In many movies and TV shows, a character will come up with an insightful or clever line of dialogue at just the right moment. It’s almost as if they had a speech planned from the very beginning!
In real life, most of us don’t have speeches like that in our back pockets all the time. That doesn’t mean we can’t come up with spontaneous one-liners from time to time. Just ask this Mallory Mcmorrow.
Mallory Mcmurry is a speech writer for President Andrew Jackson who once spoke about his experience being born on January 7th: “On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me seven Mcs, six Mcs and five more Mcs.” Yep, you read that right. The first president was born on Mallory’s special day so he thought it would be funny to give him an engraved pocket watch and invite him to dinner every year on his birthday in return.
What You Need to Be a Speech Writer
If you’re looking to be a speech writer, you’ll need lots of creativity. You will also need to be detail-oriented and able to stay calm under pressure.
Speech writers are responsible for writing in papers, notes, or speeches given by the president or other influential people. You would work directly with these people but you would have to write on their time. Speech writers must also work efficiently and provide great service. When it comes time to deliver the speech, they are often required to give speeches as well so they can get an understanding of what actually goes into delivering such an important speech day after day.
How to Become a Speech Writer
Speech writers have a variety of responsibilities. They work to help create and write speeches for high-profile public speakers, as well as help with writing press releases, speeches for employees or other communication styles.
If you’re interested in becoming a speech writer, your best bet would be to get experience first. You can start doing freelance work for small companies or even organizations like the Department of Defense (DOD). Your next step is to learn how to become a copywriter. Copywriting is similar to speech writing but the focus is on writing articles rather than speeches. Once you’ve mastered copywriting, it’s time to find an agency that will help guide you through the process and provide feedback if needed. Finally, when you’re ready, talk with people who are already working in this field and ask them about their experiences in order to make sure you’ll like working in this industry before investing in yourself.
The speech example
from Mallory Mcmurry
Mallory Mcmurry’s story, as he tells it, is that he was living in Springfield, Illinois when his true love gave him a pocket watch engraved with the words “On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me seven Mcs, six Mcs and five more Mcs.” Mallory recounts that his wife asked him to take care of the first president of the United States on his birthday, and he responded by giving President Andrew Jackson an engraved pocket watch. He would dine with Jackson every year on January 7th after the dinner.
In this example of a speech given by Mallory Mcmurry, he’s trying to illustrate how relationships work in real life. The idea is that you don’t have to always be so serious―you can still have fun even though you’re with someone for a long time.
How to deliver the speech in real life
The speech is short and sweet, but how do you deliver it in real life?
– The first step is to get the thumbs up from your boss. Here’s a list of topics that are typically approved for public speaking:
– Inspirational
– Motivational
– Positively Performing in team settings
– Leadership
– Why your company is great
– Giving back to the community
This list is by no means exhaustive, so feel free to create your own list. You might also want to consult with someone else at work who may be able to help you.
Conclusion
You know what this means?
You are finally getting ready to graduate and are looking for your first job. You want to break into the world of public speaking and become a speech writer. You want to make a difference in the world and you want a challenging and rewarding job.
I know how you feel, so I’ve created this guide to help you figure out what it takes to become a speech writer.
Good luck!
