7 Strategies That Make Speechwriting Easier
#SpeechWriting
Most of us
will choose the latter. You’ve got time after all. That is, until 2-months
turns into a month. And that month turns into a week. It’s usually at this
point that panic sets in.
What’s the
reason behind so many people putting off preparation?
Apparently,
it’s more fun to scrub a toilet than to write your presentation. We’ve all sat
down in front of the computer and wasted hours staring at the pulsating cursor
while wondering, “What the heck should I talk about?”
Let’s make
it a whole lot easier to get your speech started! Use these 7 strategies to get
your creative juices flowing.
1. Don’t
start writing your speech by sitting down at your computer
When you
have a presentation to give, the first inclination is fire up your laptop, open
PowerPoint and start typing away.
Having a
strategy in place first makes it so much easier to write your speech.
2. Get clear
on your big idea
The audience
is only going to remember ONE idea — yes, you read that right: ONE idea — from
your presentation. You need to be strategic.
Figure out
what you want to be known for as a speaker. You can’t be known for everything
you’re an expert in.
Your big
idea serves as the beacon for crafting your speech. Every story you tell, every
sentence you create, every breath you take (*cue* I’ll be watching you),
relates directly back to that big idea.
Having one
big idea turns your audience into advocates by giving them a way to talk about
your presentation long after your speech is over. Need help crafting that big
idea? Grab the
Presentation Sweet Spot and it will walk you through the process.
3. Give your
audience exactly what they need
Speakers
have a habit of starting presentations by answering the question, “What should
I speak about?”
Instead, the
question needs to be, “What does my audience need from me?” or “How can I serve
my audience with this message?”
Speaking is
NEVER about you. It’s always about the audience. As I work with clients, I too
often see that what my clients wants to say is not what the audience needs from
them. They’ve got a laundry list of ideas, but no idea what the audience knows
or needs to know about their topic when they walk into the room.
Give your
people what they need, and you’ll have them coming back for more of what you
can offer them.
4. Plan your
call-to-action
If you don’t
know where you’re going, you’ll never get there, and you’ll leave your audience
stranded on the side of the road. Before you start your speech answer this
one-question:
What
is one action that you would like the audience to take as a result of hearing
you speak?
Hint:
They’re not there to buy your stuff.
Before you
can sell, you must provide the audience with something that solves a problem or
impacts their lives in a meaningful way. You’ve
got to earn your pitch.
5. Implement
the one-minute rule of thumb
What’s the
one minute rule? For every one-minute you speak, you spend an hour preparing
and practicing.
If your
presentation is 15-minutes long, that’s 15 hours. 60-minutes - 60-hours. You
get the point. Set aside enough time to prepare and practice your presentation.
6. Discover
your best writing strategy
One of the
biggest questions I get from my clients is, “What’s the best way to write a
speech? Should I write it word-for-word, outline it, or do something else?”
There’s no
best way to write a speech — the best way is the one that works for you.
For me, I
spend a lot of time thinking about my speech before I start storyboarding. Here
are several different ways to write your presentation:
-Mindmap
-Storyboard
using Post-it Notes
-Outline
your presentation
-Script it
out
-Plan it out
in your mind
-Create it
in PowerPoint (but don’t use it as your PowerPoint)
-Choose your
own way
Experiment,
play, and find out what works best for you.
7. Get help
and ask for feedback
You’re an
expert! Awesome, right? But this means you’re too close to your own ideas. You
don’t have the beginner’s mindset. You don’t understand what your audience
doesn’t know about your topic. You need an outside perspective.
Get help and
ask for feedback! Don’t ask your spouse, business best friends or anyone who
knows the ins and outs of what you do and how you do it.
You truly
need someone with a fresh pair of eyes for your talk. My best advice: Hire a coach to
help you craft this content. The best speeches
could be developed when hiring an expert helping to help with the content.
Don’t get
stuck writing your presentation! Follow these strategies and make it easy to
write your next presentation.
Source: Dr. Michelle
Mazur
Comments
Post a Comment
Please drop your comments here in this box.