Speechwriting

Speechwriting

is a rather underestimated skill in India and is arguably under-developed in several developed and developing countries of the world, with the notable exception of the US.

In the vast majority of prepared and scripted speeches in public life, including those by politicians, diplomats and bureaucrats, what we hear all too often are essays read aloud. In reality, though, written and oral communications require completely different sets of skills and need to be constructed quite differently if they are to be effective at all.

The best speechwriters are only a step short of being reasonably good playwrights or scriptwriters. This is not a skill that every good writer can necessarily acquire. It requires, on the one hand, a good understanding of and empathy with the audience and, on the other hand, a good ear for the intended speaker's natural voice quality and modulation. Both of these are over and above a clear understanding of the subject matter.