Devon Berry, Nurse Leader, On Writing for Speaking

Devon Berry, RN, PhD is the prior Executive Associate Dean at Oregon Health and Science University. Over the past decade, Dr. Berry has served in multiple nursing leadership positions in academic settings. Across all of these positions, nursing leader Dr. Berry has come to appreciate the importance of the relationship between strong writing skills and strong speaking skills. He has noted that many leaders shy away from carefully manuscripting important speaking engagements.

Devon Berry, academic leader and nursing faculty, believes that the level of scrutiny under which leadership often functions demands that the leader practice a careful stewardship of words. He states that this stewardship can play itself out in one of several ways. First, Dr. Berry identifies those speaking opportunities which are more spontaneous leaving little time for preparation. Often, three to four minutes of uninterrupted reflection can result in sufficient notes for an introduction, three main points, and a conclusion. Nursing leader Devon Berry believes that a little preparation is often far better than no preparation especially if the individual is not a naturally gifted speaker. Furthermore, Berry states, leaders often say things they later wish they had not when working without notes.

Serving in executive roles, says Dr. Berry, deans, associate deans, and other nursing leaders will often have the opportunity to accept formal speaking engagements. For such engagements, much can be gained from fully manuscripting a talk before it is given. Devon Berry, nursing leader and prior associate dean, reflects that the point of manuscripting is not so that the speaker can blandly read through pages of content. Rather, he states, manuscripting ensures that the speaker has carefully thought through all of their ideas and formed a coherent and logical progression for their comments. Nursing leader Devon Berry believes that this level of preparation when fused with careful attention to audience interest and expressive delivery can make all the difference between a strong or weak presentation.