Speech Tip: Control Your Language (About the PETA Meme) Language is power. I’m not the first to say it. I better not be the last. Control the language and control the people. Politicians know this, as do activist groups, cults, and dictators. That’s one reason speechwriters are hired by the most influential people and organizations […]
Speech Tip: Danger, Will Robinson! Danger! (Speeches Aren’t Safe) Speeches aren’t safe. To the contrary. Speakers have been killed because of how afraid others were/are of their message. Free Speech This isn’t a free speech post. Free speech, as I see it, is the legal unencumbrance of what we can say and where. True free […]
Speech Tip: Inspiration Means Asking Someone To Do a Hard Thing If doing whatever you are asking your audience to do was easy, your inspirational dinner speech would be a breeze. Inspiration is hard. “Say, you know, I was thinking. You know that scholarship fund for poor international kids I mentioned in that letter last […]
Speech Tip: Don’t Tell Me a Story (Unless It Matters) When you are giving a speech, you are being graced with the attention of as many people as are listening. You’ve heard “tell a story, tell a story” as some sort of speech givers mantra. That’s not the point of your speech. Your job isn’t […]
Speech Tip: Avoid PowerPoint Jeff Bezos doesn’t like PowerPoint in presentations. Neither do I. Why not? They distract the audience and the speaker. It is as simple as that. That’s not even getting into the design question — so many aren’t done well. Too many words, too complex of a message (charts that are more […]
Speech Tip: Politics as Unusual: Love, Not Hate in Political Speeches Politics. Can’t live with ’em. Can’t… I just can’t. I will write speeches for good people who want good things who are willing to say it all in a good way. There are two major ways to write a political speech. Ask most people, […]
Adventures in Speech Writing I have a sexy job. It isn’t really, but that’s the impression some people have. Too many movies romanticize my type of work. In the course of conversation, someone might say, “So, what do you do?” There’s a range of reasons people ask such a thing — maybe they want to […]
Speech Tip: Writers Read (So Do All Successful People) Writers who read are better than writers who don’t. If you aren’t reading, you should. It isn’t complicated to consider. Many of you are humming amen. As you do, think of the next great book you’ll read. If all you are reading is the flavor of […]
Speech Tip: Take Speeches Seriously (Seriously) Do you take speeches seriously? You should. The manager of a well-known athlete once told me that he wishes his client took speeches as seriously as he took massage therapy. That is, the athlete sees a massage therapist weekly so that he can train more effectively. He has a […]
Speech Tip: Take Speeches Seriously (Seriously) Do you take speeches seriously? You should. The manager of a well-known athlete once told me that he wishes his client took speeches as seriously as he took massage therapy. That is, the athlete sees a massage therapist weekly so that he can train more effectively. He has a […]