THERE ARE FEW people who relish the thought of speaking in public, whether it is a wedding, an anniversary or a presentation. Not only do you have to get up there in front of so many people, but you also have to come up with an intelligent speech that won’t have people falling asleep in their seats.
Speech writing is somewhat of a skill, and not one that all of us possess. Politicians can afford to hire someone to do it for them, but a professional, exclusive speech writer is probably out of the reach of most people.
However, there is a service out there that could help if you are having qualms about showing off your creative skills to your friends and family. Speech-Writers.com offers a professional and personal speechwriting service to customers throughout the world — all you need is an Internet connection and a credit card!
Run by Niamh Crowe, who composes the speeches, the business has been in operation since 1995, offering speeches and toasts to customers worldwide. Speech-Writers.com is a family business, with Niamh’s daughter Ciara looking after PR and her husband Fred responsible for the site’s marketing. Technical issues are the domain of Michael Walsh.
Instant customer satisfaction is one of the site’s selling points. “Speeches are an ideal product for the Internet and clients usually receive their order within two minutes,” says Niamh. “This is even more important in the case of eulogies where time is often a critical factor.”
Ready to go?
Speech-Writers.com offers two different services: Ready-to-go speeches or personalised ones. The ready-to-go speeches cover a variety of occasions, from Armed Forces events to Bar Mitzvahs, Weddings to business events. Once you have chosen and paid for your speech, using a credit card, it will take under 20 minutes for it arrive. The speeches are paid for through a secure sockets layer (SSL) server that is approved by Thawte’s Digital Certificates Services.
The Ready-To-Go packs also include tips for public speaking. “Another important feature is the fact that we offer a mix-and-match formula,” explains Niamh. “The father of the bride for instance welcomes his guests at the wedding. We give him five speeches and so he has five different options as to how he will welcome his guests as well as five different opening comments and closing remarks.”
The personalised speeches take a little more time, so it’s worth getting in early. They are also charged at different rates — some personalised speeches are charged by length, at $95 a minute, with a minimum of three minutes for each speech; personalised poems cost $100; personalized wedding speeches will set you back $275.
If you aren’t happy with the Ready-to-Go speech you are supplied with, there is a full money-back guarantee. However, the personalised speeches are written in close consultation with the customer, and so can be altered to suit their requirements.
<p>Strength to strength
The site is quite easy to use, something that customers have noticed and complimented the company on. “Business has increased steadily every year and clients rarely have trouble ordering. In fact we have had many compliments on how easy it is to use the site, “ says Niamh.
Since its establishment, Speech-Writers.com has gone from strength to strength. Customer feedback has been positive, according to Niamh, and testimonials have come from the US and Tokyo. The site has also been the focus of media such as the Irish Times, the New York Times, The Sunday Times, the Sunday Business Post and the Observer. TV stations have also got in on the act, with BBC World Service and RTE showing Speech-Writers.com some attention. The current Website is four years old and is the second incarnation of Speech-Writers.com. However, the site has been in constant development. “It has been an ongoing process,” explains Niamh. “Work of some kind or another has been done on the site every month since we started.”
A new site is planned for the future, with a multi-currency option, and will be on a more up to date software platform. The redesigned Website will use Java and will go live in a month or two.
“The changes reflect the fact that we keep expanding our range and offering our clients new and improved services,” says Niamh.
Consistently professional
Despite the changes, one thing will undoubtedly remain the same: Providing a professional yet personal service, the ethos at the heart of the Website. “We usually answer e-mails within an hour or so, unless they come in during the night Irish time,” explains Niamh. “The Americans in particular love this and often tell us stories about their trips to Ireland when they are emailing about their speeches.”
At present, the most popular speech on the site is, naturally, the best man’s speech. “Best man’s speeches are our biggest seller. These are closely followed, believe it or not, by Golden wedding anniversary speeches,” says Niamh. “In our personalised range we get a lot of business speeches for sales conferences or for functions where awards are presented. Every day there is a new order and a new challenge.”
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