Mary Trafford, Senior Public Affairs Officer, Status of Women Canada
Write Out Loud: Strategic Speechwriting Skills
Give your speechwriting skills a lift - March 2, 2017
Whether you’re new to speechwriting or you’ve been doing it for a while and could use a refresher, this workshop will set you on course to produce high quality speeches consistently, no matter what the assignment or how tight the deadline.
Few media can match the power of a speech to shape opinion, change attitudes or call people to action. But, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to hit a home-run every time. Speechwriting isn’t rocket science: but it does take skill to craft a talk that will engage listeners, hold their attention and move them towards agreement or action. The Write Out Loud workshop will provide you with the knowledge, insights and workflow you need to plan, organize and write compelling speeches.
Over the course of a fast-paced day you’ll learn how to:
- Take a strategic approach to choosing content
- Analyze the audience and use the info to connect with them
- Support a speaker (if writing for someone else) and capture the speaker’s voice and personality
- Choose an objective and define and focus on key messages
- Frame ideas to resonate with listeners
- Write the way people talk to achieve a conversational tone
- Create speech “maps”, outlines, talking points and full scripts
- Open in a way that draws people in
- Close on strength by giving people a memorable message or clear call to action
- Maintain attention with the use of rhetoric, other persuasive devices and solid arguments
- Breathe life into numbers
- Use humour any speaker can deliver
- Make abstract ideas concrete through example, analogy and metaphor
- Craft anecdotes and stories to reinforce key messages
You’ll also review and analyze video excerpts of speakers on the podium, take part in hands-on exercises and engage in discussion. Plus, I’ll share stories, examples and lessons learned based on my 25-plus years of speechwriting experience and time spent managing a government speechwriting unit.
Even more content…
We’ll also cover how to:
- • Craft and incorporate sound bites and tweets
- Use speechwriting metrics and digital tools to achieve efficiency
- Analyze a speech for strengths and weaknesses, and edit it in minutes
- Make abstractions concrete with visual language so people “see” as well as hear your content
- Make announcement speeches compelling and quotable
- Get real benefit from speech planning meetings, interviews with subject matter experts and brief encounters with hard to access speakers
- Use speechwriting metrics and apps to increase your efficiency
- Shift into overdrive to meet tight deadlines.
At the end of the session you’ll take away
- A manual filled with how-to articles, checklists, templates, speechwriting metrics, practical tips and resource lists
- A laminated Speechwriter’s Aide Mémoire for ready reference
- A copy of the 36-minute video tutorial Write The Way People Talk
- A “beauty makeover” handout that shows weak writing transformed into powerful prose
- A certificate of achievement suitable for display
- A subscription to Pen & Podium, an e-newsletter for people who write and deliver speeches and presentations
Even more to take away…
You’ll take away a wealth of tips, tools, techniques, tactics and templates you can use to achieve great results.
- Know what questions to ask of event planners, subject matter experts and the speaker you support to make sure your speech is on target
- Understand why every audience is different and yet the same and how to deal with that contradiction
- Become more methodical in your approach, solving problems before they become obstacles to success
- Follow a process and use templates to plan, organize and write a solid speech script
- Be more strategic in your decisions and in the advice you provide to clients
- Use speechwriting techniques to improve your writing in every other area of your job
- Work faster than ever, and, drumroll……
- Enjoy writing speeches far more than you did before
Who comes to this workshop?
- People who write, manage, edit or contribute to speeches
- Corporate writers & freelancers who want to expand/improve their skills
- Anyone who is new to speechwriting and wants to get a solid grounding in the craft
Who is Wendy?
For more than 25 years I’ve written speeches for leaders in government, business and the not-for profit sector. For more than 15 years, I’ve taught others how to write speeches through workshops, seminars and webinars. Plus, I’ve managed a speechwriting unit in government and spoken about speechwriting at international conferences. See Who We Are for a longer bio.
What people say about Wendy’s speechwriting workshops
“I would recommend this course to anyone who gives speeches, writes speeches, or assigns speeches. It'll be time and money well spent.”
Cecilia Blanchfield, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
“I generally hate being assigned to a speech – now I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Brenda Heald, Canadian Co-operative Association
“…Practical information you can apply in real life.”
Mireille Khouri, Public Affairs Officer, Canadian Institutes for Health Research