Speechwriting services for graduations, motivational speeches, keynotes, commencements, sales, roasts, retirements, business presentations, CEOs, persuasive speeches, eulogies & more!

The next applause you hear will be for you.

By- Brian Ackley

Great speeches matter. Most speeches are forgotten within minutes. Great speeches are remembered for years. Google: “Ask not” and (surprise, surprise) the topic is the Kennedys. Google “Ask not what” and you’re looking at JFK’s inaugural presidential address. Whether you’re delivering a commencement address, retirement speech, keynote presentation, eulogy, wedding toast, or corporate presentation, the challenge is the same: connecting with an audience.

Speeches are storytelling in most cases. They frequently contain humor, are persuasive, make emotional connections and bring authenticity to the audience. But speechwriting isn’t easy. They’re not a dialogue. There’s no exchange of ideas or temperaments on a subject. It’s a rather pointed way of sharing a specific message without the luxury or obstruction of social interplay. For these reasons, speeches may, in fact, be the ultimate mode of communication: A prepared monologue that frames your feelings and thoughts on a topic in a coherent way. You control the structure, the tone, the pace, the emphasis, everything. You become the platform for your message.

If you understand that communication is the foundation of our civilization, then you’ll also see that it’s the framework with which we build companies, clubs, communities, comrades, and all else. Speeches are as much a part of our cultural fabric as the flags and badges and the handshakes and hugs that signify our unity. Whether the field is military or political, public sector or private, religious or academic; the goal is the same: to share a message that speaks in a personal way to each of its listeners.

Who hires speechwriters?

That list includes CEOs delivering a keynote speech to industry executives. And department executives address their personnel, such as for important announcements, or for motivational purposes. Political candidates need to convince voters that the best thing for themselves and for the country is to elect them to office. Military officers often need to speak to the personnel in their commands. Retired military personnel are often invited to speak at luncheons and dinners. Professors, university executives and students address the graduating classes.

Retiring employees are celebrated, and sometimes “roasted,” on their final day at work. The recently departed receive eulogies. Then there are weddings: Groom and bride speeches, best man speeches, bridesmaid speeches, mother and father of the bride, and the same for the groom. We’ve written thousands of wedding speeches, toasts and vows.

What is the message of your speech?

So what is that message? There may be two camps when it comes to working out what you want to say. The first camp might include individuals who know what they want to say, but are not sure how to say it. The second camp might have folks who don’t really know what they want to say.

Neither position is detrimental. One simply requires either more guidance or reflection than the other. But to begin, you’ll surely want to honesty identify which camp you’re in.

There are different ways to go about discovering what you may want your message to be. You can start within: What do you believe in? What values are most important to you? What personal experiences have best shaped you, either positively or negatively? How? What about those experiences transformed you? From these questions, you may begin to get a sense of what views you’d like to share with others.

You can also attempt this process externally, especially if you are speaking as a representative for a group. What values does this group share? What unites them? What character traits best define the group? What goals do they have, and by what means do they proceed in achieving them?

Common ground

Many times, you’ll find the same themes populate: Faith, loyalty, discipline, open-mindedness, hard work, etc. If there’s a trick to speechwriting, it’s an open secret: our values are universal as human beings, and if we can tap into them, we can shape a message that everyone can relate to.

When you find the value (or values) that best reflects the group you’re speaking to or on behalf of, this will become an anchor in your speech. Everything you say will be connected to this singular idea. This is your theme. Such as: Hard work pays off. Open-mindedness opens opportunities. Discipline drives results. Loyalty finds reward. Faith overcomes fear. It could be a commencement speech or a eulogy. Whatever your message, your theme is the essence of your speech; the whole purpose for your speaking.

How will you deliver the speech?

Once you have your purpose; your theme; your message — you’re ready to consider the means by which you’ll deliver it. This is the “how.” This includes the substance of the speech, but if it sounds intimidating, it doesn’t have to be. Think of this form of communicating like any personal exchange you may have. The goal is the same whether you speak to a friend or an audience: You want to connect with them. And human beings connect with other human beings in one of two ways, or a combination of both: Through logic and emotion.

How you deliver your message will depend on whether you want to appeal to someone’s head or heart, which may have a lot to do with your own personality. If you imagine yourself in the audience, how would you prefer to receive your message? Are you a cognitive, evidence-based individual, or do you allow empathy to guide you? Information, statistics, examples, and real-world analogies may land onto the more logic-minded person, while literary references, historical quotes, legends, parables, prose, anecdotes and animated language may bend toward the more intuitive.

A good speech may be easier to write than you think. Because you are the messenger. Your views are those that will be on display. Your speech is really for YOU.

My job, as a speechwriter, would be fairly easy so long as you would remain open with your views and your expression. The one key to communication that I’ve yet to address is that which connects this cycle of mutual respect and understanding; and that is listening. The way that I would tap into your thoughts and feelings on any particular subject is by listening to you. Asking questions and receiving your answers.

How the speechwriting process works

A professional speechwriter will normally interview the client, do research if required, write the draft for client review and approval. Revise as necessary, then deliver the final version to the client.

At that point, the client rehearses the speech. Or, if they wish, they can buy a block of time with one of our professional speechwriters and rehearse via live video. The client will receive immediate feedback for improvement. Live video speech rehearsal is a great way to master the speech before the day of its delivery to the audience.

Determining your motivation

From this, we can determine precisely what motivates you; what values you admire; and we can discover how you would respond to your own message. We can determine the type of content that would be most suitable for your speech. Personal experience stories, economic analysis, philosophical posits, dreams, goals, professional reflection, cognitive challenges, jokes, etc. There’s certainly no one way to deliver a message; the fun is in exploring the many ways your personality can be expressed.

That’s if you want your personality expressed, of course. We could also inhabit and project personas that may better illustrate or represent a given viewpoint. If you are stoic and tempered, but wish to reflect sentiment in your message, we can do exactly that. Whatever your position or disposition, we have language as a tool to transcribe your desires.

My approach

My personal contribution to speechwriting is to provide careful consideration in customizing the speech for the speaker or represented group. I take language very seriously when I play with it, and I’m careful to express my ideas genuinely and thoroughly. I tend to dress my language in poetry or prose to lure and relax the listener, often inflecting meaning by way of subtle but significant choices. Structure is by far a cornerstone in all my writings, and no differently here. A good speech should be laid out like a road or a pathway, where by the end of it, your audience has arrived at your doorstep.

In general, one double-spaced page equals one minute of speaking time, with the speaker’s delivery speed being the biggest variable. Our fee for speechwriting can be found on the ghostwriting rates page. We have some of the most skilled  speech ghostwriters in the country. Let us show you what we can do.

CLIENT RESPONSES UPON PROJECT COMPLETION:

“Now that the dust has settled, I must say thanks again. Obviously, I would have no idea of what’s the norm for ‘feedback’ however I have been overwhelmed with the amount of comments on my speech Friday night. During the speech, I saw many patting their eyes because of tears (not my intention), and immediately following so many came to me to remark on how they liked my speech. And as of today, I am still receiving great feedback. Who would think that my dress would get second place over the speech?” –Linda T.

“The speech was a REAL HIT! Everyone said that I did a great job and that the words were really meaningful and got the message across really well…thanks thanks thanks! Thanks for your services and speed and great price!” –Myron K.