SPEAK+ Week Seven

Welcome to Week Seven of SPEAK+.
The Speech Roadmap.

When you stand in front of your audience there’s a moment, before you even say a word, where the energy of the room and the energy of your purpose meet. It’s in these short few seconds when, as a speaker, you open your heart and set your Impact Intentions.

Fuelled by a deep sense of purpose, you begin to share your words with the hope, faith and conviction that something you say…that an idea you propose….that a seed of thought you plant…will find it’s way to someone who needs to hear your message.

So this week the goal is to embrace your engineering talents. You will begin to construct your Signature Speech using the Speech Roadmap. The Speech Roadmap is a curated journey for your audience to experience your teachings and your unique perspective.

Enjoy the learning. Take risk. And most importantly, have fun!

Welcome to Week Seven of SPEAK+

Look at you go! You have defined who you are, the impact and value you bring to “your stage” and have begun to curate the stories that will be the foundation of your teachings (AKA: Thought Leadership!).

It’s time to learn the craft of creating your Signature Speech.

What is a Signature Speech? Great question. A Signature Speech is like a speaker's greatest hit. It's the one talk that really captures your essence and what you’re all about. Think of it as your go-to story or message—the one you’re known for and love to share whenever you get the chance. It's personal, it's powerful, and it's what makes YOU stand out in a crowd.

START WITH YOUR SIGNATURE SPEECH AND THEN GROW YOUR OFFERINGS FROM THERE.

So how do I begin the process of writing an entire speech? Also a great question!

By working through the process of writing your stories (see Week 4 Lesson Plan) you have already begun. In fact your entire Signature Speech will be made up of connected stories—I call this your Speech Roadmap.

By creating a connected, story-based roadmap, you will remember your speech without memorization.

So let’s get started. You are pumped, right? :)

Below you will find a Speech Roadmap template. This is a general version of how you can organize and write your speech flow. This template includes 3 lessons, but you can adjust for length of time available. I suggest you start with 1-2 and no more than 3 for a typical 60 minute delivery.

AS ALWAYS—> LESS IS MORE.

I have outlined general notes about each stop in the roadmap. While this looks formal you will, with experience and skill development, learn to deliver the entire Speech Roadmap like it’s a continuous and natural talk. This takes practice. So be prepared to be messy at first.

PRACTICE IS THE ONLY WAY TO LEVEL UP. #yougotthis

Opening Story: A great opening story for a keynote speech should grab attention, relate to your topic, and leave the audience wanting more. It sets the tone, builds rapport, and gets everyone excited for what's coming next.

BRIDGE: the bridge is the connector between your last story, lesson or Impact Statement and your next point. It’s like the door that opens up the audience to your next stop in the Speech Roadmap. It can be funny, insightful, a question or even an “off the cuff” comment.

Lesson A: This is your first piece of education (your thought leadership teaching’s).
Story A: This story supports your first lesson, provides context, helps the audience to relate to your teachings and builds engagement.
Impact Statement A: This is the golden nugget, the most distilled wisdom, of your stories lesson. Plant your feet and take time when delivering your Impact Statements.
Take Action A: This is when you move from sharing a story and lesson to offering steps to implement your teachings. People always, deep down, want to know “what’s in it for me?”. This is your version of delivering on this human need. Often your Take Action will be the results of your Signature Speech.

BRIDGE

Lesson B
Story B
Impact Statement B
Take Action B

BRIDGE

Lesson C 
Story C
Impact Statement C
Take Action C

BRIDGE

Review + Revisit: As you move your Signature Speech to a conclusion it’s good to offer a quick review and revisit a story/lesson/impactful moment from your time together. This doesn’t need to be formal…it does help the audience know that the end of your journey is coming up.

Final Why: This is an opportunity to drive home the reason why you are all in the room together, sharing this journey. This can be humorous, poignant, serious or a combination. Your conviction for why what you are sharing matters helps cement why it matters for those who have taken this journey with you.

Closing Story: This is optional. In some cases it makes sense and adds to the overall audience experience to close with a story that ties together elements of your speech or helps move the audience from contemplation to action.

This template helps you create, and maintain, an enjoyable flow to your Signature Speech.

You want your audience to experience your time together like a smooth ride that keeps them engaged. Here's a few more tips to help you craft and deliver a kick-ass Signature Speech (using the Speech Roadmap)

1. Keep it logical: Move from point to point in a natural way (practice and more practice!)

2. Smooth transitions: Guide your audience from one topic to the next seamlessly (these are your bridges).

3. Mix it up: Use stories, humour, and interaction to keep things interesting (be sure to share YOU…your unique energy is what sets you apart).

4. Pace yourself: Don't rush, but don't drag either (you must enjoy the journey too).

5. Connect emotionally: Share personal stories or evoke feelings to make your message resonate. #yourstoriesmatter

Ok. It’s time to create your Signature Speech using the Speech Roadmap. Remember, this is what you were meant to do. People need to hear what you have to say.

Your Action Steps for this week…

• Write your Signature Speech using the Speech Roadmap. Share your challenges, successes and insights via the SPEAK+ Private Facebook Group . When we share we inspire each other.

• For 1on1 clients please refer to your google doc for additional action steps and customized feedback.