Spicing up a speech

Speeches and meetings can be boring and routine so it is the reporter’s job to make these events interesting to viewers. It’s important to decide what is newsworthy and focus on highlighting what is most important. Trying to include all topics covered would lose the readers’ attention.

To the people of the community, the speech or meeting could be the most important article in the newspaper. Journalists should take advantage of this by writing the article in a way so that it directly relates to the readers.

Major decisions are typically made at these events, so careful reporting is necessary to get all the facts straight. While the speech is the main event, a journalist doesn’t want the entire story to be quotes. Picking out a few choice quotes and explaining the context will help the reader understand.

Preparing for these speech and meeting events is important to create the best story, and it makes it easier for the reporter. Beforehand the reporter should review video of previous stories on the subject, check online info, the morgue, and national databases.

If possible, the journalist should ask for the topic or get a copy of the agenda. Interviews before and/or after the speech or meeting can really bring a story together. Coming prepared with a recorder can be useful in taking exact quotes.