Speechwriter, Your Client Is a Great Big Fourth-Grader
Every year at the Professional Speechwriters Association’s Speechwriting School, the faculty gets asked: How do I animate and effervesce my wooden, flat speaker? Bring in a speaking coach, we say. We...
View ArticleThe Emperor’s New Thought Leadership Platform
Hey, I run the Executive Communication Council. It’s part of our charter, “To showcase to the business community and to society at large, what great leadership communication is, and the profound...
View ArticleWhat Drew Me to the Game?
After 13 seasons with the Eagles, center Jason Kelce retired after 13 years. Through a tearful 45-minute speech, Kelce went through his high school, college, and NFL football careers, thanked the city...
View ArticleAsked and Answered: Questions Leaders Ought to Have About Exec Comms
Several years ago, it occurred to leaders of the Professional Speechwriters Association that speechwriters’ clients didn’t necessarily understand what a successful collaboration looks like between...
View ArticleWhy Do We Still Do Gridiron Speeches, Again?
There are lessons in laughter. One of my proudest professional associations is being a “Friend of the Gridiron,” the oldest journalistic club in Washington. It is best known for its annual spring...
View ArticleWe Should Abandon the Fantasy of Phasing Out Oil and Gas
Thank you Dan, and good morning Ladies and Gentlemen. It is always a pleasure to be back in Houston, particularly as Aramco’s U.S. headquarters celebrates 50 years in this great city. We meet when...
View ArticleAnother New Study Advances Another Old Canard About Public Speaking!
Of all the professions where you might expect to find a shadowy gang of shysters, pettifoggers and liar’s-poker sharpers—think horse-trading and used-car dealing—you wouldn’t think public speaking...
View ArticleTo a Writer Who Wants to Break Into Speechwriting
Had a call last week with a young journalist who wants to get into speechwriting. Or so he thinks, midair between frying pan and fire. He has spoken with a number of speechwriters, all of whom have...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Workmanlike, for the Win
This week, a couple of meditations on writing that works—and how it’s not always the sexiest prose that wins the day. —DM *** When Workmanlike Is Better Than Exquisite My first writing job was at a...
View Article
