Are Speechwriters Contributing To Social Incivility?
At the recent World Conference of the Professional Speechwriters Association held in May in New York City Georgetown University writing teacher and speechwriter Mike Long gave a great speech under the...
View ArticleThe Power of Speech to Change Minds
During the waning hours of debate in the South Carolina legislature to remove the Confederate flag from flying over State House grounds, certain Republican lawmakers threw up a flurry of last-minute...
View ArticleWriting Across Age, Gender, Race and Culture
As I watched President Obama’s moving eulogy at the funeral of Senator Clementa Pinckney in Charleston in late June – and his equally remarkable speech in Selma some months earlier – I once again began...
View ArticleChallenging Conventional Wisdom: On The Best Way To Learn How To Write A Speech
Conventional wisdom and many books on the topic suggest you learn how to write good speeches by reading good speeches. Well, I’m sorry, but that is not very helpful advice. If you are into “genre...
View ArticleThe Beached Whale Syndrome
You may have heard about – and let me assure you I have no personal knowledge of, nor can I possibly comment on – the syndrome that has over the generations been ascribed by some women to some of their...
View ArticleA Singular Profession: The Strange Life Of A Freelance Speechwriter
A little over two decades ago, when I flung my medically insured/index pensioned/well-paid government job to the winds, and hung up my “speechwriter” shingle, my colleagues emailed their...
View ArticleGet Thee To Washington DC in October
Look, if you are serious about speech writing, about upping your game, or if you are just starting out, then you best get yourself to Washington DC October 7-8, 2015 for The Professional Speechwriters...
View ArticleThe Mind’s Ear
Some years ago, I was editing someone else’s speech — a dreadful bit of work that put me to sleep within the first two paragraphs. The problem was easy to identify. I was looking at a text meant to be...
View ArticleBackward Speech Writing
Sometimes starting a speech can be the most difficult part of the writing process. We all know how critically important it is to hook the audience in the first minute or two, because if we lose them...
View ArticleIt is the season to bloviate….
via GIPHY During every election season commentators and speechwriters like to bring out the word “bloviate” to describe the bombast that comes out of politicians’ mouths. It seems a good time to...
View ArticleThe Perilous Life Cycle of the Freelance Speechwriter
If the stock market is crashing and you have no idea of what the American election will do to your bank balance you best give it a little thought. A national election can have unsettling affects on...
View ArticleShould You Ever Write For Free?
My answer to that is “Yes, no, or maybe”. Your answer may be dictated by some of the feelings expressed in the infographic above. Here are some ground rules. First, if you undervalue your work, you...
View ArticleSpeech Writing In An Age of Anxiety
A few weeks ago, a number of my speechwriting colleagues gathered for a phone chat about the Trump phenomena and how his election might affect our careers as speechwriters. We talked about the...
View ArticleAre Speechwriters Contributing To Social Incivility?
At the recent World Conference of the Professional Speechwriters Association held in May in New York City Georgetown University writing teacher and speechwriter Mike Long gave a great speech under the...
View ArticleThe Power of Speech to Change Minds
During the waning hours of debate in the South Carolina legislature to remove the Confederate flag from flying over State House grounds, certain Republican lawmakers threw up a flurry of last-minute...
View ArticleWriting Across Age, Gender, Race and Culture
As I watched President Obama’s moving eulogy at the funeral of Senator Clementa Pinckney in Charleston in late June – and his equally remarkable speech in Selma some months earlier – I once again began...
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