The 43rd Public Relations Seminar" was held. ～The 44th Public Relations Seminar - Message Writing and Diction
Jun 24, 2025
The Public Relations Committee of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan held its 43rd Public Relations Seminar on May 27, 2025 at Congress Square Nihonbashi. The Public Relations Seminar is held to share information on the environment surrounding the pharmaceutical industry and public relations-related topics. The theme of this year's seminar was "Message Writing and Speaking Techniques to be Communicated," which was presented by Mr. Moe Nagato, a speech trainer from Kaeka Co.
Lecture Scene
This seminar is designed to enhance the support capabilities of public relations staff in advising presenters who are responsible for various types of briefings, media relations, and speaking engagements on how to speak more effectively. Based on the idea that "the way you speak can be changed with effort," the seminar organized both the content and delivery of a speech, and introduced specific techniques that can be put into practice starting tomorrow. A total of 138 participants from 42 member companies attended the seminar. Many participants commented that the seminar was "very easy to understand" and "directly related to practical business.
The following is a transcript of the seminar.
Message Writing and Speaking Techniques
Moe Nagato, Speech Trainer, Kaeka Corporation
(1) 14 Elements of Speaking
Do you think that people who are good at speaking are naturally gifted? In fact, speaking is something that can be changed with effort. What I want you to be aware of today is that you can change your speaking style with effort.
Of course, the direction of your efforts is very important. We suggest that you divide your speaking style into content and delivery.
As we will discuss later, we believe that there are two aspects to speaking: "content construction" and "voice and movement. We define them as 14 elements (Fig. 1).
Anyone can change his or her speaking style with effort by systematically learning each of these 14 elements.
Figure 1: 14 elements of "speaking style
(2) Basic techniques for writing a message that gets across
1. Three principles of speaking
First, I would like to introduce three basic principles of speaking.
The first is to "clarify the purpose of your speech. If you begin speaking without a clear purpose, your speech will simply be a list of information to the audience, and it will be difficult for them to understand what you have to say. There should be some purpose to the speaking scene. For example, "I want to be seen as a trustworthy person," "I want to achieve a numerical goal," etc. Clarify the purpose of your speech before you speak.
Second, analyze the audience. You need to understand the attributes, situation, and amount of knowledge of your audience, and choose terms and expressions accordingly. For example, you need to make sure that you are not using too many technical terms and that your explanations are appropriate for their level of understanding.
Third, you must be aware of the spoken language. Unlike the written word, the spoken word only flows once as audio information. Therefore, it is necessary to structure the spoken language in such a way that it is easy to understand, for example, by breaking each sentence into short sentences.
By comparing the before and after images in Figure 2, you can see how shortening a sentence can make a big difference in the ease of listening to the same content. In spoken language, it is important to break up sentences as much as possible while speaking.
Figure 2: Awareness of the spoken word
2. Clarify the core message
Next, I would like to talk about "core messages. The core message is a short, straightforward expression of what you want to convey most in your talk.
A good example is the speech given by Shohei Otani before the WBC games. Even if there are multiple messages you want to convey, consolidating them into one clear message, "Let's stop yearning," will leave a lasting impression.
As shown in Figure 3, it is effective to keep the core message to roughly 5 to 10 words. For example, if you include multiple messages, such as "What we need now is the power to continue working together," different listeners will receive the message differently. By clearly stating this as "the power to continue," it clearly conveys to the listener what you want to convey most.
Fig. 3 Achieving Objectives
3. Combine facts and stories
Next, I will discuss the use of "facts" and "stories" as elements that support the core message.
Facts are external information such as statistics, news, or service introductions that will be the same regardless of who is speaking. Stories are internal information such as the speaker's experiences, feelings, and values (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Combining Persuasive Storytelling
Balancing these two together results in a message that is both credible and empathetic. For example, when introducing wireless headphones, in addition to facts such as performance and sales, the speaker's personal experience (story) of actually using the headphones in a café and being able to concentrate will make the message more persuasive.
There is no "right ratio" of facts to stories. The ratio should be adjusted depending on the audience and the situation. Generally speaking, a high ratio of facts conveys a sense of trust, while a high ratio of stories conveys a sense of personality. If the text feels cold, simply add a story to create a sense of temperature.
(3) How to use "speed" and "pause" to make your speech impressive
There are four elements to inflection. There are four elements of inflection: volume of voice, speed of voice, pitch of voice, and pause. In this article, I will focus on "speed" and "pause.
1. use different speeds of voice
First, voice speed is important. Instead of speaking at the same speed for everything, you can impress the listener by consciously slowing down and slowing down the parts you want to emphasize. In particular, proper nouns such as company, product, and person names, core messages, comparative terms, and numerical values can be impressed by slow speech.
2. use pauses effectively
Next, let's talk about pauses. A pause is literally a "time when you are not speaking," but it is also an excellent speaking technique. By taking pauses well, you can help your listeners understand your speech and give the impression of calmness. Here are five situations in which you should be especially conscious of pauses.
- Before you begin speaking
Taking a breath at the beginning of your speech can create a sense of anticipation. - After items you want the audience to think about
After asking, "What do you all think?" If you start speaking immediately after asking a question such as "What do you think? It is important to pause for a moment. - Changing the subject
It is difficult to understand a paragraph immediately after a transition word such as "Well," "By the way," or when the time line changes. A pause here and there helps to organize the structure of the conversation. - Before and after important words
Pause before and after can make the core phrase stand out. - The End
If you immediately say the closing words at the end of your speech, you will lose the impression of closure. Taking a breath before carefully tying off the speech will make the entire speech seem more polished.
One rule of thumb for pauses is to use a "punctuation mark (.) If the pause is less than one second, it is too fast and does not leave an impression, and if it is more than three seconds, it may seem a bit redundant. A pause that you feel is a little long is often conveyed just right to the listener.
(4) How to use gestures to enhance your ability to communicate
1. loudly and majestically
Gestures can be used well to complement the enthusiasm and persuasiveness that words alone cannot convey. For example, they can be used to emphasize key words, share emotions, and create spatial expansiveness.
However, simply moving your hands in a small motion around your waist will not convey the message to the audience. It is important to make the gesture so that it is clearly visible at eye level. It may take a little courage at first, but it will look surprisingly natural when viewed back on video.
Also, gestures have different meanings with one hand and two hands. One hand is easier to use in ordinary situations and is more suitable for expressing power and individuality. For example, it is effective in situations where you are speaking to someone. On the other hand, two hands give the impression of appealing to the entire speech or to the entire audience. It is suitable for use at decisive points, with the image of "wrapping up" or "supporting" the message.
Many people may be reluctant to use both hands, but rather to capture the atmosphere of the place, using both hands in an imposing manner is effective.
2. Courageously hold still
Gestures are not only about movement. When to stop is another skill of communicating. If you keep moving your hands all the time to keep up with the flow of the conversation, the words, which are the main subject, may become blurred. By stopping the movement at key points, the importance of the words will stand out.
3. Consider when to put your hand down
You should also be careful about when to put down the gesture. If you lower the gesture vaguely at the conclusion of the speech, the message will be conveyed weakly. It is important to have a "beginning" and "end" to the hand movement in accordance with the meaning of the words.
(5) You can change your speaking style with effort
So far we have talked about "communicative speaking. We have organized speaking into 14 elements, and today we have focused on the basics: plot, facts, story, core message, speed, pause, and gesture.
Again, you can change your speaking style with effort. If what you learn today is a starting point for that, I couldn't be happier.
(Mutsumi Miyanaga, Public Relations Department)