10 ways to create buzz around your speech

You’ve drafted a powerful speech, polished the prose, and maybe even rehearsed the delivery. But how do you know whether the speech will make an impact? Will it get quoted, tweeted, printed, and broadcast? Or will it be forgotten as soon as it’s over?

In today’s attention-deficit culture, it’s harder than ever for a speech to make a lasting impact.

Here are 10 powerful techniques for making sure the message continues to move hearts and minds long after your client has stepped down from the podium. Don’t try just one—remember that they work best as part of a coordinated attack on multiple fronts.

1. Build up buzz. Promote the event aggressively in advance, using tweets, blogs, and video posts to generate anticipation. Reach out to stakeholders and influencers to make sure the event is on their radar.

2. Stream it live. Invite the outside world to watch in real time (as long as it’s not an exclusive or proprietary event) by streaming live video through an easy-to-use service such as Ustream.

3. Hand out a hard copy. Hand out a physical copy of the speech before the event, with wide margins so listeners can take notes. Or hand one out afterwards, so they can take it with them.