This Isn’t Writing, It’s Mincing
Last week at the Executive Communication Summit that my company convened, I interviewed the famed Yale Management School Professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, who took us back to the beginning of the …
Corporate America Won’t Even Defend *Itself*
Earlier this month we invited speechwriters and executive communication professionals to share, at whatever level of confidentiality they desired, how they’re faring in the new administration: “What is going on …
Vital Speeches Editor Sez: ‘No Reading Speeches Off Your Cellular Telephone!’
My old pal Steve Crescenzo was on a Zoom call with a prospect the other day, a young woman. “About ten minutes into the 30-minute call, she appeared to wipe …
Will Leaders Dare Comfort Their Afflicted Now?
As the new administration approaches the gates, people who help institutional leaders communicate are trying to figure out which way the wind will blow (and whether it will blow hard …
What Are We Going to Do About It?
I once found myself dancing in a tavern in Bayfield, Wisconsin with a local woman whose hands were so rough that I couldn’t help asking her what she did for …
Literally Indefensible
The old joke: An Irishman walked past a bar. It could happen! Well, I feel the same about philanthropic, civic-minded billionaires. It could happen! Another one bites the dust. Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, in …
Guest Post: A Bracing Rebuttal to ‘Leaders Who Dare Not Speak, Dare Not Lead’
My friendship with David Murray is almost as old as our respective adult daughters. It spans my entire career as a speechwriter and most of his second (or third) act …
Institutional Leaders Who Dare Not Speak, Dare Not Lead
I’m disappointed at the way leaders of American institutions are communicating these days. Or not communicating, as the case seems to be. I’ve been studying this phenomenon longer than most, …
No, Improvisation Does Not Equal Authenticity
Q: Does reading from notes during a speech make you “inauthentic”? A: NO I’m sharing this irritating post from an irritating person who I won’t promote any further. (Clue: it’s …
To a Writer Who Wants to Break Into Speechwriting
Had a call last week with a young journalist who wants to get into speechwriting. Or so he thinks, midair between frying pan and fire. He has spoken with a …