Written by Laura Watson
I believe there are three distinct types of speakers: script speakers, ad-lib speakers, and, what I like to refer to as, "mad-lib" speakers, or script speakers who want desperately to be ad-lib speakers.
History is filled with magnificent speeches. President Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech, and General Douglas MacArthur's Farewell Address at West Point are excellent examples.
Great speeches are interesting, exhilarating, and inspiring, and they often leave the listener wondering: who wrote that - the speaker or his ghost writer? How much time did it take to prepare? Were weeks of research involved, or did the speaker gather his thoughts only moments before taking the stage? The answers to those questions depend largely on what type of speaker took the podium.
Script Speakers
It is most fun to write speeches for script speakers. There's nothing more exhilarating than hearing your prose spoken by someone much more important than yourself.
Script speakers know to start at the beginning with, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for that kind introduction. I am so grateful for the opportunity to speak before such an esteemed audience this evening......"
Script speakers follow the carefully selected words, touching on all the right points while educating, entertaining, and inspiring the audience.
Then, in an appropriate amount of time, having avoided all needless rambling and wasted words, they bring the audience to their feet in great applause with a witty and gracious closing.
This all depends, of course, on whether the speechwriter's written a good speech! It can also depend on the speaker. Even good speakers can deliver great speeches poorly if the speaker's first run through of the speech is on stage.
Ad-lib Speakers
I believe truly gifted ad-lib speakers are the most fascinating to watch. Without a script or often even a scrap of notes, they speak to their audience with a natural flow, usually free of irrelevancies or rambling detours in thought.
Brilliant ad-lib speakers are confident and, more often than not, charismatic, witty, and inspiring. They have great command of their subject, and as much as scripted speakers need a script, ad-lib speakers have little use for prepared remarks. At most, they are occasionally aided by a simple note card of buzz words or talking points. And then all they require is an audience.
"Mad-lib" Speakers
The most frustrating speakers to assist are "mad-lib" speakers, or script speakers who desperately want to be, and in the worst cases believe they are, truly gifted ad-lib speakers.
Tragically armed with a microphone, a "mad-lib" speaker will take the stage and, not having the gift, ramble across a winding, bumpy road of thought. "Mad-lib" speakers can sound confident, but a review of their remarks for substance or consistency often reveals the opposite. "Mad-lib" speakers commonly talk too long, wander off their point, and almost always crash-land their closing.
Certainly any speechwriter who has stood in the back of a room quietly holding an identical copy of the speech lying unused on the podium fully understands how painful and frustrating it can be to listen to a "mad-lib" speaker!
How to handle your speaker
So what is a speechwriter to do? What if you discover your boss is a "mad-lib" speaker? Should you run for your life and begin a frantic around-the-clock search for a new job?
I say, before resigning yourself to a life alternating between writing and banging your head against the wall, you might consider a change in attitude. View your "mad-lib" speaker and the long road ahead as the best-worst learning opportunity available.
While speechwriters will likely never cure their "mad-lib" speakers, they can help them. First, speechwriters to "mad-lib" speakers should attend as many of their speaking engagements as possible. The more frequently you hear your "mad-lib" speaker, the better you will understand his thought process, rhythm, and choice of words. Once you understand how he talks, you will be better able to prepare a speech the speaker can comfortably deliver.
Also, speechwriters must be willing to make adjustments. You may discover your "mad-lib" speaker likes speaking from notes printed in larger font on oversized index cards, rather than on full-size sheets of paper.
Whether a speechwriter supports a script speaker, a truly gifted ad-lib speaker, or a "mad-lib" speaker, their loyalty must always be to the speaker, not to the speech.
To be a successful speechwriter not only requires an ability to write great speeches, but also insight into what speech materials the speaker finds most useful. Some jobs will be easier than others, and some days undoubtedly you'll find yourself at the back of the room clutching a copy of the perfect speech while listening to what seems to be the worst ever delivered. But it will all be worth it that day when you're standing at the back of the room and your "mad-lib" speaker gets his first standing ovation. (Hey, a speechwriter can dream, can't she?!)
About the Author:
Laura Watson is employed by Computer Sciences Corporation and is a speechwriter to the Director of the Missile Defense Agency, where she has worked since 2003. Previously, she worked as a Press Secretary on a high-profile Congressional campaign in Rhode Island. Prior to that, she was a Captain in the United States Army and served as speechwriter to the Commanding General of III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas.
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