Speechwriting: How did Bill Gates prepare his Harvard commencement speech?
Speech writing is a difficult art form to master. It requires a lot of prior knowledge on the part of the writer that cannot be acquired overnight. But that is not enough.
A good speech also requires a clear central message. The writer, speaker, and audience should be able to answer the following question immediately: “What was this speech about?”
It is also important to tailor the speech to the audience and the setting, or the occasion. A high school commencement speech should not be read like one delivered at a political or fundraising event.
To understand the kind of effort and care that goes into a great speech, I’d like to share with you the number of steps Microsoft’s Bill Gates went through while preparing his Harvard Commencement Address on June 7, 2007.
Gates began preparing for his June 2007 speech in December 2006. He used a Gates Foundation staff member to express his initial ideas. Gates and the staff member, who had been a writer for the online magazine Slate, worked on various ideas and drafts through six brainstorming sessions. The result was six drafts of the same speech, written by himself “some of the longest”, according to the Wall Street Journal.
To strengthen himself and focus on a central concept, Gates read historic speeches by Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Enrico Fermi, Robert Koch, Bill Clinton, Bono, and George Marshall.
In January, he sent emails to his trusted employees requesting their contributions and ideas.
In May, Gates visited Warren Buffet in Omaha, Nebraska, to also get his thoughts and thoughts on the speech.
He then rehearsed the speech by reading it to himself at a podium in his office. He sent another copy to Buffet and the next day “read the speech aloud to his wife on the private plane ride to Boston,” according to the WSJ.
And on June 7, 2007, Gates was finally ready to deliver the speech he worked on for over 6 months. That’s the kind of energy and analytical approach with which Gates prepares for a public communication opportunity.
Is it any wonder he’s one of the most successful businessmen the world has ever known?
