Executive Speech Writing: 8 Tips for Success

Executive Speech Writing: 8 Tips for Success

By Carlee Madsen

Carlee Madsen has given over 400 speeches on college preparation, concurrent enrollment and college recruitment. She was the author of the Utah Scholars Presentation for the Utah System of Higher Education, and the recruitment presentation for Utah Valley University. She has worked daily with high school students, along with parents, counselors, teachers, and administrators. She is working on a Masters in Professional Communication from Weber State University with an emphasis in oral communication. Madsen now spends her time volunteering at a local children’s organization where she teaches life skills to kids aged 3 to 12 years of age. She enjoys spending time with her son and husband, sewing clothes, and living the good life.

Imagine going to the Broadway musical “The Lion King”.

You’ve read the reviews, listened to the music, purchased the ticket, waited in lines, gone through security, tweeted your friends, found your seat, and are excitedly waiting for the curtains to open—the show to begin!

You can hear the rustle of the actors back stage. The orchestra is tuning their instruments.

The maestro lifts his hands, baton at the ready – it begins.

The curtains part and there the cast is standing—in street clothes. There is no set, no lights, no African theme with life-like animal figures. Just a black stage with actors in ball caps ready to sing.

The actors’ voices are perfect, but the theatrics, the production, is lacking.

So much of what makes the show magical, transformative and captivating is what the people behind the scenes do. They are individuals who do just as much work as the actors but usually not remembered or awarded.

But that is the magic of the show. We don’t get to see everything and everyone, we just get transported to the grasslands of Africa, with a final, polished production.

As an executive speech writer, you are the production crew, not the actor on stage. So be prepared to put “blood, sweat and tears” into writing a speech that will make your executive shine.

This is the first tip for starting into the moving waters of executive speech writing:

TIP #1 Set Expectations for Your Roll Behind the Curtain

The standing ovation, the congratulatory handshakes, the smiling nods of audience agreement, the re-quoting, and the recognition will not have your name attached. It will be for your executive.

However, when such occurrences happen, give yourself a big pat on the back, you have successfully done your job. Some executives will return the praise, others may not. In either case, be prepared to be on the stage crew, not the red carpet.

Executive speech writing is not for the emotionally insecure—it is for the confident, creative and brilliant.

Does this describe you? Then read on. I will be discussing seven more essential tips for executive speech writing.

TIP #2 Be “One” With Your Executive

When it comes to executive speech writing you best to get yourself a comfortable pair of proverbial loafers – you will be doing quite a bit of walking in someone else’s shoes. Learning to write for an executive is really learning to be “one” with who they are, knowing them almost better than they know themselves.

John F. Kennedy has been revered for his excellence in public speaking. He gave some of the most memorable speeches of all time. In his 1961 presidential inaugural address he states, “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” This is an iconic statement that is pinned to his presidential legacy.

Like every great politician, Kennedy had his right-hand-man. Ted Sorensen was Kennedy’s trusted advisor and speechwriter for many years. In the book, “Kennedy,” Sorensen wrote:

“As the years went on I came to know what [Kennedy] thought on each subject as well as how he wished to say it, our style and standard became increasingly one.” (1)

Getting to know your executive’s voice, or speaking style, will be essential. Your executive will want to feel like you have written them something they would have written themselves (if only they had the time – and your creativity!).

But this isn’t about your executive exclusively. You were chosen to write for your executive for a reason. You have the skills to write effectively, to research, to be creative, and to work as a team member to create a poetic rhetoric. So, this is more about learning the voice of your executive and blending it together with your own to create a better voice.

Start your journey of “one-ness” by ask yourself:

-        What are my executives speaking mannerisms?

-        What is the range of her vocabulary?

-        How often does she like to use personal stories in her speaking, or anecdotes, or self-deprecating humor?

-        Does she like to stand behind a podium or walk around?

-        Is she comfortable using visual slides when needed?

-        How well does she know her product, people, or audience?

-        Is she a seasoned speaker or rather new to the field?

-        Does she like to get to business in a speech or does she want to schmooze the crowd?

Don’t worry about getting right the first time or learning it all at once. Even the greatest executive speech writers began by knowing very little about their executive. Consider your learning a courtship as you both come to know each other’s voice. It will take time.

But that leads me to my next tip.

TIP #3 – Know Your Executive’s Speech Arsenal  

A few years ago, I was asked to speak to a group of teenagers about college preparation and decision making. These two topics were the basis of my professional and educational career. I had been working with high school students on college preparation for years, both individually and in large group settings. I had given well over 100 speeches on college preparation in my career up to that point. I readily accepted the invitation to address these students. The speech went very well.

A year or so later the same group asked me to come and speak again. This time they wanted me to speak on etiquette. I was surprised at their request. I considered myself a well-mannered member of society, but to consider myself an etiquette expert was a stretch. I inquired as to why they wanted me to give a speech on that subject, to which they replied, “you are such a dynamic speaker! We want you to come back and speak to the kids again, but this time on etiquette.” 

I was flattered, but of course, declined.

Why? Because I am not an expert on the subject they wanted me to speak. I would have had to either spend hours researching and studying a topic I had very little interest in, or I was going to have to be ok with giving a subpar (ok, probably terrible) speech.

The best way to write an appropriate, memorable and powerful speech for your executive is to stay within her expert subject matter. If your executive is the president of a university and an organization requests a speech on global leadership in the United Kingdom, it is probably a good time to encourage your executive to say no. And if you are the agent booking speeches you can clearly pass this one by. You could also ask the organization to choose from topics within your executive’s expertise.

Your executive probably got her reputation from speaking on topics with which she excels. Don’t tarnish that image.

To combat the issue of saying “yes” to the wrong speeches, create a list of speaking topics with which your executive and you feel confident. Then, add to the list topics she is an expert in. Use this list as a base for what speeches you, as a team, will say yes to and which ones you will politely pass.

If your executive feels like her speaking topics list is a bit on the small side, congratulations, it’s time for your both to grow your knowledge and experience in topics that will broaden your scope!

Simply put, if your executive isn’t feeling 100 percent about their ability to fulfill a speaking engagement, be wise enough to say no.

TIP #4 Do Thy Research and Give Credit Where Due

When the biblical prophet Moses was receiving divine commandments from His God, they were etched in stone, literally “cut out of the mountain” by the hand of God. These were rules that were not to be taken lightly. Black and white – no grey. Very straight forward with no mincing of words.

It is with that same energy that I warn you: Do thy research and double, triple check.

Imagine how you’d feel if in the middle of a speech, written by you, your executive is stopped by the press, or peer, or superior to be told that their facts are wrong. The rest of the speech might as well be thrown out. Credibility at this point will be patchy – if even still salvageable.

You can hear your executive’s voice now, “you had one job to do.”

A recent example that gained a lot of attention was Melania Trump’s 2016 Republican National Convention Speech. It was clear that it plagiarized portions of Michelle Obama’s Democratic National Convention in 2008. (2)

Black-lash from the media was so intense that Meredith Mclver – the speechwriter working for Trumps company who helped compose Mrs. Trumps speech – publicly confessed to the plagiarism and gave her letter of resignation. (3)

It is crucial that you do your research with credible sources. That you know who said what, who did what, when, and so forth. Have someone else review your work if the executive doesn’t have time. Review, rewrite, review.

If in doubt, leave it out.

TIP #5 Brainstorm with Your Executive  

Every executive you write for will be different. Their schedule and availability may fall on both sides of the spectrum. Some executives will have time to meet with you in person to brainstorm ideas, speaking points, and audience research. Others may only have time to send an email or two with ideas. Some may send a few texts. Others might say where they are speaking and need you to come up with something with no more information.

You could have a good amount of input from your executive or you may have very little. Whichever situation you find yourself in, it’s always a good idea to try and solicit input from your executive. You can do this in-person or through email.

Even if the executive can give you a few sentences or bullet points, that is enough to begin.

But whether your executive has given you a bullet point or a page of notes, it would be wise to contact the requesting organization to find out details. Things like:

-        Audience demographics

-        Speaking topic and length

-        Speaking layout (inside, outside, round table, auditorium, etc.)

-        Background on the organization or group

-        Why they asked your executive to speak

From there you can bring what you know to the executive and query her mind for more information you can use to build a speech. Ideally, here is what you are hoping to capture:

-        What her expectations are for the speech.

-        What speaking points she might already have in mind.

-        Personal experiences or stories that are applicable.

-        The intent and thesis for the speech.

-        The tone she would like to take on the topic (humor, serious, light-hearted, interpersonal, etc.).

-        What she hopes the audience will feel and/or do because of the speech.

Getting answers to the above topics can help you create a firm foundation for building a speech that will captivate the audience and please your executive.

TIP #6 – Make the Audience and Your Executive Like Family

As an executive speech writer consider yourself cupid. One of your main goals in executive speech writing is to make your executive and her audience fall in love with each other. The more your executive understands, appreciates, and feels a connection with her audience, the better the speech will go. In the same vein, when the audience feels understood, appreciated, and known by your executive, they will be on their feet with ovation.  

Writing a speech for any event, executive, or group begins with knowing all you can about your audience and the organization. It is the crucial foundation of which the entire speech will grow. Every speech your executive will give, even if it’s a repeat of a previous speech, should be adapted to every specific audience.

The audience is the whole reason your executive has a speaking opportunity the first place. If she didn’t have an audience, she wouldn’t have a reason to speak, and you would have no reason to write. So, value everyone’s time, including your own, by crafting the speech to individual audiences.

Focus on questions like:

-        How many members does the organization have?

-        What kind of people compose the membership? Men or women, only? Or both? Ages of members?

-        What are the organizations goals for the speech?

-        Does the program have a theme?

-        Is this a regular meeting or a special occasion?

-        How many audience members will be in attendance?

-        What does the audience already know about your theme or message?

-        Why did the organization specifically ask your executive to speak?

Focusing on understanding the audience will also keep you from assuming—a painful pitfall of any amateur speech writer. Under-assuming audience knowledge on a subject can cause your executive to speak too simply, leading to audience boredom. Over-assuming audience knowledge can cause your executive to talk over the heads of listeners, causing them to tune out.

One of the best speeches I ever wrote was for a group of humanitarian workers in Cleveland, Ohio. The group was comprised of volunteers, all women in their early twenties. I had previously been a volunteer with this organization in the exact locations that they were working.

I knew the weather there. I knew the people there. I knew the stores, the tourist stops, the buildings, and the food. I knew the work they did each day, their dress code, their daily schedules, almost everything about what they were experiencing because I had walked in their shoes.

My speech was funny, inspiring, and powerful. Yes, I knew my subject matter thoroughly, but the driving force of success came from the deep understanding I had of the audience.

As you come to know the audience better new ideas, stories, feelings, and perspective will come that will help you refine the speech to be memorable and synergistic.

TIP #7 – Know Your Topic and “Freshen Up” Often

Think of the last time you wrote an executive speech. What was the topic? How long was the speech? How much time did you spend preparing? How did you feel the speech went?

If it wasn’t your best speech or you felt like there could be room for improvement consider this from Richard Dowis, a man who wrote over 250 speeches for executives in his lifetime:

“Some accomplished speakers say they spend as much as two or three hours of preparation time for each minute of speaking time. The great cleric Harry Emerson Fosdick reportedly spent ten hours of prep time for each minute of pulpit time.” (4)

Now, I am no math major, but I am going to do a little here to prove a point:

Minutes of Speech	Suggested Preparation Time
15	30-45 hours
30	60-90 hours
45	90-135 hours

Think of one of the best and worst speeches you have written. What was the preparation time for each one? Granted there are many factors to a great speech, but consider if your preparation time made an impact.

Now, that’s not to say that all great speeches follow the same equation. It is said that Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address on the back of an envelope while riding the train from Washington to Gettysburg.  This is typically the exception, not the rule.

Depending on how much your executive and you know on the subject, the nature of the speaking event, and the time assigned will all factor into how much research you will need to do on the topic.

Here are some suggestions for building your knowledge base, no matter how much time you need:

-        Start reading everything – books, articles, news stories, scholarly journals. Even if you don’t agree with what you are reading, you’ll know what others are saying about.

-        Interview experts in the field. They can lead you to other resources or ideas that may be helpful or new.

-        Look toward your executives background. Are there any personal experiences she has with the subject? Personal experience can be a deep well of knowledge to pull from because it includes emotions, details, and patterns of discovery.

-        Keep it fresh. If it’s been a while since you have studied something new about your topic, then freshen up. Find current articles, books, news, people, and experiences that relate to your topic.

If you have writer’s block when speech writing a good way to break the spell is to refresh your knowledge on the topic. Find something more to teach you. Look for quotes, stories, or anything you will need to flood your mind with ideas.

TIP #8 Simplify and Know Grammar

In the modeling industry, the goal of a successful model is to give the photographer compelling, beautiful photos that need very little editing. Photographers want models that will give them the shot they are looking for quickly and perfectly. It is a high-pressure industry, but that is the name of the game.

The same goes for executive speech writing. Once you have composed a speech it’s time to edit like a gazelle. Read and re-read through your work. Have someone else look it over BEFORE you give it to your executive for review. You are the model, the executive is the photographer, they don’t want to spend the afternoon figuratively “Photo-shopping” your work.

However, be prepared for feedback and changes from your executive – and don’t take it personally. This is your chance to learn how your executive thinks and gives you the opportunity to stretch.

Learn to pare down, simplify, and be succinct. There is no use spending a paragraph explaining something that can be done in a few words. Leave the audience wanting more. There is nothing worse than glazed eyes and nodding heads when things get to lengthy.

Brush up on grammar. Know the difference between fewer and less, accept and except, and many other grammar rules. Keep a style book on hand to reference when needed. There’s nothing that will make you, or your executive, look more foolish than by not writing good (well! It’s well. I can’t even write in wrong to prove a point).

A great resource on the most common grammar mistakes can be the AP Style book, or like most people these days, Google.

Jump right in and rock it

 If you are a speech writer, or are interested in becoming one, there is a good chance that at some point in your life someone inspired you with a compelling speech. Can you remember where you were? What the topic was? What the speaker looked like or sounded like? Can you remember how you felt?

I was a young child, somewhere around the age of 10-years-old, when I heard and retained my first speech. I remember hearing this speaker on TV. I don’t recall his name or what he talked about, but I do remember feeling transported out of my living room to another place. I was transfixed with the poetic rhetoric that he used to convey his message. From that point on I knew I wanted to be an effective speaker and speech writer.

Perhaps you have had similar experiences. Use those experiences and those emotions to inspire you to do the same for someone else. Speeches can inspire, motivate, persuade, and change individuals in ways, perhaps, the written word cannot. Consider yourself part of an elite group that works to create transformative oral rhetoric that will last for generations.

Bring the production to life and be the best stage crew member you can be. You may not sing in the final act, but you will set the stage for the audience to be transported to another place.

No better place to start than from right where you are. So, be confident, set good expectations, and knock ‘em dead.

An Afternoon Chat with Shane Farver, Chief of Staff and Presidential Speech Writer, Weber State University

When Shane Farver starting working at Weber State University as a communications faculty member and advisor of the student newspaper, he had no idea that one day he would be writing speeches for the president of the university.

With an extensive background in journalism and the ambition to expand his skill set, Farver was the perfect fit for an executive communications coordinator for the president of the university, which would eventually lead him to his current position as chief of staff.  

Farver’s job for the president includes many components, but one is that of speech writing and presentation creation.  Though he had never written executive speeches his career, he felt confident in his abilities – and he was just the man for the job.

Farver has become a seasoned professional in executive speech writing. On average, he assists the president with his speeches one to two times per week.

“With President White, it truly is a collaborative process. He rarely just runs with what I have written. We usually go back and forth. Sometimes we don’t have a lot of time to do that, but I am familiar enough with him at this point that I know how to move forward.”

Farver admits that the best way he came to know the president’s voice was by spending time with him to understand his personality one-on-one.

“The president didn’t have many previous speeches for me to study, so it really came down to getting to know him personally – his personality and sense of humor.”

Farver also had some great advice for starting out in executive speech writing:

Keep it Short

“I have yet to encounter an audience member who was disappointed that a speech was too short.”

He stressed the importance of speaking simply and concisely. The longest speech President White gives in a year is roughly 30 minutes, and “that is still pretty long.”  Most speeches are around 5-10 minutes as opening or welcoming remarks at various functions.

Farver often guides or negotiates speaking topics and time allotments. “Sometimes the president is asked to speak for 20 minutes as part of a welcome. We tend to keep these types of speeches to five minutes or less. So, I work on negotiating time.”

He suggests that some people might not have the same level of understanding when it comes to speaking engagements, so don’t hesitate to brainstorm and negotiate solutions that will fit into your executive’s offerings.

“It really is a balance of knowing the topic, purpose, and time allotment.”

Get to Know Your Audience

“No matter what speech I’m writing I always start with the audience, even if it’s an audience I am familiar with. I think about, what do they want to hear and what do they need to hear?  Are these longtime supporters of the university? Are these prospective students wanting to come to Weber State? You tailor your messaging and even the words you use based upon the audience. That is going to change how you approach basically everything else. It must start there.”

Writing speeches for the president of a university has it audience challenges. Farver warns that soon after starting his position he found repeating audience cycles throughout the year. “It’s a challenge to keep things new and fresh when you spoke to the same audience a few months previous.”

He reiterated the importance of researching the audience and adapting every presentation to their needs.

Do Research

Farver also emphasized the importance of doing updated research on your topic. He suggests that “there may be other individuals at the university who have a better knowledge of the topic at hand” that can be helpful.

Reaching out to other individuals in the organization or company who can offer their input is a great resource. He suggested if you need good student stories to talk with the marketing department who might have some on file.

Collaboration with Executive

All through the research and writing process, Farver is touching base with President Farver. And because of the president’s busy schedule Farver varies how he communicates speaking points. “Sometimes its face-to-face, other times it’s a phone call. Sometimes it’s through email.”

Farver mentions that one of the difficult components of executive speech writing is that “you have your own voice that comes out in your writing. But in this case, it’s not your voice that needs to come out, it’s someone else’s. So, you need to come to know that person’s personal preferences, their manner of speaking, and things of that nature.”

A Final Tip: Cross T’s and Dot I’s

“People think about executive speech writing or writing for someone else as being less pressure. But the reality of it is that when your giving someone else talking points, when your researching for that person, when your gathering data for that person, if that person screws up, you’re not the one who looks bad. If you put something in there that is wrong or that inadvertent upsets audiences, it doesn’t reflect upon you, it reflects upon the executive. That is a lot of pressure.

Because of that it’s important to cross those T’s and dot those I’s. Would it affect your reputation? Yes, but you’re not the one out there in front of the audience.”

Helpful Resources on Executive Speech Writing

Book - “The Lost Art of the Great Speech: How to Write one – How to Deliver One,” by Richard Dowis

Book - “Writing Great Speeches: Professional Techniques You Can Use,” by Alan M. Perlman

Article – “Speechwriting 101: Writing an Effective Speech,” by http://pac.org/content/speechwriting-101-writing-effective-speech

Article – “Seven Steps to an Inspiring and Memorable Speech,” by Bill Murphy Jr., found here http://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/7-steps-to-an-inspiring-and-memorable-speech.html

Article – “Six Tips for Writing a Persuasive Speech (On Any Topic),” by http://time.com/3664739/6-tips-for-writing-a-persuasive-speech-on-any-topic/

Article – “The Five Biggest Mistakes CEOs Make in Speaking,”  https://decker.com/blog/the-five-biggest-mistakes-ceos-make-in-speaking/

Article – “How CEOs can Improve Speeches,” https://hbr.org/2011/01/president-obamas-annual-report

Article – “What it was like to Write Speeches for Apple Executives,” https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/06/speechwriter-poet/486329/

Article – “Executive Speech Writing” http://www.ringingwords.com/speechwriters-craft.html

Reference Links:

1.     https://www.amazon.com/Kennedy-Biography-Perennial-Political-Classics/dp/006196784X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487707050&sr=8-1&keywords=kennedy+sorensen

2.     http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/07/19/melania-trump-michelle-obama-speech-similarities-side-by-side-sots.cnn

3.     http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/20/politics/trump-aide-offers-resignation-in-melania-trump-plagiarism-incident/

4.     https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Art-Great-Speech-One-How/dp/0814470548/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1487732843&sr=8-2&keywords=speech+writing