Rob’s blog
Speaking from half a world away: Edward Snowden on big data, security and privacy
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...
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:...
Translating client feedback: What they say vs. what they want
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...
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...
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...
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...
The Pigeon of Dorian Gray, and why you should throw it off the fire escape
Early in my speechwriting career, I was writing for a political candidate. It began with a few weeks of straight-up euphoria. Great news coverage. Enthusiastic volunteers. Support and donations rolling in. (And I got to use state-of-the-art technology: a Compaq...
Illuminate: the exciting new book from Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez
There’s a new book out this week from Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez, and I’m pretty excited. Ms. Duarte’s earlier books Slideology and Resonate changed the way I think about presentations and speaking. They breathed new life into the three-act structure, and gave us...
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,...
Origin story: how I became a speechwriter
With one confident answer, I launched my career as a speechwriter. These 5 lessons can help you do it, too.
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...
How Obama’s messy closet saved the State of the Union speech
State of the Union speeches are often messy, sprawling things. Countless constituencies and interests — within and outside government — vie to hear their priorities reflected in the President's words. And even without their lobbying, the scope of governing is vast,...
Why, yes — I’d LOVE to speak at your event
Public speaking and speechwriting: 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.
