Last month, Mixte gave San Diego’s top communicators front row seats to the 2019 Speechwriters and Executive Communicators Conference. Our special livestream featured talks from high-profile speechwriters, including President Barack Obama’s former White House speechwriter Sarada Peri and Mark Katz from the Soundbite Institute.
Check out our top five takeaways below:
1. Get to know who you are writing for
Waterkeeper Alliance President Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the organization’s 20th anniversary press conference.
Learn how your organization’s spokesperson approaches challenges, sees the world, and interprets your mission. When speechwriting for them, don’t create their voice, find it.
2. Strategically choose when to use your CEO, business owner or executive director’s voice – or someone else’s
Museum of Photographic Arts Executive Director and Chief Curator Deborah Klochko posing with a flower crown.
Having the right person to represent your organization and push your messaging is vital for successful PR and marketing… and that’s not always your organization’s leader. Sometimes a message can be better conveyed through an HR director or salesperson. Embrace that. At the same time, watch for fun moments when your organization’s head should speak to amplify their voice (like executive director of MOPA Deborah Klochko pictured above, having fun with media at a press breakfast).
3. Use your phone’s voice recorder
Record your conversations with your organization’s spokespeople and/or leaders. You will be surprised at how much you missed the first time when listening back on your recordings. Now, without distractions, you can note voice inflections and gain clarity on the message they want to send target audiences.
4. Read your room
Mixte staff and friends at the 2019 Speechwriters and Executive Communicators Conference livestream.
Read up on the knowledge the room knows and play off that. Do some research on who will be present at your speech or press conference. If you know your audience is interested in a particular topic, don’t dare ignore that. Conceding the obvious — what’s currently on their minds — allows the speaker to relate to the room, thus winning over listeners.
5. Humanize your speaker
San Diego Bike Coalition Executive Director Andy Hanshaw speaking to media at the organization’s largest annual ride Bike the Bay.
While there are many factors to sharing a personal experience that will resonate with your audience, authenticity is the first and most important element. Leverage this skill by considering your audience and timing.
People connect to stories. Encourage your organization’s spokesperson to get personal with their audience to increase their credibility, while also easing people into relating to them. As we know, the most influential people are those who are credible, likable and admired. Don’t hide the gems in your leader’s backstory.
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