Lately, I’ve been making plans to attend the upcoming Ragan Speechwriters and Executive Communicators Conference, March 14-16, 2012, in Washington, D.C. This is a topnotch event – one that I have attended many times because I get so much out of it.
The speakers are the best in the business and Ragan does an excellent job of coming up with timely topics and helpful information. Everyone from the beginning speechwriter to the most seasoned pro will benefit from this conference.
[Disclaimer: This is not a paid advertisement -- but it should be!]
To give you an idea of some of the things I learned at previous conferences, here are a few items:
Stories
Tell a story
Put extra effort into coming up with stories for your speeches. Keep your ear tuned for good stories in casual conversation or while you’re having coffee with a friend.
Remember – people don’t remember everything we say, but they remember the pictures we create in their minds. And stories create mental pictures.
Call audience members
This is something I have done and it really pays off. I find out who’s going to be in the audience and ask them what they’d like to hear from a speaker.
This technique really helps connect a speaker with his/her listeners.
Use mind mapping
An example of mind mapping
I have never been much on outlines. They just don’t work for me. But mind mapping is another thing. It’s an excellent way of organizing large amounts of information.
If you’ve never done mind mapping, here’s a concise explanation.
