News & Updates:

Like the website?
Recommend Us To a Friend

Write a Synopsis - Part 1

What do I mean by a synopsis? Here's a formula.

1. A statement of your purpose or objective. What are you trying to do in this talk—to amuse, to instruct, to sell an idea? Write it down.

2. A statement of the philosophy of the talk. What will the group get out of it? Why is it to their benefit to listen to it? Write that out.

3. An outline of the points that you will cover in making the talk. These should be directed at your objective and should be in line with your philosophy.

4. A short summation of the points that you will leave with them. Remember that they can't remember a long list of points. Make this list short—three or four are about right.

The first part of the synopsis should be a statement of purpose. What is your purpose? To help old Charlie, who has been stuck with this meeting and needs a speaker? No, not that one. Is it to inform, to entertain, to persuade? Perhaps it's a bit of all those things. But write out that purpose—get down on paper what you are trying to do.

Now that is difficult. It is easier to start writing. But you will save time and effort if you clarify your purpose in a sentence or two or three. How do you write that purpose? Well, let's illustrate. I have a speech, a hardy perennial that has stood the test of hot nights in smoke-filled rooms. The speech is called "How to Run a Sales Meeting." I have done it fifty to sixty times before groups of 22 to 1500. Never yet has it failed me. So let's use it as an example. Here is how the purpose of that speech could be written.

Purpose—This speech is to be given to sales, sales promotion, and advertising managers. It will give them suggestions as to how to run better sales meetings. It will explain what a meeting is and give suggestions on room arrangement, talks, use of visual aids, timing, how to avoid the common mistakes, and how to build a good ending.

Note that I have described the audience in that first paragraph. That's helpful. I do this same speech for general audiences and I have to change certain illustrations which are quite familiar to sales groups but might be confusing to a general audience.

As you read that paragraph describing the purpose of this speech you can see that such a statement of your objective will help keep you on the track. So first in this synopsis comes a statement of purpose.

Related terms include acceptance speech writing and speechwriter.