WindWord Communications Tips

Write a News Release that Stands Out
Media outlets receive numerous bids for their attention. If you send a news release, make sure you have a newsworthy story to tell. If a reference that shows you understand their audience profile can be tied in, so much the better. Keep it short.

Set the speech length when you begin the writing process
What's the best length for a speech?
How long is a piece of string?
Some say a speech should be 15 or 20 minutes, definitively. Some say it should be whatever the client or the event requires. It's not the only, or even the most important, factor; there are probably at least 11 dimensions to consider. But this should be part of the planning, rather than the editing, stage.

Establish your credibility
You'll have to do this within the first few moments when you are making a presentation, unless you moonlight as an A-list celebrity (and even then, in some situations). There are many ways to do this, but the basic one is to know your stuff.

Make it interesting
A client recently told me that nine out of 10 presentations he attends at conferences are boring. If your audience is bored, they stop listening. If they stop listening, you aren't communicating, and that will be costly. Work on the writing, work on the PowerPoint, and work on your delivery.

Prepare for another ending
If you are going to have a Question and Answer session at the end of your speech, take the time to write a second powerful conclusion that you will use after the last question. (The first one goes at the end of the speech and before the Q and A.) Leave the audience thinking about your message, rather than the thoughts of the final questioner. Don't just look around the room, ask "any more questions?", say thank you, and then bolt the stage. On the other hand, keep your remarks brief, and don't ramble on and on. Don't just fade away -- finish strong. 

Don't waste your visuals
Make sure the slides, the pictures and the text are large enough -- a nine-point font just won't cut it! Capture your audience's attention before you start showing the slides. And once the presentation is rolling along, talk to the people and not to the screen.  

Get it right
Mispronunciation damages the impression you leave -- unless you are really, really good at making a joke to smooth things over when you mangle a word. Take the time to check on any unfamiliar names of people or places.

Plan to communicate
If you are behind the eight-ball in an emergency situation and you have to meet the press in half an hour, use the time to decide who is the best person to speak, what should be said, what are the best and worst-case scenarios and possible outcomes, and what is the biggest and potentially most damaging fire to put out first. Better yet, pull out the crisis communications plan you had the foresight to develop when things were calm and business was slow.

Renovate your script
If you have a tendency to deliver a report or a speech in a monotone, try woodshedding the written material. Also, make sure that you, and others writing for you, are writing for the ear.

Be concise
A sound-bite in an edited broadcast news report can be as short as seven seconds. Try not to speak in complex, convoluted, or run-on sentences. Your comments might be cut off -- or not included at all.

Take every opportunity
If you get an invitation to speak or present, seize it even if you are nervous -- especially if you are nervous. If you work in a large organization, though, first make sure you are onside with whatever policy there may be on representing the company, firm, department, or assocation, particularly in the media. 

Control your topic
The scope of a speech or any piece of written material has to be limited. Six main points are probably too many; three or four are best. We can, of course, debate the definition of a "main point", but generally, plan to concentrate rather than be comprehensive.

Delegate judiciously
In a crisis communication situation, the spokesperson role should not be shared. Choose the individual carefully.

Marshal your thoughts
If a reporter calls, take five or 10 minutes to think over your responses to the questions you can anticipate. Try to turn a media inquiry into an opportunity -- set a goal for the conversation. As they say in the martial arts, if you aim at nothing, you are sure to hit it.

Narrative is golden
Last week, an exec in a hurry asked for my best piece of advice in 25 words or less. Here it is, in four: "Don't write a speech".
He took it rather personally at first, thinking it was a judgment on his particular abilities. But when I added the next four, he saw my point: "Tell them a story." Then, he asked how you do that -- and do it effectively, consistently, and skillfully.
That is where my next several million words (give or take a few)  come in. And why he might have to take a little more time.

Speak with your audience, rather than at them
For those of you who instinctively know what this means, there is nothing I can add. Keep on doing what you're doing, and be who you are. But for those of you who have been told that you seem to speak "at" people, (or, even worse, "down to" them), these thoughts may help. Make eye contact (and not just with your assistant, sitting in the front row!). Watch your listeners' faces and respond to their cues. Conduct a mental "conversation" with your audience; pause before an important point and imagine someone asking you a question that will lead directly to that statement. This is also a technique that can speed up the process of writing a speech or an article -- imagine your listener or reader asking a series of questions, then give them the answers. Avoid explicitly stating the questions, though, except perhaps occasionally, for effect.

Three Strikes in a Media Interview
You get your facts wrong. You misquote somebody. You lose your temper.
You're out.

The oldest tip in the book
Practice, practice, practice. Even if you've made dozens -- or hundreds -- of speeches in the past, you've never given this particular speech to this particular audience. And even if you have given this particular speech to this audience before, if you practice anyway you might be surprised at the new nuances or ideas that arise. Everyone who competes or communicates at a high level puts in many hours of practice and thought, to reach that state of excellence, and to maintain it. It's nice to have talent but it's not enough. Think of athletes and the structured, disciplined way they approach their training. Think of musicians, actors, and dancers who rehearse and take classes all of their lives. If you want to shine, you have to polish.

Recognize your two audiences, when you are doing a media interview
You are not speaking just to the reporter asking the questions, but also to the readers, listeners, and viewers with whom you want to communicate. If a reporter seems hostile, uninformed, confused, or even bored, keep in mind that the interview is an opportunity to go "over his head" to your "real" audience.

Think about your microphone
I was watching one of the new reality/competition TV shows recently and saw the host make an unfortunate mistake with the placement of the microphone. It was a relatively large, hand-held mic and the host had it right up under his nose, covering half of his face (which was a shame, because it was a nice face, and which was a distraction that interfered with the show). If you need a microphone for your speech, presentation, or TV interview, use something wireless that hangs around your neck or pins on a lapel or collar. If it has to be a hand-held, hold it a few inches below your chin, project your voice with confidence, and let the sound system and technicians do the rest.

Clear destination and broad imagination
Strategic planning for external communications takes the same approach as designing a financial plan, a marketing plan, an operations plan, an organizational plan, or a governance plan: multiple objectives, multiple goals, multiple timelines -- and one vision.

Arrange for a "First Listener"
Novelists, playwrights, and poets often cultivate a relationship with a "first reader" - a person who sometimes receives enthusiastic thanks in the dedication of a book. This person reads the novel or play in manuscript form and gives the writer his or her first inkling of how the new material may be received.

If you're going to give a speech or make an appearance in the media, try to find a "first listener" who will sit still through your presentation and give you honest feedback that you can use to practice. Some people arrange for a coach. Depending on the relationship, you might ask your spouse, or perhaps a sibling, friend or trusted colleague would help. Someone you supervise at work or someone you report to? Probably not the best choice.

Go to your first listener after you've written and rewritten your words, rehearsed them alone, and made the presentation as good as you possibly can. Don't waste everybody's time, if you're not ready. Listen carefully to every comment -- make the effort to incorporate and use the advice. If possible, set up a reciprocal arrangement with someone who also is called upon to make speeches or answer questions in the media.

Please mouse through the paragraphs above to find links to pages with more detail about our services, and email info@windwordcommunications.com with any questions.