1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:04,280 direct from Fortney Maryland . This is 2 00:00:04,290 --> 00:00:05,360 Din foes live . 3 00:00:08,100 --> 00:00:09,933 Welcome back to another exciting 4 00:00:09,933 --> 00:00:11,933 episode of Din foes live . I'm your 5 00:00:11,933 --> 00:00:13,767 host ? Major David J . Murphy an 6 00:00:13,767 --> 00:00:15,489 instructor here at the defense 7 00:00:15,489 --> 00:00:17,600 information School and also your host 8 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:19,822 for this month's episode writing . It's 9 00:00:19,822 --> 00:00:21,711 something that we as professional 10 00:00:21,711 --> 00:00:24,044 communicators do regularly if not daily . 11 00:00:24,044 --> 00:00:26,322 Well writing for yourself is one thing , 12 00:00:26,322 --> 00:00:28,044 but writing for someone else , 13 00:00:28,044 --> 00:00:30,156 especially someone you work for is an 14 00:00:30,156 --> 00:00:32,378 entirely different skill set altogether 15 00:00:32,378 --> 00:00:34,544 On this month's episode . We're taking 16 00:00:34,544 --> 00:00:36,544 a deep dive into writing in someone 17 00:00:36,544 --> 00:00:38,822 else's voice and writing for your boss . 18 00:00:38,822 --> 00:00:41,100 Also when you're writing for your boss , 19 00:00:41,100 --> 00:00:43,322 you have to understand which platform , 20 00:00:43,322 --> 00:00:45,322 potentially that you're going to be 21 00:00:45,322 --> 00:00:47,544 publishing on . Speaking of platforms , 22 00:00:47,544 --> 00:00:49,767 did you know that you can now listen to 23 00:00:49,767 --> 00:00:49,280 Din foes live on your podcasting 24 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:51,740 platform of choice . That's right . Din 25 00:00:51,740 --> 00:00:54,470 foes Live is now a podcast and you can 26 00:00:54,470 --> 00:00:56,637 find it by searching for Din foes live 27 00:00:56,637 --> 00:00:58,660 on your favorite podcaster . Now 28 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:01,040 getting back to our show to help us 29 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:02,929 understand the nuances of today's 30 00:01:02,929 --> 00:01:04,818 topics . I'd like to introduce to 31 00:01:04,818 --> 00:01:07,610 guests First Commander Candace Tresh 32 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:09,700 Director of public Affairs us 10th 33 00:01:09,700 --> 00:01:12,380 Fleet . Hello Commander , Welcome , I'd 34 00:01:12,380 --> 00:01:14,602 also like to welcome back . Excuse me . 35 00:01:14,602 --> 00:01:16,713 I'd also like to welcome MS Stephanie 36 00:01:16,713 --> 00:01:18,713 Hatcher , an instructor here at Din 37 00:01:18,713 --> 00:01:20,602 Foes . Great to see you . Great . 38 00:01:20,740 --> 00:01:22,573 Please have a seat make yourself 39 00:01:22,573 --> 00:01:25,660 comfortable . Mm hmm . I'd also like to 40 00:01:25,660 --> 00:01:28,240 welcome back our social media moderator 41 00:01:28,250 --> 00:01:30,240 Sergeant Benjamin witten . Start 42 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:32,462 winning . How are you doing ? I'm doing 43 00:01:32,462 --> 00:01:34,573 great sir . What is this week's topic 44 00:01:34,573 --> 00:01:36,684 about writing for your boss . Writing 45 00:01:36,684 --> 00:01:36,570 for your boss . That reminds me when I 46 00:01:36,570 --> 00:01:38,514 was a kid , I used to write my own 47 00:01:38,514 --> 00:01:41,330 doctor's notes , a similar vibe . I 48 00:01:41,330 --> 00:01:43,386 could have used some assistance then 49 00:01:43,386 --> 00:01:45,274 and uh , properly sounding like a 50 00:01:45,274 --> 00:01:47,497 doctor . They don't usually prescribe a 51 00:01:47,497 --> 00:01:49,608 case of the Mondays as valid excuse . 52 00:01:49,608 --> 00:01:51,663 Well , I want to make sure to remind 53 00:01:51,663 --> 00:01:54,010 you , prescribe everybody a case of go 54 00:01:54,020 --> 00:01:56,020 get something for your Mother's Day 55 00:01:56,020 --> 00:01:57,964 gift . Get those gifts ready to go 56 00:01:57,964 --> 00:02:00,020 because Mother's Day is right around 57 00:02:00,020 --> 00:02:02,020 the corner . All right , well yes , 58 00:02:02,020 --> 00:02:04,020 thank you so much for saying taking 59 00:02:04,020 --> 00:02:06,020 time out to be on the show . Really 60 00:02:06,020 --> 00:02:05,980 appreciate it . We're gonna be talking 61 00:02:05,980 --> 00:02:08,147 about writing for your boss , a really 62 00:02:08,147 --> 00:02:10,313 important topic and I'm really glad to 63 00:02:10,313 --> 00:02:12,369 have you here to talk about it . But 64 00:02:12,369 --> 00:02:12,180 while also let everybody know who's 65 00:02:12,180 --> 00:02:14,700 watching us that start witten is gonna 66 00:02:14,700 --> 00:02:16,811 be monitoring our social media chat . 67 00:02:16,811 --> 00:02:18,644 So if you have questions for our 68 00:02:18,644 --> 00:02:20,756 panelists for our guests , please put 69 00:02:20,756 --> 00:02:22,867 those into the chat and we might read 70 00:02:22,867 --> 00:02:24,811 them on the air . Okay , everybody 71 00:02:24,811 --> 00:02:26,978 comfortable . Great . Why don't you go 72 00:02:26,978 --> 00:02:29,144 and start by telling us a little about 73 00:02:29,144 --> 00:02:29,140 yourselves and your history with public 74 00:02:29,140 --> 00:02:32,420 affairs . Sure . So I've been in the 75 00:02:32,420 --> 00:02:34,780 Navy for about 19 years . I started off 76 00:02:34,790 --> 00:02:36,930 as a surface warfare officer and then 77 00:02:36,930 --> 00:02:39,570 transitioned to uh public affairs . So 78 00:02:39,570 --> 00:02:41,514 I've been doing public affairs for 79 00:02:41,514 --> 00:02:44,030 about 15 years . Um , so both afloat 80 00:02:44,030 --> 00:02:46,520 and ashore commands standouts would be 81 00:02:46,530 --> 00:02:49,400 a to the gym foe . Um , so are the 82 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,790 Navy's leader in communication . Um and 83 00:02:52,790 --> 00:02:55,990 then strike group pho for striker eight 84 00:02:55,990 --> 00:02:59,390 and Harry S . Truman and then um the 85 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,289 piano for the deputy Secretary of 86 00:03:01,289 --> 00:03:03,520 defense . Wow , that's great . Thanks . 87 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,340 So I was army public affairs for 12 88 00:03:06,340 --> 00:03:09,070 years , including tours in Korea , 89 00:03:09,070 --> 00:03:11,300 Afghanistan and Iraq . After I got out 90 00:03:11,300 --> 00:03:13,189 there since I got out , I've been 91 00:03:13,189 --> 00:03:15,189 teaching at the Defense Information 92 00:03:15,189 --> 00:03:14,760 School in the Public Affairs 93 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:16,927 Communication Strategy directorate . I 94 00:03:16,927 --> 00:03:19,149 currently teach the online course where 95 00:03:19,149 --> 00:03:21,371 we teach speech writing and writing for 96 00:03:21,371 --> 00:03:23,593 a principle . Um I also have a master's 97 00:03:23,593 --> 00:03:25,371 degree in communications with a 98 00:03:25,371 --> 00:03:26,927 concentration in government 99 00:03:26,927 --> 00:03:26,770 communication from john Hopkins 100 00:03:26,770 --> 00:03:29,310 University where I did a lot of work 101 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:31,653 specifically on writing for a principal . 102 00:03:31,653 --> 00:03:33,709 Nice . Great . Well how did you find 103 00:03:33,709 --> 00:03:35,820 yourself writing for your boss in the 104 00:03:35,820 --> 00:03:38,042 first place ? How'd you get yourself in 105 00:03:38,042 --> 00:03:40,264 that particular situation ? Well , I'll 106 00:03:40,264 --> 00:03:42,209 start off , I'll say for me it was 107 00:03:42,209 --> 00:03:44,153 doing right by my sailors . Um The 108 00:03:44,153 --> 00:03:46,376 first time that I had the opportunity , 109 00:03:46,376 --> 00:03:46,270 I was still a surface warfare officer . 110 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:48,650 Um and we had gotten called to the 111 00:03:48,650 --> 00:03:51,070 flight deck to do an all hands call and 112 00:03:51,070 --> 00:03:53,126 so we hurry up and wait , we all got 113 00:03:53,126 --> 00:03:55,181 there . We stood there for , I don't 114 00:03:55,181 --> 00:03:55,100 know , 30 minutes , whatever the time 115 00:03:55,100 --> 00:03:57,267 happened to be , I feel bad my sailors 116 00:03:57,267 --> 00:03:59,267 were probably there longer . Uh and 117 00:03:59,267 --> 00:04:01,322 then so the ceo came out , it was an 118 00:04:01,322 --> 00:04:03,378 awards ceremony . He read awards and 119 00:04:03,378 --> 00:04:05,600 they were terrible . It was , it didn't 120 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:07,711 do justice for our sailors and it was 121 00:04:07,711 --> 00:04:09,544 for the folks standing out there 122 00:04:09,544 --> 00:04:09,230 listening or the ones being recognized . 123 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,940 So uh collaborated with my LPO and said , 124 00:04:11,940 --> 00:04:13,884 hey , let's do better . And that's 125 00:04:13,884 --> 00:04:16,790 that's what we did . I got my start in 126 00:04:16,790 --> 00:04:19,012 Afghanistan in 2006 . It was the army's 127 00:04:19,012 --> 00:04:21,068 birthday celebration . And because I 128 00:04:21,068 --> 00:04:23,123 was public affairs , someone had the 129 00:04:23,123 --> 00:04:25,068 great idea that I should write and 130 00:04:25,068 --> 00:04:27,012 deliver a speech uh for the army's 131 00:04:27,012 --> 00:04:29,123 birthday celebration . So I did and I 132 00:04:29,123 --> 00:04:28,980 delivered it to the entire combined 133 00:04:28,980 --> 00:04:31,091 joint task force . And the next day I 134 00:04:31,091 --> 00:04:33,202 started getting calls from leadership 135 00:04:33,202 --> 00:04:35,202 around the task force asking for my 136 00:04:35,202 --> 00:04:37,424 help writing speeches . So that was how 137 00:04:37,424 --> 00:04:39,536 I kind of got pulled into it . That's 138 00:04:39,536 --> 00:04:39,020 great . Well , let's say you're the P . 139 00:04:39,020 --> 00:04:41,187 A . O . Or C . S . O . For your office 140 00:04:41,187 --> 00:04:43,298 and your boss approaches you to write 141 00:04:43,298 --> 00:04:45,353 for them . What are the first things 142 00:04:45,353 --> 00:04:47,242 you need to take in consideration 143 00:04:47,242 --> 00:04:49,520 before actually doing that ? Sure . Um , 144 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:51,687 okay , so I'd offer three things First 145 00:04:51,687 --> 00:04:53,970 research um , both your subject also 146 00:04:53,970 --> 00:04:55,970 barriers to communication , whether 147 00:04:55,970 --> 00:04:58,192 it's environmental , physical or in the 148 00:04:58,192 --> 00:05:00,248 communication environment . Uh , the 149 00:05:00,248 --> 00:05:02,414 second thing would be impact . What is 150 00:05:02,414 --> 00:05:04,526 your boss trying to do and then right 151 00:05:04,526 --> 00:05:06,637 towards that objective . And then the 152 00:05:06,637 --> 00:05:08,750 last thing would be the bridge , um , 153 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:10,871 figuring out what your audience wants 154 00:05:10,871 --> 00:05:12,871 to hear and what they're capable of 155 00:05:12,871 --> 00:05:15,038 delivering and what your boss wants to 156 00:05:15,038 --> 00:05:17,204 tell them and then bridging the two so 157 00:05:17,204 --> 00:05:19,482 that it's worth everyone's time . Yeah , 158 00:05:19,482 --> 00:05:19,460 absolutely . Candace nailed the two 159 00:05:19,460 --> 00:05:21,571 most important things , which is your 160 00:05:21,571 --> 00:05:23,793 commander's desired , End state or your 161 00:05:23,793 --> 00:05:25,904 principles desired end state and then 162 00:05:25,904 --> 00:05:25,430 um the audience that you're going to be 163 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:27,384 delivering it to because different 164 00:05:27,384 --> 00:05:29,551 people are going to accept messages in 165 00:05:29,551 --> 00:05:29,440 a different way , you're gonna reach 166 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:31,607 them different ways . Um Another thing 167 00:05:31,607 --> 00:05:33,662 I would consider two is the platform 168 00:05:33,662 --> 00:05:35,829 that you're delivering it through . So 169 00:05:35,829 --> 00:05:35,150 is it gonna be a speech in front of 170 00:05:35,340 --> 00:05:37,562 hundreds or thousands of people ? Is it 171 00:05:37,562 --> 00:05:39,562 going to be a social media post , a 172 00:05:39,562 --> 00:05:41,562 live town hall ? You really have to 173 00:05:41,562 --> 00:05:43,784 consider the platform and tweak your um 174 00:05:43,784 --> 00:05:45,951 your communication to that platform as 175 00:05:45,951 --> 00:05:48,062 well . Absolutely . And you mentioned 176 00:05:48,062 --> 00:05:50,173 some products your boss might ask you 177 00:05:50,173 --> 00:05:52,396 to write for them . Can you go over the 178 00:05:52,396 --> 00:05:52,290 pantheon of different products that 179 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:54,511 your boss could ask you to , to write 180 00:05:54,511 --> 00:05:57,190 for them ? Alright . So it's , yeah , 181 00:05:57,200 --> 00:05:59,200 it's really everything . Um whether 182 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:01,422 it's , I think one of the ones that the 183 00:06:01,422 --> 00:06:03,311 public affairs personnel are most 184 00:06:03,311 --> 00:06:05,478 familiar with are things like messages 185 00:06:05,478 --> 00:06:05,220 and talking points , you are literally 186 00:06:05,220 --> 00:06:07,164 writing those for somebody else to 187 00:06:07,164 --> 00:06:09,331 excuse me to deliver . Um but it could 188 00:06:09,331 --> 00:06:11,442 be something like a speech , it could 189 00:06:11,442 --> 00:06:13,553 be a social media post , which I find 190 00:06:13,553 --> 00:06:13,430 is a lot more common these days , um 191 00:06:13,430 --> 00:06:15,486 social media as you know , has taken 192 00:06:15,486 --> 00:06:17,652 off . It's a lot of people's preferred 193 00:06:17,652 --> 00:06:19,874 communication method and a lot of older 194 00:06:19,874 --> 00:06:21,930 commanders maybe don't know the best 195 00:06:21,930 --> 00:06:23,874 ways to utilize those platforms to 196 00:06:23,874 --> 00:06:25,874 their full extent . So they lean on 197 00:06:25,874 --> 00:06:27,986 their p a advisors to help them write 198 00:06:27,986 --> 00:06:27,070 those messages and craft those 199 00:06:27,070 --> 00:06:29,210 responses . Yeah , I'd say that's 200 00:06:29,210 --> 00:06:31,450 exactly right . Maybe adding a policy 201 00:06:31,450 --> 00:06:33,506 and testimony and it's basically the 202 00:06:33,506 --> 00:06:35,339 gambit , whatever , whatever the 203 00:06:35,339 --> 00:06:37,700 written word can be written on , you 204 00:06:37,700 --> 00:06:40,600 might be called to do it . What are 205 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:43,220 some common pitfalls that Apia or Cso 206 00:06:43,220 --> 00:06:45,331 should be on the watch for as they're 207 00:06:45,331 --> 00:06:47,553 actually taking on that task of writing 208 00:06:47,553 --> 00:06:49,387 for their boss and creating that 209 00:06:49,387 --> 00:06:51,498 content . I would say one of the most 210 00:06:51,498 --> 00:06:53,620 common pitfalls is making sure that 211 00:06:53,620 --> 00:06:56,160 your writing sounds like the person 212 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:58,438 who's intending to deliver that speech . 213 00:06:58,438 --> 00:07:00,493 So um if I have a different style of 214 00:07:00,493 --> 00:07:02,760 speaking writing than my um my 215 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:04,760 principal , I can't write in my own 216 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:06,816 voice and expect it to sound natural 217 00:07:06,816 --> 00:07:08,927 coming from them . So authenticity is 218 00:07:08,927 --> 00:07:08,710 really important when we're doing these . 219 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:10,664 Uh , so I think one of the biggest 220 00:07:10,664 --> 00:07:12,664 things is making sure you get their 221 00:07:12,664 --> 00:07:15,060 voice right . Um I'll offer to you . So 222 00:07:15,060 --> 00:07:19,040 one is the google being google as 223 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:21,096 your source . You have a whole staff 224 00:07:21,096 --> 00:07:23,430 asked them what their opinions are , 225 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:25,440 chic out the other elements of your 226 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:27,980 child to see how to best connect if 227 00:07:27,980 --> 00:07:30,340 google is your primary source , maybe 228 00:07:30,350 --> 00:07:32,183 maybe work on building the staff 229 00:07:32,183 --> 00:07:34,340 relationships bit and then the second 230 00:07:34,340 --> 00:07:37,390 one is writing and meaning something I 231 00:07:37,390 --> 00:07:39,334 used to be really great at writing 232 00:07:39,334 --> 00:07:41,390 things and it sounded good , right ? 233 00:07:41,390 --> 00:07:43,390 But then when you walk away you ask 234 00:07:43,390 --> 00:07:45,557 somebody , well what did you take away 235 00:07:45,557 --> 00:07:47,723 from that ? And it's like that they're 236 00:07:47,723 --> 00:07:49,668 really good speaker , there was no 237 00:07:49,668 --> 00:07:51,668 impact . Absolutely . Obviously our 238 00:07:51,668 --> 00:07:53,668 topic is all about writing for your 239 00:07:53,668 --> 00:07:55,723 boss , but you know , there might be 240 00:07:55,723 --> 00:07:55,280 other people within the command that 241 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:57,280 you have to write for as well , you 242 00:07:57,280 --> 00:07:59,447 know , senior enlisted leaders , other 243 00:07:59,447 --> 00:08:01,502 lower level commanders or just maybe 244 00:08:01,502 --> 00:08:03,669 someone from the office or someone you 245 00:08:03,669 --> 00:08:05,891 know , who needs to speak in front of a 246 00:08:05,891 --> 00:08:05,750 group . What are some considerations 247 00:08:05,750 --> 00:08:07,770 that you take into care when you're 248 00:08:07,770 --> 00:08:10,048 writing for different groups like that ? 249 00:08:10,048 --> 00:08:11,992 So the most important thing is the 250 00:08:11,992 --> 00:08:14,214 voice of the person that you're writing 251 00:08:14,214 --> 00:08:16,381 for . There are no hard and fast rules 252 00:08:16,381 --> 00:08:18,548 for like this is the rules for writing 253 00:08:18,548 --> 00:08:18,280 for a senior enlisted advisor . This is 254 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:20,502 the rules for writing for a commander . 255 00:08:20,502 --> 00:08:22,613 There are no hard and fast rules . It 256 00:08:22,613 --> 00:08:24,502 really depends on the person that 257 00:08:24,502 --> 00:08:26,669 you're going to be writing for . And a 258 00:08:26,669 --> 00:08:26,170 common misconception about speech 259 00:08:26,170 --> 00:08:28,114 writers is that we're often a room 260 00:08:28,114 --> 00:08:30,003 somewhere writing a speech all by 261 00:08:30,003 --> 00:08:32,059 ourselves and we just hand it to the 262 00:08:32,059 --> 00:08:31,570 principal and they go out and deliver 263 00:08:31,570 --> 00:08:33,880 it . It rarely happens like that . Um 264 00:08:33,890 --> 00:08:35,501 most of the time it's a very 265 00:08:35,501 --> 00:08:37,668 collaborative process . So when you're 266 00:08:37,668 --> 00:08:37,570 writing for different people , it's 267 00:08:37,570 --> 00:08:39,514 important to spend time with those 268 00:08:39,514 --> 00:08:41,737 principles , figure out what makes them 269 00:08:41,737 --> 00:08:43,959 tick what their motivations are . Um if 270 00:08:43,959 --> 00:08:46,070 they have any personal anecdotes from 271 00:08:46,070 --> 00:08:45,840 their life that they want to infuse in 272 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:48,180 the speech . Um what is really going to 273 00:08:48,180 --> 00:08:50,347 get them excited about delivering this 274 00:08:50,347 --> 00:08:52,458 speech and also make it sound natural 275 00:08:52,458 --> 00:08:54,569 uh and and normal to come from them . 276 00:08:54,569 --> 00:08:56,680 So so really the biggest thing for me 277 00:08:56,680 --> 00:08:56,060 is spending that time with that 278 00:08:56,060 --> 00:08:58,450 principle and and really understanding 279 00:08:58,450 --> 00:09:00,790 their motivation and their style . Yeah , 280 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:02,856 I have 100% agree with Stephanie , I 281 00:09:02,856 --> 00:09:05,090 would only add that risk tolerances are 282 00:09:05,090 --> 00:09:06,757 different , so take that into 283 00:09:06,757 --> 00:09:08,701 consideration some uh and it comes 284 00:09:08,701 --> 00:09:10,590 across in different ways for some 285 00:09:10,590 --> 00:09:12,757 people as jokes for some people , it's 286 00:09:12,757 --> 00:09:14,979 being edgy . So just make sure you nail 287 00:09:14,979 --> 00:09:17,090 that one before before delivery day . 288 00:09:17,090 --> 00:09:19,034 Absolute . How do you get into the 289 00:09:19,034 --> 00:09:21,201 mindset of your principle as you say , 290 00:09:21,201 --> 00:09:22,979 when you want to write in their 291 00:09:22,979 --> 00:09:25,201 speaking style ? I mean , You know what 292 00:09:25,201 --> 00:09:24,730 if they want to you know , go against 293 00:09:24,730 --> 00:09:26,786 sort of their normal natural voice . 294 00:09:26,786 --> 00:09:28,786 How do you how do you manage that ? 295 00:09:28,786 --> 00:09:30,619 Well , can just mentioned before 296 00:09:30,619 --> 00:09:30,280 research . And so one of the things 297 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:32,169 that you should be researching is 298 00:09:32,169 --> 00:09:34,336 previous engagements and communication 299 00:09:34,336 --> 00:09:36,447 from that person um in the military , 300 00:09:36,447 --> 00:09:38,613 you're likely to change commands every 301 00:09:38,613 --> 00:09:38,460 2-3 years . So look at what your 302 00:09:38,460 --> 00:09:40,516 commander has written or said in the 303 00:09:40,516 --> 00:09:42,849 past , get to know their speaking style . 304 00:09:42,849 --> 00:09:44,960 Um their their tone , their cadence . 305 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:47,660 Um but also you really do have to to be 306 00:09:47,660 --> 00:09:49,660 an advisor at this point as part of 307 00:09:49,660 --> 00:09:51,716 your job as a public affairs advisor 308 00:09:51,716 --> 00:09:53,938 and advise the commander against trying 309 00:09:53,938 --> 00:09:56,410 to sound different or um then they 310 00:09:56,410 --> 00:09:58,299 actually come across and they are 311 00:09:58,299 --> 00:10:00,466 because then that gets the inauthentic 312 00:10:00,466 --> 00:10:02,688 sound . Um and like I said to to nail a 313 00:10:02,688 --> 00:10:04,799 speech that's written by someone else 314 00:10:04,799 --> 00:10:07,021 really has to sound authentic . I had a 315 00:10:07,021 --> 00:10:09,077 commander once who wanted to sound a 316 00:10:09,077 --> 00:10:08,610 little bit more academic than he 317 00:10:08,610 --> 00:10:10,721 actually was . Um and so he wanted us 318 00:10:10,721 --> 00:10:13,160 to use kind of bigger language and just 319 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:15,216 different sentence structures and we 320 00:10:15,216 --> 00:10:17,382 really advised him against it . And so 321 00:10:17,382 --> 00:10:17,260 that's not how you talk , we really 322 00:10:17,260 --> 00:10:19,593 recommend that you just stick with this . 323 00:10:19,593 --> 00:10:21,649 And he wanted to go with the the you 324 00:10:21,649 --> 00:10:23,760 know , highfalutin speech . So he did 325 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:25,982 and it was completely awkward , it fell 326 00:10:25,982 --> 00:10:28,204 flat . He had a hard time nailing these 327 00:10:28,204 --> 00:10:27,440 words and these cadences where he 328 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:29,496 didn't normally speak . And so after 329 00:10:29,496 --> 00:10:31,607 that he he came back and he said okay 330 00:10:31,607 --> 00:10:33,662 we're not gonna do that again , I'll 331 00:10:33,662 --> 00:10:36,210 listen to you next time . Yeah , I'd 332 00:10:36,210 --> 00:10:38,280 say so . I I try to inject the 333 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:40,440 commander in verbatim when I can from 334 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:42,329 something that they've said at an 335 00:10:42,329 --> 00:10:44,329 update brief or something , they've 336 00:10:44,329 --> 00:10:46,551 gotten to where they are for a reason . 337 00:10:46,551 --> 00:10:48,551 And so usually they have jewels and 338 00:10:48,551 --> 00:10:50,773 pearls of wisdom . So I try to put that 339 00:10:50,773 --> 00:10:52,607 in earlier in the speech so they 340 00:10:52,607 --> 00:10:54,662 already feel comfortable and if I've 341 00:10:54,662 --> 00:10:56,829 done my job then walk away thinking oh 342 00:10:56,829 --> 00:10:56,050 I could have written that , but they 343 00:10:56,050 --> 00:10:58,272 still asked me for help next time . How 344 00:10:58,272 --> 00:11:00,439 about jokes if you had a commander who 345 00:11:00,439 --> 00:11:02,550 wants to write jokes and maybe you're 346 00:11:02,550 --> 00:11:04,772 not the funniest person in the world or 347 00:11:04,772 --> 00:11:06,994 you know , I think to myself is kind of 348 00:11:06,994 --> 00:11:06,460 funny , but I'm not a comedian , right ? 349 00:11:06,460 --> 00:11:08,682 So I mean if you had to write jokes for 350 00:11:08,682 --> 00:11:10,849 another for a commander , I have not , 351 00:11:10,849 --> 00:11:12,793 I've had I've had funny commanders 352 00:11:12,793 --> 00:11:15,016 before funny principles and I tell them 353 00:11:15,016 --> 00:11:17,127 you write your jokes because you have 354 00:11:17,127 --> 00:11:18,960 the timing . I don't it would be 355 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:21,071 awkward coming from me definitely the 356 00:11:21,071 --> 00:11:23,127 way to go . Like since you says no , 357 00:11:23,127 --> 00:11:25,420 the ice elf . What are the most common 358 00:11:25,420 --> 00:11:27,642 products that you find yourself writing 359 00:11:27,642 --> 00:11:29,560 or that any P A or CSO would find 360 00:11:29,560 --> 00:11:31,671 themselves writing when they get to a 361 00:11:31,671 --> 00:11:33,504 command ? What's the most common 362 00:11:33,504 --> 00:11:35,671 products ? I feel like the most common 363 00:11:35,671 --> 00:11:34,980 one that we get asked to help with 364 00:11:34,980 --> 00:11:37,036 their speeches because there's a lot 365 00:11:37,036 --> 00:11:39,147 more at stake . A lot more people are 366 00:11:39,147 --> 00:11:41,313 watching it . But it can literally run 367 00:11:41,313 --> 00:11:43,760 the gamut from emails , memos , awards 368 00:11:43,940 --> 00:11:46,910 um narration for a ceremony . Anything 369 00:11:46,910 --> 00:11:48,854 like that anytime the commander is 370 00:11:48,854 --> 00:11:51,021 going to be or somebody is going to be 371 00:11:51,021 --> 00:11:53,132 speaking to an audience . Um we might 372 00:11:53,132 --> 00:11:53,070 get asked to contribute . Yeah , 373 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:55,080 absolutely agree . And I would just 374 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:57,024 echo what what what we were saying 375 00:11:57,024 --> 00:11:59,191 before about running to the platform ? 376 00:11:59,191 --> 00:12:01,247 Um so for an email for example , you 377 00:12:01,247 --> 00:12:03,358 probably wanna get right to the point 378 00:12:03,358 --> 00:12:05,580 because if someone opens it up and they 379 00:12:05,580 --> 00:12:07,691 see that brick of text , it's over or 380 00:12:07,691 --> 00:12:09,747 or when , when your boss is actually 381 00:12:09,747 --> 00:12:11,969 traveling and they have a blackberry or 382 00:12:11,969 --> 00:12:14,080 iphone or whatever it is be cognizant 383 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:16,247 of , they have to scroll and I kind of 384 00:12:16,247 --> 00:12:16,240 have like if they have to do that more 385 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:18,018 than twice your , you've lost . 386 00:12:18,018 --> 00:12:20,420 Absolutely . That's a great point . So 387 00:12:20,420 --> 00:12:22,476 of course writing for your boss is a 388 00:12:22,476 --> 00:12:24,642 skill and of course we all want to get 389 00:12:24,642 --> 00:12:26,864 better right at any skill . So what are 390 00:12:26,864 --> 00:12:29,031 some tools and resources that a P A or 391 00:12:29,031 --> 00:12:31,360 Cso could utilize to be a better writer 392 00:12:31,740 --> 00:12:35,180 for their boss ? Sure . So I lean on 393 00:12:35,180 --> 00:12:38,830 past writers like we we um so one of my 394 00:12:38,830 --> 00:12:40,997 go to choose for techniques is nancy . 395 00:12:40,997 --> 00:12:43,970 Duarte . Uh she she combines the debate 396 00:12:43,970 --> 00:12:46,500 of primacy and recency um of where your 397 00:12:46,510 --> 00:12:48,620 audience is engaged in the beginning 398 00:12:48,620 --> 00:12:50,920 and the end and advocates for having 399 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:53,031 them engaged throughout . So she kind 400 00:12:53,031 --> 00:12:55,253 of has a roller coaster model where she 401 00:12:55,253 --> 00:12:57,476 begins with what is and what can be and 402 00:12:57,476 --> 00:12:59,587 there's a gap between the two and she 403 00:12:59,587 --> 00:13:01,809 has the speaker or she's seen that some 404 00:13:01,809 --> 00:13:03,920 of the the famous speeches in history 405 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:06,142 have gone between what is what can be , 406 00:13:06,142 --> 00:13:05,620 what is what can be , what is what can 407 00:13:05,620 --> 00:13:07,920 be and then the end on like a plateau 408 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:10,210 of if we all work together , we can be 409 00:13:10,220 --> 00:13:12,870 at what can be . So that's for cadence 410 00:13:12,870 --> 00:13:15,220 and then for how to make the idea 411 00:13:15,220 --> 00:13:17,160 sticky . Then I go to the heath 412 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:20,090 brothers and they have a short list of 413 00:13:20,090 --> 00:13:22,312 things that you can do . The two that I 414 00:13:22,312 --> 00:13:24,479 find most appealing are using concrete 415 00:13:24,479 --> 00:13:27,290 words . Uh , so things , so words that 416 00:13:27,300 --> 00:13:29,430 evoke a picture in someone's head and 417 00:13:29,430 --> 00:13:31,830 then storytelling , but storytelling , 418 00:13:31,830 --> 00:13:33,997 I don't mean right , war and peace . I 419 00:13:33,997 --> 00:13:36,800 mean tap into those common stories that , 420 00:13:36,810 --> 00:13:39,032 that people are familiar with , like an 421 00:13:39,032 --> 00:13:41,088 aesop fable or David and Goliath and 422 00:13:41,088 --> 00:13:43,310 just use that to uh , to help structure 423 00:13:43,310 --> 00:13:45,366 your story . Yeah . And and go along 424 00:13:45,366 --> 00:13:47,477 with that to reach your audience . If 425 00:13:47,477 --> 00:13:49,754 you can tap into some shared narrative . 426 00:13:49,754 --> 00:13:51,977 So if I'm a military person speaking to 427 00:13:51,977 --> 00:13:51,650 a military audience , you can tap into 428 00:13:51,650 --> 00:13:53,761 that shared narrative and speak about 429 00:13:53,761 --> 00:13:55,483 things that your audience will 430 00:13:55,483 --> 00:13:57,428 understand um versus speaking to a 431 00:13:57,428 --> 00:13:59,594 civilian audience , you maybe wouldn't 432 00:13:59,594 --> 00:14:01,706 want to rely a lot on more stories to 433 00:14:01,706 --> 00:14:00,850 connect with them because it's not 434 00:14:00,860 --> 00:14:03,020 gonna work . Um , yeah , I absolutely 435 00:14:03,020 --> 00:14:04,798 agree with Candace . Looking at 436 00:14:04,798 --> 00:14:06,909 previous speeches and famous speeches 437 00:14:06,909 --> 00:14:09,020 from history , it's really gonna help 438 00:14:09,020 --> 00:14:10,909 you be a better writer . Um , she 439 00:14:10,909 --> 00:14:13,076 mentioned that that rollercoaster um , 440 00:14:13,076 --> 00:14:15,242 you know , uh , martin Luther King's , 441 00:14:15,242 --> 00:14:14,660 I have a dream speech is the famous 442 00:14:14,670 --> 00:14:16,837 perfect example of that roller coaster 443 00:14:16,837 --> 00:14:19,059 because he starts out with the um , the 444 00:14:19,059 --> 00:14:20,781 promise that was made with the 445 00:14:20,781 --> 00:14:22,892 Emancipation proclamation and then he 446 00:14:22,892 --> 00:14:22,060 goes , but this is where we are today 447 00:14:22,290 --> 00:14:24,290 and here's the dream that I have of 448 00:14:24,290 --> 00:14:26,401 where we can be , but here's where we 449 00:14:26,401 --> 00:14:26,100 are today . So he really takes you on 450 00:14:26,100 --> 00:14:28,156 this roller coaster ride of hope and 451 00:14:28,156 --> 00:14:30,211 and um , a little bit of sadness and 452 00:14:30,211 --> 00:14:32,600 fear that really empowers the audience 453 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:34,822 at the end to feel like they want to go 454 00:14:34,822 --> 00:14:36,600 out and do something and make a 455 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:38,767 difference . Absolutely . And speaking 456 00:14:38,767 --> 00:14:40,544 of resources , you brought some 457 00:14:40,544 --> 00:14:42,600 resources to the show for us . Would 458 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:44,767 you mind going over these , what these 459 00:14:44,767 --> 00:14:44,540 tools are ? These ? Sure , actually a 460 00:14:44,540 --> 00:14:46,596 few books that I actually keep in my 461 00:14:46,596 --> 00:14:48,540 office . So as I said before , the 462 00:14:48,540 --> 00:14:50,373 Heath Brothers made to stick and 463 00:14:50,373 --> 00:14:52,429 they'll just go through simplicity , 464 00:14:52,429 --> 00:14:54,540 unexpectedness , kind of like the top 465 00:14:54,540 --> 00:14:56,707 half a dozen things that will make the 466 00:14:56,707 --> 00:14:58,873 audience carry your message forward or 467 00:14:58,873 --> 00:15:00,984 at least encourage them to . And then 468 00:15:00,984 --> 00:15:03,151 uh here Nancy Duarte in her illuminate 469 00:15:03,151 --> 00:15:05,373 book . And that was again , she has not 470 00:15:05,373 --> 00:15:07,318 only the , the roller coaster that 471 00:15:07,318 --> 00:15:09,373 keeps your folks engaged but also uh 472 00:15:09,373 --> 00:15:11,651 pinpoints the audience as your as your , 473 00:15:11,651 --> 00:15:13,651 as your hero in the story . So that 474 00:15:13,651 --> 00:15:15,873 because they're the ones that are going 475 00:15:15,873 --> 00:15:18,040 to carry forth your idea . And then my 476 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,040 last go to here is the unseen power 477 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:22,040 which really goes through important 478 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:24,151 world events to show that there was a 479 00:15:24,151 --> 00:15:26,373 pr plan behind them . Things don't just 480 00:15:26,373 --> 00:15:28,373 generally happen because people are 481 00:15:28,373 --> 00:15:30,262 good or bad . They happen because 482 00:15:30,262 --> 00:15:32,740 someone had an idea and they campaigned 483 00:15:32,740 --> 00:15:35,018 for it um like the american revolution , 484 00:15:35,018 --> 00:15:38,180 that's one of them . That's great . You 485 00:15:38,180 --> 00:15:40,402 know you mentioned earlier that kind of 486 00:15:40,402 --> 00:15:42,347 two of the most common things that 487 00:15:42,347 --> 00:15:44,513 you'll be writing for our speeches and 488 00:15:44,513 --> 00:15:46,569 ghost emails . Can you talk to those 489 00:15:46,569 --> 00:15:48,680 two products specifically and sort of 490 00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:50,791 what are some best practices that you 491 00:15:50,791 --> 00:15:53,013 utilize when you craft and create those 492 00:15:53,013 --> 00:15:55,236 messages ? I can speak about speeches . 493 00:15:55,236 --> 00:15:57,458 So for speech writing , one of the most 494 00:15:57,458 --> 00:15:59,458 tried and true methods of writing a 495 00:15:59,458 --> 00:16:01,569 good speech is using what we call the 496 00:16:01,569 --> 00:16:03,402 rhetorical triangle . And it was 497 00:16:03,402 --> 00:16:05,458 actually first coined by Aristotle , 498 00:16:05,458 --> 00:16:05,420 but it uses the three rhetorical 499 00:16:05,420 --> 00:16:08,270 appeals of ethos , logos and pathos and 500 00:16:08,290 --> 00:16:10,560 ethos to establish the credentials of 501 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:12,504 the speaker . So why should people 502 00:16:12,504 --> 00:16:14,671 listen to me ? Because I have all this 503 00:16:14,671 --> 00:16:16,782 experience . That's why Candice and I 504 00:16:16,782 --> 00:16:18,727 when we first came out here talked 505 00:16:18,727 --> 00:16:17,900 about our experience with speech 506 00:16:17,900 --> 00:16:20,122 writing , why should you listen to us ? 507 00:16:20,122 --> 00:16:22,233 Well we have a lot of experience with 508 00:16:22,233 --> 00:16:24,178 it . Um the second one , pathos is 509 00:16:24,178 --> 00:16:26,233 trying to draw an emotional reaction 510 00:16:26,233 --> 00:16:28,400 from your audience . Candace mentioned 511 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:28,040 you want to have your ideas stick , 512 00:16:28,050 --> 00:16:30,217 it's more likely to stick with someone 513 00:16:30,217 --> 00:16:32,439 if they react to it emotionally if they 514 00:16:32,439 --> 00:16:34,606 have some kind of connection to it and 515 00:16:34,606 --> 00:16:36,828 then logos is a logical appeal . Appeal 516 00:16:36,828 --> 00:16:36,750 your arguments that you make throughout 517 00:16:36,750 --> 00:16:38,861 your speech should be sensical . They 518 00:16:38,861 --> 00:16:40,861 should be based in reality . Um and 519 00:16:40,861 --> 00:16:43,083 they should appeal to someone's kind of 520 00:16:43,083 --> 00:16:45,770 the idea of a sense of order and um and 521 00:16:45,770 --> 00:16:48,190 things being right so that for me is is 522 00:16:48,190 --> 00:16:50,079 one of the if you can master that 523 00:16:50,079 --> 00:16:52,260 rhetorical triangle . Um you'll see 524 00:16:52,260 --> 00:16:54,149 that some of the best speeches in 525 00:16:54,149 --> 00:16:56,316 history have used it and and have been 526 00:16:56,316 --> 00:16:58,340 very successful . Yeah . I'll say a 527 00:16:58,340 --> 00:17:00,580 phrase that you see for ghost emails 528 00:17:00,610 --> 00:17:02,920 over and imposes be brief , be 529 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:05,142 brilliant , be gone . That's the way to 530 00:17:05,142 --> 00:17:07,087 do it . Um connect with who you're 531 00:17:07,087 --> 00:17:09,310 talking to , tell them what the issue 532 00:17:09,310 --> 00:17:11,477 is , what you need them to do and then 533 00:17:11,477 --> 00:17:14,030 stop . Very good , very good . You know , 534 00:17:14,030 --> 00:17:16,890 one tip that I'll give anyone who's 535 00:17:16,890 --> 00:17:19,230 writing emails and that we utilize a 536 00:17:19,230 --> 00:17:22,040 lot at my last command was don't be 537 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:24,096 afraid to use highlights and bolds . 538 00:17:24,096 --> 00:17:26,207 And especially in addition to keeping 539 00:17:26,207 --> 00:17:28,480 your email brief also make sure to 540 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:30,369 highlight what it is you want the 541 00:17:30,369 --> 00:17:32,591 viewer to immediately gravitate towards 542 00:17:32,630 --> 00:17:34,741 and it just makes it that much easier 543 00:17:34,741 --> 00:17:36,963 for them to again get past that wall of 544 00:17:36,963 --> 00:17:39,019 text sort of barrier that they might 545 00:17:39,019 --> 00:17:41,241 see . What are some more unusual things 546 00:17:41,241 --> 00:17:43,186 you've ever written for ? Like for 547 00:17:43,186 --> 00:17:45,352 instance , I had to write an op ed one 548 00:17:45,352 --> 00:17:47,074 time that was a completely new 549 00:17:47,074 --> 00:17:46,880 experience for me . Is there anything 550 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:48,991 that's been like one officer ? Just a 551 00:17:48,991 --> 00:17:51,102 completely unusual thing . You didn't 552 00:17:51,102 --> 00:17:53,324 think you'd ever have to write for your 553 00:17:53,324 --> 00:17:55,491 boss . So sure I'll start just because 554 00:17:55,491 --> 00:17:57,580 Stephanie's are amazing . So so so I 555 00:17:57,580 --> 00:17:59,802 would say the most unusual was probably 556 00:17:59,802 --> 00:18:02,160 an S . O . P . So when I was in Iraq we 557 00:18:02,170 --> 00:18:06,160 were helping the army um put 558 00:18:06,170 --> 00:18:08,392 devices on their vehicles and such . So 559 00:18:08,392 --> 00:18:10,520 that would that would help them get 560 00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:12,742 past the I . D . S . So writing the srp 561 00:18:12,742 --> 00:18:14,964 is probably the most unusual thing I've 562 00:18:14,964 --> 00:18:17,131 had to help with . Yeah . Um there are 563 00:18:17,131 --> 00:18:19,187 definitely some some things that you 564 00:18:19,187 --> 00:18:19,020 don't think you get tasked with like 565 00:18:19,030 --> 00:18:20,919 awards and memos , memorandum for 566 00:18:20,919 --> 00:18:23,030 record , anything that's gonna be you 567 00:18:23,030 --> 00:18:25,400 know stand the test of time . Um People 568 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:27,560 tend to want help getting right . But 569 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:29,710 one of my my most fun projects that I 570 00:18:29,710 --> 00:18:31,877 worked on was in grad school . We were 571 00:18:31,877 --> 00:18:34,300 assigned a historical figure to to 572 00:18:34,300 --> 00:18:36,356 practice writing in their voice . Um 573 00:18:36,356 --> 00:18:38,244 And I ended up writing tweets for 574 00:18:38,244 --> 00:18:39,911 Abraham Lincoln . So that was 575 00:18:39,911 --> 00:18:42,133 definitely something I never would have 576 00:18:42,133 --> 00:18:44,356 expected to have to do in uh in my life 577 00:18:44,356 --> 00:18:46,578 ever . But it was really great exercise 578 00:18:46,578 --> 00:18:48,578 in learning to really get someone's 579 00:18:48,578 --> 00:18:50,578 voice and and apply it to different 580 00:18:50,578 --> 00:18:52,744 platforms . Yeah . What type what type 581 00:18:52,744 --> 00:18:54,633 of hashtag with Lincoln ? Hashtag 582 00:18:54,633 --> 00:18:58,550 reconstruction . Okay great . 583 00:18:58,550 --> 00:19:00,661 Well considering hashtags , what kind 584 00:19:00,661 --> 00:19:02,717 of hashtags are they using on social 585 00:19:02,717 --> 00:19:04,939 media nowadays aren't we ? And what are 586 00:19:04,939 --> 00:19:04,670 they talking about on social media ? 587 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:07,180 Any questions ? Not quite a hashtag so 588 00:19:07,180 --> 00:19:09,347 to speak . We do got a question . What 589 00:19:09,347 --> 00:19:11,458 are some of the other famous speeches 590 00:19:11,458 --> 00:19:13,624 that give you guys some inspiration as 591 00:19:13,624 --> 00:19:16,460 a ghostwriter . Alright so I'm gonna 592 00:19:16,460 --> 00:19:19,520 have to say ? I'm gonna be honest here 593 00:19:19,530 --> 00:19:21,641 not the written speeches ? It's the , 594 00:19:21,641 --> 00:19:23,650 it's more scripted speeches . So 595 00:19:23,660 --> 00:19:26,670 television And star trek . 596 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:30,550 Oh yeah , so there's , there's , I do 597 00:19:30,550 --> 00:19:32,661 I , that's , that's probably my go to 598 00:19:32,661 --> 00:19:34,606 um I love the Gettysburg address . 599 00:19:34,606 --> 00:19:36,940 Speaking of Lincoln because it was 600 00:19:36,950 --> 00:19:39,006 brief . It's famously something like 601 00:19:39,006 --> 00:19:41,172 276 lines , but it was one of the most 602 00:19:41,172 --> 00:19:43,283 impactful speeches that has stood the 603 00:19:43,283 --> 00:19:45,450 test of time . Um and I think that's a 604 00:19:45,450 --> 00:19:45,230 really good reminder to us that you 605 00:19:45,230 --> 00:19:47,508 don't have to be long winded . In fact , 606 00:19:47,508 --> 00:19:49,674 it's better to not be long winded . Um 607 00:19:49,674 --> 00:19:51,841 when your speech goes on for for , you 608 00:19:51,841 --> 00:19:53,897 know , half an hour , people tend to 609 00:19:53,897 --> 00:19:56,119 forget the things that you said back at 610 00:19:56,119 --> 00:19:58,119 the beginning um and you might lose 611 00:19:58,119 --> 00:20:00,341 some of your more important points . So 612 00:20:00,341 --> 00:19:59,520 I really love the Gettysburg address as 613 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:01,631 a reminder to , hey , let's keep this 614 00:20:01,631 --> 00:20:03,798 on the short side . Um you know , that 615 00:20:03,798 --> 00:20:05,909 goes back to your start on the ship , 616 00:20:05,909 --> 00:20:08,131 You know , nobody wants to stand around 617 00:20:08,131 --> 00:20:10,464 outside for half an hour to for nothing , 618 00:20:10,464 --> 00:20:10,280 you know , make it worth their while . 619 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:12,376 Yeah , something like that . I would 620 00:20:12,376 --> 00:20:14,487 think uh what speeches motivate you , 621 00:20:14,487 --> 00:20:16,709 which speeches have left impacts on you 622 00:20:16,709 --> 00:20:18,709 and look at how those speeches were 623 00:20:18,709 --> 00:20:20,931 constructed and then reverse engineer . 624 00:20:20,931 --> 00:20:23,070 Whatever tips or advice you would get 625 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:25,080 from , you know , listening to that 626 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:26,969 speech ? Yeah , absolutely . That 627 00:20:26,969 --> 00:20:29,191 reverse engineering is a really great , 628 00:20:29,191 --> 00:20:31,358 great point to look back at that . The 629 00:20:31,358 --> 00:20:30,600 other speeches , what do you remember 630 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:32,767 what stuck out for you and how can you 631 00:20:32,767 --> 00:20:34,711 recreate that in your product that 632 00:20:34,711 --> 00:20:36,920 you're working on now ? Well I don't 633 00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:38,864 hear any more comments from social 634 00:20:38,864 --> 00:20:40,642 media , but again , if you have 635 00:20:40,642 --> 00:20:42,864 anything that you would like to ask our 636 00:20:42,864 --> 00:20:44,976 panelists after the show is over , by 637 00:20:44,976 --> 00:20:47,142 all means , they'll be looking out for 638 00:20:47,142 --> 00:20:49,087 it and can potentially answer your 639 00:20:49,087 --> 00:20:51,309 questions for you . But ladies , before 640 00:20:51,309 --> 00:20:53,364 we sign off and say goodbye to you , 641 00:20:53,364 --> 00:20:55,420 what sort of lasting words of wisdom 642 00:20:55,420 --> 00:20:55,110 would you like to leave with our 643 00:20:55,110 --> 00:20:57,277 audience about writing for your boss ? 644 00:20:57,340 --> 00:20:59,451 I think I'm just gonna reiterate like 645 00:20:59,451 --> 00:21:01,950 right , right for impact and then know 646 00:21:01,950 --> 00:21:04,520 your strengths and weaknesses and and 647 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:06,520 don't let hubris be your downfall . 648 00:21:07,140 --> 00:21:09,196 Okay . And I'm gonna say build those 649 00:21:09,196 --> 00:21:11,473 relationships with your your principal , 650 00:21:11,473 --> 00:21:13,696 with your command , um the more you get 651 00:21:13,696 --> 00:21:15,473 to know them , the more you are 652 00:21:15,473 --> 00:21:17,418 comfortable with their voice , the 653 00:21:17,418 --> 00:21:19,418 easier it's gonna be to write these 654 00:21:19,418 --> 00:21:19,310 products and the more trusted that 655 00:21:19,310 --> 00:21:21,643 relationship is going to be um you know , 656 00:21:21,643 --> 00:21:23,977 we have a saying if you give them steak , 657 00:21:23,977 --> 00:21:23,860 they'll stop asking for hamburger . So 658 00:21:23,860 --> 00:21:25,804 show them what you can do to build 659 00:21:25,804 --> 00:21:27,971 those relationships and they will come 660 00:21:27,971 --> 00:21:30,193 to lean on you as a trusted advisor for 661 00:21:30,193 --> 00:21:32,304 every written products that they do , 662 00:21:32,304 --> 00:21:34,416 which you know , might not be , might 663 00:21:34,416 --> 00:21:36,527 not be ideal , but but it makes you a 664 00:21:36,527 --> 00:21:38,638 good p a Absolutely . And speaking of 665 00:21:38,638 --> 00:21:40,860 that , have you ever had any commanders 666 00:21:40,860 --> 00:21:40,830 reject your support ? Or have you ever 667 00:21:40,830 --> 00:21:42,997 tried to interject your support into a 668 00:21:42,997 --> 00:21:44,997 commander who hasn't asked for your 669 00:21:44,997 --> 00:21:48,450 support directly ? Ah Yeah . So I would 670 00:21:48,450 --> 00:21:51,230 say it's pretty it's probably common to 671 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:53,580 not be the go to when you first report 672 00:21:53,590 --> 00:21:57,090 to a command . So just show your value . 673 00:21:57,180 --> 00:21:59,390 So after something that's happened , 674 00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:01,920 like create products that clearly 675 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:04,031 aligned with what your boss is trying 676 00:22:04,031 --> 00:22:05,753 to do or if they go out and do 677 00:22:05,753 --> 00:22:07,976 something , come in with an A . R . Can 678 00:22:07,976 --> 00:22:10,198 be short , it can be an email and say , 679 00:22:10,198 --> 00:22:12,087 hey this this is how the audience 680 00:22:12,087 --> 00:22:14,253 members that you were engaging with uh 681 00:22:14,253 --> 00:22:16,309 took away what you said , and here's 682 00:22:16,309 --> 00:22:16,210 how we can do it better next time and 683 00:22:16,220 --> 00:22:18,630 I'm here to help do that . Yeah . Um 684 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:20,807 you know , I talked about my speech in 685 00:22:20,807 --> 00:22:22,751 Afghanistan was kind of a kick off 686 00:22:22,751 --> 00:22:24,862 point . I've been working as a public 687 00:22:24,862 --> 00:22:24,770 affairs for three years up to that 688 00:22:24,770 --> 00:22:26,881 point and nobody had ever asked me to 689 00:22:26,881 --> 00:22:28,992 help them write a speech . And it was 690 00:22:28,992 --> 00:22:28,160 when they heard me give a speech that 691 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:30,327 they liked , they said she can write , 692 00:22:30,327 --> 00:22:32,549 let's ask her . So you really just have 693 00:22:32,549 --> 00:22:34,771 to kind of put yourself out there . And 694 00:22:34,771 --> 00:22:36,993 I would say maybe in your um you know , 695 00:22:36,993 --> 00:22:39,049 new commander integration , let them 696 00:22:39,049 --> 00:22:41,049 know this is something that I offer 697 00:22:41,049 --> 00:22:40,550 this , something I can do here is an 698 00:22:40,550 --> 00:22:42,606 example of something I've written in 699 00:22:42,606 --> 00:22:44,661 the past and really let them know um 700 00:22:44,661 --> 00:22:46,883 that that's available as for commanders 701 00:22:46,883 --> 00:22:49,217 uh turning down my advice . I mean yeah , 702 00:22:49,217 --> 00:22:51,383 that happens all the time where public 703 00:22:51,383 --> 00:22:53,494 affairs advisers . So all I can do is 704 00:22:53,494 --> 00:22:53,470 offer my best advice and if they choose 705 00:22:53,470 --> 00:22:55,414 not to take it um then you have to 706 00:22:55,414 --> 00:22:57,748 respect that and you always do an A . R . 707 00:22:57,748 --> 00:22:59,970 Afterwards . Like Candice is saying you 708 00:22:59,970 --> 00:23:02,192 know um do that after after the event . 709 00:23:02,192 --> 00:23:04,414 After it happens , talk about what went 710 00:23:04,414 --> 00:23:06,470 well what could have gone better and 711 00:23:06,470 --> 00:23:08,581 how you could have been um the key to 712 00:23:08,581 --> 00:23:10,581 help it go better . And I love that 713 00:23:10,581 --> 00:23:12,637 stuff you're saying we're advisors . 714 00:23:12,637 --> 00:23:14,710 It's true . But also like as you can 715 00:23:14,710 --> 00:23:16,821 hear just from her background , she's 716 00:23:16,821 --> 00:23:18,877 an advocate advisor . So she goes in 717 00:23:18,877 --> 00:23:21,043 with her her research done , she makes 718 00:23:21,043 --> 00:23:23,270 a point . Um and then she tells the 719 00:23:23,270 --> 00:23:25,740 boss this is what happens if you go 720 00:23:25,740 --> 00:23:27,907 with what we say , this is a potential 721 00:23:27,907 --> 00:23:30,073 of what happens if you don't . So then 722 00:23:30,073 --> 00:23:32,296 the boss can make that decision . Be an 723 00:23:32,296 --> 00:23:34,407 advisor is more than just saying up I 724 00:23:34,407 --> 00:23:36,629 told him and then off you go . So it it 725 00:23:36,629 --> 00:23:38,796 takes a little bit advisor advocates , 726 00:23:38,796 --> 00:23:40,962 probably whatever to yeah , you know , 727 00:23:40,962 --> 00:23:43,129 what I've found is I've usually always 728 00:23:43,129 --> 00:23:45,351 offered my skills and assistance to the 729 00:23:45,351 --> 00:23:47,518 commander and either they're they take 730 00:23:47,518 --> 00:23:49,740 it or they you know , they know how the 731 00:23:49,740 --> 00:23:49,070 two right and they know how they want 732 00:23:49,070 --> 00:23:51,237 to convey themselves . Some commanders 733 00:23:51,237 --> 00:23:53,459 I know of are very good at speaking off 734 00:23:53,459 --> 00:23:55,681 the cuff and speaking without basically 735 00:23:55,681 --> 00:23:57,737 just notes or bullet points and they 736 00:23:57,737 --> 00:23:59,792 can talk , you know , for as long as 737 00:23:59,792 --> 00:24:01,792 they need to . And other commanders 738 00:24:01,792 --> 00:24:04,070 have said , I want you to write for me , 739 00:24:04,070 --> 00:24:03,370 you know , directly , which you know , 740 00:24:03,380 --> 00:24:05,102 again , different commanders , 741 00:24:05,102 --> 00:24:07,436 different experiences . So that's great . 742 00:24:07,436 --> 00:24:09,658 And to be clear , sometimes it's not as 743 00:24:09,658 --> 00:24:11,824 you know , hey , I'm the commander , I 744 00:24:11,824 --> 00:24:11,080 have to give this speech . I need you 745 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:13,247 to write it for me . So I sound good . 746 00:24:13,247 --> 00:24:15,413 Sometimes it's literally just , I need 747 00:24:15,413 --> 00:24:17,580 to get this email out and I don't have 748 00:24:17,580 --> 00:24:16,760 to go to this meeting . So can you 749 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:18,982 please write something for me and , and 750 00:24:18,982 --> 00:24:21,038 then I'll just sign off on it at the 751 00:24:21,038 --> 00:24:23,260 end . So it's not as always as dramatic 752 00:24:23,260 --> 00:24:22,310 as like , oh , I'm gonna make them 753 00:24:22,310 --> 00:24:24,532 sound amazing . It's literally , I just 754 00:24:24,532 --> 00:24:26,532 have to get this done for them . So 755 00:24:26,532 --> 00:24:28,699 like absolutely , I don't have time to 756 00:24:28,699 --> 00:24:30,921 do this . I need your help to do this . 757 00:24:30,921 --> 00:24:30,410 Yeah , absolutely . Well thank you so 758 00:24:30,410 --> 00:24:32,750 much ladies for taking time out of your 759 00:24:32,750 --> 00:24:34,930 busy schedules to come on our program 760 00:24:34,930 --> 00:24:36,890 today and talk about this very 761 00:24:36,890 --> 00:24:39,130 important topic . I think we're pretty 762 00:24:39,130 --> 00:24:41,420 well established just how important 763 00:24:41,420 --> 00:24:43,476 this skill is . And I want to remind 764 00:24:43,476 --> 00:24:45,860 everyone that if you prefer to listen 765 00:24:45,870 --> 00:24:48,092 to your monthly dose of din foes live , 766 00:24:48,092 --> 00:24:50,530 which is watching us , which I don't 767 00:24:50,530 --> 00:24:52,474 know why I wouldn't wouldn't wanna 768 00:24:52,474 --> 00:24:54,780 watch us . You can now subscribe to the 769 00:24:54,780 --> 00:24:57,050 show as a podcast . Just search didn't 770 00:24:57,050 --> 00:24:59,290 folks live on your podcast platform of 771 00:24:59,290 --> 00:25:01,512 choice . You can also find direct links 772 00:25:01,512 --> 00:25:03,401 to each platform that we host the 773 00:25:03,401 --> 00:25:06,430 podcast on in our show notes . Well , 774 00:25:06,540 --> 00:25:08,651 thank you all for joining us for this 775 00:25:08,651 --> 00:25:10,707 discussion . Hopefully you learned a 776 00:25:10,707 --> 00:25:12,596 thing or two that will make you a 777 00:25:12,596 --> 00:25:14,429 better communicator and a better 778 00:25:14,429 --> 00:25:16,540 resource for your boss . I know I did 779 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:19,400 Next month We'll be talking about 780 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:21,400 disaster preparedness and emergency 781 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:23,344 management and especially relevant 782 00:25:23,344 --> 00:25:25,970 topic as we enter hurricane season . So 783 00:25:25,970 --> 00:25:28,700 join us on May 25 to learn about how 784 00:25:28,700 --> 00:25:31,010 you can be better prepared to 785 00:25:31,010 --> 00:25:33,030 communicate during emergencies , 786 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:35,730 disasters and crises until next month , 787 00:25:35,730 --> 00:25:39,270 everybody . No . Mm hmm . 788 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:41,260 Mhm , mm hmm . 789 00:25:48,340 --> 00:25:49,340 Yeah , 790 00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:03,770 mm hmm .