Speeching? Pay attention to your message

Farewell speeches, funeral speeches, wedding speeches and business presentations have many things in common, but the most important thing is that they contain a clear message.

On April 12, The Speech Book will be released by speechwriter Huib Hudig. He has written speeches in the past for Mark Rutte and Rita Verdonk, among others. In the book, he comes up with some important tips for making a speech clear and engaging. Every speech should have a clear message, Hudig believes, but the nature of the message depends on the type of speech.

Attention and sympathy
"With any speech you give, it is important to capture the audience's attention and then build sympathy," he says. "With a political or a business speech, you first have to look at what the problem, causes and solutions actually are. With the more personal speeches, it's more that you look back, analyze and look forward."

Surprising
According to Hudig, the beginning of the story should be surprising, and when you close you should come back to what you started with, "the A-B-A." Who can do all that well is Mark Rutte. "Speaking is about two things. On the one hand, the content of the speech and the way you tell it. And with Mark Rutte, the presentation is very natural and smooth."

Former Dutch Labour Party leader Job Cohen does not come off so badly with Hudig. "The speech Cohen gave after the death of Theo van Gogh is definitely on my list of the better speeches."