by Rob Cottingham | Dec 12, 2011 | Social Signal, Speechwriting
A lot of speeches begin with someone introducing you to the audience – reciting your background and qualifications, and then encouraging them to greet you warmly as you head to the microphone.
And once the applause dies down, you’re looking at a sea of…
by Rob Cottingham | Dec 7, 2011 | Social Signal, Speechwriting
Speechwriting is a notoriously solitary profession. You might have a few conversations with a client, their staff or — if you’re writing for yourself — a mirror. But a lot of your work is going to be just you, a keyboard and the unforgiving blank s…
by Rob Cottingham | Apr 5, 2009 | Politics, Speechwriting
A good friend is leaving the House of Commons for a run at the B.C. legislature. Here’s her farewell speech from April 2; in it, you’ll find a lot of what made her such a great MP: Ms. Dawn Black (New Westminster—Coquitlam, NDP): Mr. Speaker, this might be... by Rob Cottingham | Jan 20, 2009 | Communicating, Vancouver
Hey, Vancouver communicators – check out this one-year term position as a communication consultant with Vancity. Oh, and before you apply… think about brushing up your social media resume. And since you’re prowling for jobs, read through these job... by Rob Cottingham | Oct 30, 2008 | Communicating, Speechwriting, Technology
At the very end of a post about professional public speaking (more about Tod’s public-speaking series of posts soon – they’re fantastic, and this one is actually hilarious), Tod Maffin offers a piece of advice that just about every Mac user should take... by Rob Cottingham | Oct 8, 2008 | Politics, Speechwriting
Jokes are supposed to be a public speaker’s best friend. They break the ice, put the audience at their ease, and make you look a little more warm and human. And so they do – when they work. When they don’t… well, look at Sen. John McCain in...
