P.S. How to Write a Speech: Tips from MLK’s Notes

“I very seldom get to write out my sermons as I did in the past. I frequently have to be content with an outline.”

As an English professor, I love sharing formulas that writers have been using for centuries. After all, there are only so many ways to structure an argument or to introduce a quotation. There’s no need to re-invent the wheel. But—and this is important—formulas aren’t enough for brilliant writing, it’s the variation within those formulas that counts.

The same could be said for speeches. As a child attending his father’s church and then as a theology student, Martin Luther King Jr. mastered formulas for delivering sermons and then added his own unique style to them.

Of course, following MLK’s templates doesn’t mean that we’ll be brilliant public speakers, but it’s a start. So join me as I dig deeper into King’s notes to learn how he put together his legendary speeches.

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