Know Your Audience Know the cultural, political, social and economic context of the audience. There are, however, some ways to alleviate the monotony- you can use different arguments, expressions and anecdotes to arrive at the same point. In fact, politicians may not want to say something new every time. Do not hesitate to plagiarize previous speeches made by the principal. Some speeches on the same topic are made several times to different audiences. Don’t Reinvent the Wheel Remember that not every speech will break new ground. Remember that this is an occasion for your boss to show off, not for you to show how smart you are. People are generally open to other views if they are reasonably presented. If you disagree with the principal on how the arguments are to be expressed, explain the reasons for your approach together with your outline. Where there is no clear agenda, you can propose one. Where there is a clear agenda, argue the case professionally and do not shape it according to your personal convictions. Run the outline of the speech by him to see if he agrees with the broad direction of the argument. That should give you some insight to what works and what does not work for him. If feasible, listen to his previous speeches. Engage the Principal Do not attempt to second-guess the agenda of the speech-clarify it with the principal or his staff. Ideally you should spend more time thinking than writing. Once you have determined the main argument, map out the broad direction of the speech before starting to write. Is it meant to entertain, inform, inspire, instruct or persuade? You should be able to crystallise the main argument of the speech into one paragraph. Think Clearly Good thinking is the basis of good writing. A summary of the main points from the session is below. While each of the panelists took a slightly different viewpoint, they all agreed that the key to writing a good speech is to think clearly, consult widely and write simply. On the panel were Bilahari Kausikan, Second Permanent Secretary (Foreign Affairs), Ong Ye Kung, Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister and Albert Chua, Principal Private Secretary to the Senior Minister. 16 Ethos, Apr-Jun 2005 Practitioner’s View Lend Me Your Ears! Ten Tips For Writing Speeches An IPD Seminar In April 2005, IPD held a seminar on writing speeches.
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