Why speeches fail -- and what to do

Eight tips for leaving audiences awestruck

by Paul Paquet

Nothing saddens a speechwriter more than the dread most of us feel when we know that an event will be marred by speeches. It's not that speeches have to be dull. But too many speeches founder, often for the same reasons. Here are just a few.

1) Long speeches are the kiss of death. Audiences can last as long as 18 minutes, but the ideal length for a speech is 10 to 12 minutes. No one ever complains when a speech is too short.

2) Speakers forget that they are speaking. Too many speeches are written for the reading eye instead of the listening ear. Use short sentences, avoid subordinate clauses and put the "meat" of the sentence up front.

3) Writers think in paragraphs. In a written text, ideas can be grouped into paragraphs. Idea A has points 1, 2 and 3. Idea B has points 4, 5 and 6. But in a speech, we don't see those paragraph indents. Points must be ordered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Every sentence must flow seamlessly into the next. To enforce this, put each sentence into its own paragraph (which also makes the speech easier to read).

4) Listeners get lost. If your speech contains complicated ideas, define the main points of your speech as soon as possible. Then walk listeners through each point, alerting them every time you change points. And when you're done, go back over the same ground to reinforce your messages.

5) Writers fear repetition. Repeating a key phrase or word, even in several consecutive sentences, makes an idea memorable, suggests links between ideas and provides emphasis. You can even achieve the same effect by repeating sounds ("base it on reason, broaden it beyond your borders, back it up with facts").

6) Speeches try to convey too much information. A speech is not an opportunity to cram in every detail and nuance of a program or policy. Listeners tune out when they are overwhelmed, so it is better to communicate one message well than to pass on a hundred facts poorly. Good metaphors, personal anecdotes and interesting stories are all much more effective than dry detail.

7) Openings fall flat. Speeches often begin with humour or a quote. But not everyone appreciates the same humour, and many quotes either have only a tangential relationship to the subject matter, or sound pretentious. An off-the-cuff personal anecdote is the best way of opening a speech.

8) Speeches get over-edited. Sometimes, a sensitive phrase will get worked over by far too many people. If the point is minor, it is always better to kill it than to fiddle with it. Messing up the flow of the speech might soothe in-house anxieties, but if the audience tunes out after a weird jumble of words, it may not tune back in until much later in the speech, by which point key messages will have passed unnoticed.

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