Do you remember the classical times when Cicero had finished speaking, the people said, ‘How well he spoke’, but when Demosthenes had finished speaking, they said, ‘Let us march!’

- Adlai Stevenson 1900-65: introducing John F. Kennedy in 1960; Bert Cocharn Adlai Stevenson (1968)

Every leaders in any and every field under the sun know that communication is key to their success. They know that the moment they open their mouth and when the words start pouring, many appreciate, criticise, judge and wonder upon their words. Sometimes, his speech kills of the crowd. Instead of raising sympathy and support, a leader’s speech can cause anger and resentment!

Refining my Services: Speechwriting

Since I started out as a freelance corporate writer, I have went through many options and conducted many researches as to where and what to offer my service as. From identifying fields and industry, I proceeded to specialise in four types of project. Upon further reflection and analysis, I offer for your benefit my specialisation: speechwriting.

Experiences

As I have written in an earlier entry (Writing for the Senator), I have -  so far – produced two speeches for a distinguished member of the House of Senate, Parliament of Malaysia. Both speeches were in Bahasa Malaysia and in formal parliamentary style. In that entry, you can view at least one of the speech with reference to the Hansard.

My personal experience also assists you. On 4-6 February 2005, I presented a research paper at the National-level Students’ Conference at the Sherwood Hotel, Langkawi. This event was organised by Universiti Teknologi MARA Kedah. The title of that research paper is Students Perception on the Concept of World Class University. Later that year, I represented Universiti Teknologi MARA Kedah, again, at the inaugural Vice Chancellor’s Public Speaking Challenge at Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia; I went to the Finals, emerging Second for the Social Science and Humanities cluster. These are my two successes in the past, on top of on-going activities and participation in a number of events.

Let me assure you, that though I may have stopped these public engagement, it does not mean that the lake of knowledge has run dry. Rather it is being expanded with the copywriting skills and information which I have acquired from studying Bly, Vitale, James-Enger and Meanwell, among others. My legal education, too, ensures that the outcome of your speeches would not be substandard.

So the job title is?

While I do not emphasise much on my job title – I am, after all, still a writer and word smith – a change is necessary to avoid confusion. While I am still a corporate writer and copy consultant accepting general writing assignments, I am now better pigeon-holed as a freelance speech writer.

Target Market

Someone as smart as yourself would know by now that as long as you need to deliver a speech, you’ll need a speech writer. One who’s weave the words according to your style, priorities, image and message.

If you are organising an event and have several speakers, hire me to write down their speeches. Ease the burden on you.

Methodology & Fees

The previous entry sheds some light on my working methods and payment. For further information or wanting to see how things can work for you, email me now.

When I began my corporate writing career, I never did I think that it would ever ‘enter’ the Parliament of Malaysia. In fact, I never thought I’d even be doing speech writing. But time passed and I became aware of the untapped market of speech writing in Malaysia. Here’s a take on my first speech writing project:

How It Began

After the opening of the 1st Session of Parliament this year, I was contacted by the newly appointed Personal Secretary to YB Senator Dato Sri Empiang Jabu. He commissioned for the speech for the Motion of Thanks to the Royal Address and 20 questions for Question Time. The speech was delivered on May 27th, 2008 at 12.33 p.m. in the Dewan Negara (Dewan Negara Hansard at page 44).

Before I went to Shah Alam, once again I was commissioned to write another address to the Dewan for YB Senator. This time, the ‘theme’ of the address is in conjunction with the 9th Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Report tabled before the Dewan Negara. At time of writing this entry, looking for the Hansard page of when the second speech was delivered in the Dewan.

Work Methodology

While I’m at it, it’s best that I explain the work methodology.

When the Personal Secretary to YB Senator contacted me, he explained the purpose of the speech and the points which YB Senator would like to make. By purpose, I mean the occasion the speech was delivered for. For example in my experience above, it was the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address and the Motion on the Mid Term Report. If there are any other issues which needs attention, e.g. the image the client would like to portray, it should be pointed out during commission of the speech.

After the client’s briefing, I proceeded to plan the research, writing, proof-reading and delivery of the project. My research sources in past projects were input from the Personal Secretary, the newspapers (e.g. Borneo Post, The Star, NST, Bernama) and even the Hansard. Every now and then, something comes along in the media which would be relevant or suitable.

That over and done with, I begin writing the first draft. Bear in mind that the Personal Secretary have already briefed me on the time allocated to YB Senator; based on this do I write out the speech. We don’t want YB Senator to be named in the House, do we? After the drafts have been written and vetted, it will be emailed to the Personal Secretary for his review.

For the Question Time set, the Personal Secretary explained the areas which his employer wished to cover. How many questions needed depends on the client, again. As usual, the angle which the client wants to approach an issue also counts. The drafts would be emailed, again.

If you notice, I rely a lot on emails. I wish to keep it that way. That way things would be delivered faster. I do accept phone calls and text messages, though. These are for “rush projects”. What qualifies as a rush project? Supplimentary questions, of course.

How long does it take me to write? I will require at least 2 weeks for speeches and a week for Question Time sets.

Other information

Another client once asked me on how I felt writing for a legislator. My answer was simple: my job as a corporate writer is to write the speech which would benefit the client; irrespective of political ideology, political affiliation, creed, race, religion, custom and beliefs. Certainly the privacy of my clients would remain protected – do not expect me to use one speech against another or use any information I’m privy to to discredit another client. The key word is: professionalism.

The Cost?

By now, you must be wondering how much I charge for this writing service.

For a speech in Chambers (Dewan Rakyat, Dewan Negara, Dewan Undangan Negeri), I charge between RM100-RM250 per speech minutes.

For a Question Time set, depends on the number of questions: RM100 for 5 questions, RM150 for 10 questions, RM200 for 15 questions and RM400 for 20 questions. Supplementary questions will be charged RM20 per question, irrespective of number.

Email me or call me now for personalised quotation.