A speechwriter is a professional audience-hugger

Mommy, what is a speech for? It was the legendary Australian political speechwriter Don Watson who said:

“At the core a speech is an embrace. A bad speech is a failed attempt at comfort, friendship or seduction and the speechmaker suffers an identical indignity. A good speech is a lover’s embrace, or a brother’s, father’s, friend’s or mother’s, depending on the circumstances.”