Speechwriting Training

Pusdiklat Kementerian Keuangan

Wednesday, 9 October 2019
Ignatius Puguh Priambodo
Introduction – the basics
Why the speech?

 Because there is always an occasion to say

something
 Because there is always someone to say something
 Because there is always something that needs to be
said
Power of the spoken word …
Speechwriting …

…it is a craft rather than art…

… it can be practiced
… and mastered.
Speechwriting …

• Essentially… is writing
• Good English speechwriting … essentially is
good English writing
Principles of writing good English

 Clarity ... If it’s not clear – delete!

 Simplicity ... Simple is good! Active verbs.
 Brevity … Short is always better than long.
 Humanity … Be yourself.
(W. Zinsser)
Advantages of the speech

 Personal connection
 Blend of ethos, pathos, logos
 Taking advantage of emotion and style (different
types)
 The call to action!
Things to remember

 Listening is hard!
 Writing to be understood vs. writing to impress
 Read a lot … practice a lot
 Keep it simple!
Preparing the speech
Organize your work!

 What is the event? Who will be speaking? What is the speech

about? How much time is allocated for the speaker?
 Who is assigned to work on the speech? Is it an individual
assignment or a group assignment? Which principals will be
overseeing/editing?
 Establish a timetable for work.
 Create a Spec-sheet!
The Spec-sheet
No. Item Remarks
1. Speaker Who will deliver the speech?
2. Date, timetable When and precisely when in the program?
3. Location Where is the event?
4. Duration How much time is allocated to the speaker?
5. Text Where is the text stored?
6. Audience Who is the audience?
7. Personal connection What ties does the speaker have with
venue/event/people?
8. People to acknowledge VIPs, dignitaries
9. Topic What is the speech about?
10. Aim of speech What is the speech aimed at?
11. Main ideas 3 (or 4 max) main ideas in speech
Preparing an outline

 Opening
 Middle
 Closing
Opening

 Acknowledgement … for protocol purposes

 Rapport / attention getting
 Topic
 Sub-topics (road map) … either by prioritizing or building to a
climax
• Big point #1
• Big point #2
• Big point #3
Middle

 Elaborate on your sub-topics

• Big point #1
• Big point #2
• Big point #3
Closing

 Remind the audience what you just told them – the 3 big points
 Personal remarks
 Call to action!

 At the end you can plant a single take-away message

• Simple, memorable sentence or phrase
The writing process

 Just write … writer’s block is a myth … motion creates motivation

and not the other way around!
 Make your writing easy for proof reading … larger fonts… wider
white spaces … create a title and sub-titles
 Remember the general rule of 1 minute = 100 words … write
shorter paragraphs (even one sentence paragraphs)
 You are writing for the ear … keep it simple … listening is hard!
 Revise…revise…revise!
Exercise 1: Analyze this!

 Steve Jobs commencement address at Stanford University (2005)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i9kcBHX2Nw

 What did you think about the speech?

 Was it effective? If so, why?
 Was the speech well structured?
 Discuss in groups of four and present to the class.
Creating an argument
What is an argument?

 Claim: a statement about what is true (false) or good (bad) or what

should (shouldn’t) be done …
 Reasoning: statements of support for claims
 Evidence: supports the reason, through:
• Specific instances/experience/anecdotes
• Statistics
• Testimony or appeals to authority
Using statistics effectively

 Why use them at all?

 They add realism;
 They can have an emotional impact;
 They can raise your credibility;
 They stick to the audience’s memory.
How to choose which one to use?

 The most impactful to the audience (not just you);

 The most surprising;
 The ones that validate your arguments.
How to embed it into the speech?

 Provide meaningful context (why should the audience care?);

 Follow by comparison … compare to same statistic from earlier in
time;
 Tell a story of the statistic – expand, make the numbers count;
 Connect between the statistic and your argument/message
Exercise 2: Prepare to write!
 In groups of four.
 Create a spec-sheet and outline for the Minister of Finance who has been asked to
give a ten minute speech on:
• Financing the development of the new Capital
• Climate financing in combating global climate change
• The development of financial technologies in Indonesia
• Providing access to financial services for rural communities
• Increasing Indonesia’s role in international financial institutions
 Provide 3 sub-topics and the arguments (claim, reasoning, evidence) to support
them
 Present to the class
Thank you