Public Speaking: The Structure of a Compelling Speech Blurb [New Template]
Here is a brief but powerful template to draft a more compelling speech blurb and make it clear to both your audiences (the event managers/gatekeepers who book you AND the attendees) who select your talk) why YOU are the obvious pick.
Watch the video below. Beneath that, find the blurbs I read in the video from my site and Andrew Davis’s, as well as the template written out in full. (This template as also been added to the guide we built following our 1st of 4 masterclasses on Public Speaking as a Platform, found on the menu page. I’ve linked to that below too.)
Resources:
To read Andrew Davis’s blurbs, visit this page of his site and click into any current keynote.
To read my speech blurb, visit jayacunzo.com/keynotes and scroll halfway down
Explore the Speech Proposal Guide (now with the template)
Visit the menu page for Public Speaking as a Platform, where you can find guides, masterclass recordings, and other resources.
You can also find all menus stored in the Pantry
The template for an effective blurb:
Align with the audience
Considerations: who they are // what they’re going through // where they feel pain
Raise the stakes
Considerations: list of painful symptoms // open-ended questions // talk about what “a few” or “the best” or “others” are doing as what we want, too
Hint at hope
Considerations: 1-2 short statements about what’s possible if we made a change
Describe what the talk is about, in brief
Considerations: 1-2 adjectives to describe the style of the talk (e.g. “fast-paced” or “hilarious” or “inspiring” or “practical”) + 1 line about what you intend to do in the talk for attendees
Describe what you’ll experience inside the talk, in brief
Considerations: 2-3 “You will…” or “we will…” statements, meant to share high-level benefits, revealing data, mentality shifts, or a hint at signature stories
List of action-oriented key takeaways
Considerations: no more than 3 “artifacts” they’ll take with them (questions/prompts to ask, frameworks to use, or other practical artifacts like lists of steps and/or new abilities you’ll have)