by Rob Cottingham | Apr 6, 2016 | Politics, Speechwriting, Technology
Last night, I joined hundreds of other Vancouverites at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for an evening with Edward Snowden. For more than an hour, the intelligence-contractor-turned-whistleblower spoke to us via videoconference. He was articulate, quietly passionate and... 
by Rob Cottingham | Mar 16, 2016 | How to..., Speechwriting
One of your most important skills as a speechwriter is listening to your client when they give you feedback. That often means hearing past their words, to what they’re actually saying… and it almost always means probing more deeply for the real issue behind a comment... 
by Rob Cottingham | Aug 18, 2015 | How to..., Speechwriting
So many speeches don’t (…dammit…) Whenever I find myself repeatedly writing, deleting and re-writing the first lines of s (…augh…) The Oxford English Dictionary defin (hell, no.) Ever find yourself staring at a blank screen, stymied at how to start a... 
by Rob Cottingham | May 1, 2015 | Technology
Everyone cheers a robust work ethic. But laziness deserves a little time in the sun, too. The desire to duck drudgery drives countless innovations. If necessity is the mother of invention, then laziness is the sperm donor. Life lesson: if you find yourself doing a... by Rob Cottingham | Feb 24, 2015 | Technology
I think the aging starcraft knew as I did that the next time would be our last: that they’d have us—and with us, the Arcturan Protocol. That was the one eventuality I couldn’t accept. I flipped the control yolk over, centered the implacable rock of the... by Rob Cottingham | Nov 28, 2014 | Technology
Scott Stratten’s eagle eye caught something odd about Bell Mobility’s Canada’s new app: Not only do they all seem like Bell Canada employee reviews, they have all been voted “Helpful” so they come to the top of the default review listing. All of...
