217. 5 quick speechwriting hacks
Great speakers write great speeches.
In this episode I share 5 quick speechwriting hacks you can check off your list -
1. Use Quotable Quotes
Short catchy key messages.
2. Use Short Sentences
I'm talking one line each!
3. Finish Sentences Strong
Look at the quality of the final word of each sentence.
4. Use Metaphors
The secret sauce!
5. Tell Stories
People remember stories over facts every time.
Transcript
Alright alright… we are up to episode 217 of That Voice Podcast.
5 quick speechwriting hacks.
This is one to download, favourite, replay, make notes all the things, because I guarantee if you do these 5 things in a speech, it will be engaging, it will be entertaining, it will be energising and you will not be on the tangent train to Monotone Town.
Because we’ve all been there and it is boring. It’s where good ideas and amazing insights go to die, because no one’s picking up what you’re putting down.
When you present you want people on board the train to rave town. Not where it’s a 24/7 rave like in Berlin, more like where people are raving about your presentation.
If you really want to be a great presenter – join my group program Soul Speakers.
And if you want me to write the presentation for you – apply to work 1 on 1.
Now remember this episode is SPEECHWRITING not speech delivering. There are heaps of episodes here that cover great delivery and even more on that in Soul Speakers.
We’re talking writing today. And these are just 5 quick tips you can use for writing your speech even if it’s tomorrow.
We’re not getting into the nitty gritty of structure – there is a great call in Soul Speakers on how to structure your speech.
This is five easy hacks, kind of like a checklist you can use.
Number One is to use Quotable Quotes. Otherwise known as Key Messages.
These aren’t other people’s quotes – they’re YOURS.
Lines that could go on a coffee mug.
Lines that when people hear them they think – write that down.
They put it in their LinkedIn post.
So rather than ….Your voice is very important because you use it every day and you might not even think about it but every time you’re talking you’re sharing your personality.
I edit a lot of speeches like this, where the point is in there, but it’s hidden under waffle. It won’t catch the ear of the audience. It won’t grab the memory.
Your voice is the soundtrack of who you are.
Catchy, short, to the point.
A good writing technique is to say without X there is no Y.
Without breath there is no voice.
That’s better than me writing. Breathing is essential to the production of voice because you need the outgoing air to strike the vocal cords to make them vibrate and create sound.
So of course you elaborate on the key message, which is different to burying the key message. Right your audience are not prospectors, they don’t want to dig for the gold, they want to be handed the gold.
And that leads to hack number 2.
Use short sentences.
If you’re in a word document. You don’t really want to be going to the next line. In font size 11 or 12.
In fact, a good speech should be riddled with those green underlines that signify grammar mistakes, usually the fragment issue. We speak differently to how we write. That’s the topic for our October 2024 Soul Speakers call – it’s all about how to write for speaking.
Ok so you’ve got catchy quotable quotes, short sentences,
Number three is finish those sentences strong.
You can browse the final word in all your sentences – and if they’ve been written short and spaced out, it’s easy to scan. Look at the quality of the final word.
You want to avoid weak words like in and of.
So instead of “This is an exciting project I invite you to be part of.”
Flip it to “I invite you to be part of this exciting project.” Project is stronger than of.
A little bonus tip for finishing strong, is ending with the punchline. The reveal.
So not “I accidentally deleted the whole file.. I’d been working on it all night.”
“I’d been working on this document all night… and I deleted the whole file.”
And this kind of flipping and tweaking in the writing makes a huge difference in the delivery.
Ok hack number four – use metaphors.
Instead of “this operating system isn’t doing the job.”
It’s like competing in the F1 behind the wheel of a Toyota Corolla.
I use metaphors all the time. And way back in episode 77 I talk about The magic of metaphors.
I heard a great one the other day to describe not wasting time. It was from Natalie Paterson – who is a guest of That Voice Podcast and she said “I’m not here to put socks on centipedes” – what a great visual. And that’s the power of metaphors, it puts vivid, memorable images in our audiences minds.
And hack number 5 – tell a story.
People forget facts, they remember stories.
Stories make you more trustworthy, they make your speech more personal…
I was running a corporate workshop the other week, all about this sort of thing – the importance of telling stories. And as I scanned around the horseshoe shape of people, I noticed one man had that skeptical look in his eye.
Phil, what are you thinking?
“Oh I just hate it when people tell stories in meetings, I want them to just get to the point.”
And I was like ‘yeh I totally get that, that’s what happens when people tell stories with irrelevant detail, no structure and no clear reason for telling the story.
Which is why my structure SWAY is really useful (and little aside you can get my SWAY storytelling structure in my free ebook – what to say when you don’t know what to say – link in show notes).
And then I walked Phil through an example with that structure.
As a result, he started shaking his head and smiling.
Phil, what are you thinking?
“Oh I’ve just realised that when you tell a story you might not get to the point faster, but it definitely has more impact.”
And I was like YES, this is why we do this.
So why am I telling you this story? To show that stories have impact. And I don’t care who your talk is for, how long you have or what the purpose is…. You gotta have a story in there – even if it’s only a little anecdote.
So got your checklist ready… when you’re writing your speech…
Quotable quotes – tick
Short sentences – tick
Strong sentence endings – tick
Metaphor – tick
Story – tick
If you have all those elements in your writing, it’s going to engage.
Now of course it’s only part of the equation. I see it often. A brilliantly written speech can flop hard if it’s delivered poorly. So if you really want to nail all the elements of presenting, this podcast alone isn’t going to cut it. Join Soul Speakers for live coaching every month, and access to my master library, it’s like the Netflix for voice and speaking – everything you need to speak from the heart with confidence and become a visible force in your field. Someone who is heard. Someone who is remembered. Someone who is respected. And bonus tips there for you. Use repetition and the rule of threes… ok you might need to hit repeat on this one. It was jam packed with tips. Get in touch for a 1 on 1 if you’d like it Done for you / done with you. Otherwise happy speechwriting!