That’s the 3 Cs - Writing to Make a Differencewritingtomakeadifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/toastma… · Empowerment Encouragement Excitement Inspiration Joy Love Safety

©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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www.WritingToMakeADifference.com 2

Today: A sampler of what you‘ll find in the book, applied to writing a great speech



“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





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



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



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?



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)





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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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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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



HOW DO WE FIND OUT?

Review their publications Review media that reflect their mindset Ask others who also know about them



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





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?



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.





DRAFTING:

Top Tips For

Effective

Writing

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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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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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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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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)



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



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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“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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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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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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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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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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“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



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



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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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?



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


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



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.





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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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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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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Use the

“Editing Checklist”!

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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





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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Documents

That’s the 3 Cs - Writing to Make a Differencewritingtomakeadifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/toastma… · Empowerment Encouragement Excitement Inspiration Joy Love Safety