SPIN #6 – SPEECHWRITING
What your PR pros say: Giving a speech is a great way to win the hearts and minds of employees. They'll give you their undivided attention while you say something important that everyone needs to hear at the same time - straight from your lips to their ears. When you step up to the lectern, it becomes a powerful platform for sharing your views, spreading your ideas and inspiring change. Delivering speeches to employees and other audiences is a sure-fire way to grow your influence and authority as a leader and give your self-confidence an extra boost. Communication skills are widely seen as the single most important skill for leaders. And nothing shows off your communication skills like standing and delivering a speech that engages audiences. We know that you're busy. Your days are jammed with meetings. No worries. We'll write you a speech that does it all - informs, inspires, entertains. We'll help you shine on stage. We can write a complete ready-to-deliver speech. Or if you like, we can give you crib notes and talking points. You're a skilled communicator. A natural storyteller and performer. Quick on your feet. Loads of charm and charisma that'll win over an audience. Sometimes, it's better to stray from the script and be spontaneous. In the moment. Connecting and responding in real time with an audience.
We'll share the speeches you give outside our organization with employees - whether it's a video, audio recording or a written transcript. We'll also turn your speeches into guest columns and op-eds. You'll reach and influence an audience far beyond who's in the room where you deliver your speech. What employees think With apologies to Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover", here are 34 ways to lose us and the rest of your audience while giving a speech. We'll start tuning you out if you: Grossly overestimate your public speaking skills. It looks like we're an engaged audience. We're looking up from our phones, we're laughing, nodding our heads and applauding. We're less an engaged audience and more a captive audience. We're pretending to pay attention because you sign our paycheques. We have a mortgage to pay and kids to put through school. So please, for our sake and your's, don't wing it. You're not that gifted. If you can't be bothered to rehearse, we won't be bothered to do anything beyond pretending to pay attention. Go way over the top in giving thanks for such a warm, kind, flattering, glowing, sweet, humbling and generous introduction. We all know that you or your PR people wrote it. Stick with "thanks for introduction and good morning / afternoon / evening everyone".
