Incorporating Speeches Into Your Planning
Good leaders plan. Great leaders prepare.
You already know you need a speech. Annual meetings, quarterly reports, town hall meetings, board meetings — all of these are in your calendar. You also have product roll outs, major change management projects and other assorted big events slated.
You will speak at all of these, as will other executives. Some aspects will be covered by methodical discussion of PowerPoint slides, but you still want a compelling introduction and conclusion that is professionally scripted. Other times, you will talk for 30 minutes, explaining the year-end results and goals for next year. You know this.
What Now?
- Print out your calendar.
- Highlight each important meeting.
- Consider your responsibilities within each and determine which require a speech.
- A month before, give me a call (630.890.9351) or drop me an email.
- If there are several, call me now and let’s figure out a plan.
- We will discuss themes, goals, and calls to action.
What Else?
Any speechwriter will want to see all related documents, as well as correlated video and audio files from previous events. If none exist, even wedding toasts will help. Any white papers or articles written by you can help me learn your voice. Every speech will receive its own project plan, but always keeping everything as simple as possible.
When necessary, access to confidential information is important. Be assured that I’ll keep your secrets. Confidentiality agreements are part of the job. Knowing the full story helps me write fully, in the context of the truth — whether it is just a matter of industry secrets or something more textured.
By planning well and wisely preparing, you will be positioned to better engage your audience, with a stronger pull into your call to action. They will be inspired, ready to move forward with even the most difficult of situations ahead.