Ted Sorensen still packs a punch. That much was evident when he spoke to 300+ speechwriters at Ragan’s Speechwriter’s Conference in Washington on Feb. 13.
The 81-year-old former speechwriter and
counselor to President Kennedy – though nearly blind and a bit shaky on
his feet – wowed the audience with a brilliant combination of wit and
advice.
For a wonderful story on it, see Fraser Seitel’s take that was published on Ragan’s website. Seitel was the emcee for the day and captured very well the mood and the words. I won’t try to repeat that here.
What interested me is Sorensen’s speechwriting advice from the podium versus what he gives in his recent book, Counselor. His advice from the podium – as Seitel noted – was to focus on a few lines:
The outline; the headline; the frontline; the sidelines; and the bottom line.
He went on further to encourage the writers in the audience to ensure they imbued each speech with: clarity, charity, brevity, and levity. Again, see Seitel's story for additional.
His book offers slightly different – though arguable more useful – rules. His six rules:
- Less is almost always better than more. “Make it as simple and direct as the Ten Commandments.”
- Choose each word as a precision tool. “Care and prudence” are his catchwords here.
- Organize the text to simplify, clarify, emphasize. He adds a cautionary note about speeches written by committees: “Many people can contribute suggestions and corrections, but only one can truly write it.”
- Use variety and literary devices to reinforce memorability, not confuse or distract. The bottom line is that style matters and the careful speechwriter knows that the ear is made for music.
- Employ elevated but not grandiose language. JFK’s speeches, Sorensen writes, “were dignified but in the vernacular, never so esoteric that they could not be easily and quickly comprehended by the average listener.”
- Substantive ideas are the most
important part of any speech. “A great speech is great because of the
strong ideas conveyed, the principles, the values, the decisions.”
The devil is in the details. Read the book. Or at least read the chapter on speechwriting if you want a veteran’s look back on how successful speeches are made.
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