Speech Writing

Speech writing is both an art form and a science.  When those two meet, Magic Happens

The secret to a great speech is… Actually there isn’t a secret.

Writing a speech is fairly easy. You get a topic, you sit down and write about that topic until you have enough words to fill your time slot.

I’ve seen many presentations where a speech of that nature was delivered, and not all of them were bad. Sometimes good enough, is good enough.

Good speeches take a little longer to write. For a good speech you need to write a lot more than you have time to deliver. You then spend time rearranging your thoughts, cutting the bits that don’t work, removing filler words and drilling down to the message you need to get across. This is how most good business presentations are built. I’ve seen a lot of those and most of them are adequate.

Great speeches take a lot longer and require more work. If you want to deliver truly great presentations, you need to start with great words and then add the magic.

The structure has to be right. You need to use rhetorical devices like triptychs, alliteration, metaphor and similes. You have to appeal to both logic and emotion. You need stories to interest and amuse your audience, but also support your point. Above all else you need to get these things in the right proportions, so that you don’t bore or confuse your audience. Almost all great speeches were written by speechwriters, with lots of input from the speaker, so that their style could be maintained.

Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, John F Kennedy, Barack Obama and many other notable speakers all used speechwriters. They tweaked the final versions and often strayed from the written speech, but the majority of great modern speeches are a team effort.

Over the past twenty years or so, I have written hundreds of speeches, many of which have won me accolades and trophies. I have written for myself and for others, both alone and in collaboration. I have written for professional speakers, business people and politicians. I have written short speeches, long speeches, and everything in between.

If any of the above apply to you then call me on +44 7785 933 309 or fill out the contact form for a swift reply.