The 44th Public Relations Seminar ～The 44th Public Relations Seminar - Message Writing and Diction
November 26, 2025
The Public Relations Committee of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Japan (PMAJ) held the 44th Public Relations Seminar on October 29, 2025 at Congress Square Nihonbashi. This seminar is held regularly to share knowledge and practices related to public relations activities, and the theme of this year's seminar was "speaking", following the theme of the previous seminar ( "The 43rd Public Relations Seminar" - Message Writing and Speaking Skills to Convey Your Message).
Lecture Scene
The lecturer was Ms. Aiki Tsuchiya, a speech trainer from Kaeka Corporation, who gave a lecture titled "Strategies for Speaking: Practical Application," which included exercises on how to incorporate the "structure of speaking" introduced in the previous basic seminar into actual communication. The lecture was followed by exercises on how to incorporate the "structure of speech" introduced in the previous Basic Course into actual communication.
This paper presents a transcript of the lecture.
Practical Strategies for Speaking
Mr. Aiki Tsuchiya, Speech Trainer, Kaeka Inc.
(1) Speaking style can be changed with effort.
We divide speaking style into two parts: content (what you say) and delivery (how you express yourself). Content is the element related to the words themselves, and delivery is the part related to the "way" of delivery, such as voice and movement. In order to develop speaking ability, it is necessary to improve both of these elements.
We have further classified content and delivery into 14 elements (Figure 1). Content is organized into four elements: Plot, Fact, Story, and Core Message, while delivery is divided into voice and action, each with five elements. In training, we tell you that by learning these elements systematically, speaking ability can be acquired, i.e., it can be changed with effort.
Figure 1: 14 elements of "speaking style
(2) Three principles of speaking
First, the "three principles" of speaking. This is a very important point that we always tell you at the beginning of the lecture, and it is a principle that you should always be aware of when you speak. Here are the three in order.
Clarify the purpose
The first is to clarify the purpose of speaking. There is always a purpose to every situation other than small talk, but this "obvious" point is surprisingly often overlooked. Although speaking is supposed to be a means to an end, speaking itself often becomes an end in itself. The purpose can be abstract or concrete. It can be an emotional goal, such as "I want them to trust me" or "I want them to be friendly," or it can be a numerical satisfaction goal. The important thing is to verbalize it once.
Analyze the target audience
The second is to "analyze the target audience. It is essential to consider their attributes, situation, amount of knowledge, and communication style. It happens everyday that you use too many technical terms that you understand but the other person does not, or you continue talking without noticing that the listener has lost focus. For example, if the other person looks sleepy or is looking at a computer, you need to find a way to get their attention back.
Be aware of the spoken language
The third is to be aware of the spoken word. Unlike the written word, the spoken word cannot be read back by the listener. Therefore, it is necessary to always think about "in what order and how to deliver the message. Especially important is the "length of a sentence. Even if the content is the same, the shorter the sentence, the easier it is to get the message across. In the work that follows, please be sure to keep this point of "shortening one sentence" in mind.
(3) Combining Persuasive Talk
When creating a compelling story, we emphasize the importance of combining facts and stories. Facts are "outside information" such as news, statistics, articles, and basic information. Stories are "information inside yourself" such as actual experiences, feelings, and values. The way these two are mixed together will greatly change the impression that is delivered to the listener (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Combining Persuasive Talk
There is no right answer to ratios
There is no right answer for the right balance of facts and stories. The amount of mixing depends on the characteristics of the listener and the purpose of the talk. If there are too many facts, the impression of trustworthiness is created, but it tends to become stiff. On the other hand, if there are too many stories, it will give a sense of the person's personality, but it may lack cohesiveness.
Adjust according to the purpose and target audience
The important thing is to deliberately adjust the ratio of facts to stories according to the purpose and audience. Simply being aware of this ratio can make a big difference in the quality of the story.
(4) Ensuring pauses
I will now tell you about the delivery element, the pause. A pause is the time when no words are spoken. Without pauses, the conversation may sound sloppy or give the impression that you are speaking too fast or in a hurry. On the other hand, if you pause appropriately, it is easier for the audience to catch up with what you are saying, and it also helps prevent fillers (sounds and words such as "uh" and "um" that are unconsciously added to "connect" words or "buy time") and creates an impression of calmness.
Five timing for pauses (Fig. 3)
1. before you start speaking
Instead of speaking as soon as you take the stage, you can raise the level of anticipation by taking a short pause and waiting for the audience to get into the right posture.
2. after items you want the audience to think about
After asking a question such as, "Have you ever thought about...?" and so on, create a pause so that the listener can reflect on the content of the question.
3. Change of Topic
A short pause before a change of topic or flow of the conversation will help the listener focus on the next topic, leading to a natural transition.
4. Before and after important words
A small pause before or after a word you want to emphasize will ensure that the next word is well received.
5. The End
If you walk away immediately after you finish speaking, you can easily give the impression of being indifferent, so it is important to create a lingering pause at the end as well.
Figure 3: When to pause
So, how long is long enough? I tell them, "Try to keep it to about two seconds. Of course, 2 seconds is not always the correct answer. Depending on the situation, you can make it shorter to create a sense of realism, or longer to create a lingering effect. However, today, I would like you to first be aware of the "two seconds. This pause will make it easier for the listener to catch up with your understanding and make a big difference in the overall impression.
(5) Group work
From here, I would like to ask everyone to work in groups based on what I have just described. The theme is "Please share your own thoughts on Co-creation. Co-creation is positioned in the "Pharmaceutical Industry Vision 2035," and it is increasingly important to be able to speak about this theme in your own words in order to convey to the public the importance of drug discovery as a public relations tool.
Simply putting technical terms together is not enough to reach people who do not have the necessary knowledge. Therefore, weaving in your own experiences, real feelings, and easy-to-understand facts will create a message that anyone can understand.
How to proceed with the work
- Each think about the content
- Pair up and speak in turn
- Listeners tell "good points" and "points that could be better
- Reflect on your speaking style using a video (online, take a selfie)
- Try again based on what you noticed
Work
Realizations generated during the work
- I realized that I tend to lean toward stories.
- I realized that adding facts makes you more persuasive.
- Just preparing and speaking makes all the difference in how you get your message across.
- I talked faster than I thought I would.
- I didn't take pauses at all.
- Gestures are too low and look weak
In this way, many of you will notice points that you would not have noticed on your own, one after another. Such "awareness" is the greatest driving force in changing the way you speak.
(6) Use of facts
Finally, I would like to talk about the use of facts. Many people think of numbers when they hear the word "facts," but there is more to it than that. Facts can be very powerful when you want to communicate in a way that is easy to understand, even to people who do not have all the assumptions in place. Here, facts are divided into three categories (Figure 4).
Fig. 4 Leveraging Facts
- Basic information is for sharing "what are we talking about in the first place? This is more effective in situations where the other person is not familiar with the field.
- Papers and research can be used to support the idea that "others are saying the same thing". Even in situations where your own opinion is weak, showing it together with your sources will greatly increase its persuasive power.
- News can bring you closer to your audience through current events. It can be used to draw attention with an introduction, create a shared experience, or provide social background.
(7) Summary
This seminar was attended by many participants both at the venue and online, and it was a time to learn and experience the "structure of speaking" through the lecture and practice. In the work session, many participants noticed habits and areas for improvement that they could not notice on their own, and we expect that they will be able to apply the knowledge to their work from tomorrow.
In addition, the following comments were received in the post-seminar questionnaire.
- Understood the importance of balancing facts and stories
- Through practice, I was able to objectively understand my own habits
- I was able to reaffirm the basics of public relations
- The content can be used at work and in daily life
- I learned a lot from the video review.
These comments indicate that the seminar was a great learning opportunity. Speaking is a skill that can be changed with awareness and training. We hope that the content of this seminar will provide you with the opportunity to further advance your daily PR activities.
(Mutsumi Miyanaga, Public Relations Department)