.

  17. Similarities • Both Hong Kong and Sri Lanka had gone through difficult times • Both were recovering • Both serve large hinterlands • Sri Lanka is known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean; Hong Kong, the Pearl of the Orient

  18. Use the power of story • We all love stories, and they can be used to build interest • There are 5 basic stories • Many Hollywood scripts are based on a variation of one of these stories

  19. 1. The Quest • A hero is leading a normal life • Disaster strikes, challenges arise • He is tested and overcomes • A good story approach for when you face challenges and adversity

  20. 2. The Stranger in a Strange Land • A stranger is placed in a new land • He must learn new rules, new ways of doing things • A good approach for when you must work hard to achieve mastery

  21. 3. Rags to Riches • A hero works hard to rise up out of poverty • He overcomes the odds and succeeds • These stories are always uplifting • Hong Kong has many such stories among its tycoons

  22. 4. Love Story • Boy meets girl, they fall in love • Boy loses girl and begs forgiveness • They get back together and live happily ever after • An appropriate story for corporate mergers, or any time 2 groups have to join and work together

  23. 5. The Tale of Revenge • A story device that works well in a competitive situation • Especially appropriate when a team needs to be inspired

  24. Be careful • Don’t be literal with the 5 stories • Don’t say you’re going on a quest or telling a love story • These story structures are part of every culture and resonate with listeners on a subtle level

  25. Now it’s time to start writing! • Good practice: build the speech by speaking out loud • Use a recorder, or jot notes • This will result in a more natural flow

  26. Start off strong

  27. Objectives of the opening • Establish the speaker’s credibility • Build rapport with audience • Arouse attention • Transition smoothly into the topic

  28. The formal (but boring) opening: • “Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests …”

  29. A shocking or dramatic fact • “Thousands of teenagers die from drug overdoses every year. And this year, your child might be one of them …”

  30. An interesting quotation • “Thomas Edison once said that if we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would astonish ourselves.”

  31. A rhetorical question • A powerful way to engage the audience,as long as the question is relevant: • “How many of you froze up the last time you were asked to write a speech?”

  32. Fascinating figures • Huge numbers capture the imagination: • “As of June 2012, Twitter is now seeing • a heady 400 million tweets per day. That’s 277,777 tweets a minute or 4,630 tweets per second.”

  33. A personal anecdote • “I’d like tell you a story. It’s about a young lady I knew once, about your age, who had just graduated from secondary school. Like many of you, she had great hopes and dreams … How do I know so much about this person? Because that young lady was me, some years ago.

  34. Other approaches • A challenge or call to action (inspiring) • Humour (but be very careful) • A reference to something topical or in the culture

  35. Keep them listening

  36. Develop your thoughts • Use supporting evidence, data, anecdotes, other relevant information • Make sure each idea flows logically from one point to the next

  37. The power of rhetoric • Rhetoric is the art of persuasion • Used by poets and speechwriters • Keeps language flowing smoothly and pleasingly to the ear

  38. Repetition (Anaphora) • We Shall Fight on the Beaches • Winston Churchill’s famous speech to the House of Commons in 1940 • The British people needed resolve, and he gave it to them

  39. We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, 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.

  40. Antithesis • The pairing of opposites to find areas of contrast. • Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven. • It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

  41. Alliteration • Repeating the first sound of a word over several words. • The dreadful dead of dark midnight. • A pinch of probably is worth a pound of perhaps.

  42. Assonance • The use of similar vowel sounds with different consonants. • May we know unity without conformity. • The best ability you have is reliability.

  43. Hyperbole • Using exaggeration for emphasis or effect; overstatement. • I expect to fight that proposition until hell freezes over. Then I propose to start fighting on the ice.

  44. Analogies • Metaphor — a comparison of two seemingly unlike things: Life is a highway. • Simile — the same as metaphor, but using either “like” or “as”: Fun is like life insurance. The older you get, the more it costs.

  45. Personification • Giving human qualities to abstract ideas, inanimate objects, plants, or animals. • The trees called out to me.

  46. Rule of 3 • A powerful speechwriting technique you should learn, practice, and master. • Julius Caesar: • Veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)

  47. Rule of 3 • Abraham Lincoln: • Government of the people, by the people, for the people. • President Obama: • Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered.

  48. Leave them wanting more

  49. The closing is one of the most important parts of the speech: • Final opportunity to achieve your objective • Final opportunity to inspire the audience, have them take action, or change their opinion

  50. Types of Closing • The summary or wrap-up closing(tell them what you told them) • Inspirational closing, moving anecdote, poem or quotation • A direct call to action

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