PUBLIC RELATIONS PRODUCTION TOPIC: IF YOU WERE REQUESTED TO DRAFT A 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPEECH TO BE DELIVERED BY YOUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, WHAT WILL YOU CONSIDER IN PUTTING TOGETHER THE SPEECH. BY DULCIE DELALI ATTIPOE

A speech is a presentation made orally, sometimes written and presented to a target audience at a specific time and occasion. In other words a speech is a statement intended to be passed on to the target audience. Speeches are for the ear and therefore your audience cannot seek for clarification and they are transit in nature. It should be long.

Speeches are important tools used among other things to educate, provide insight about a particular occasion, persuade and influence the public, inform or announce something, activate or manipulate, entertain and celebrating an event. As a Public Relations officer, you are responsible for the communication between your organization and their publics and a speech is one of the tools used to communicate to the publics. It is therefore the duty of the Public Relations Officer to write those speeches as it falls within the functions of Public Relations personnel.  

There are several types of speeches including; informative speech, persuasive speech, manipulative speech, entertainment speech among others but the type of speech to write will depend on the occasion or event. For the 50^th anniversary of my organization, a celebrative speech will be appropriate for my Chief Executive. Also, the speech must be able to promote the organization and enhance its reputation.

Considering the nature of speeches, it preparation and writing requires a careful approach and considerations. Being the Public Relations Manager for the organization, I need to put certain things into consideration when writing a speech for the 50^th anniversary celebration to be delivered by my Chief Executive.

The first step is to identify the speech’s purpose or objective. In writing a speech, you have two objectives: Making a good impression and leaving your audience with two or three takeaways. The purpose of the speech will influence its content. I must therefore carry out a research taking into account what message the speech aims to convey. What I want to accomplish with the 50^th anniversary speech? What actions or behavioral changes do I want the audience to make? Do I want to inform, persuade or demonstrate? To be effective, my objective must be clearly stated. Failing to do so could be devastating.

In order to influence others, I will also have to understand the subject well. I have to find a subject which my Chief Executive is passionate about and will be happy to speak about. “The listener does not want to hear a speech about something that you don't even care about.” When choosing the topic, it will be necessary for me to consider its relevance to the field and the audience.

Moreover, I will have to identify and know my audience. This is the most important factor to consider when writing my speech. The audience will determine the perception of the speech. I must therefore tailor the speech to suit the needs of the audience. I have to understand the audience's perception of the subject and doing so requires a research of my audience, and try my best to learn what obstacles are in place to block them from seeing the subject from our point of view by writing these obstacles down.

To be effective I must speak the language of my audience. It is crucial to know what interests them because whenever you design a speech with your audience’s interests in mind you increase your chances of success. Speeches must be written in language which the audiences can comprehend. If I use terminologies that our audience is not familiar with I might not convey our message.

Furthermore, I will have to get a good knowledge of my Chief Executive and know his choice of words. The kind of words he is comfortable with and likes using. I am therefore required to research and read past speeches delivered or written by him.

The style and gestures of my Chief Executive is necessary, how he manipulates his voice when speaking will all need serious consideration.

Format I will be using to write the speech should be considered. I will prefer the normal format, to write an introduction, the main body and end with a logical conclusion.

Another thing to consider is the time. If our speech is limited to certain time frames then I will need to write accordingly and ensure that my speech will neither be too short nor too long to the audience. The clearer the directions for the speech, the greater chance it has to succeed. A successful speech will engage the intellect and the emotions to effect a change in behavior.

Writing a speech mainly involves four steps which include the Preparation stage, Interview stage, Research stage, and Organization of the main writing.

In the preparation stage, I will attempts to answer the question of who my speaker is, my audience, the subject, the venue and the expected impact. This stage is the very first and most vital for a successful and result oriented speech writing as I try to find answers to some pertinent questions. Having identified the topic, that is a 50^th anniversary of my organization, I have to first identify the type of speech which should narrate the good and difficult moments that the organization has gone through, where the organization is now and to provide insight into where the organization is heading to in the future.

The interview stage is where I need to interview my Chief Executive which will help me know what he wants to say, his mannerisms, and general sense of humor. He will also have the chance to tell me what he is interested in saying on the anniversary day.

Research stage is such that after interviewing my Chief Executive, information at hand is inadequate. I will have to speak to experts, read literature, and talk to people who are highly knowledgeable in that subject area and its organizations. I will prefer to seek advice from other Public Relations Officers.

The organization stage entails the introduction, the body and the conclusion. In the introduction, I will prefer to give a brief summary of what my Chief Executive proposes to say and why he is saying that. This is the stage I have to connect with the audience. I should be able to tell them what the topic is and its importance. Writing an introduction which demands the attention of the audience is crucial to an effective speech. There are many methods that can be applied to get the audience’s attention. One can use a quote, a story, an anecdote, a rhetorical question, suspense and of course, humor. Humor, properly used, can be extremely effective however, it can also be risky.

The main body should be arranged in a chronological manner. Apart from arranging it in order, I will divide it into sub-topics using Transitions; sometimes, audiences won’t recognize what’s important. That’s why you use transitional phrases to signal intent. I should have my data, fact, statistics, short stories, comparison, to support issues that I raise. It would be hugely disappointing for the audience if after building their expectations I gave them nothing of substance to challenge their minds. So after getting their attention and all eyes are fixed on my CEO, we give them what they want or need. We will give the substance that demonstrates that we are worthy of their ears.

The conclusion should be a summary of the speech. I can mention the salient point and re-state memories or charge them to take an action; it all depends on the purpose. The conclusion should be prepared as well as any other part of the speech. The conclusion is our chance to summarize the body of the speech, reference the introduction and to end the speech with a call to action or a statement that challenges the audience’s thought. I have to illustrate my creative skills in devising a conclusion that hits the hearts and minds of our audience.

Other considerations also includes; practicing the speech privately, discovering weaknesses, editing the speech, making sure that the speech really focuses on the topic, and that it is coherent and united (in the sense that all items are more or less related to the topic). The audience is made up of listeners. They have only one chance to comprehend the information as you read it, so your speech must be well-organized and easily understood. The 50th anniversary speech must be Memorable. An excellent speech does not require a brilliant speaker but the key is preparation.