When you are due to give a speech, it's no bad thing to make sure it's not a wooden scripted speech. Now we have no complaint with a scripted speech. Scripts are good. They keep you on track, on message, and importantly, they keep you to the time available. Since you should never take your audience's time for granted. That's another top tip for any public speaker.
Aim to Avoid a Wooden Scripted Speech
Don't Be Wooden When You Deliver Your Speech
No, it's the wooden speech that we don't care for. We heard such an example with this Governor's speech from Mark Carney. But, really, there's no need to be wooden in your delivery of any speech…let alone a Prime Minister's speech. It's true that the current Prime Minister in his Majesty's government doesn't have the tonal range, variability, or tempo of some of his predecessors, but is that an excuse? Because his speech on 21 January proved mediocre at best.
This is particularly apt when we read that the leader of His Majesty's Opposition employed a dramatist during the period 2017 to 2020. And perhaps a bit longer, if the truth be told.
The classically trained dramatist, who advised the Prime Minister for five years, is proud of her work. ‘The transformation,’ she said, ‘has been enormous’.
?? Jawad Iqbal https://t.co/47f9F3r4uh— The Spectator (@spectator) February 3, 2025
And her job? Apparently it was to assist him with his speech delivery and answering questions from the media in a non-robotic manner.
And did it work? Well, you can be the judge of whether the UK Labour Party secured value for money from the dramatist. Still, he's now the
Prime Minister, so clearly the King reckoned he was suited to lead his Majesty's government.
EXC: In 2017, Shakespearean actress Leonie Mellinger received a call from Keir Starmer's office.
"Wooden" on stage, he needed help with his speeches.
For four years the speaking coach was the secret member of his inner circle.
Story w @Gabriel_Pogrundhttps://t.co/bcLZZ2bSts— Patrick Maguire (@patrickkmaguire) February 1, 2025
A Wooden Scripted Speech Won't Work
At any rate, as the Leader of the Opposition in 2020, he might have employed a stage or props manager to help him deliver his first speech as Labour leader. It was a bleak backdrop that added up to a bleak acceptance speech on that odd occasion.
Tips To Ensure You Avoid a Wooden Scripted Speech
Nobody really wants to give a wooden, scripted speech if they're at all honest. But scripts will always be useful as they keep you on track and on time for example. So, you'll need to work at some of the fundamentals when you want to come across as lively and energetic in your delivery. These pointers should help:
- 1Make sure your script is legible and the text is well-spaced.
- 2Practise your speech meticulously and aim to become really familiar with its flow and rhythm. Yes, there's a rhythm to good delivery.
- 3Work on your pauses.
- 4Develop a tempo that's changeable. Don't be metronomic.
- 5Smile and look human.
When you need to quickly discover some top public speaking tips, you'll find plenty of tips for every occasion with Time to Market. And, with more than 100 top tips for speakers and presenters everywhere, there's something for every occasion. Plus, when you're ready to advance your own public speaking skills that bit further, without engaging the skills of a dramatist, then you're always welcome to enroll on an online public speaking course.
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