There’s a story from the March on Washington that few have heard. It involves John Lewis’ speech and revisions being made behind Lincoln’s statue with a typewriter minutes before he spoke. And it all centered around his speech. Before we get into this fascinating story though, let’s talk about the difference between scripts and transcripts.
A script is generally regarded as the written version of what a speaker plans to say. A transcript, however, is the written or printed version of a speech after it is delivered. So the script is made before the speech. And a transcript is a written copy produced following the speech of the actual words the speaker used. And it’s safe to assume, unless the speaker is reading, that these will differ.
Have you ever given much thought to your presentation transcript? If not, it’s time to start thinking about it because releasing a transcript can increase your audience and traffic.
When to Release a Written Copy of Your Presentation
Generally, it’s best not to release a copy of your script. Even if you plan to stick to the script very closely, there will almost inevitably be things that change from what you plan to say to what you actually end up saying. This can cause confusion as to which is the actual or most authentic version of your speech.
This is what happened in the case of John Lewis’ powerful speech. He had been working with many leaders from the Civil Rights movement to prepare his speech for the March on Washington. It wasn’t uncommon for leaders to work together to create a cohesive message. But the speech John Lewis had prepared had sections that others thought were too harsh. So the night prior to his speech, and even minutes before right behind the Lincoln Memorial, civil rights leaders were working to revise it to more closely match the spirit of that important day.
However, somehow an earlier, unrevised version of his speech had been circulated ahead of time. This led to an ongoing debate. Which is the actual, most authentic version of the speech? What Lewis planned to say before the script revisions, or the transcript of what he actually said?
In order to avoid this confusion, it’s typically best to release a written version of any presentation only after the speech is given, by transcribing the words actually used at the time it was delivered.
Increased Exposure
Now that you know when to release a transcript, this should become a part of your normal process, if it isn’t already. Releasing a transcript makes the content more accessible for some users while also making it searchable for all. With a transcript published online, there’s a much higher chance people will encounter your ideas. Google processes “over 40,000 search queries every second on average.” That’s over 3.5 billion searches per day.
With both a video of your presentation and a transcript published online, chances are also greater that your content will land higher on the search engine results page (SERP). So a transcript can literally increase the traffic to your page and increase your audience.
If you are wondering how to produce a transcript, it’s as easy as typing up your presentation after you deliver it and publishing it online. But if you are too busy working on your next presentation, you might consider enlisting the help of a professional transcribing service. Techradar listed the top transcription services for 2021, and scribie, iScribed, and Rev came out on top.
However you decide to tackle your transcript, we hope you now see how releasing one following your presentation can be a simple and great way to increase your exposure.
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