The Lost Art of the Great Speech: How to Write It * How to Deliver It

Should speeches be written?

In this chapter, you will learn the preliminary steps to follow before you begin to write the speech. First, let's deal with a question that almost always arises in discussions of speech making: Should a speaker even use a written speech?

Some experts argue against it. They say a written speech is nothing more than a crutch. When a speaker uses a written speech, so goes the argument, he or she tends to read it word for word and it comes out stiff and stilted. It's true, of course, that nothing can be duller than a speech delivered in an expressionless, droning voice by a speaker whose eyes are glued to a written script. But such a performance is the fault of the speaker, not the manuscript. Some people can speak well ...