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writing a speech
Writing a speech
A guide for those who work for an MP
Added: 12 February 2004
This is not a guide to rhetoric. It is not a guide on how to turn your MP into a renowned orator. This is simply a guide to researching a speech and putting it together in a way that is suitable for your MP.
Your Member will have views on how they want a speech prepared. Some will want bullet points, some will want statistics and some will want a speech in full.
Preparing the ground
When you are writing a speech for your MP, the first thing to do is to gather together as much information as possible on the subject. How do you do this?
- Phone the library (x6767) and ask for the research officer who deals with your subject area. Ask them to send copies of recent research papers that have been written on the subject of the speech or any other relevant information they have to hand.
- Obtain copies of other debates and Questions on the subject area. Use the Parliamentary intranet to download the extracts from Hansard.
- Use an Internet search to find any useful websites that might give you useful information or point you in the right direction for the speech content.
- Are there any professional bodies, pressure groups, NGOs etc that have views on the subject and would provide a briefing?
- Look at the newspaper websites for recent reports on the subject.
- Try to find an angle that relates to your Member’s constituency.
When you have all this information, sift through it to get only the most relevant parts to include in the finished product. If there is an interested body prepared to help, don’t be shy about asking them to write the first draft of the speech. But never hand over that draft without adapting it to your Member’s priorities and idiosyncrasies.
The aim of the speech
Then think of the aim of the speech: whom are you trying to persuade? And what are you trying to persuade them? Think about your use of the information you have recovered: will you seek to persuade the audience with a fact-based speech? Or will you try to persuade them through lofty rhetoric? Other things that you should find out: how should you address the audience (‘My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen’ or ‘Dear friends of Ray Lodge Primary School’)? How long should the speech be? Will there be a supplementary speech, responding to another speaker? Are there multiple audiences? If it is a speech in Parliament, what is the one line that encapsulates the message that you will send the media as a quote from the speech?
Writing the speech
Now you are ready to start writing. What should you do before scribbling away? First, think of the audience for the speech: you should not adopt the same tone for a speech to parents and teachers in the local primary school as you would for a speech in the House of Commons. In the Commons there are specific conventions about how certain people and places are described. The best way to learn these conventions is to attend debates, watch them on television and read them in Hansard.
Some examples of Parliamentary Language
|
Honourable Member for… |
To describe a Member |
|
My Honourable friend |
In reference to an MP from the same Party |
|
Honourable and Learned |
A Member who is also a Barrister |
|
This Place |
The House of Commons |
|
The Other Place |
The House of Lords |
So now, start writing. Try to write in the same style as your MP’s past speeches. Start off by introducing the subject (although it may be that you can assume some prior knowledge in your audience). The middle of the speech should explain your point of view, using the information obtained earlier. When summing up, you should briefly restate your arguments and leave your audience with one lasting image in their minds. Remember that the conclusion is the one part of the speech that everybody will carry away with them: make it memorable, and make sure that the audience understand the main theme of the speech.
Finalising the speech
After writing the speech, read through again and again. A first draft always tends to be longer than the finished article, so don’t be afraid to gut the speech. Finally, read it aloud to yourself: what would you think if you heard it? Would you be persuaded? If you would be, the chances are that the audience will be. Check it again against your basic criteria (timing, forms of address etc.). If it fits, your work is done!
Layout
It needs to be easily read, so be prepared to write in very large text and with a paragraph break between each sentence. Page breaks should go at the end of each paragraph and always number the pages in case the sheets are dropped at the last minute. Collate the sheets with a paperclip – not with a stapler.
Final warning
You won’t always have much notice before writing a speech. I once had three hours to write a 7 minute speech on the Railways and Transport Safety Bill – a subject on which I knew very little. By the time the speech was finished, my Member was in her seat in the Chamber and a doorkeeper had to deliver it to her. It is good to get the adrenaline pumping once in a while.
AH/February 2004
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