Speechwriting Services
As, therefore, the two principal qualities required in an Orator are to be neat and clean in stating the nature of his subject, and warm and forcible in moving the passions; and as he who fires and inflames his audience will always effect more than he who can barely inform and amuse them.
— Marcus Tullius Cicero
Whether you are preparing an informal toast for friends and families, putting the finishing touches to a formal business presentation — or even just denouncing the ring-leaders of the Catilinarian Conspiracy — our team of experienced speechwriters will guide you through every step of preparing and delivering a successful address. We will help you focus and fine-tune your arguments; organise and structure your material; and most importantly, deliver it with confidence and style. A good speech requires the right balance of information and entertainment, which is what we provide to help you reach and regale your audience.
The Speechwriting Process
In offering advice to other aspiring orators, Cicero famously broke the process down into his five canons of rhetoric — advice that works just as well in the modern boardroom as it did in the Roman Senate:
Formulating the Initial Idea (inventio)
Contact us with as much information as possible! What is your speech about? Who is the target audience? What message do you want to share? We will meet for a one-to-one session to help define your aims and objectives, we’ll brainstorm new ideas, and clarify the central message that you want to deliver.
Arrange the Material (dispositio)
You will start discussions with your assigned speechwriter. Meetings will take place in London, online, or by phone, and the first step is to determine the underlying structure of your presentation. You may only have a rough plan of what you want to say, or perhaps a stack of notes and a folder full of ideas — or maybe even a first draft.
When you wish to instruct, be brief so that men’s minds take in quickly what you say, learn its lesson and retain it faithfully. Every word that’s unnecessary only pours over the side of a brimming mind.
— Marcus Tullius Cicero
Determine a Style of Delivery (elocutio)
Even the most carefully structured speech will be for nought if it does not engage the audience. Once the outline is finalised, the next step is to find a style that effectively communicates the talk’s content and capture’s the listener’s attention. We will work with you to refine your presentation into a form suitable for the occasion. You will add notes and comments, and your speechwriter will edit and redraft, with the process continuing until everyone is satisfied with the final product.
Final Preparation (memoria)
Cicero recommended committing a speech to memory in order to make its delivery more effective. Don’t worry — that isn’t part of the process with us! But there are many other ways to make the delivery effective. A good speech will complement the natural cadence of the speaker. A well-ordered script will help the presentation move seamlessly from point to point. The final draft of the speech will not just be something that looks good on paper, but will be edited into something that you can deliver with confidence and style.
The Presentation (pronuntiatio)
Well, this last bit is up to you! But with our assistance, you will be well-prepared and equipped to meet your speaking engagement.