by
Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE
In March 2003 I
spoke at the Ragan Speechwriters Conference. I made many
new friends and found it an exciting experience. One of
my new friends John Howze allowed me to share some of his
notes with you. I know you will benefit from reading them.
Remember, many of the presenters at Ragan write for history.
- The communicator's job is to make the important, interesting.
- People believe stories more readily than numbers/statistics.
The hearer processes stories in three ways: intellectually,
emotionally, and visually (slides, speaker movements). Start
with a story, then use a statistic or visual to emphasize/elaborate
the point.
- The "Who" Factor: People are interested in other people.
Use stories about people, particularly about heroes. Look
internally and externally to the workplace for the stories.
Keep an archive or clip file with stories of people you
admire, etc.
- The best transitions look forward. ("Fast forward seven
years," is one transition I used for one client.)
- Sound words build tension. Crack! (Was that lightning?)
In the speech, build tension and then break it/relieve it
as a means of holding audience attention. We all love suspense.
- Smell words and other sensory words also trigger the formation
of memory. See, hear, smell, feel, taste what?
- Writing is architecture, not interior design. Twist a
phrase: "You can't teach a young dog old tricks." - Warren
Buffet, billionaire on why he consistently hires retirement-age
managers rather than younger ones.
- Useful elements for interesting writing: twisting a phrase,
use of alliteration, repetition and rhythm.
- Statistics should be used sparingly and distilled. Startling
numbers are effective.
- Quotes allow us to borrow the best that has been said
or written. They can convey authority, brevity, relevance,
humor, etc. Quotes get the human voice in your speech. Use
contemporary quotes if possible. Be accurate. Use tone of
voice to convey the quote, rather than saying "quote-unquote."
Edit quotes down to the meat. Paraphrase quotes longer than
one or two lines.
- And one of my person favorites I heard, "Tell the story
of the way through the eye's of one soldier."
(366 Words)
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Patricia
Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech
coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional speaker.
She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, SoYou
Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National
Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com,
1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com
We
offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint
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634-3035, http://www.fripp.com
