By Divine Agodzo
If you watched Kevin Costner's eulogy to Whitney Houston, you'll agree it was quite moving. It was also a great speech, with all the key elements you learn about in speech writing class. Here is one speech writer's review of Costner's tribute and the seven ingredients that gave it impact.
1. Stories
This is perhaps the secret sauce of great speeches. Costner's eulogy had many, including stories of his life growing up in church and getting into trouble on Sunday for various pranks. Probably the story that gets our attention the most is that of Whitney Houston's screen test for the movie, The Bodyguard, when Costner recounts the singer's self doubt and his efforts to beef up her confidence. No matter your speech, try to include a couple of anedotes that support your message.
2. Suspense
Perhaps it has to do with his skills as a Hollywood actor, but Costner was able to keep us on the edge of our seats throughout his speech. When he says, "The song 'I will always love you' almost wasn't," he immediately piques your interest. By setting up his story this way, he builds up curiousity about what follows. The best example of this is when he shares the story of Houston's first few minutes on the set of Bodyguard. The filming is suddenly stopped and Houston is ushered back to her room by Costner. But why? What had really taken place just before, while Houston was alone? Then Costner gradually does the reveal. Where appropriate, build a bit of heightened expectation into your presentation, but don't stretch it for too long and make sure it's worth the wait.
3. Literary flourishes
I must confess I am partial to literary devices and the use of poetic language and cadences in a speech. To me, this is what makes a speech an art form and distinguishes it from a regular business presentation. Sprinkled through Costner's speech were rhetorical questions ("So, what becomes of our broken hearts?"); use of contrast ("She's a girl, you're a boy. You're white. She's black. We heard you like to sing, but our sister could really sing"); and metaphor ("She said I just wanted to look my best. It's a tree we could all hang from"). Costner also uses apostrophe - the literacy device, not the punctuation mark - when he addresses Houston directly, "So off you go, Whitney, off you go escorted by an army of angels, to your heavenly father. And when you sing before him, don't you worry, you'll be good enough." Don't make every presenter into a poet, but when the occasion calls for it, don't be afraid to inject some rhetoric into your speech.
4. Humour
This is one that I'm always careful with, because I'm a communicator, not a comic. But used well, humour can be effective, especially as an ice breaker. It's even trickier because of the funeral setting, but Costner pulls it off, with his story about how the hot lights melted Houston's make-up, for example, and his joke about whether applauding audiences really loved Houston, or were simply scared of her mom. However, don't force humour where it seems unnatural or where your presenter doesn't carry it well. And if you are not a natural jokester, go for subtle humour, especially at the beginning of your speech.
5. Knowing (and writing for) your audience
Costner's references to his Baptist roots; his early years growing up in church; the fact that his mother and aunt were singers in the choir; and even his love for singing wouldn't have worked for all audiences. But it was perfect for his intended audience. He was literally "preaching to the choir" and he connected. Do you know and understand your audience? Are there things you share in common? You get extra marks if you can weave some of this into your speech.
6. Writing for the ear
A good speech has a colloquial voice that is quite different from text meant for print. In parts of Costner's eulogy, you could almost "hear" the cowboy talking: "One of the men snapped down a red line where the choir would be standing one day and said, have at it. As many nails as you want. All on this line." Speech writers call this "writing for the ear." The best way I know to be good at this is to listen to a lot of good speeches.
7. News
Let's be honest, not a lot of speeches contain news. You can have a good speech without news, but if you have an element of news such as conflict, or novelty, that's great. What was the news in Costner's tribute to Houston? We learned for the first time that Houston nearly didn't get the role of Rachel in The Bodyguard because she was black. That was news. Do you want that speech to be covered by the press? It makes a big difference if you actually have something news worthy to announce.
No comments:
Post a Comment