Speaking Notes Sample

Speaking notes are often developed to assist a spokesperson who will be giving a press briefing or media briefing to expand on a subject first announced in a press release.

Speaking notes are essentially “talking points” that are used by an individual who is briefing the press or media on something that has already been summarized in a press release that the audience has already received. They are usually listed in point-form contained on a one or two page document.

Typically, these speaking points will be enough for a speech or press briefing lasting about 5 to 10 minutes in length, which will normally be followed by a question period. The material covered in speaking notes should elaborate on points already touched on in the related press release and should not normally go off-topic or raise new issues.

The speaking notes sample below was set up in MS-Word and was written for a real-life situation. It contains all of the key elements that are normally included when developing speaking notes or talking points for a typical briefing of members of the media.

Speaking Notes – Sample