‘Does European Speechwriting Have a Future?’
Tuesday. I am on a train. Behind me is a world full of chores: the kitchen lights that flicker like the world’s worst, most desperate, domestic disco; the disintegrating garden …
It’s Lonely Near the Top (But Only If You’re Alone).
Recently Forbes had a piece quoting CEOs on why they join peer groups where they can exchange experiences and ideas with others just like them. “I joined a peer group because I was making …
How to Know Whether You Should Be Worried About AI Taking Your Speechwriting Job
Many of us were journalists before turning to rhetoric, which makes speechwriters an exquisite fusion of objectors and optimists with a weakness for eloquence: people who can spot the long …
Real State of the Union Revealed by State-of-the-Village Speeches
President Trump is giving his big speech to Congress tonight. But even when we have a president who does try to mouth rhetoric that remotely rhymes with reality, I’m not …
A House of Civic Fellowship, in a Chaotic Time
Published earlier this month at the website of the City Club of Cleveland. —ed. Political upheaval is both chaotic and clarifying, and the opening weeks of the second administration of …
Leadership Communication Confidential
Dear Executive Communicator, Three weeks into the new administration, my newsfeed has never been louder, and my professional correspondence has never been quieter. For someone who has been close to …
The Year in Leadership Communication
(Retail) Starbucks was down and (Robby) Starbuck was up. Boeing’s CEO apologized sincerely, vowed solemnly and resigned eventually. Many beleaguered college presidents issued statements about why they’ll issue fewer statements …
You Don’t Know the Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address was not a ceremonial speech, inevitably bound for a marble wall. It was a strategy speech, designed to “convince a very skeptical public in the north that …
Why ‘Executive Presence’ Can Be a Touchy Topic
It’s been a couple weeks since my company finished putting on a virtual seminar called “Executive Presence for Exec Comms Pros,” and I’m still thinking about it. Obviously, teaching about …
Do We Really Need a Course in ‘Executive Presence’? Yes, We Really Do.
The term “executive presence” didn’t exist three decades ago when I first became acquainted with the joys and sorrows of corporate executive communication professionals. But I would have made fun …