On Speaking Well: How to Give a Speech with Style, Substance, and Clarity
by Peggy Noonan
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The Net-Net
Peggy Noonan, a The Wall Street Journal columnist, former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan, and general word wizard provides an in-depth how-to for speaking out loud in a formal way to other people. Public speaking—whether a 20-minute political speech, a company presentation, or a wedding toast—causes anxiety in most people. On Speaking Well is a little book that provides a big impact through it’s description of how to craft an impactful address and deliver it well. Noonan, a phenomenal writer, focuses on the audience and context, the work of your speech, and simplicity as the key elements for success. The book is digestible and applicable, and there are many anecdotes to illustrate her points. While Noonan mostly focuses on formal addresses, there are lessons that can be applied to any presentation.
Top 3 Insights
- Substance over style. Noonan notes that we all want to have style. We want to have pithy lines that stick with people. We want to be remembered for being funny or eloquent or both. She reminds us that style is great, but it needs to be a byproduct of substance. A one-liner did not start as a one-liner, it started as an important thought. If you focus on the substance and think about what job the speech needs to do (all speeches have jobs, whether it’s to thank someone or to get someone elected) and then do it, then style may follow.
- Simplicity is key. When writing an address, it’s important to start with the headline. If someone were to cover your speech for a newspaper, what is the main takeaway they’d tout in size 24 font? Start there. Create main ideas, and choose a story or two that will help illustrate them. Use clear, simple language and a joke or two. The audience is listening to you, not following along on their paper, so keep it easy for them. Noonan reminds us: “Most of the important things you will ever say or hear in your life are composed of simple, good, sturdy words. “I love you.” “It’s over.” “It’s a boy.” (50) Good advice no matter how informal the address.
- Speak to your audience. It is so important to consider your audience. Framing your task (that is presenting, speaking, etc.) as entertaining the audience will give you a new approach and a useful side quest from the original work of telling them something important. It’s this part of the address that helps us in advance and in real time. In preparation, use context to make a joke (e.g., does your address conflict with the World Series? If so, make a joke about it). It helps us tailor our stories and our tone. Remembering that the audience is full of human beings also helps us ad lib, adjust, and interact in real time. Look up, acknowledge the audience, and adjust to their reaction if they laugh. Those are real people out there, just like you—act like it!
Actionability
While most of us are not writing or giving formal speeches on a regular basis, this guide provides practical tips that can be applied to any kind of presentation. If internalized, they can even help you in the regular old elevator conversation with your boss’s boss.
- Write down funny, clever, meaningful phrases or jokes when I hear them.
- Practice using “simple, sturdy words” and fewer of them in conversation.
- Identify habits to kick (i.e., using filler words or weird fidget movements) and those that can be unique or defining in the right dosage.
Good Stories
Noonan is a Washington, D.C. veteran. She’s been a speechwriter for decades, most notably for President Ronald Reagan, a famously wonderful speaker. She is a journalist and generally full of interesting experiences that she shares freely and to our benefit. In On Speaking Well she uses excerpts from notable speeches—both good and bad—anecdotes from her own journey to speak well in front of others, and some entertaining White House tales. These range widely from monologues in The Godfather II to moving real-life eulogies. Her points are made abundantly clear through example.
- The Earl of Spencer’s edgy and moving eulogy at the funeral of his sister, Princess Diana.
- A tale of writing with and for Oprah Winfrey, and the persistence of a good speech.
- Many stories from Washington, D.C. about powerful oration in good times and bad featuring such individuals as Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Abraham Lincoln, and others who loom large.
Key Quotes
- “The most serious people in the world have used humor to make a point and always have. (See Lincoln, Abraham; and Twain, Mark, etc.) True wit is a surprise in any person and always a happy one. Wit from a [person] standing on a bare stage and giving you their views is more surprising still. If it is in you, use it. Wit is a delight. Be delightful when you can.” (15)
- “Most of the important things you will ever say or hear in your life are composed of simple, good, sturdy words. “I love you.” “It’s over.” “It’s a boy.” (50)
If This Were an MBA Class, it Would Be Called:
Communication for Leaders: Presenting to Employees, Boards, and the Media
Best For:
- CEOs and other public-facing leaders
- Founders
- Those who anticipate leading in times of crisis
Can’t get enough? Consider:
- Humor, Seriously by Jennifer Aakers and Naomi Bagdonas
- Declarations, Noonan’s weekly column in The Wall Street Journal
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