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Speech! Speech! Lagniappe from us to you To many (if not most!) people these two words cause more fear than most anything else in the world. Standing up in front of a crowd, all eyes upon you, everything suddenly still ... except for the knocking of your knees! (Thank god for podiums!) Really – most people would rather go through an IRS audit than give a speech. We can't help with the butterflies in your stomach but we can help with the content in your speech. What makes a good speech? There are probably as many opinions as there are people giving them. Allow me my time on the soap box. A good speech does not pander. Anyone can mumble a couple of paragraphs that "preaches to the choir" and get applause. Let's face it, giving a speech on the evils of alcohol will get you a standing ovation at a temperance meeting no matter how poorly you deliver the message. But that same speech made to the local brewers association will get you a rather frosty reception – if you are very lucky and get to finish it the first place. So – a good speech in my humble opinion is one that burns with passion – a passion that you have – something that you believe in. Hey – why do so many political speeches sound the same? Easy – they are written without conviction, given without passion and forgotten without notice. The average politician doesn't believe in his latest drivel, any more than he believes in real and meaningful campaign reform or a balanced budget. But ... when finally someone gives a speech that literally cries out to the crowd – it is remembered, it is believed and it does convince and sway opinion. That is the intangible of a good speech – a great speech. It can't be taught – it must be learned through experience. The tangibles however can be taught. And they come (briefly) in three parts: The Introduction – tell 'em what you are going to say. The Body – Say what you want to tell 'em. The Close – Remind them what you just said. All you have to do is fill in the missing information! Of course I'm being a bit vague here. How do you fill in the information? There are thousands of books that can help you with the mechanics. There is a great resource from Bar Charts, Inc. called Public Speaking – a four sided laminated quick overview of the essentials of giving a good speech. (You can find it a most large bookstores. No – I don't get a dime from them. They don't even know I exist.) Think of us as providing you with the lamp, the fuel and the match. It's then up to you to light the fire.
PRESS RELEASE TIPS
General Guidelines:
Summary – Headline. The first thing the editor will see. Here are the Iron Clad Rules of Engagement: Short, Sweet and to the Point! If the headline doesn't grab the reader by the collar, then forget about the rest of the story. Examples: Candidate Brown Challenges Senator White to Debate Tax Protest Called for Next Monday Pollution Killing our Children
Examples: Candidate Brown running for US Senate calls for three debates in each Congressional District. Libertarian Party members to stage protests against new property tax hikes. Toxic wastes in ground water causes increase in infant leukemia. Note: The headline and subhead should summarize the entire release in brief – brief being the operative word. Intro Paragraph: First the following info is standard: CITY NAME (all in CAPS), followed by DATE: Month XX, 200X If your reader gets past the headline and sub head, then you're golden. They're more than likely going to read the Introductory Paragraph, which is merely a further expansion of the former two items – headline and sub head. Here you summarize the Who, What, How, When, Where – and Who Cares! Why? Because most readers will stop at this point, assuming they even got that far to begin with! Release Body – (ah – I already hear your jokes and comments!) But seriously, here in the second paragraph you should communicate how the reader will specifically benefit by your announcement. This is a great time to put in some quotes. ("Candidate Brown said: "Senator White has yet to make one public appearance this election. These debates will improve his record.") Section Body – If you're going for the gold and plan to write more, then divide each new thought into sections, each section having it's own "grabber mini-headline." If your reader delves this far into your release they must be really motivated – so reward them by making it as easy as possible to follow your thoughts! Ending –
*Lagniappe - French Creole word meaning something extra, a small gift - the baker's dozen. Still a popular term in New Orleans. (sometimes spelled "Langniappe") Included here just in case you find yourself needing to write a speech or issue a Press Release.
Subhead: A very brief expansion of the headline. It's purpose is to further wet the reader's taste buds.
Boilerplate – Stuff that gets tacked on to every release. For example: Candidate Biography, Party information, or whatever standard info you'd like the reader or news agency to have. (Website information, party officers, etc.) This is not a formal part of the release per se, so it's OK to insert it even if the release will then go over one page.
PITFALLS TO AVOID