The Cicero Awards: a rare chance for speechwriters to shine
Let’s face it, speechwriters: we’re a hide-in-the-shadows, cheer-from-the-wings kind of bunch. Our work involves helping someone else be at their best on stage. Chasing the spotlight ourselves? Not our thing. But there’s an exception. The Cicero...
Common myths about speechwriting
Myth: “Speechwriting is a dark and mysterious art, known only to a handful of monks who live in a subterranean lair deep under an extinct volcano. There, they gather under each blood moon to add a single new member to their number, and — in exchange for her or...
Delivery: How to lift a speech from the page
“Put me up on stage in front of a microphone to speak off the cuff, and I do great,” one of my workshop participants said not long ago, as we talked about speech delivery. “But give me a written speech to read and I just go dead,” he added,...
Getting better feedback
“Could you read this?” a friend asked me, handing over the manuscript for his novel. “I’d love your feedback.” So I did. I read all 200 pages and made detailed notes about story, character and voice. How the dramatic structure needed...
Challenge, call, recipe, reward: How to write the conclusion of your speech
Conclusions are one of the hardest parts of a speech to write. Here’s an approach to bringing any speech to a graceful end with an inspiring call to action.
