Giving a Speech Legs
November 16, 2009
Q. I’m in charge of communications for a state senator. He is developing a plan to reform education funding and will kick it off with a major speech. How can I make the most of this speech?
A: We like the way you think. Making the speech is only the beginning. You can give his speech legs in a number of ways:
- Put it on his website.
- Twitter immediately following the speech and encourage followers to visit the website for the text.
- Do the same on Facebook and LinkedIn.
- Write a short executive summary and e-mail the summary and full text to various audiences, including:
– The governor and her cabinet
– State superintendent of schools
– State school board
– Leaders of the House and Senate
– Members of his caucus
– Party leaders
– News media
– Donors
– Key constituents
– School superintendents in his district
– Largest employers in his district
– Chambers of Commerce in his district
– Opinion leaders in his district
– Heads of appropriate state associations and other education-related organizations.
- If you have the budget, turn the speech into a glossy, full-color brochure complete with his photo and mail it with a signed cover letter to audiences listed above. People are paying more attention to old-fashioned mail now because they are deluged with e-mail.
- Publish the summary in his constituent newsletter and encourage people to visit the website for the full text.
- Use the executive summary to turn it into an opinion piece for placement in newspapers.
Paula Blanchard Stone and Patty McCarthy are partners in McCarthyBlanchard, an executive training firm specializing in key message development, presentation skills training, media interview training and executive presence. Copyright © 2008 McCarthy Blanchard. | Website
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