Ever sat through a speech that left you drowning in information or just thinking, 'Wait, what?' 

In our line of work, a speech isn’t just a formality – it’s a chance to share our mission and connect with the people who matter most. While our leaders deliver speeches, it's our colleagues who write them. We need to nail the audience, match the speaker's style, and stay true to UNDP's mission. All at once.

Enter Sabina Stein, our Head of Governance and Participation, with her extensive experience gained throughout her career, she helped to guide us in this WeLearn session on speech writing.

Let us tell you, the session wasn’t just informative – it opened our eyes to new possibilities. Most of our staffs are not professional speech writer, so we often assumed speech needs to be written in a certain way – formal, packed with facts and perfect grammar to be seen as authoritative. 

Sabina showed us that effective speech writing can be more than that and inspires us to break free from convention.

Write Like You Talk: The Golden Rule

The biggest takeaway? Keep it simple: write the way you talk!

Sabina reminded us that the key to an impactful speech lies in its simplicity. 

Skip the long, jargon, number filled paragraphs. Human brain hasn’t evolved to process information that way. 

Our writing should feel like a natural conversation, with short, clear sentences. This approach makes speeches more relatable and easier for audiences to absorb.

Taking speeches from Martin Luther King Jr., there are key techniques that we can all incorporate:

• Imagery: Paint vivid pictures for the audience.
• Repetition: Reinforce key messages through repetition. This can act as a spell!
• Storytelling: Personal and human stories create emotional connections.
• Simplicity: Short, direct sentences, punctuated by pauses and silences, keep the audience engaged.

Crafting a MLK-worthy speech can be an intimidating bar to achieve, but just by simply putting the tips together, speeches are not only more memorable— it stirs the audience heart.

Five Tips for Effective Speech Writing

Sabina’s practical tips gave us a roadmap for success:

1. Know your audience: Tailor your message to their needs and expectations.
2. Know your message: Speeches are for delivering messages, not dense information.
3. Write like you talk: We talk in sentences, not paragraphs. So, use short sentences, simple language, and avoid jargon. Reading your speech out loud after drafting can help you refine its flow.
4. Guide your audience: For longer speeches, you can include a short outline at the outset using list to give structure for audience. For example: “In this speech, first I am going to tell you why UNDP thinks climate change is the challenge of our generation. Second, I will then address the impacts of climate change in Viet Nam. Finally, I will end proposing solutions put forth by the communities we work with.”  Pauses are powerful markers of transitions.
5. Captivate your audience: Use personal stories, striking statistics or data points, refer directly to your audience, for example by asking rhetorical questions. End with a strong call to action to leave a lasting impression.

Madelyn Rawlyk, one of our newest staff members, shared her excitement:
“I really enjoyed the WeLearn session! Sabina made it engaging and informative, and I can’t wait to apply the tips on concision and colloquialism for future speechwriting tasks.”

Similarly, Ly Vi Ky reflected:
“I used to think that effective speeches had to be formal and filled with data. This session showed me how powerful it is to connect with your audience through key messages and personal touch.

Looking Ahead: Turning Insights into Action

As we move forward, these lessons will be valuable in shaping how we craft speeches and talking points. Some of the immediate actions we’re excited to implement include:

• Brainstorming key messages with peers before drafting speeches.
• Establishing focal points within each unit to review speeches for clarity and impact.
• Launching a speechwriting club for those interested in honing their skills.

This was our 33rd WeLearn session since its inception three years ago by the AccLab team. The sessions are unique in that the topics are suggested by staff, covering a wide range of themes such as What ESG Is and Unleashing Creativity with Generative AI. 

What makes WeLearn special is that many of the sessions are led by our own team members, fostering a culture of peer learning and collaboration.

Big kudos to Sabina for her enthusiasm, generosity in sharing her experience, and to everyone who showed up ready to learn -- You all made this session memorable!

As one colleague shared in our final reflection: working at UNDP means giving people hope for a better future—and speeches are one of the most powerful ways to connect and inspire.  

We couldn't agree more. So here's to sharpening our speech-writing skills and kindling that hope, one word at a time.