Collaboration

Embrace the Collab: Why speechwriters need to take collaboration seriously.

Collaboration the flavor of the month buzzword, or is it more than that? Speech writing should be collaborative. When a speaker works with a speechwriter, the word “with” is operative. It’s a dialogue.

I’ve had clients who have given me notes and want a speech returned. I can do that, but that’s second best. I want to have a sense of what the client wants from that speech beyond just their notes. This way I can understand their vision and goals and not just their message.

Similarly, I want them to respond to what I provide them. When time allows, their feedback can help refine my draft. Even when I worked with a client for years, each speech is unique.

Sure, there will be times when you’ve got to just run with it. The speaker and speechwriter must have tremendous trust, like that when you do a trust fall. That’s built on dialogue from previous conversations and speeches.

The end goal is that the speaker and speechwriter are working as a unit of two equals, helping the speaker bring their best to the podium.

Don’t let this concept of collaboration just be another business buzzword nobody applies. The difference it can make is more than just playing nice at work, but improve your overall communication skills. All you need to is listen actively, ask intelligent questions, and thereby remain in dialog and in a collaborative state. If you do this, keeping in mind the mission at hand, you can expect good things to follow. 

Have fun and keep writing great speeches! 

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