How to Write a Speech as a Survivor Speaker

by Karen Lynch on April 25th, 2008

Tonight, I’m speaking at Fairfield University’s second annual Relay for Life. As reported in The Mirror, Fairfield U’s student newspaper:

“A talk will be held at the reception by Fairfield alum and cancer survivor Karen Lynch, who spoke last year’s opening ceremony at last year’s Relay For Life.”

I did speak at the event last year — I’m frequently tapped as a survivor speaker for the American Cancer Society. I’ll toot my own horn for a minute and share this with you, a recent endorsement I received from an employee at the ACS:

“Each time I hear Karen Lynch speak, I am moved by her courage, inspired by her passion, and reminded that her story could belong to any of us. Karen has the rare ability to let the listener feel the full weight of her topic in such a candid, intimate style - it’s almost as if one of your smartest, funniest friends had pulled up a stool at your kitchen counter to chat.”

Robin Flay
American Cancer Society

That’s why I keep saying yes to this woman in particular … because flattery will get you everywhere with me!

No, seriously. I say yes because I truly believe that I am here on this earth to use my voice, written and spoken, to make a difference in the lives of survivors.

Anyway, enough of that … back to tonight’s speech. For me, speech writing isn’t difficult (being that I’m a writer and all). But if you’re ever asked to speak as a survivor (or a caregiver) and you’re hesitant because you’re not a writer, don’t fret.

Here’s what you need to do if you’re ever invited to be a survivor/caregiver speaker. First:

Consider the audience: Who are you speaking to? What do you know about them? How old are they? Where do they live?

Determine the purpose of the speech: Why are you speaking to them? What are they supposed to get out of it? Inspiration? Motivation? Encouragement?

Then … get to work on writing the speech. You need to:

Establish your credibility: Why you are the one speaking? What is your connection to the crowd?

Create a hook: A way to draw them in and get their attention. Anecdotes, statistics, that kind of thing.

Give a preview: Tell them what you are going to be telling them during the course of your speech.

Write the body: Make it purposeful; consider the points you want to make. Make it logical; progress sequentially from one point to the next. Make it clear; don’t get bogged down with complicated sentence structures — you need to be able to eloquently speak what you’ve written.

Nail your conclusion: Summarize (tell them what you told them) then leave them with a call to action.

So … wish me luck. My husband will videotape and I’ll share the speech with you over the weekend.

Tags: ACS, cancer, Colleges Against Cancer, Fairfield University, health, men, public speaking, Relay for Life, speech writing, survivor, wellness, women, writing

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