Posted by I learned an interesting speech writing system from Dan Duckering. This system is a set of folders on my computer where I store speeches I have not written yet, speeches I am ready to present and speeches I have presented.
To create this system yourself, create the following three folders on your computer:
- Speeches to Write
- Speeches to Present
- Archive
Speeches to Write
The speeches to write folder is a place to store speeches you plan to write. Whenever you think of a speech you want to write, create a document with some notes about your speech idea and save it to your Speeches to Write folder. This will ensure that you don’t forget your speech idea and you can come back to it later when you decide to write your next speech.
Over time your speech ideas will build up in this folder and you will have several speeches waiting to be written. When you decide you want to prepare your next speech, go to your Speeches to Write folder and pick one of your speeches that you were planning to write. Now you take that speech idea and turn it into a full speech.
Once you have finished writing a speech, transfer it to your Speeches to Present folder.
Speeches to Present
The Speeches to present folder holds the speeches you have written that are ready to be presented. This folder is where you go when you want a speech to present. Just open your Speeches to Present folder, pick the speech you want to present, and then practice that speech out loud. After practicing your speech you will be ready to present your speech to your audience.
After you have presented your speech, move it to the Archive folder.
Archive
The Archive folder is a place to store the speeches you have presented. It serves as a library holding all of the speeches you have done. When you are done presenting a speech, you move it from your Speeches to Present folder to your Archive folder. Then you have a place to go to review the speeches you have done.
Speeches in the Archive folder are not necessarily complete. You may want to revisit a speech and present it again, so having it in your Archive folder allows you to return to your speech at a future date to revise the speech and then present it again.
Using this Speech Writing System
Now that you know about this three folder speech writing system, I have a few suggestions about how you can use it. First and foremost, make heavy use of the Speeches to Write folder. Any time you have an idea for a speech, add it to your Speeches to Write folder. If you are not at your computer, you could make a note on your cell phone or even on a notepad you carry with you, and you can then add it to your Speeches to Write folder when you are next at your computer.
In addition to capturing speech ideas, plan times to sit down and write your speeches. During your planned speech writing times, open your Speeches to Write folder and pick a speech idea that you want to turn into a full speech. Take the document with your speech idea and transform it into a full speech. When you are done writing your speech, place it into your Speeches to Present folder. You now have a ready made speech you can present the next time you are called on to give a speech.
So when do you write your speeches? Consider making it a regular habit. Don’t just sit down to write a speech because it is time to do a speech. Instead, write speeches on a regular basis. Then you will have several choices to pick from when it is time to do a speech.
When you are done presenting a speech remember to place it in your Archive folder. This will give you a library of speeches you can use again in the future and it will also be a place you can go to look at your past speeches anytime you feel like looking back.
Conclusion
Now that you know how this three folder speech writing system works, I recommend that you start using it yourself. You will find that you don’t lose your speech ideas because you are saving them to your Speeches to Write folder. You will also build up a library of speeches over time that you can use when you want to present a speech. You will have both speeches that you have not presented before as well as speeches that you have archived and can present again when you want to.
If you make speech writing a habit, you will slowly develop your speech library. You will find that your speech ideas don’t get lost and that they become full speeches that you can present whenever an opportunity to give a speech presents itself.
So my challenge to you is to create your three folder speech writing system and to get started working on your next speeches.