Try to recall the last time you heard a speech that stopped you, stirred your emotions, and even prompted you into action at some level. Now, just ask yourself: Who wrote it?
People do not know how important speechwriting is as it remains to be one of the most impactful invisible professions. Every great chief executive is accompanied by a hidden figure, a skilled wordsmith who selects orations that evoke, encourage, and resonate. However, one does wonder whether such speeches that are being scripted involve writers who aren’t the same people the speeches intend to address. This is why we must have more speechwriters of color.
Representation Matters—On and Off the Stage
It is a well-known fact that representation matters and this statement cannot be truer when it comes to speechwriting. Whenever leaders are standing in front of podiums making their speeches, their speeches should represent their public. That is where diverse speechwriters with cultural competence will help make the conveyed message more personal and powerful.
Consider times when a celebrity tried to speak out on race, inequality, business challenges, or cultural issues and delivered an off message. Sometimes, that division is born out of the fact that there is a severe lack of people of color in the writers’ room. The importance of having a diverse team to write speeches is not only to sound good but to also speak to the audiences in question.
Managing the Dangers of ‘Diversity Talking Points’
This is a situation that ensues when the speechwriters have no direct experience in the areas of focus. Having a speechwriter of color is important not only for the technical aspect but for the personal experience, where speeches do not only read but resonate and touch as well.
The Power of Storytelling from Diverse Perspectives
Building the Lasting Connection between Leaders and Communities
We’ve witnessed how prominent leaders say cultural names awkwardly, manipulate historical facts or sound too casual or coined. Such mistakes are avoided, and speeches delivered are as real as the people they are intended to celebrate when there is a diverse group of people writing them.
The Urgency of Now
When it comes to race, equity, and inclusion in the present world – definitely more important than ever – the need for speechwriters of color is far from being merely a matter of principle. It’s a matter of effectiveness. Thus, if we expect speeches to potentially change people, shift paradigms, and bring about change, these have to be derived from prevailing outlooks in society. And that is exactly what GhostWriting Services (GWS) has in the box for you.
