Speechwriters Are Serious Readers, Still
The emphasis in leadership communications the last decade or so has been on strategic thinking, not writerly erudition. So I was pleased to see last week when an email group …
Self-Awareness for Exec Comms Pros (or Selves Awareness, More Like)
Every corporate communications role requires lots of emotional intelligence, self-awareness. But surely none requires more interpersonal athleticism than that of the executive communicator, who must fluidly navigate a huge range …
Come.
Many speechwriters who have come to rely on the Professional Speechwriters Association as a sturdy, steady source of professional development, advocacy and global networking would be surprised to know that …
Exec Comms Worst-Case
Should a PR team be fired for a negative executive media profile if the executive didn’t listen to their expert counsel? I don’t know all the details of what happened …
For Speechwriters, the Struggle Is Real (and It Always Was)
Digging through some old files, I came across an issue of a long-defunct publication I once edited for Ragan Communications, called Speechwriter’s Newsletter. I wrote the cover piece in the August …
“The Lehrman Landing”—and Other Jargon Speechwriters Should Use Constantly
For three decades I’ve been listening to complaints from speechwriters and other corporate writers who don’t believe they receive the deference they deserve, from their bosses or even from their …
Easy Come, Easy Go: A Checklist for Handling Leadership Transitions Smoothly and Strategically
Leadership transitions are inevitable, and often all too frequent: Executives leave the organization, and new executives join. Major changes like these can be disruptive to the business, but you play …
This Is Why We Created the Executive Communication Awards
It wasn’t long ago, when “executive communications” mostly meant helping leaders say the things they were expected to say, on the appointed day, in the usual way. Today’s exec comms …
HackGPT, More Like
Did anyone else read the piece on Sunday by New York Times columnist Farhad Manjoo, who said ChatGPT is already changing the way he goes about his craft? “Once you start using ChatGPT you …
Why We Give Speeches Now
One fine spring Saturday over the backyard fence, I was bragging about my European Parliament speech to my neighbors in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village, who think all I ever do is …