Winning a talent competition or a speaking contest begins with good writing. So does any speech where you hope to change attitudes, entertain or lead people to action. Here is how to write the script.

Are you planning to vie for the coveted Miss Universe title? Perhaps not, but there is a lot to be learned from “talent competitions” and speech contests about being an effective speaker. A well-crafted speech can win speaking contests at Toastmasters. It can win a seat on the school board or town council. Or it can win people to your cause.

I will share two example talent competition speeches with you, along with some analysis. You might notice a few (or several) things that I don’t cover. Feel free to add them in the comments.

Then I will share a sample talent competition speech we wrote for a client, as an example of a good speech competition script. [Read more…]

How do you inspire a divided nation to unite around a common cause? With poetry, of course.

The world was held spellbound on January 20, 2021, as a 22-year-old read poetry composed almost up to the last minute for Joe Biden’s inauguration.

There have been only seven inaugural poets in US history. Amanda Gorman is the youngest. And two weeks prior to her recital, she was still struggling to put it all together. [Read more…]