Martin Luther King, Jr.
Every year about this time, a speechwriter’s fancy turns to the eloquence of one of the greatest orators of the 20th century – Martin Luther King, Jr. The guy was a master. We can all learn a lot from him and his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
As Andrew Dlugan, founder and editor of Six Minutes, points out, King skillfully used repetition to make his points. He not only repeated phrases to good effect, he repeated key themes.
At the risk of repeating myself, repetition is one of a public speaker’s best friends. Learn to use it to hammer home your key points.
Breaking into speechwriting
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one to think about Martin Luther King’s speaking skill this week. His birthday spawned countless articles, including this one from local Professional Writers of Austin.
The shoe was on the other foot for me in this piece. Instead of doing the interviewing and the writing, I was the interviewee. And I gave my best advice on how to write a great speech and how to break into the speechwriting business.
[Notice the mention of using repetition in speeches. But then, I’m repeating myself.]
The Eloquent Woman
I spend a lot of time listening to male speakers – they seem to be on the public stage a lot. But Denise Graveline, who runs don’t get caught, a coaching business for speakers, has made a specialty of listening to women speakers.
And she has a lot to offer speakers and speechwriters in her regular essays on females who make a difference with the spoken word. Check her out on The Eloquent Woman. You’ll find not only speech videos, but critiques as well.
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