How is your week coming along?

I’ve been facing a situation lately and want to share a hard truth about speech development. It's something any creative will face whether you are creating a speech, screenplay or a novel.

Let’s say you start with a concept that feels perfect at that moment. You refine it, add compelling stories, and polish your delivery. But as you develop it, new insights emerge. A new example fits better. A fresh angle makes your message stronger. And then it happens—you realize that a part of your speech, something you loved at first, no longer fits.

What do you do? You cut it. Yes, even if it was your favorite joke, your most heartfelt story, or that clever phrase you spent hours perfecting, or some beautiful scene where you put your heart out to bring that vision to paper.

One of my mentors used to call this “cutting your darlings.” Different people have different names for this. It’s painful, but it’s a hard truth. necessary to create a tight, impactful speech script.

Think of it as editing a blockbuster movie. Remember that epic scene that didn’t make the final cut? It wasn’t because it was bad—it just didn’t serve the story. The same applies to your speech.

Let's say you had an amazing childhood story that you love. But as the speech evolved, that story—though funny or interesting—didn’t align with the final theme. Cutting it out may feel like losing a piece of yourself. But if you, the speech may became sharper, and tighter.

So, next time you’re developing a speech, ask yourself: Is this helping my message, or am I keeping it just because I love it? If it’s the latter, let it go.

Your audience will thank you.

To tight, impactful speeches. As always, thanks for being awesome!
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-Rama