Formatting Tips: The Final Step before Your Speech

I’d like to kick off my December blog by thanking you, my readers. I hope you’ve found my public speech hacks helpful over the last 12 months. In 2020, I’ll continue to provide speaking tips, but I’m also going to include short reviews of speeches. I’ll look at what works – what felt compelling, what moved us to action – as well as what could have been done better. I hope you’ll continue to follow me and share my posts from time to time. 

For today’s blog, I’ve decided to answer a question that I’ve been asked many times before. It’s not the sexiest topic but it’s the final step in making sure your delivery comes off smoothly. 

How Do You Format a Speech? 

The right format is the one that brings out the best in the speaker. Some people prefer Calibri 22-point font, single spaced. Others opt for larger font, double spaced. Use the format that’s right for you. 

If you’re not sure, here’s a starting point:  Verdana 24 point with 1.5 spacing and 1-inch margins.  My speech formats look like this which – to invoke the holiday spirit – is formatted to Bill Murray’s transformative moment in Scrooged, based on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol:

What Else Do You Need to Know about Formatting?

1. Number all the pages in case they get out of order on the podium or worse, you drop the speech. (I’ve seen it happen. Not pretty.)

2. Never bleed a sentence from one page to the next. Turning the page is a simple act but, when you’re nervous in front of a hundred people, it becomes oddly enough more complicated. Avoid orphans and you’ll avoid stumbling.

3. Leave the bottom third of each page blank. This prevents speakers from looking down too much (i.e., putting their forehead on the podium). The result is better eye contact.

4. The speech you write is called, “Remarks as Prepared.” The speech you actually give is called, “Remarks as Delivered.” These distinctions are helpful if you’re sharing your speech with others. The press, for example, will often request the former so they can get a jump on drafting their story before your speech. Then they’ll use Remarks as Delivered to confirm the quotes used in the speech.

5. If you don’t want anyone to scoop you, write “Embargoed Until Delivery” in the header section at the top. This will (in theory) prevent anyone from posting it until you’ve given your remarks. If this isn’t necessary, use the header to note which version of the speech it is. Example: Semi-Final Draft, 12.25. 19.

Looking for a trainer to improve your team’s communication skills? In the last 2 months, I did just that in Washington, DC, Phoenix, and Colorado Springs. I’d love to come to your city in 2020. Reach out anytime at Rose at rose@rosespeechwriter.com.

Welcome 2020! Next year, I’ll put a new spin on my blog by taking on speech reviews. See you then! [Photo Credit: Jamie Street on Unsplash.]