The speechwriting game is one that pays. The work is interesting. And there's prestige because of your proximity to the corporate leadership. Best of all, right now speechwriting is booming. It had tanked for a while in the early 21st century.
But, the brass is out there speaking again. In fact, I just got two calls to check if I'm interested in going back to full-time speechwriting. One was from a high-tech corporation on the West Coast. One was from a major retailer in the Midwest. I answered: I'm listening. A German company was looking for a speechwriter to be based abroad but my three cats keep me tied down to the U.S.A.
So, you attorneys might find writing speeches an excellent alternative to trying to make partner, searching for another law job after being laid off, or hoping for one to materialize for you newbie JDs with no prospects so far. Speechwriters, like attorneys, engage in verbal magic, create persuasive arguments, and make their clients look good and sometimes even innocent.
Since business is so entwined in regulations and lawsuits, your JD will be perceived as definite added-value. They know you know the score.
The Money
For a freelance 20-minute speech you can earn, based on your brandname and negotiating skills, between three and six thousand. For a full time job with a corporation, you are likely to start at or above $125,000, plus bonus and stock options. Not the $160,000 starting salary of BigLaw but you won't work as hard. Speechwriters grouse about the pressure but that's mostly to justify the excellent compensation. No one aside from speechwriters understand what goes into writing a speech so you aren't as accountable for methodology and product as in law.
The Work
No question, the work is intellectually stimulating.
Even in this era of PowerPoint Presentations [PPP] and low attention spans, speechwriters still are expected to be well-read, analytical renaissance people. You can present yourself in the office as the highly educated person you are.
There is also lots of variety in the work. In addition to that buttoned-down PPP to the Board of Directors quarterly, there is a broad range of the kinds of speeches executives deliver. Those include motivational talks to the troops, celebratory addresses, eulogies, explanations of a change of strategy, mini shareholder briefings, keynotes, roasts, toasts, pleas for support on an issue, and scripts for videos and podcasts.
There are also new developments in business in general, the industry, and the company. Keeping up is very exciting. Actually, it's like being in graduate school, except that you get paid.
Prestige
A perk of the job is the status. That's because you work closely with executives, including traveling with them. You will have an insiders' view on what's really going on. Information is a valuable commodity so you will be welcome on many networks. Thanks to all this speechwriters who don't love the work quickly leverage the contacts they make into campaigning for a more managerial position in the corporation. Or, you can be hired into a top job by a lobbying firm or public relations agency.
How To Break In
This field has fewer barriers to entry than many others. That's because those who hire you are primarily interested in recent speeches, talking points, scripts and PPPs. So, once you create a mini portfolio you're ready to put yourself on the market.
Speechwriting is oral communications. You write for the ear, in a conversational manner. If you have blogged a little, you're half there since blogging is a conversational medium.
Listen to how people in authority present themselves in everyday conversations, in formal speeches, in interviews with the media, and in debate formats. Deconstruct what you view as effective and ineffective. Start a blog on typepad to pen those observations. Your blog URL should include a term such as "speechwriting" or "public speaking." Google will pick your posts up and you'll will get calls to pen addresses. Lowball your fees [e.g. $50 a minute of delivered copy] and you will get plenty of work.
Simultaneously, volunteer in a political campaign or for a cause. That's how most of the unhappy attorneys I know made their career change. In metro areas like New York and Chicago there are plenty of high-profile speakers needing someone to create their remarks. The secret here is to listen to how the person actually talks. The speech should be a perfect fit for the personality of the speaker, right down to pacing, word choice and examples. The ultimate compliment is: You made the speech sound just like me.
Also, you can offer to do free work for anyone who needs any kind of help with public speaking. That ranges from researching the content to writing it to coaching them on delivery. Just offer your help.
Marketing Yourself
If you work hard on your speechwriting blog, that will be a prime business development tool. It will also bring in calls from recruiters for full-time jobs. But that's not enough. On all the communications help-wanted sites [e.g. mediabistro.com, monster.com, International Association of Business Communicators, Public Relations Society of America, Journalismjobs.com] surf for speehwriting opportunities. If you're under-50, executive search firms specializing in communications will work to place you. You can find them, such as The Cantor Concern, in web categories like "executive search - communications." The field is officially now called "Executive Communications."
To-Do List
To try this career path out, and you can do it on the side while you toil at your day or survival job, here are the to-dos right now:
- Start a blog, opining on delivery styles. You will get immediate traffic and pickup by search engines if you focus on the candidates in Campaign08.
- Perk up your ears to how people converse. Notice what's unique in their speech patterns. Determine if those features are effective or distracting.
- Volunteer in a political campaign or for a cause. Be reliable and you'll get to write for the BigFoots.
- Pass along the word that you're offering free consulting services, ranging from research and writing to coaching and promotion, in public speaking.
- Start writing an e-book on an attorney's take on conversation in America. You will have unique insights. This book is a superb marketing tool.
- Read speeches that are published such as in VITAL SPEECHES OF THE DAY or on the Internet.
- Develop patience. You and your portfolio might not be ready for primetime right away.
Here's some added motivation. Some freelance speechwriters gross $250,000 annually and that's mostly on their terms. They can choose their clients.
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