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How to Hire a Freelance Speechwriter

As you know, public speaking is a seasonal activity. Fall and Spring are very busy. They're prime time for conferences, seminars, conventions, symposia, and commencements. During the Summer, too many people are on vacation. And from Thanksgiving to New Year's, audience calendars are full of social events.

Since each speech is custom-made, your usual speechwriter can't use slow times to build inventory.

Sooner or later, you'll need a freelance speechwriter. Breaking in a new one is a high-stakes game. Think relief pitcher at the bottom of the ninth in a must-win game. Deadlines never move. Execs and staff are always way too busy.

So, what criteria do you use to find a capable freelancer?

A lot of organizations look for an expert in their field. Someone who's already written about their industry. But this misses a big point. Sure, your speech deals with your industry. But more importantly, your speech is about a very specific topic that's tailored to a very specific audience. You are the content expert. The speechwriter's job is to translate your ideas into words, tone, and impact that will work for your specific audience. Perhaps industry experience alone is not the #1 criterion.

If it's a really big-deal speech, you might be tempted to hire a big name -- one with a platinum resume and a sky-high fee. I've seen this work really well. A big name (well-known columnist for Time magazine) writes a big speech for a big fee (north of $20,000 in today's money.) The result? A successful outing that was worth the tab.

I've also seen the "big-name strategy" bomb. A Fortune 100 company gave their chief speechwriter "early retirement" -- and contracted with a Washington, DC, hotshot speechwriter. The script was completely off the mark. The retired speechwriter wound up rewriting it.

Here's a freelance speechwriter selection strategy that works. Ask your top candidate to write a thorough audience analysis -- including the three most important ideas the audience wants and/or needs to hear. Pay for this audience analysis. You're going to need one anyway.

A thorough audience analysis is a window into the freelance speechwriter's thinking, analytical ability, writing skill, interest in your topic, and motivation to do a great job.

Aristotle, who knew a thing or two about writing, said, "Well begun is half done." A strong audience analysis that focuses on what the audience wants and needs is always a good beginning.

What Do Audiences Really Want?

They want, at minimum, three things.

First, they want to connect with the speaker. They've already sat through way too many remote, aloof speeches and presentations. Audiences want a real person -- not a disembodied voice in the dark reading PowerPoint bullets. Authenticity is so rare in business today you'd think it costs $1 million an ounce. It doesn't. To be an authentic speaker, wear your passion for your topic on your sleeve. Look right into the eyes of audience members. And have a conversation with them.

The second thing audiences look for in most speeches is a hint of entertainment. There's no law against being lively, engaging, and interesting. Don't get me wrong. People aren't expecting you to be Jay Leno or Jon Stewart. Your audience doesn't need big laughs to be entertained.

When you speak, lighten up. Show the audience that you're serious about your topic. But also show them you're not overly somber and serious about yourself. An anecdote about you -- plus a little self-deprecating humor -- can lift the proceedings. To audiences, the ponderously solemn speaker comes across as self-important and self-involved.

The third thing audiences look for is meaning. They want you to fit your organization into the bigger picture. Every organization -- profit or nonprofit; private or public sector -- exists to create value. Tell your audience in really specific terms how you create value for them and for our society. When you connect what your organization does with what your audience knows in their hearts, you create meaning.

Connect with your audience. Lighten up. And show them a meaningful big picture. When you do these three things, you open the door to understanding and acceptance.

Looking for a New Speechwriter? Grow Your Own.

As a senior executive who makes public speeches and presentations, sooner or later, you'll need to find a new speechwriter. Things change. Good speechwriters get promoted. Some leave. And when they're gone, a lot of your hard work goes with them.

Finding a new speechwriter isn't something you can completely delegate. You need to meet with candidates and size them up.

The toughest part of finding a new speechwriter isn't the candidate’s content expertise, age, experience, or salary level.

It's chemistry.

Good chemistry with your speechwriter means you're both on the same wavelength. You have the same worldview. And there is that indefinable connection that's the foundation of trust.

Bad chemistry is much harder to put your finger on. It's an uneasiness between two people that makes close, working partnerships problematic. Unfortunately, chemistry is the toughest quality to get a handle on during the candidate interview.

Now there's a way to solve the chemistry problem.

Develop your own, in-house speechwriting talent.

I'm starting a speechwriter training course called Speechwriting 101: Learn by Doing. It's an intensive, hands-on, 14-week program in the craft of speechwriting created for busy, working professionals. For more information, check out the blogsite: http://speechwriting101.typepad.com.

Now you can put one of your high-potential, hotshot communications professionals into a program that teaches the foundation skills of good speechwriting. And they can complete the program while still doing their regular job.

Speechwriting 101 is not a three-day training seminar. It's not a standard, butts-in-seats, classroom course. Instead, every student gets customized and individualized assignments and detailed, in-depth feedback from me during our weekly phone conversations.

Writing assignments for your speechwriter-to-be will be built around the big issues in your organization. Your issues, challenges, pain points, and hot buttons. There is nothing "generic, one-size-fits-all" about this program.

As a veteran speechwriter with 24 years of CEO-level experience, I've seen it all -- many times over. Now I'm teaching the next generation.

Send me one of your best. In 3 1/2 months, I'll give you back someone who knows what it takes to write a strong, effective speech.

Open Your Speech with a Fresh Headline

The first minutes of your speech are crucial. During this time, the audience is testing you and your content. Is this worth listening to? Am I going to get anything out of it? Or is this e-mail and surf-the-Web time?

Here's a way to grab your audience by the lapels at the very beginning. Link a big idea in your speech to a fresh headline from this morning's newspaper or website.

Bringing your speech right up to the minute does wonders for audience attention and engagement.

One of my favorite speakers used an offbeat newspaper story to make an important point about his company's financial stability. This was a few years back -- in the days of the Enron implosion, $6,000 shower curtains, and CEO perp walks.

Our speaker summarized a newspaper article from that morning's New York Times about a disgraced executive who used company money to finance cosmetic surgery for the exec’s dog.

He described his own company's conservative financial philosophy. No debt. No "contracts" with the auditors. No tolerance for creative accounting.

Then he announced, "There will be no facelifts for poodles at our company."

Your fresh new story can be precooked to a degree. You already know the big ideas in your speech. Lots of news stories are continuing and episodic. Find someone on your team who’s a current events junkie and can creatively link unlikely topics in an entertaining way. When a target of opportunity pops up, drop it into the opening of your speech.

These days, audiences are pretty jaded. They've heard it all. Give them a surprise and a treat -- a fresh-from-the-oven headline that wraps around your big idea.