The San Francisco Book Review
The San Francisco Book Review has reviewed the 30th anniversary edition of How To Write & Give A Speech. St. Martin’s Press and I are both so pleased with this recognition. The SFBR has an...
View ArticleWant to learn about speechwriting and public speaking at a NYC conference?
It’s not too late to register for the ASJA conference. If you want to succeed in your writing career, you need to be here.The more than 50 sessions explore the changing world of book publishing, new...
View ArticleCornell University’s graduation ceremonies set the standard
On Saturday, I was in the audience at Cornell when actor Ed Helms gave the university’s convocation speech. Best known for his 8-year role as “Andy” on NBC’s The Office and for his work on The...
View ArticleFrom the American Journalism Review … but not just for journalists!
Social media skills aren’t optional for journalists. Increasingly, these skills are mandatory. The same applies to speechwriters or anyone who works in business communication, for that matter. Your...
View ArticleA great communication choice from the University City Science Center
Kudos to University City Science Center in Philadelphia! For the first time in their 51-year history, their Annual Review is entirely online! Not only does going paperless fit with the Center’s...
View ArticleNEA speech with a quotable line
In his final keynote as president of the National Education Association, Dennis Van Roekel included this quotable line: “Let’s be clear—we as educators are not opposed to tests,” he added. “Good God,...
View ArticleJuly 9, 1978: Gloria Steinem speech at ERA rally in DC
On this date in 1978, editor and feminist leader Gloria Steinem addressed an Equal Rights Amendment rally in Washington DC. This quote comes from her remarks at the landmark rally: “We are the women...
View ArticleHow to amp up your online authority: from Square 2 Marketing
5 Ways To Build Your Online Authority You may have an online presence, but is it an authoritative one? Are your social media posts resonating with the right audience? Do you focus on talking about the...
View ArticleMedia coverage of missiles
Yesterday’s news coverage was filled with discussions about missiles. One interesting item missing from that media coverage? Yesterday was the anniversary of the first Polaris missile. On July 20 1960,...
View ArticleHow government can help citizens communicate (with lessons for corporate...
This article describes how Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo have each developed targeted programs to engage their citizens in dialogue and communication. Montenegro’s program, “Be Responsible”, earned an...
View ArticleCan #punctuation help sell a speech? Maybe! @JoanDetz
Did you notice the “Best Sellers” section in The New York Times last Sunday (August 17)? It opened with this comment: “Can punctuation help sell a book? It can’t hurt!” And then the section cited these...
View ArticleWas that a soccer star on the big screen?
When President Barack Obama spoke in Tallinn, Estonia on Wednesday, he got the same great media treatment enjoyed by top matches at 2014 World Cup events. Speeches seldom wind up attracting crowds with...
View ArticleHow to publish a business book
Many speechwriters have asked me how to publish non-fiction books – in particular, business books. After years of doing anonymous speechwriting, they’d like to see their own name on the title of a...
View ArticleFrom Deutsche Welle: “Remembering Martin Luther King’s visit to Berlin”
I check Deutsche Welle for news almost every day. I value its coverage. Here’s a special piece on “Remembering Martin Luther King’s visit to Berlin”: September 13 marks the 50th anniversary of Martin...
View ArticleHow do you handle Q&A sessions? Some priceless insights from Ex-President
Yesterday, while commuting from teaching a Presentation Skills workshop in DC (much of my reading time comes via Amtrak – kudos to the Amtrak person who instituted “The Quiet Car”), I happened upon a...
View ArticleInterview from BBC about “deadly speaking mistakes”
File this in the “small world” category for public speaking: A few years ago, I spoke about speechwriting at a large writing conference in New York City. A reporter from Germany happened to be in that...
View ArticleWhat speakers and speechwriters can learn from Ben Bernanke
A couple days ago, Ben Bernanke, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, was giving a speech in Chicago when he commented: “Just between us, I recently tried to refinance my mortgage and I was...
View ArticleTranslation rights for books and their income potential for writers – a great...
Over the years, my public speaking books have been translated into Japanese, Dutch and Polish. With 2014 marking the 30th anniversary of How to Write & Give A Speech (St. Martin’s Press), Alba...
View ArticleHow to get more attention for your speakers: A tip from successful museums
The travel section in today’s New York Times carries a marvelous piece called “A Museum of Your Own” (by Stephanie Rosenbloom). The gist of the article? “In an Instagram age, how to slow down and take...
View ArticleHow to celebrate a landmark anniversary: 25 years after the fall of the...
When I read the following article on Deutsche Welle, I thought of all the speechwriting assignments that revolve around anniversaries. If you work as a speechwriter long enough, you’ll have a portfolio...
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