While I’m still on a break from Speaking Moylanguage (season two pending!), I thought I’d continue to share bits and pieces of other projects I’ve been working on. If this is something that sounds interesting to you, please sign up!
Over the past year or so I have been delivering occasional training sessions and lectures on different communications issues - the transforming information environment, crisis communication and social media strategy to name a few.
One I have been particularly proud of has been a session on the basics of speechwriting. Targeted at people who need to give talks on a variety of policy topics and in a range of contexts - but imparting principles applicable to anyone - I delivered this particular session to several hundred people interested in sharpening their speechwriting skills. I was fortunate enough to be joined by a superstar cast to share their views and personal experiences on a few different areas:
Daniel Mouqué on the audiences he deals with as a speechwriter.
Lina Averhoff on her wealth of experience as an event organiser.
The ghost of Anca Scortariu on keeping presentations sharp and objective driven.
Fani Farmaki, a humanitarian aid/development expert and former speechwriter, on finding content under pressure.
Ben Ray on creativity and what poetry can teach us about speechwriting.
Together we explore the fundamentals of speechwriting, the questions you should be asking yourself and the steps one should go through in writing a good speech.
Check it out and let me know what you think - and if you feel like sharing, please share this post and not the YouTube video directly (so people get the opportunity to sign up/see other content!)
P.S. We occasionally react to people’s questions and comments in the chat, but unfortunately I cannot share the text in the interests of privacy for the participants.