Speech Writing - How Did Bill Gates Prepare His Harvard Commencement Speech?

Speechwriting is a hard-to-master art form. It requires a lot of background knowledge on the part of the writer that cannot be acquired overnight. But that's not enough.

A good speech also requires a clear core message. The writer, the speaker and the audience should all be able to answer the following question right away - "what was this speech all about?"

It is also important to adjust the speech to the audience and the setting, or the occasion. A high school commencement speech should not read like one delivered at a gridiron or political fund raiser 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 June 7, 2007 Harvard Commencement Speech.

Gates started to prepare his June 2007 speech back in December 2006. He used a Gates Foundation staff member to vent out his initial ideas. Gates and the staffer, who had been a writer for the online magazine Slate, worked on several ideas and drafts through six brainstorming sessions. The result was six drafts of the same speech, writing "some of the longest ones himself," according to the Wall Street Journal.

To fortify himself and focus on a central concept, Gates read historic speeches delivered by Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Enrico Fermi, Robert Koch, Bill Clinton, Bono, and George Marshall.

In January he sent e-mails to his trusted staffers asking for their contributions and ideas.

In May, Gates visited Warren Buffet in Omaha, Nebraska to get his opinion and ideas on the speech as well.

Then he rehearsed the speech by reading it to himself on a podium at his office. He sent another copy to Buffet and the next day "he read the speech aloud to his wife on the private plane ride to Boston," according to WSJ.

And on June 7, 2007 Gates was at long last ready to deliver the speech that he worked on for over 6 months. That is the kind of energy and analytical focus with which Gates prepares for a public communication opportunity.

Is it a wonder that he is one of the most successful businessmen the world has ever known?

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Ugur Akinci, Ph.D. is a senior writer and web content consultant with 20 years of experience.

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Ten Things You Can Learn From Bill Gates' Graduation Speech

You may be asked to deliver a graduation speech this spring. One great example of a graduation speech that you should read is Bill Gates' graduation speech at Harvard. The full speech can be viewed on You-tube if you're interested.

There are ten things that any public speaker can learn from Bill Gates graduation speech that I will highlight.

A graduation speech is a formal affair. Subsequently you should use a formal introduction like Bill Gates. He introduced the President and other important people in a way that sounds almost old-English.
Bill Gates opened the speech with a bang. He made the audience laugh even though the rest of the speech was actually serious. He made fun of himself which is an effective tool because there may be some people envious of him in the audience. Thus, he brought himself down to earth by making fun of himself.
The speech had a consistent core message. The speech is largely about the gap between the rich and the poor. The disease and poverty that afflicts much of the world and what young people can do to stop it is the main message of the speech. Bill Gates does not stray from the core which creates clarity.
Bill Gates uses a conversational matter of fact style.
The speech is personal. Bill Gates talks about his life experiences, not the experiences of a faceless corporation like Microsoft. He makes himself more humane by adding so many personal vignettes.
He uses enthusiasm to inspire the audience. "Think of the thrill of saving just one person's life - then multiply that by millions...." Enthusiasm is perhaps the most important tool of a good public speaker.
He talks about his personal experiences with his foundation that is trying to rid the world of certain diseases in Africa.
The speech is not just feel good catch phrases. He uses facts to convince the audience of the problem.
The speech is forceful but not "preachy." In fact, he talks about some of his own failings.
The speech has a memorable closer with a specific call to action. The audience may be asking themselves - "so what can I do to solve inequity in the world?" He gives the audience a road map for solving the problem.

These are ten things that you can learn and use in your next graduation speech.

Alexander Thornton is a professional speechwriter. If you're looking for the full text of Bill Gates graduation speech you can find it here. Browse our speech templates and presentation tips at http://www.speeches-toasts.com

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