How ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ can add to your speech writing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently I read a post by Paola Pascual and Simon Kennell at the Talaera Blog from April 11, 2022 titled How to do effective business storytelling according to former prosecutor [Laurie Gilbertson]. One section says:

 

“Show Don’t Tell is a writing technique that consists of telling your story through sensory details and actions rather than spelling out what is happening. Although telling your audience might be quicker, showing will draw your audience into your narrative and make it their own. To do this successfully, consider the following steps:

 

Consider the surroundings. From ‘I walked through the forest. It was already fall and I was getting cold’ {telling} to ‘The dry orange leaves crunched under my feet as I pulled the collar up on my coat’ {showing}.

Look for highs and lows.

Add sensory words.

Introduce characters through actions.

Move from abstract to concrete.

Mention the effect of emotions. From ‘He is sad’ {telling} to ‘His lips are trembling and he’s got watery eyes’ {showing}….

 

No doubt that Dickens also masters the art of Show, Don’t Tell:

Telling: ‘Oliver reached London. It was dirty and crowded.’  

Showing: ‘A dirtier or more wretched place he had never seen. The street was verry narrow and muddy, and the air was impregnated with filthy odours. There were a good many small shops; but the only stock in trade appeared to be heaps of children, who, even at that time of night, were crawling in and out at the doors, or screaming from the inside. The sole places that seemed to prosper amid the general blight of the place were the public houses…..” Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens”

 

Another excellent article by Liam Freeman at Vogue on November 2, 2020 titled How to write a great speech, according to the Obamas’ speechwriter has a description of eleven points by Sarah Hurwitz. Number eight is Show, Don't Tell.

 

I had read about ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ twice previously via articles in Toastmaster magazine, but the briefer descriptions there had not sunk in. One was a recent article by Ruth Nasrullah in the

June 2021 issue on pages 22 to 25 titled How to Build a Speech, which simply stated:

 

“ ‘Show, don’t tell’ is advice often offered to writers whose work needs a little spark. The concept can also apply to speechwriting. Paint a picture for your audience with the language you use.”

 

Another article by Kelly Swanson in the August 2016 issue on pages 20 and 21 titled Emotion Reigns said more clearly:

 

“A story is as powerful as its details. These details paint the scene and the characters. The details you share (the character descriptions, accents, sounds and smells) allow the listener to step into your story instead of just hearing about it. If the listener can’t see the scene, they can’t connect with it. They want specifics, not generalizations. Don’t speak about how hard it was for you in the 80s. Talk about a specific moment in time when something happened.”

 

There are a lot more Show, Don’t Tell examples from novels. At Cheshire Novel Prize on February 23, 2022 an article titled Show, don’t tell: A quick definition includes five. Many more are in an article by Henneke Duistermaat at Enchanting Marketing titled 18 “Show Don’t Tell” Examples: How to turn bland writing into a colorful story.

 

This post was inspired by my reading an article by Simon Hall at creative warehouse on September 11, 2022 titled Show Not Tell in Presentations.

 

The Barnum and Bailey circus poster image is from the Library of Congress.