When you’re scripting a presentation or writing a speech, try doing what Winston Churchill did, and Andrea Howe does now: write in short lines like poets do. (Andrea is the co-author of The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook—a practical guide for leaders in any industry who want to earn trust quickly, consistently, and sustainably—in business and in life.)
For instance, here is the opening of a speech that Andrea composed:
Let’s take a walk together
down memory lane
to a moment in my career I will never forget.
In fact, we’re going to walk so far down the lane …
that I’m now 23 years old
Andrea’s opening grabs my attention, and the line endings tell me where I could pause and breathe. It could also help me in rehearsal, and make it easier to read from a lectern.
If Abraham Lincoln had used this technique at Gettysburg, his opening might have looked like this on the page:
Four score and seven years ago
our fathers brought forth on this continent
a new nation…
conceived in liberty
and dedicated to the proposition
that all men are created equal.
If you paused at the end of each line and took a breath, the words would ring out with more power as they bounced around in the silence.
So, take a tip
from Andrea Howe.
Format your text
as a poet would.
It’ll help you speak in breath groups
and you’ll sound more confident.