How do you get your head into the right place to pen inspiring speeches or presentations?

I found myself thinking about this question last weekend while on a romantic weekend away with my missus in the gorgeous county of Kerry and taking in the breathtaking coastal views on the road from Sneem to Waterville.

Now I know what you’re thinking:

Seriously Eamonn, that’s sad. So, you’re on a break with your wonderful wife in ‘the Kingdom’, driving along the famed Ring of Kerry, and, since you could see just how fabulous and jaw-droppingly gorgeous everything is, it clearly wasn’t raining…

…And, with all that in view, you start thinking about making speeches! Sheesh!

To be fair, I wasn’t thinking about talks until my wife spotted one of the many little brown signs in Ireland that indicate there’s something nearby that may be of historical or touristic interest.

‘Derrynane Estate’, Mused my missus. “Of course, you know who lived there as a kid, inherited it from his rich uncle, and spent most all his summers here?

I shook my head. I didn’t have a clue.

“Ha”, says my missus, grinning from ear to ear. “I thought you were Mr History. Looks like I know some stuff you don’t. That was Daniel O’Connell’s family estate.”

I was delighted:

• That my wife knew this about one of Ireland’s most lauded of Irish political leaders and patriots during the first half of the 1800s – a man who, in my view, was one the very best orators Ireland ever produced.
  • As a quick aside for those who don’t know much about Daniel O’Connell. He was an accomplished barrister who become known as ‘the Liberator’ in Irish history books. Using powerful arguments well delivered he won Catholic Emancipation and many other rights for the people of Ireland in the British parliament over roughly 4 decades. And, like Gahndi a century later, he decried violence as a means of progressing political progress and illustrated instead how much can be done through persuasive words and persistance.
• And even better, having happened upon this place by chance, we had oodles of time to check it out

And while I loved having the opportunity to revisit many things I knew about his life and times plus learn many new things about his childhood, his marriage, and how his anti-violence stance had been influenced by what he saw and experienced in the lead up to and then during the bloody French revolution, that wasn’t the most interesting thing I discovered that morning.

How Your Setting Can Influence Your Ability to Pen Inspired and Inspiring Words

Rather, I was thrilled to learn where he wrote many of his great speeches – because there was a lesson in this.

Check out this little hut above, which was the equivalent of a garden office (or as we call it, after a popular brand name, a ‘Seomra’ in Ireland) that’s right beside his fine mansion and posh house extensions.

In common with Roald Dahl, Mark Twain, George Bernard Shaw and many other famous coiners of words, he escaped from his house and other regular places of work to find a great spot for thinking and writing.

And honestly, that wasn’t just a great idea for him…It’s likely a great notion for you too. Here’s why.

As I mentioneded in an article some time ago on on how to beat writer’s block: Finding somewhere where you have less distractions and feel comfortable is the one the best things you can do to craft more inspiring words. And that’s because it’s easier to free up your mind and thoughts if you “create an environment where you have the opportunity to be both focused and more relaxed”

For me, when writing an outline for a speech or blog post, I like the JK Rowling approach of being in a cafe in a comfy chair, with a cup of coffee at hand and my phone switched to ‘off’, and the knowledge that no one can find or interupt me until my writing is done and I choose to surface again.

What About You?

Where’s the spot where you do your most inspired writing?

Do tell. I’d love to hear from you.

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