Rob’s blog

Will Donald Trump kill speechwriting? (Spoiler: no.)

Will Donald Trump kill speechwriting? (Spoiler: no.)

A few months before the GOP convention, the leading contender for the party's presidential nomination is Donald Trump: a man who draws huge, rapturous crowds... yet delivers long, rambling speeches that are apparently entirely off the cuff. Now, let's be clear:...

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Maybe speechwriting doesn’t matter so much after all..?

You’ve probably heard speeches you'd swear were content-free. Here’s one that actually is — and it’s a TEDx talk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S0FDjFBj8o Beneath that hollow exterior lurks actual content: a pretty devastating critique of how a thin speech can...

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The Presentation Audience’s Bill of Rights

The Presentation Audience’s Bill of Rights

WHEREAS life is short and our time on Earth is finite; WHEREAS the duration of a bad presentation is subjectively many times longer than that of a good one; WHEREAS the dedication of audience's time and attention to a speaker is a gift of considerable value, not to be...

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When your audience isn’t feeling the Bern

When your audience isn’t feeling the Bern

This weekend, Bernie Sanders spoke to a predominantly African-American audience at the dining room of a South Carolina church. According to this account, the response from the mealtime crowd was tepid: polite clapping for all but a couple of lines. We’re used to...

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Capturing a speaker’s voice matters

This post argues that speechwriters shouldn't worry about capturing a speaker's voice. Structure the speech well, Mike Long argues, and it'll all come out in the wash. And while I understand that all the tailored turns of phrase in the world can't save a bad speech,...

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The State of the Union is social

The State of the Union is social

There's a point I've been hammering for years now (and I do mean years): the rise of social networks and easily-shared media should mean a profound change in the way speakers and speechwriters approach our craft: at once both broader in scope and more conversational...

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Public speaking and speechwriting: the essential guides

(photo of books with text) Leadership communications: the essential guides

Looking for advice on public speaking, speechwriting and leadership communications? Here are some of my most comprehensive posts, on topics that people ask me about most often.

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