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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
Write a Speech
That’s the 3 Cs:
Clear, Concise, and
Compelling!
Presenter: Dalya F. Massachi
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 2
Today: A sampler of what you‘ll find in the book, applied to writing a great speech
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 3
“Good writing does not come from
fancy word processors or expensive
typewriters or special pencils or hand-
crafted quill pens. Good writing comes
from good thinking.” – Ann Loring
OUTLINE
I. Planning: The ABCs You Need to Know
II. Drafting: Top Tips for Effective Writing
III. Editing: Applying the Polish
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 4
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
PLANNING:
The ABCs You
Need to Know
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A:
ADVANCE YOUR BRAND
What you/ your org/ your topic
stands for
What you want to be known for
Your essence or identity
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 6
ESTABLISH TRUST
How can you encourage the view that listening to you is a wise use of time?
Audience will listen to a credible speaker with something special to say
Must establish this upfront
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 7
YOUR UNIQUENESS: Ask yourself:
When someone hears about you, what images, feelings, and ideas do you want them to associate with you? What’s special about your topic, point of view,
or approach? What is the unique value you add?
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 8
EXAMPLE:
When “Get Well Soon” seems a bit out of place, Kimo Kards are cancer recovery greeting cards that have just the right words to help a friend or loved one through the difficult journey of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. Every card is “Created by Survivors for Survivors.”
(www.kimokards.com)
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 9
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
B:
SPEAK TO YOUR AUDIENCE
Clients/Prospects
Colleagues
Investors
Journalists
Activists
Researchers
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ASK WHAT THEY WANT
What do they want to get
from listening to you?
Data? Emotions?
Probably a mixture.
(Emotions trump facts.)
What is the biggest problem you can help your audience solve?
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
EXAMPLE: INVESTORS
Have background/concern
BUT don’t know your niche
Are time-pressed
Want inspiration from your vision
Seek a match w/ their goals, priorities
Want a trustworthy investment
Want to see a realistic plan, budget
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
EXAMPLE: VACATIONER
When you go on vacation you just want to be free of concerns and worries. You want to enjoy yourself in whatever way feels best. But let’s face it: There simply is no escape from this interdependent and globalized world. Your actions—wherever and whenever they may occur—do indeed affect other people and the planet.
Our eco-tourism organization makes it
easy to let your concerns take a hike while your feet do! We worry about your ecological footprint so you don’t have to.
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DATA YOU NEED TO GATHER
Demographics
Limitations (time, income, education)
Values, hopes, and fears
Why they may care about your issue
What they already know/believe about it
Relationship to your issue
Their related personal interests or hobbies
Information or tools they need to act
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 14
HOW DO WE FIND OUT?
Review their publications Review media that reflect their mindset Ask others who also know about them
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 15
C:
EMPHASIZE BENEFITS MORE
THAN FEATURES
Feature: Component, characteristic of
your offering
Benefit: How the features improve the
lives of people in your audience and
satisfy their needs and desires
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 16
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 17
ASK YOURSELF:
1. What does your topic/work mean to the audience? personally, economically, spiritually, emotionally, socially, etc.?
2. What happens as a result? 3. “So what?” Why should they care?
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 18
EXAMPLE FROM A NONPROFIT:
MASSAGE FOR CANCER SURVIVORS
$100 will buy a new clinic massage table (feature)
So what?
So our volunteer therapists can provide 50 additional revitalizing, healing massages per week to cancer patients in our community.
So what?
So the clients will enjoy happier, healthier, more productive, and longer lives and YOU will be making that happen.
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 19
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
DRAFTING:
Top Tips For
Effective
Writing
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
REALITY CHECK:
GET & STAY UNSTUCK!
Fight off the urge to procrastinate
Listen to yourself
Know: a 1st draft should not be perfect
Just start writing—about anything!
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
SHARE STORIES
What are some characteristics of great stories?
Beginning, middle, and end
Memorable characters listeners care about
Interesting setting (time and place)
Compelling plot or conflict resolution
“Drama is life with the dull parts
left out.” — Alfred Hitchcock
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
SHARE STORIES
Talk about how people have
benefited: results they have seen
and importance to them
Capture the essence of your topic with
short scenes and quotes
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
PUT YOUR AUDIENCE IN THE
STORY
Be audience-centered
Think and write in terms
of “you” (the audience)
Briefly communicate shared values,
needs, interests
Use their language
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EXAMPLE: IMAGINE…
“Imagine what it would be like to walk at a pace you really enjoy because you don't have to count steps or worry about what's in front of you. To have the freedom to think your thoughts, or carry on an engrossing conversation as you walk with a friend.
And now, just imagine the joy of companionship, of feeling the comfort of having a trusted canine by your side—a beautiful animal that wins the admiration even of complete strangers. What a conversational icebreaker—what a friend-maker!”
(www.guidedogs.com)
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 25
ENGAGE BOTH THE
HEART & THE HEAD
©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net
Even left-brained people
need an emotional understanding
Your audience will remember how you make them feel
more than anything else you say or do
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POSITIVE HUMAN EMOTIONS
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
Appreciation
Belonging
Compassion
Dignity
Empowerment
Encouragement
Excitement
Inspiration
Joy
Love
Safety
Validation
Example
You want your children
to be safe and healthy.
You always use sunscreen
and they never leave home without warm
clothes on. You use seat belts.
But what about the pesticides sprayed near
the school playground your children use
every day? Let Parents for Playgrounds tell
you about what we have found...
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
“We’re all in this together”
(locality, event, culture,
history in common)
Socio-economic situation
Realities of everyday life
POP CULTURE
EXAMPLES
1. Dilbert
2. “This American
Life” on National
Public Radio
DESCRIBE YOUR SHARED
SOCIAL CONTEXT
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©2011 Dalya F Massachi
www.dfmassachi.net
Ask yourself: What makes YOU most
passionate and inspired about your topic?
Let it shine through:
Transcribe what you would say to a respected friend
Act the tour guide of the best parts
But don‘t dwell on details they don’t want to know
DEMO YOUR OWN PASSION
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
SHOW, DON’T JUST TELL
Ask yourself: How would you illustrate
the concept in a photo or video?
Convey 1-2 striking details: word pictures
Show HOW your topic benefits folks
Use metaphors and similes to compare your topic to a more familiar one
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
EXAMPLE
The Frameworks Institute used stats from U.S. Dept. of Ed’s 2005 study, “Calories In, Calories Out: Food and Exercise in Public Elementary Schools,” and crafted this message:
“Exercise is something that children need every day. But half of all students attend schools that have reduced their phys ed class to just one or two days per week. Part-time fitness is no more effective than part-time reading or math instruction.”
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
BEST-EVER METAPHORS
AND SIMILES (as taken from high school English papers)
1. He was as tall as a six-foot-three-inch tree.
2. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.
3. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.
4. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who also had never met.
(Source: Urban legend on the Internet)
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
AVOID JARGON AND
UNEXPLAINED
ACRONYMS
Would your audience use the term themselves?
Does the term mean the same thing to them as it
does to you?
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
“The most powerful factors in the world are
clear ideas in the minds of energetic
men [and women] of good will.”— J. Arthur Thomson
You know all about your topic but
your audience doesn’t; break it down!
Avoid vagueness; talk specifics
Use examples
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GET CRYSTAL CLEAR
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
EDITING:
Applying the
Polish
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“The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon."
— Robert Cormier
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
READ OUT LOUD “You can write this [crap], George, but you sure
can't say it!” — Harrison Ford to George Lucas during the making of the original Star Wars
Listen: awkward phrases, abrupt tone changes?
Alliteration?(First Fridays, Top Ten Tips)
Any onomatopoeia?(snap, crackle, pop)
Feel the rhythm, flow, and pace
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
MIX IT UP
The human ear loves variety and texture
Every 4-8 minutes insert stories, different tones of voice, emphasis, audience questions/activities, quotes, etc.
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WATCH YOUR TONE
How do you want to sound?
Conversational and approachable?
Authoritative and well-documented?
Humorous and light-hearted?
Youthful and hip?
Practical and problem-solving?
Firm and decisive but respectful?
Cutting-edge and newsworthy?
Supportive and inspiring?
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 38
TONES TO AVOID
Fanatical, alienating, and abrasive
Monotonous and frustrating
Curmudgeonly, snide, and cynical
Cliché, outdated, and tired
Overly simplistic or contradictory
Downtrodden, hopeless, and wimpy
Needy, desperate, and melodramatic
Holier-than-thou and condescending ©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 39
STAY POSITIVE
Your pieces should be upbeat, empowering
Frame your message in positive terms
Talk about the satisfying outcomes you achieve, NOT the negative outcomes that you seek to avoid
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 40
USE VIVID VERBS
Try to create a picture in the listener’s mind
Replace adverbs with stronger verbs
Eliminate weak forms of the verb “to be”
EXAMPLES:
Original: “walked slowly”
Suggested revision: trudged, wandered, tiptoed, crept
Original: The emergency food pantry is helpful to
hundreds of individuals and families in times of crisis.
Suggested revision: The emergency food pantry feeds
hundreds of individuals and families in times of crisis.
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 41
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
CULTIVATE CONCISENESS:
LESS IS MORE
“Never use a longer word when
a short word will do.” — Ben Franklin
Sentences: 14 words max.
No freeloading words; each must work
It’s all about the soundbites (tweet-worthy)
KISS: Keep It Short and Simple
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
WRAP IT UP NICELY
Ask yourself:
“If your audience were to take away just one thing,
it would be ________.”
Run a quick test: re-read your opening and
closing. Do they frame your piece like bookends?
You might need to repeat some images, themes, “call to action”
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
A FEW TITLE IDEAS
Ask a burning question. “Which of these 10 mistakes do you make?”
Address an immediate need or concern. “The climate crisis: what we can do about it now”
Tell how to achieve something. “How to find the right consultant on your first try”
Provoke a smile, snicker, or ironic giggle. “Wake up and smell the….er…. exhaust fumes”
Allude to a phrase in popular culture and change it. “Friends don’t let friends _______”
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
Use the
“Editing Checklist”!
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©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
FREE group feedback session by conference call
1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the month
Learn more at: www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
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YOUR SPECIAL DISCOUNT!
20% off a Paper or E-book copy:
www.dfmassachi.net/event.html
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 47
©2012 Dalya F. Massachi
www.WritingToMakeADifference.com
FINAL THOUGHT
"Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.”
— Kurt Vonnegut
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