Should you give up writing?

TL;DR

1. What a 32,000 year old tradition can teach about effective communication

2. The ‘love letter’ template for speechwriting

3. Bradbury’s Cheese in Buxton

What a 32,000 year old tradition can teach about effective communication

Chauvet Cave, France.

On the walls of this cave are some of the oldest pictures we know of.

32,000 years old, to be precise.

13 different species are found on the walls, with hundreds of paintings in total.

Pretty cool.

But why am I talking about it?

Because Chauvet Cave, found just 30 years ago in the southeast of France, has much to say to you and me.

In fact, the lesson it teaches is one of the most important to learn if you want to learn to speak (or write) like a pro.

You see, writing was invented about 5,000 years ago.

But Chauvet Cave tells us that drawing is 6 times older than writing.

And the earliest forms of writing – hieroglyphs and cuneiform – were actually pictures anyway.

The point?

People – mostly – think in pictures.

Why do people quote Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech so often?

It’s not because it was an important issue.

There are hundreds of other good speeches on the same issue or other issues of equal importance.

We quote it because we can see it.

A dream is something we know, and can immediately picture.

Then he describes that dream, talking about children playing together in the streets.

Again, something we can see.

The point is, that even if you’re using words (which you are, if you’re speaking), your goal should be to be as vivid and concrete as possible.

To illustrate this (ha, ‘illustrate’ – get it?), this study found that American presidents who used image-based words were seen as more charismatic than those who didn’t.

To quote:

“These findings suggest that the successful articulation and enactment of a leader's vision may rest on his or her ability to paint followers a verbal picture.”

It makes sense, right?

If I say to you “my new exercise programme makes me feel so good,” that’s nice.

But if I say “Since I started my new exercise programme, I’ve felt so much springiness and power in my muscles, like I could leap over a wall, and so much energy I could run a mile with a smile on my face”…

Now you can SEE what I’m saying.

And it’s so much stronger.

If you think about it, you’ll find this image-focus is in a lot of our normal language:

“Can you see what I mean?”

“Look, what I’m saying is…”

“It looks like a good idea to me”

“I can’t see a way to solve this equation”

“I’m looking for the write way to say this”

“It appears I’ve made a mistake”

And so on.

The point is, what we see comes before what we say.

So what you say should help them to see

The ‘love letter’ template for speechwriting

This reminds me of something the novelist Edith Wharton once said.

She said that no matter how good – or bad – the writer, most love letters end up saying the same thing:

“I love you, I love you my darling, you are so wonderful.”

Why?

Well, partly because great ideas are usually simple – and so they’re best said in simple (often small) words.

That doesn’t mean you can’t ever be cerebral.

You can - and should – when it’s appropriate.

But in general, even intellectual points are best made concrete.

Another reason love letters are all the same is because of an interesting quirk of human psychology.

Basically, we see who or what before we see actions and relationships.

So in moments of intense passion, or in mental or emotional overwhelm, we revert to the simple Who, What, Why.

Who? You and me?

What? I love you.

Why? You’re so wonderful.

You get the idea.

A simple point – but a powerful one.

When you’re giving a speech, start with who.

Who are the players?

That helps your audience see who’s involved.

Then talk about what you want to say about them and why.

Bradbury’s Cheese in Buxton

A good example of this is this speech by the British PM, Rishi Sunak.

He’s talking at Business Connect.

“I’m incredibly proud that we have five and a half million small businesses in this country.

And your contribution is enormous – in jobs, growth, innovation.

But this isn’t just a number.

It’s five and a half million stories of sacrifice, hard work, and hope…

…that by taking a risk to build your own business…

…you can build a better future for yourself and your family.

Stories like those of Roni Savage, who I just met earlier this morning.

…and runs the engineering firm Jomas Associates.

Or Bradbury’s Cheese in Buxton, 140 years old this year and still as committed and knowledgeable as ever.”

Notice how he starts with the who – 5.5 million small businesses.

Then he paints the picture – they’re stories of sacrifice, hard work, and hope.

Why should we believe him?

Well, he says, let me show you two REAL examples of the ‘who’ – Roni Savage, and Bradbury’s Cheese.

He then makes it even more personal – and paints a picture of WHO he his, and WHY he understands.

“Now, I grew up in a small business.

When I wasn’t at school, I’d work in Mum’s pharmacy…

…serving customers, doing the bookkeeping, cleaning the shop.

Our pharmacy shaped my beliefs about the economy.

That pharmacy was ours; we owned it; we had a stake in its success.

If we worked hard and took pride in our work and provided a good service, business would improve.

If we didn’t, it wouldn’t.

And that’s how it should be – that’s the promise of entrepreneurship.”

Notice how he takes his earlier statements about hard work, sacrifice, and hope – and makes you SEE them.

You see his pharmacy—because we’ve all seen a pharmacy before.

You can see the young kid behind the counter.

You can see the family, the friendliness.

The work.

It’s a good speech.

Sadly the rest of the speech doesn’t quite match up to the image-building of the opening – but it’s strong nevertheless.

And here endeth the lesson.

Talk soon,

Alexander “Paint a picture” Westenberg

P.S.

Need speechwriting, corporate training, or coaching? DM me on LinkedIn or send me an email at [email protected]